Car Paint Colour Mismatch after Smash Repair

Lpmcch on 05/03/2023 - 17:54
Last edited 07/03/2023 - 09:03 by 1 other user

I just sent my car to a smash repair shop for a damage on the rear bumper last week. The repair shop got a new rear bumper but the paint is slightly off colour. Is this normal? Would it be too much to ask the shop to repaint it?

Here's how it looks now.

More photos as requested
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/408725/102159/20230306…
Happened to have the old bumper so you can see the difference:
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/408725/102158/screensh…

Thanks for all your comments and advices below! They help a lot as I don't have much experience on dealing with third party claim process.

Automotive Honda

Comments

  • oscargamer on 05/03/2023 - 18:00
    +14

    Slightly off?

    That's not even close.

    Take it back.

    Was it an insurance job or private?

    • pmcch on 05/03/2023 - 20:44

      It's done through third party claim..
      Hope I answered your question, still new to third party claim

    • reactor-au on 06/03/2023 - 09:24

      It doesn't even look metallic like the rest of the car

  • MS Paint on 05/03/2023 - 18:04
    +4

    Did they even get the metallic variant?

    • pmcch on 06/03/2023 - 22:47

      Yes but not as metallic as existing…

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/03/2023 - 18:16
    +3

    That's a shocking job. Take it back.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 05/03/2023 - 18:30

    Unacceptable

  • FoxJump on 05/03/2023 - 18:30
    +1

    all cars have different colours for plastic areas and metal areas. because physics

    look at that part on any car and you'll see it's different. careful, you cant unsee it!

    also plastic and metal parts fade at different rates with the sun

    that said. it indeed looks like your bumper is not metalic look and your car paint is.

    either a better photo or send it back

    • apsilon on 05/03/2023 - 18:55
      +1

      all cars have different colours for plastic areas and metal areas. because physics

      It's the difference in material and method of application is also different. The paint may be an exact match but it appears different, often just from particular angles, due to a number of factors. That's one of the reasons adjacent panels are often blended.

      • MS Paint on 05/03/2023 - 19:09
        +1

        Especially with silver cars.

      • pmcch on 05/03/2023 - 20:47

        It looks a bit yellowish compared to the existing panel, so not sure if it is normal or not. In darker environment, the difference doesn't look that obvious, but it does under bright sunlight….

  • Ocker on 05/03/2023 - 18:43
    +1

    If it was an insurance job then tell the insurance company the paint job is not acceptable and let them sort it out.

  • shxhshzhz on 05/03/2023 - 19:35
    +1

    not acceptable. Doesn't even match the sparkle of the original paint. Make sure to not let this go

  • thatonethere on 05/03/2023 - 19:40
    +1

    Get a quote from a reputable place and then back to insurance to rectify.

    If you paid cash then use the quote for a request for rectification. May have to small claims.

  • pmcch on 05/03/2023 - 20:39

    Thanks for all your replies. Cos it was done through a third party claim, can I still make another claim elsewhere using the same quote number? Or I will have to go back to the same repair shop to fix the paint?

    • Euphemistic on 05/03/2023 - 21:01
      +1

      First port of calm should be the repair shop. Contact whoever paid for it as well to let them know it’s not acceptable.

  • Euphemistic on 05/03/2023 - 21:00
    +1

    It does look different in the photo, but I’ll take your word for it being wrong.

    Get it redone. It’s not satisfactory.

  • Drakesy on 05/03/2023 - 21:10

    one's greenish grey
    the other is grey with metallic flecks

    OP i see your point.

  • hasher22 on 05/03/2023 - 23:07

    "slightly off colour"? That's a whole different colour lol

    Re-do it, 1st contact the repairer if they don't budge, contact your insurer you made the claim to and advise them of the paint job.

  • BenzMan on 06/03/2023 - 08:50

    Wrong colour combination was used. Inform your insurance company.

  • dtc on 06/03/2023 - 10:05

    Are you going through your insurance company or the other driver's? The other driver's company is paying the bills, but who is handling the actual claim (who do you talk to)?

    I suggest first speaking to the repairer, who might say something like 'thats the best we can do' or 'that came from the OEM and is what they provide to match'. So then you have to go to whomever you are talking to about the claim and ask for a better job.

    There is absolutely no obligation on you to accept a repair you are not happy with (if you are on reasonable grounds)

    • pmcch on 06/03/2023 - 22:44

      I'm going through the other driver's insurance. I have the claim number, but I guess the repair shop talked to the insurance company directly. I called the insurance company and was told I can lodge a quality issue (forgot what it was called exactly lol) and redo the paint through the insurance repairer. But I think I'll ask if the current repair shop can rectify the paint first..

  • Noblejoker on 06/03/2023 - 10:25
    +1

    I think we would need more photos for a proper value judgement
    Sun is behind OP meaning side of car highly reflective and thus looking lighter in colour - u can see their reflection in the paint
    Rear bumper does look darker but also more in shadow
    It is possible the difference is not as stark as this single photo appears - although it may be too

    I suspect the bumper is paint matched exactly to the ORIGINAL factory paint colour of the car
    However the rest of the car has faded slightly and thus now they don't match
    This paint matching new to old is a very tricky business especially with metallic paint sparkle/flex
    It may be that a perfect match is impossible - however this may be further out than you can accept

    It is possible that the rear bumper will fade more quickly (darker, absorbs more heat?) and they will match more closely in future

    Definitely worth a conversation with the repairer about your concerns and if not satisfied - go back to the insurance company that paid for it

    • pmcch on 07/03/2023 - 09:00

      Thanks @Noblejoker. Yes it could be actually paint matches to the original factory colour code, so not too sure if this kind of mismatch under bright sunlight is normal.. I took another look at my front bumper which was repaired 1 month after I got the car brand new, it still showed a lighter colour like my current rear bumper, so not sure if it will fade and match the other panels.. But do you know if a repair shop can match the current colour of my car or even colour blending will help?

      • Noblejoker on 08/03/2023 - 15:50

        Yes the repairer should TRY to match the new paint to old
        But it is a fine line as it will fade too so if it starts too light to match now it will fade more and not match later

        It is hard to tell how bad the colour mismatch is from the one photo you supplied with the sun behind you
        But if it is as bad as that makes it look then I think they could have done better

  • Grunntt on 06/03/2023 - 13:45

    I'm red/green colourblind and that does not look anywhere near a close match even to me.

    • having managed a colourmatching department I can say for sure that it comes down to the skill and experience of the individual colourmatcher rather than the material that it is being applied to (and, yes.I know that it does seem incongruous for someone who is colurblind to be managing colourmatching)
  • Aust on 06/03/2023 - 15:34

    Please tell us you didnt sign the form saying your happy with the repair?

    • pmcch on 07/03/2023 - 09:00

      Lucky the repair shop or insurance asked for it yet lol

  • primal89 on 06/03/2023 - 16:24

    Ahh insurance, soo painful.

    • kerfuffle on 07/03/2023 - 07:57

      Especially when you don't have any like the OP and have to go through a third party claim

      • primal89 on 07/03/2023 - 12:17

        Even having insurance sucks

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