Greetings all.

I have a solid-stock '07 Monte LT (51K miles currently) with the factory-spec "Silverstone Metallic" paint. A collision in '09 (not my fault) required body work and repainting at the back end. The body shop did fine work with the body repair, but the paint work has come up short despite a couple of tries by them.

The big problem: the RR quarter panel paint is a noticeably darker shade than the right door and RF fender. An oddity: you can approach the passenger side of the car from one direction and everything appears fine, but approach it from the other direction and you can see a mismatch. The body shop says that they attempted to "blend" the RR quarter panel with the door, but it didn't work very well.

Overcast and cloudy days hide the mismatch well, but if it's a sunny day with blue skies or even night-time under the street lights, you can really see the difference.

Two different body shop personnel at two different shops who I've shown the paint to have noticed the discrepancy. They theorize that the paint didn't "lay down" right when applied at the back. There's no overspray, no orange peel, no runs, and no fish-eyes. Just a slight color shade mismatch.

Does this shade ("Silverstone Metallic") have a problem with going onto the car evenly or "laying down" right?

Shall I head back to this body shop and insist under the "lifetime warranty" that they fix this paint mismatch and keep the car as long as they need to in order to get it right?

Part of me is so frustrated that I just want to head for the most competent GM-spec body shop in my area and have them repaint the -entire- car end to end just to be done with it, which would surely torpedo a good chunk of my savings account in the process. Ugh.

Your thoughts?

-M

 

"Metallic" paint is harder to blend then solid color's , Air pressure and direction of paint spay on car makes a difference .. "laying down"

 

Id make em keep trying till its fixed right, silver is hard to blend but a good shop can do it if they know what there doin

 

As long as it has a lifetime warranty I'd go back and get it redone. I'm not sure how hard it is to lay that type of paint but if it helps any when I had my 03 Grand Am GT rebuilt and painted (the hood right front fender and front bumper) it was like a silvermist or some type of metallic flake paint, and was done by a guy who just paints dirt track cars and it came out perfect the first time.

 

Here is a pic after the rebuild

not a great pic but this is before the wreck

 

I would go back and make them do it right

 

I was hit in the passenger's side fender a couple of years ago with my 05 SS painted the same exact color as your car. The shop I went to did a great job matching the paint - they repainted my fender, front bumper, front lip & hood - you can't tell it was a repaint. I think they also blended the passenger's side door too. Ya Silver is an extremely hard color to match especially our Silver because it almost has a color change aspect to it - in certain light it throws of a gold tinge - not like Galaxy Silver which is more of a bright silver.

 

My sister used to own a Celica. She was hit and they ruined the hood and fender, it was in the shop 3 times while they tried to make the paint blend. They were annoyed with us, but it didn't matter.

 

My sister in laws silver Impala wasn't right either so they finally re did the whole car. Bad thing is she totaled it a few months after all the trouble.

 

If it's not right and your not happy with it, especially due to the fact that their is warranty, I would definitely make them do it until you are happy and its done right. When the body shop guys themselves admit it isn't right then you know its messed up, should be your right as the customer to be satisfied.