paint or buy new?

i recently got a dent pulled out of my tailgate and had it repainted. my body works guy still has plenty of extra paint for my truck left over and said that he would keep it if i ever needed it again. well, i have been wanting to get a color matched front grille surround and a black, or even color matched rear bumper. my question is, will that paint he used on the body work for my grille surround (i think it's plastic) and my rear bumper? are there different types of paint for different surfaces such as the body, plastic, and metal rear bumper? i'm not sure if it will adhere as well as it is supposed to or if i am supposed to order a different paint for other surfaces. or should i just try to get a new grille surround and bumper? sorry if it is a dumb question, but i've never read anything about it on here.

 

Its all in the preparation, with the right preping itll work.

 

Yes, there are different types of paint for different surfaces but not the surfaces or type of paint you are taking about. I am color matching my grill with the same paint I will use to do the bumper. On my motorcycle, I used the same paint on fiberglass, sheet metal, and aluminum.

 

explain to me what the proper preparation is then please

i knew there were different types for things such as wood, drywall, metal, etc. but i wasn't sure for on a vehicle. i just don't want any color variations.

 

Proper sanding, filling if needed, and proper cleaning. If you will have someone do the work then I would assume they will do the proper prep. If you plan to try it then get a book and practice. And there will be some color variation. Check out a factory Tacoma with color matched grill. There is a slight difference up close. But, same with the bumper compared to the bumper. But, one thing they all have is freakin' factory orange peel. Before you ask, it is when the painting process causes the surface to look like an orange. Most painters will get it but spend the time wet sanding and polishing it out.

 

oh yeah, they are a respectable and well known place. they did a great job on my tailgate and it looks like new. and i'd rather not try that myself. that's one of many things i don't know much about. i'd rather pay a little more and have it done right than go get some white spray paint at walmart and see how it turns out lol.

 

yes, i've noticed some people on here that bought one from the toyota place and changed it out. even though they may be the same color by name, there are different batches of that color by region and they are slightly different. and even the ones that come matched on the sport version are somewhat off. i guess this guy i'm talking about took care of my orange peel correctly then, because the tailgate was as smooth as glass when i got it back.

 

vehicle paint works on all surfaces...

proper prep is key. filling sanding etc. I usually wet sand with 400 before pain. quick wipe down with acetone to remove finger prints and oil from touching it. will also displace and evaporate any moisture...

a good trick is while wet sanding if you see flaws you will see flaws in the paint. when you can wet the entire piece and it looks like glass its ready for paint

 

You are correct! I just learned that yesterday. I bought paint from the local paint guy and he needed not only the paint code but the VIN. He said each factory where the truck is built has some light variation in the paint and with the VIN he is able to tell what to mix to get it just right.

Anytime you get work done after the factory it should never have orange peel as they sand and polish and the factory just robo paints it.