B.S. or not on a paint job?

[donkeyhoatie]

Hey all, I'm super new here to the forum and wanted to ask a quick question.

A couple months ago, I was sitting at a red light when a 16-year-old in a Honda Pilot behind me decided she didn't need to stop. Not a ton of damage, but the bumper had to be replaced and a small dent and some scratches on the tailgate had to be fixed.

Her insurance finally sent me the money to get it done and I went to a pretty reputable place to get it fixed. Bumper looks fine and the tailgate is dent and scratch free. The problem is that the color on the tailgate is a little bit . . . "off."

When I pointed it out to them, they assured me that they only painted where the small dent was (middle-bottom of the tailgate, right above the bumper about 4" total) and then blended the paint around it. The difference in color, they said, is because they clear-coated the whole tailgate and the clear coat on the rest of the car is oxidized/faded. My car is a 98 that I've had for last 6 years and I don't have a garage, so I'm sure it's faded. But, does this sound like a reasonable reason for a slight difference in color? They mentioned if I went to a detailer and got the clear coat buffed, it would be pretty much dead-on all around.

It's been rainy/cloudy here in Chicago, so the lighting hasn't been good for taking pictures, but I could post something later. 4Runner was originally Desert Dune, but it's lighter now.

 

[matthinnant]

that makes sense but I wouldnt take it to a detailer for another 60-90 days after you had it painted and clear coated so it can fully harden and then I would probably just clay bar it then put a nice new coat of wax on it and see if it blends in.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Could be. I would wait about 2 months or so (as noted above too) until the new paint and clear fully cure. Once they do, You could either DIY it with a clay bar and buffer or if you REALLY LOVE your truck, send it to to have the truck wet sanded and buffed. A little pricey but you'll fall in love all over again.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

As part of you collision repair, the shop should have color sanded (with 2500-3000 grit paper) and buffed the clear coat. This gets rid of the orange peel and gives it the shine. Some shops probably don't do this but a good shop will. Color sanding and buffing is usually done a few hours after the paint. Don't put wax on it for a couple of months to allow the clear to cure.

 

[donkeyhoatie]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. What the shop was saying seemed to make sense, but it's been almost 15 years since I've had to have something repainted (and that was on a 2-year-old car with no fading), so I wasn't sure if I was just having unrealistic expectations.

I'll see how it all looks in another couple of months and figure out where to go after that if I'm still having issues with the way it looks. Keep in mind, it doesn't look bad, but in the right light you can definitely tell that the colors are a little bit different.

Now, it's time to Plasti dip the brand-new rear bumper before winter and the salt trucks come.