I have a Cooper S Hardtop that is spicy orange. I recently had a utility pole fall on it, after repairs the sections that were repainted do not match the rest of the car, should the metallic coloring "sparkle" in the sun or just be the orange with brown specks? The repair shop claims they couldn't get it wrong but it is obviously not the same.

 

It should be sparkly. Sounds like they did not match the paint code. Might need more metallic flake. When doing paint on Hot Orange and Spice Orange you have to have a shop that knows how to mix and blend paint, its hard color to work with.

I had a MINI dealership own bodyshop repair mine and it matches great. They have to have done these colors before.

 

Here's the thing, I had a Mini dealership do the work. The 3 pieces they painted aren't the same as the rest of the car or each other, The hood is darker and doesn't have the metallic specks. The door and rear panel are lighter and have tons of metallic specks. I can't find metallic specks anywhere else in the original paint of the car. It's a 2011. I Am just looking for feedback from other owners to see which is right, the dealership claims they can't screw it up but it's clear to an untrained eye something isn't right.
Also I have had some other owners talk to me. 2 it of 3 cars didn't have the metallic specks. It's starting to sound like there is a difference.
Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it.

 

You are welcome. Some dealership have a shared or even outsource the body work. If they never worked on a bunch of colorful MINIs before they might not be a s knowledgeable of blending and doing the paint. All the ones I have seen have metallic flake the under coating or primer is white to light gray.

Was it painted before in those other sections. You can tell by looking at the seams and behind the body.

 

shooting a highly metallic color is tuff ....

not only is your painting skill important, but the paint mix is super important.

Painting a 'spot' and even blending into a panel of a 'basic paint' is one thing ..... doing the same with a high metallic paint is something else. With a metallic you need to keep the flakes in suspension .... if you let the paint sit too long, the flakes settle. They even make special paint guns that stir the paint in the gun!

AND there is a 'skill' to getting a good metal flake spray ..... I helped out at a 'paint school' for a while . . .

bottom line .... you did not research available shops and got a sub standard job . . .

 

Hey, I know I'm a little late to the party, but I noticed the Spice Orange post. Punkin (2012 MCS) experienced a minor parking lot incident back in January (a lady backed into my wife; left rear quarter panel just in front of the tail light). The body shop (Magnum Collision, Marietta GA) did a great job of matching the paint. The service writer said their paint-mix expert commented to him about how the official mixture formula from MINI calls for NINE different paint colors; he said typical paints only require 3 or 4 colors. If you decide to pursue legal remedy from your body shop, call Magnum; they might be able to advise. It's fairly obvious your body shop did not consult the official MINI formula, or lacked the required formula colors. Good luck!!

 

Its a hard color to mix and get right on the spray, so is hot orange, been there and done that.

 

color mix issues are total BS .. today, you put the color code into the computer and it mixes the paint ....... anyone doing it old school is a fool (I have Sherwin Williams auto paint 'schooling')

skill in spraying a metallic .... different question .... 100% skills of the painter.

one reclamma ...... there are different qualities of paint. I can go to my supplier and the difference 'tween the 'low' and 'high' grade paint for the same color can be 100 % plus . . .

my current dd has a color with an extra pearl coat. It adds SIGNIFICANTLY to paint repair costs ... ask me how I know . . .