Professional re-spraying, in bits

[Ben Hutchings]

If I wanted a bonnet re-sprayed, then some time later get the doors done, can body shops semi-guarantee a same paint mix?

I’m not talking about matching the old tired paint, but the new paint on something coated a few months before? 

[RobPearce]

No, not really. They can get close but it's not guaranteed. If you warn them in advance that you're doing that, they could keep some of the same paint batch (or even can) aside but even then there's a relatively short time limit before the colour changes slightly. A few months may be OK, a couple of years probably not. It all depends how obsessive you/they are about colour match, of course.

[Clive]

If a few months, they should be able to keep the actual paint, and know exactly what colour primer too (that can make a massive difference, especially on "thin" colours like my yellow spitfire)

But speak to the bodyshop. Some are happy to make up 5L of paint or whatever they think they will need. And get you to look after it. But most seem to make up just what the job in hand requires, so none wasted or stored.

[Martins Stag]

Clive I have seen on TV where they can scan the paint and then match the mix to it but I assume this is the large places?

Martin

[RobPearce]

1 hour ago, Martins Stag said:

they can scan the paint and then match the mix

I'm somewhat dubious about this technology, to be honest. It may work but my suspicion is that you get something that looks like a great colour match under "normal" daylight but completely different under street lamps (particularly the old sodium type)

[Nick Jones]

This is pretty much what I did with my Vitesse, although I was doing the painting. My view is that for solid colours (non-metallic) it should be possible, with a few provisos.

You should get ample paint to do the whole car at the start and each time paint is taken from the “master pot”, great care needs to be taken that it’s fully mixed as some pigments are heavier than others and like to lurk at the bottom of the pot.

Some colours will be more forgiving than others (grey for example). some paint types also - that is a question for the experts.

Timescale needs to be reasonable. Months to years rather than years to decades!

Your paint shop needs to be on board with the process. It won’t be their favourite way of working.

Nick

[thescrapman]

Get each bit done as above, then when you get to the end, get the whole car blown over in 1 go, so it all ends up 1 colour.