white car has different shade on bumper vs body
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Joined: May 2008
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From: dfw
'10 C63
white car has different shade on bumper vs body
is this normal? i noticed that the front bumper is a slightly different shade of white than the fender and the rest of the car...
is it because the bumper is a different material?
is it because the bumper is a different material?
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2008
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From: dfw
'10 C63
i'm gonna wash the car today after work so i'll try and take some pics... don't know if it'll show well though...
i first noticed after i had my carbon fiber front lip partially painted and installed... i was immediately able to tell a color difference from the lip and the bumper... i asked the shop about it and they said they went with the code and then showed me the fender and the door... the lip seemed to match it but the front bumper was very slightly off white...
i'm hoping some other members with a white one can take a close look and see if there is a difference...
i've got a 2010 c63
i first noticed after i had my carbon fiber front lip partially painted and installed... i was immediately able to tell a color difference from the lip and the bumper... i asked the shop about it and they said they went with the code and then showed me the fender and the door... the lip seemed to match it but the front bumper was very slightly off white...
i'm hoping some other members with a white one can take a close look and see if there is a difference...
i've got a 2010 c63
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From: Livingston NJ
C63, Grigio Medio E46 M3
There are a couple reasons why a color can look different when sprayed at the same time from the same can of paint onto plastic vs. a metal panel - the causes are related to some fundamental differences in the properties of the two substrates.
Unless specially treated, plastics are good electrical insulators, and can therefore build up a static charge when wiped down during preparation. If it is not discharged, the static can migrate into the paint film, and if the color contains a flake pigment it can cause these flakes to repel each other forcing them apart and altering their alignment which will cause a shift in the color (a darkening on the "face"). The best way to tackle this problem is to make sure any static charge is removed with an antistatic wipe before application of the color.
The second difference is the thermal conductivity of the substrates - if you have sprayed solvent onto a metal panel on a warm day, you may have noticed that the panel cools down significantly as the solvent evaporates. The solvent is pulling the heat out of the panel as it evaporates, which speeds up the drying process - this doesn't happen to any great extent with plastic as it is a good insulator. As a result of this effect, the same paint, at the same wet film thickness, may evaporate at a different rate on plastic than metal and, in the extreme; a big increase in the evaporation time will give a flake pigment longer to "float" in film and can darken the face slightly.
Unless specially treated, plastics are good electrical insulators, and can therefore build up a static charge when wiped down during preparation. If it is not discharged, the static can migrate into the paint film, and if the color contains a flake pigment it can cause these flakes to repel each other forcing them apart and altering their alignment which will cause a shift in the color (a darkening on the "face"). The best way to tackle this problem is to make sure any static charge is removed with an antistatic wipe before application of the color.
The second difference is the thermal conductivity of the substrates - if you have sprayed solvent onto a metal panel on a warm day, you may have noticed that the panel cools down significantly as the solvent evaporates. The solvent is pulling the heat out of the panel as it evaporates, which speeds up the drying process - this doesn't happen to any great extent with plastic as it is a good insulator. As a result of this effect, the same paint, at the same wet film thickness, may evaporate at a different rate on plastic than metal and, in the extreme; a big increase in the evaporation time will give a flake pigment longer to "float" in film and can darken the face slightly.
Last edited by obsidian05e55; May 6, 2011 at 01:25 PM.
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Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2008
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From: dfw
'10 C63
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Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Delran, NJ
05 C55
They mix flex agent into the paint on bumpers etc, so they do not crack as the material flexes. Sometimes it throws the color off a bit, that's probably the case if you are the original owner.
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From: Montreal, Canada
2021 Taycan Turbo, 2018 Radical SR3, 2021 Lincoln Aviator
Did you ask for potential a protection film (3M, protec, etc). Could affect how the color is perceived. Or maybe it was already there (ordered by someone else who backed down).
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2009 c63, 2010 E63
Mines is okay. I think it's just the angle when looking at the car makes you perceived it's different shades. Ask someone elses opinion. Mercedes paint are pretty good compared to other cars.
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From: Massachusetts
'14 911S (garage queen) '13 X3 (family hauler)
interesting--I have 040 black and the headlight washer covers appear more brownish in color under signifigant halogen lighting (yeah I know some of you think detailing w/ halogens is crazy
).
The rest of my car appears to match perfectly.
Under normal lighting the color change is not noticeable on the covers.
hate to say it, but maybe the bumper was damaged and repaired at the VPC, it is done every single day.
When I traded in my CLK500, the dealer said my car's front end was repainted and he showed me how the screws inside the hood were not painted over
and the paint line was cracked.
I couldn't believe I never noticed that, but I'm not a big engine bay detailer, just a simple wipe down.
I bought that car brand new as well and I never had the work done--it was apparently done at the VPC before I got the car.
$h!t happens, but maybe it was what others have said about the painting process at the factory.
I know my headlight washer covers don't match perfectly, if your bumper paint is not totally noticeable just move on and try to forget it, or get it repainted once the front end is blasted with rock chips
GL
).The rest of my car appears to match perfectly.
Under normal lighting the color change is not noticeable on the covers.
hate to say it, but maybe the bumper was damaged and repaired at the VPC, it is done every single day.
When I traded in my CLK500, the dealer said my car's front end was repainted and he showed me how the screws inside the hood were not painted over
and the paint line was cracked.
I couldn't believe I never noticed that, but I'm not a big engine bay detailer, just a simple wipe down.
I bought that car brand new as well and I never had the work done--it was apparently done at the VPC before I got the car.
$h!t happens, but maybe it was what others have said about the painting process at the factory.
I know my headlight washer covers don't match perfectly, if your bumper paint is not totally noticeable just move on and try to forget it, or get it repainted once the front end is blasted with rock chips
GL
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From: Vegas and Vancouver, BC
.
If you want to see a difference in color between the two substrates from the factory, look not further than the many Camrys you see on the road. The shade difference is nothing to be alarmed about. Annoying...yes.
