Got hit by a scooter a few weeks ago and the front bumper had to be replaced. Well, they tried painting the bumper three times now and they still can't get the white Blizzard Pearl color right. Now they want to try and blend it with the hood and front side panels. Won't this just make matters worse? Then I'll have the whole front end not matching the rest of the car correctly! It's crap like this that makes me want to go back to my rusted gray 1987 Toyota Pickup truck and don't worry about dents, rust, where to park or the freakin paint color!
Seems to me like the bumper cover should have come already BP white, shouldn't it? In any case, do not let them mess with the rest of the body.
Do not let them feather it out. The paint will never be the same as from the factory. On a side note, the bumpers are obviously a different material and they never match exactly. Some have a blue tint to them and some have a yellow tint to them. The body shop should've noted your original "tint" and matched it to the way it was before. But, it will never match exactly...
agreed. is it a toyota bodyshoppe? First two times were at a Toyota dealer, third time was at a Honda dealer. Bumpers usually don't match exactly even from the factory. Agree, the front and back bumpers are plastic therefore it will be slightly different then painting metal. But it should at the very least match the back bumper! Seems to me like the bumper cover should have come already BP white, shouldn't it? No they don't, Toyota couldn't afford to stock pile all the different color bumpers. Wish they did tho. Do not let them feather it out. The paint will never be the same as from the factory. I totally agree!
Paint and clear coat ordering is by the OEM paint code. The problem may be the rest of the paint that has been on the car awhile may have faded etc. Blending is a common technique and if the painter is talented and has a high quality paint gun and clean booth you can hardly notice
I think I would try to find a "better" body shop that has more experience with 3 step paints! When I first got my BP Prius I questioned my bro in-law who's owned a body shop for 30+ years now- he said- "yes it's tough to work with- but we do enough of them now that we get very good results". He works pretty much on higher end imports- with very demanding owners- if it's not perfect, he hears it! Of course it's extra labor (and $$) when a 3 step paint is involved- but he gets it done regardless.
Same issue with my 07 when I got rear ended and also pushed into car in front. Both front and rear bumpers replaced. Color not even close. It is impossible to match the bumper color once the car has been in the sun. Plastic absorbs the paint differently than metal. White's not even that bad you should see my car. Do not let them feather the car in. Just let it go.
About a year ago, I hit a cat that was trying to cross the highway. I was cruising at about 70MPH, and that cat used up the last of his 9 lives, while messing up the bumper on my almost new pearl white Pruis. The first Toyota dealer told me that a new bumper cover would be very difficult to match, so they would blend the paint with the hood and fenders. It made me sick to think of them messing with the perfect hood and fenders, so I took it to the next closest Toyota dealer. They did not make any promises of a perfect match, but the new bumper cover matched perfectly. I know it's a drive, but the dealer in Appleton, WI knows how to paint the pearl white to match. I just hit something else with the car, and the bumper cover needs to be painted again. I'm hoping for the same results the second time around.
Thanks man, after three tries I give up. I can't keep taking off from work for anyone else to try and get it right. I'll just have to live with it. Probably going to keep this car till it dies anyways! I don't have the money like some members here who can buy and trade at will when their tired of their vehicles or get a scratch on it.
