I had some paint issues (under warranty) fixed on my car. I am supposed to pick her up tomorrow after almost two weeks at the body shop and a few things being done at the dealership. This is my question, what should I look for and hopefully not see in regards to the re-paint?? I was told that they were going to take the affected areas down to bare metal and repaint them. Blending those areas newly painted into the factory paint. My MINI is AstroBlack and I'm concerned about having the metallic paint look consistant. Any details on how to look this over would be much appreciated.

 

Just that your first impression of the new paint should be that it is perfect. I had some work done on my CR/W MC and the paint looked great at first. Now, months later, in the right light, I can see the line where the paint was feathered into the original paint. Still good, but not as good as my first impression.

Check it carefully and in different types of light.....and, take someone else with you for their opinion.

Also, look for overspray on surrounding areas.

 

Any good body shop should paint whole panels when they do it. Sometimes even adjioning panels if they are on the same plane, such as the door and adjacent panels in front and behind the door panel. Painting a partial panel is always a second (or third) choice.

Panels with tight curves or compound curves make a good place to "blend" in a re-paint job.

Be very observant to the of the amount of metalic material, look from various different angles under bright sunlight, and compare the original paint section to the new paint.

Speaking of overspray, check everything, including inside the door jambs to be sure that they have cleaned it up properly. Also under the bonnet and inside the boot.

It bothers me that they are telling you that they are taking it down to bare metal as the factory does a special anti-rust coating that I would not want removed, thank you very much.

Be observant and don't settle until you are happy. If you can see any difference when you pick it up, it will only become more obvious with time. Extra eyes are good to have along, especially if they do not know where the paint was redone (they can be impartial)


Good luck.

 

Years ago I had a Jeep Cherokee that had to be resprayed (accident not my fault).

I gave it back to the body shop FIVE times before they got it right. Anything from trash in the paint to runs.

 

In my eyes, a repaint is just that. A repaint. It sounds like they are just doing a spot repair. It would be great if a complete panel could be sprayed(end to end) but chances are that the color would be off, due to how many variants are in todays paint production( some Honda colors have 20+ for the same code) Blending is a way of hiding the repair into a adjacent panel or in the same panel if its large enough. Never should a panel be taken down to bare metal. Yes you can restore corrosion protection with the correct acid etch primer but its not needed. Even with dents and dings, when prepping for a repair you should try not to remove all of the factory substrate. As far as your color goes o4amini, That color is spot on, and can be panel painted. A color like Dark Silver and most definately light silver should be blended. If the body shop is good, They will make sprayouts of the color, or combine it with a camera shot. Most shops do not have a spectraphotometer but with sprayouts alone you can adjust color by eye. Because the eye does not lie!!!
In short. If you complained enough, you should have had the entire exterior re shot. The mini is small enough to respray in no time flat. And from my standpoint it would eliminate any future problems and conflicts with the repair www.lambspeed.com

 

i always look for surface imperfections such as dripping clear that was
not sanded down correctly at the end/tip of the panel...also look for
hair, dust, seeds, etc in the paint/clear.

I would kneel down to look at the surface from all sorts of directions.

To check colormatch, I would look at the car under garage shop light
and out in the sun.

Hope your car turns out well.

 

Thanks for all the good tips!! I have been asssured that this is a first rate MINI-certified body shop. I am still awaiting a call to go get my girl......I'll let you know how it turns out. I took a ton of pictures of the MINI before it left my possession to compare the before and after if necessary.

 

I am very happy to report that the paint looks perfecto! Kudos to Cavallo's. I couldn't believe how much I missed my car. Driving the Cabrio loaner was a blast but it was so nice to slide back into MY seat!!!!! Thanks again NAM'ers for your help

 

congrats to a happy ending.

 

Aww you can't leave us hangin! We need pics!!!

 

Will try and post pics tomorrow. She needs a bath first .

 

remember, no wax for at least 2-3 weeks.

 

Only pick up the car in full daylight. Get it at lunch time. Look at it straight on for drips or dips in the paint. Look down its side at a steep angle for wavyness. Check for color constancy. Also look in the door jams, gas cap area, hood & trunk for overspray. Some shops will leave primer in these spots and that looks bad. If done correctly it should look perfect. If they cut corners it wont. Don't accept the latter.

 

 

very nice.