Autobody Pros Debate Quality & Technique
11 posts across 4 communities in the last 30 days; 55% from r/Autobody.
“In the sun u can tell....other pics you cant tell....have friends commented on this? The average person might not b able to tell but a pro can spot it a mile away.”
“Yeah but it’s a three stage. You cant expect perfection especially if you’re not blending adjacent panels. This is a pretty close match especially for a 3 stage”
“So I went to the dealership I bought it from and we all stood around and scratched our heads, they guessed primer failure but who knows. Gonna see about getting just the spot redone because otherwise it could become pretty expensive. I peeled the pieces off because they were…”
Discussions revolve around autobody repair techniques, acceptable matches for parts, and the use of materials like bondo. There's a focus on craftsmanship and achieving quality results.
SOURCES (60)
“All that work just for some ethos resist??? Damn lol. Some gyeon mohs evo or cquartz3.0 could’ve gotten you right no problem. [re: Finished Result]”
“Not a pro but probably the easiest coating I’ve applied (silver car). The sweating was hard to see in some angles but after a few test panels I didn’t worry about it anymore because it flashed pretty much instantly. No high spots either because removal was a breeze. So easy I could probably use 1 leveling towel and be confident it’d leave no high spots. I used 2 of course but there have been coatings I’ve used 3 for good measure and multiple lights/angles. The only con is it’s not the type of co”
“If it were me a 2012 civic would be an “oh? Looks like that’s there now” and I’d learn my lesson and accept it But yes, that’s fixable by the right shop [re: Is this pullable?]”
“I appreciate the input, you’re 100% correct based off my experience and the comments which I’m glad is all kind of validating itself. When it comes to polish, you know how to clean a car, get it spotless, and let the DA rip. It looks so intimidating until you do it and then you reach for a more aggressive pad or increase pressure/ number of passes. It is in my opinion less intimidating than a contact wash with all the suds at this point. Small sections, take it slow, check progress as you go. [r”
“Anecdotally, the factory original StarShield PPF on my Lotus Elise looked nowhere NEAR this bad at 20 years. Fully garage kept though obviously. Was actively planning to redo it before the car got totaled with the rest of my house in a tornado. Totally agree that many don’t consider that PPF is ultimately a wear item, but materials have also improved so much in recent years. [re: Removing cracked material from hood]”
“Maybe it had damage before it even made it to transit lol [re: Factory paintjob btw. GM quality.]”
“I'm fabricating some stuff for my truck and just want to know if I'm missing any obvious tells from these. To me they look ok, but I'm the farthest thing from a pro lol. Last couple pics are a goof with the cup and my first test welds as I learned the settings. Then I tried the small circles method and was happy with how they're looking. I tried beating on a test piece with a sledge and couldn't get them to separate, just bent above the weld. submitted by /u/steel”
“Dude...just be grateful they got the color match dead on...live with the orange peel.”
“These guys did some work for a family member that looked really good. The work they did for me doesn't seem to be on the same level. Am I overreacting? submitted by /u/Chill_Mode_Creations [link] [comments]”
“Paint match looks acceptable to me, but I don’t know how I feel about the fitment; it could be that the clips were bent and they never bent them back, or it could be a case where an aftermarket part just doesn’t fit quite right. I would ask them about this and see what they say, but I wouldn’t throw a tantrum over it.”
“Building a bagged and body dropped 94 Chevy. I’ve never really done any major bodywork/paint before. I’m trying to make the truck as nice as possible at home in my garage. Here’s a couple pictures of the truck and the gap that I’m wondering if being to picky over. The passenger side gap is the same submitted by /u/Massive-Hawk2535 [link] [comments]”
“If you saw their cars in person uoh would say different. Not all their builds are questionable but some of the fit and finish I have seen in person ain’t the best.”
“True that and anything flexable will probably yellow without some kind of uv protection”
“https://preview.redd.it/hj7x8y0egrnh1.jpeg?width=3083&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e62d732707e0231c0230274f0f1d3ae58f34b8ed for reference, the lower front lip (below the fog lights) is rattle canned and it’s very difficult to see a color variation. my Mazda isn’t quite as perfect of a match, but a solid good enough for like $100. just wear PPE around 2k clear, that stuff is no joke”
“I mean hey, this has just a bit more orange peel as my factory paint on my 84 accord, definitely some way to make her shine with some elbow grease but like others said I'd just drive her.”
“The match looks good. Take a look at how the other side and the front bumper match.”
“https://preview.redd.it/rbykjuo7usmh1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a81c2d46529fd98e29a5097132d363d550a6e604”
“What's with the weird texture in that arch? And why did you spray over all those bodylines? That doesn't look smooth or right at all.”
“The bodyfiller itself is starting to look good, it’s straight and everything, but this little ridge thing isn’t as sharp as it should be, does anyone have any tips to make it look symmetrical to the other side submitted by /u/Significant_Yam_6950 [link] [comments]”
“Yeah, I have a hard time knowing which is which. However, some of the guys will actually have products made for them to their specs vs. just a relabel. FYI -- my family used to be in the automotive chemical business. They made some of their own chemicals, rebranded some, and had others custom-made by manufacturers. The single thing that I try to avoid is a manufacturer that takes the same chemical, dilutes and dyes it differently, and sells you the product at different markups as different produ”
“Simply put. Fresh clear maybe(if lucky) a day old. What are you finishing with. Rotary vs orbital On black submitted by /u/bobildo [link] [comments]”
By comparison, it’s perfect! Looks great pal! Good work!!
“well they already did it with 180, and you can clearly see there are pretty deep sanding scratches, they should just start with 400 make sure they remove all the 180 scratches then move up. otherwise they'll be sanding all day removing 180 grit scratches with 1000 grit paper.”
“I would keep it original. The actual M sport bumper on the 435s looks nice. The 435 lacks the proper hips to rock the M4 bumper. They always end up looking tacky and kinda ghetto in my opinion with the M4 bumpers.”
“1st-new. 2nd-old. Today I fit my double slat black kidneys and also white v bar covers. Although the main thing I’m blown away by is how well we deleted the front license plate. Used some iron remover, and then filled the holes with jb weld and it looks beautiful! submitted by /u/BrycecanyonC [link] [comments]”
“Ive never had any experience in training colourblind people, but unless you totally screw up every attempt at matching, i think you should give it a shot.”
“Cut throat and harsh, but hard to argue the points made. I would love to see some before photos. 49 hours is... Wow”
“I actually sort of agree with the fella. Is there minor variation? Sure but painters are using the “different substrate” excuse as THE reason for mismatched bumpers when the most important part was that they painted it with an incorrect color match”
“Yellow fades the quickest, its also extremely hard to match, especially plastic to metal. If you dont use the exact sealer factory used, it can flop the color also. The color needs to be blended like so many colors of today to match 100%, and still plastic to metal usually still isnt 100%. If you're super picky about colors matching 100%, dont pick the toughest colors to repair and match next time.”
“Yeah, listen to the shop... ... Or respray it any colour other than "safety bollard yellow"”
“It's a very close match the gloss make it look a shade different but it's hardly noticeable”
“Again, it has not to do with if they match from the factory. It's when a customer gets just a bumper cover and you have to match it to the adjacent panel. I've been in the car business my whole life, painting for 40 years, a technical rep for Standox for 8, a manager at a dealership for 8 and have owned nearly 70 vehicles and 6 motorcycles, so I'm a bit familiar.”
“The estimator should’ve explained that a tri-coat white is a difficult color to panel paint and there is some color quality difference when painting different substrates such as plastic and metal and they should’ve offered you the option to pay the extra to blend the fenders since insurance usually fights that request even when it’s mostly the best method depending on the painters ability and color matches. How your rear bumper matches matters too. Live with it or ask them to fix it.”
“White isn’t bad at all in sikkens autobase if you know what to do with it . If you take out 20 percent of the white straight out the gate and add up all your toners in grams and divide it by 3 that is how much 065 you put in you don’t leave it the same . Then just take out 20 percent of the reducer and I got panel paint matches in sikkens autobase every time with solid white . For pearls I doubled the pearl toners In the mid coat and did the same with the 065 and reduced them off the scale . It’”
“Yet plastic bumpers never match from the factory. Walk around any dealership and you’ll see it”
“that is way off, but is it off the same way to the other fender that wasnt re painted? if the bumper matches on the drivers side fender then yes i would take it back”
“Thanks, mine is Monsoon but its good to know a company that does a good job with any match I suppose.”
“Yeah I already have seen 2 donor cars nearby with the same exact color paint. The fenders are the same on a wide variety of models and years”
It’s really not much extra paint lol I save almost all of my paints too
“Agreed. In 40+ years the only real fade I worried about was red toner fading out of a color, especially a gray or a bronze. There are some like Toyota's 3 stage red midcoat that go to total crap, but not the same thing. I polish a spot on an adjacent panel and do my variants, adjustments and sprayouts to match that.”
“Bumper texture looks good matches factory but that color match is got awful and unfortunately to correct it shop is going to have to get a new one to match the texture from the other side”
“You will need to talk to the wheel company. We send these off in a body shop environment as well. Hardly any body shops do their own wheel repairs and refinishing. A lot of the reason is manufacturers don’t have paint codes on their wheels and trim pieces so they are tinting to match color and sheen. This will be between you and the wheel shop. Modern colors don’t dye or darken or anything as they cure so the color is off but it’s not an easy job.”
“Yes, I bought both yesterday and tried it before doing my dash. 303 definitely has a better, little darker coating. Other one does advertise uv protection as well and more of a clean finish and not very noticeable”