Any Auto Body Painters out there? Is “Silver Sky Metallic” that hard to match?

Rusty66 is right. You will never ever match. It has to be blended into other panels. I know don't want this, but it's the way, your not going to see what been repaired.

 

A single panel metallic paint job will never be a perfect match. A decent blend will improve things to where it's barely detectable under certain angles and lighting. That said, it's more paint. Will they do it properly or just mask over the trim, mouldings and get over spray on everything? Will the paint lay down nice or will it orange peel or be full of small blemishes/contaminants.

It's a pain in the ass really.

 

Painter here!!! Matching colors is an art. Been a painter for 30 years. I love the excuses painters and managers come up with. Good painter will match the color no matter what Just Saying!!

 

Thanks @na8rboy, it seems like this is the case with the shop I chose at least. I just always assumed a good painter would keep fine tuning his/her mix & settings until he/she achieved a perfect match. Now based on some of the other sloppy things I've already made them redo, I'm totally scared to let them touch any other panels. If I had the money I'd wrap my whole truck

@Syncros, thanks for the reply. I know... again this scares me. I spoke with the dealership owner and the auto body shop manager... I know at this point they just want to be done with me (as I want to be done with them!)... they already told me if they repaint it (or let the "expert" from the paint company) repaint it, they will completely disassemble it and buy me all new bolts and connectors, etc., so I guess that is good. But whether they will properly sand and prepare the now already painted panel I could only HOPE !

Thanks @71tattooguy! This is why I love TacomaWorld... I love the support from fellow Taco owners and know I can access more information and experts in a field than any one dealership has on their payroll! In your opinion as a professional painter, do you believe that a competent painter can match my OEM paint on a newly painted panel? I mean that is the question I am going to ask this supposed paint rep/expert on Monday. (The whole reason I took it to a dealership was to get OEM results.). The shop manager already offered me the option of taking it to "anyone you want, and have them send [them] the bill and I will pay it." Unfortunately the only other body shop I have ever used (which produced flawless results and gave a lifetime warranty on their work) was years ago and located far away in New England.

 

Also understand, no matter who re-paints it, you are adding the opportunity for film build, more contaminants, possible failures, and a worse color match, than you have.

excuse my phrase but, "if you are picking fly shit out of pepper" to get a perfect, perfect match, you may want to quit, where you are. just my .02

It is very hard to tell how bad, or how good it is, with photos. Ski

 

To answer your question yes absolutely a good painter can match oem finish from color to oem peel “orange peel” texture as we call it.

 

Heck even with the computerized painter, my factory MGM looks like multiple different colors at times. Lol

 

I wouldn't put yourself down saying you're naive about the process. We don't all know everything about every trade/skill set. It just annoys me how some shops short cut stuff thinking you won't notice. Yes, insurance companies screw us on labor hours but we make up for it on parts mark-up and material allowances.
I work on my clients cars as if they were my own. Now, if the customer has a 1000-1500 dollar deductible on a 3000 dollar job, and they are looking for help with paying it, we MIGHT discuss not blending and the results they might have.
FYI, I have a 50,000 dollar paint bank and we mix all our own paints. Even with blending, at times we need to fuss and tweak a color for a good match. It's not just color, its side tone and the "crispy-ness" of the metallic that needs consideration. So as stated before in this thread it really is an art. Even the clear can be tricky, some clears are "high solids" and will change the color if applied too heavy.

 

Thanks everyone I appreciate the feedback and information! I'm starting to get frustrated though because I went to a dealer with an in-house auto body shop "assuming" (there was my mistake) that they would be the best equipped to get my taco back to "like OEM" and apparently I picked the wrong shop. Sad now that I have them willing to pay my bill anywhere else I choose and I can't come up with a better shop.

I really respect all of you painters out there, I knew it was tricky but don't think I fully appreciated the art form involved until I got involved personally with a shop that must not employ staff as committed to their customers' vehicles as their own. (I know I could not handle such a profession, since if I can't handle each job as if it were my own, I wouldn't touch it.

 

@Rusty66, I appreciate the kind words and I definitely don't have experience with spraying real automotive paint. It is admirable that you operate with such integrity... wish you were in Southern Florida, I'd have them pay you to respray the panel!

I'll see what their "expert" rep says tomorrow and I'll be armed with the information I've learned in this thread for sure. The dealership said the guy may offer to repaint it himself if he thinks it can be done better. That leads me to believe he must be pretty skilled. BUT, like has been said before, then I will be in a world of trouble when I'm less happy with the new spray... I also wonder if spraying more layers of paint over the freshly painted panel would cause complications?

 

Just remember to be realistic with your expectations when you talk to them. I have a satin silver car that needed some panels replaced. The shop that did the work is a top shop that won a riddler award for a custom car they painted. Even after three tries (they were a great shop and I would recommend them in a heartbeat) depending on how the light hit you could tell the new paint and where they blended the colors.

Most of the time it lookes perfect, but when the light hits just right you can see the difference in the way the metal flake layed. Unless you respray the whole truck there will always be times when YOU will be able to tell that work was done.

Remember YOU are now hyper vigilant about any minor imperfection. No-one else will see these imperfections but you, and you only see it because you know it's there.

 

@Trail Limo, good information and thank you. Yes I am actually leaning towards just leaving it be and just being a little disappointed. I will see what he says though and keep an open mind.

 

I think if you would’ve allowed them to blend it, you’d probably be past this now.

 

Thanks @brian2sun, but that was never even an option they offered until late Friday. I agree if they had just returned my truck so that I physically couldn’t see a difference in the paint I would’ve never created this thread. Now I’m at a point where I persisted to point out the (multiple) issues with the truck and get the dealership owner involved. Now I’m deciding on the smartest option based on where I am at.

 

That's my understanding of the problem - the way or angle that the metal flake lays down makes it look different from certain angles or in certain light.

When I bought a cap for my MGM truck, I was warned that it might look different and it did in certain conditions but I have long since stopped noticing it.

 

silver paint is gonna be a pain in the ass, i had a silver sonata had my buddys body shop do it since i scratch my bumper with a pole, came out a shade darker. then some other MOFO hit my bumper and i have to go through insurance and a dealer did it, that was was more close, like 95% there. i think is the metal flakes that makes it being difficult,. you have to get the same shapes, color, and amount per volume make it look right.

 

So, just as a follow up, I just met with the dealer and with the Sherwin Williams rep. Everything that was said pretty much agree with what’s the post of us thread. I was going to walk and just take the truck. but seeing the difference with the truck in the sunlight was killing me. The rep was trying to tell me that if he blended it into half the tailgate, I would never see the difference, pretty much what was said here with blending. But then I told him I run into a problem with the cab being different.

So he explained to me about the way factories paint with machines vertically versus horizontally by hand and about how to mixes vary because of the way they contract out jobs.

I’m not sure if that’s 100% correct or not, but since they save the exact mix that they used on file, they said they would be willing to disassemble everything and re-spray panel and get it to match closer. I asked the pivotable question, “what happens if it turns out worse?”and he replied, “it won’t because we won’t call you.” Lol

Anyway, it worked out good too because they’re going to order me a new tail light due to some fitment issues.

Tried to take a few better pictures in the sunlight:

(It’s too bad I can’t get the whole truck redone… the new paint has more metallic and looks better than the factory, IMO)