tkelley.EClass

So anyways. I bought my S550 from BMW of Tenafly in NJ. When I had Lemon Squad inspect the car, they found a small 1" crack on the front bumper near the bottom of the passngers side. Dealer agreed to repair it and a few months later, it's back. They agreed to work with a local Penske dealer to have the entire bumper swapped in good faith (which is very kind of them). When I asked them about blending the paint into the hood and fenders, they replied "we might not need to, we usually get very close with our matches". That doesnt sound right to me based on my experience, I have always been told that 3-stage paints absolutely needed to be blended in order to obtain a nice OEM look. Any thoughts on this topic?

quantira2

Even with factory paint, there is a shade difference between front & rear bumpers and the rest of the car. I would not insist on blending into hood and fenders. I've heard DDW paint is very hard to match to OEM paint color/shade so you may end up regretting it if your shop does not do a perfect job blending.

DABRONX

No bumpers match the car look on the lot. Paint isn't bought in pre mixed cans. There are shade variances for every color and it is mixed in house at the shop. There are also application techniques that effect shade variance. I would have them match the original bumper vs the rest of the car as it will look as it did from the factory otherwise your back bumper will look different.

Pearl paints are not the mystery that everyone thinks they are. First off the actual color match is done with the base coat and the amount of pearl is the final match. The rule is to apply as little and effect as little paint as you have to. Do not get into spraying the nose of your car for a bumper. MFG's leave a base non pearled section on every car that makes matching the base easier.

That said now that you will be looking it will never look right to you. Look hard at what it looks like now and note the shade variances under different lights so when you get it back you know what you are getting. Once again painted bumpers on mass produced cars do not match. If you know going into it that it's gong to be off you will be more satisfied with the end repair.

Every panel you paint gives them that many more places to have a defect. DONT BLEND THE NOSE!

ajm0623

designo diamond white is definitely hard to match. my s had to have both front quarter panels repainted (a deer ran into my left one and a car merged into my right one, about 2mos apart), and they don't look right. they blended the paint into the front doors but still ... it doesn't match. glad i leased the s. i'd never get ddw again.

DABRONX

Find a better shop. It's not the color. Of course adding a third component to any color adds difficulty but problem is painters try and match pearl vs base and get in over their head and start going into adjacent panels. Believe it or not sometimes heavy pearls help with a blend as the flop distracts the eye.

But yes, you like most people have bad experiences and shy away from the pearl colors.

1bad540

If shop blends a front bumper into the hood they are retarded.

seamus2154

The bumpers don't match the metal parts of the car stock! When it come to tri coat colors I would paint the whole bumper off the car. If it's down low and not up top and very visible I would allow them to try a match.

jschade

This thread is very timely for me. I was washing my 2019 S Cabriolet yesterday (diamond white) and noticed the front plastic nose piece doesn’t match the hood or fenders. I was wondering if I should take it to the dealer and complain, but from what I’m learning here it doesn’t sound like my situation is unusual?

seamus2154

All the body panels should be the same color and tint. Very common for bumper covers to be ever so slightly off tint, but it's noticeable. My front is very good but my rear is noticeable to me every time I wash it.

tkelley.EClass

So, got the car back. They did an okay job. Bumper and fenders blended great. Bumper to hood, not so much. It's noticeable to me but I look for these things. Plus, the front bumper only touches the hood in two small areas next to the grill. The parking sensors also don't blend with the bumper. They said it's not a good idea to throw extra paint on them which makes sense. Seeing as this was a "good faith" repair, I can't really complain (I guess?). However, I'd love for it to look a little nicer. Anything I can do here or is this just the nature of a freshly painted bumper on a 4 year old car?

ygmn

what no pictures?

tkelley.EClass

Couple attached. 1 foot away, you see it. 3 feet, much harder to notice. 5 feet away, barely noticeable at all.

DABRONX

Its off but like I told you they are always off. It's also how your viewing the car. If it's off at the hood it is also of the same at the fenders if they were never painted. Remember pearl paint change with angle and light thats what gives their effect. Impossible to tell from a pic. What did it look like before?

seamus2154

The bumpers to body panels are off stock from the factory. Very slight, but off. That is off a lot more than normal or acceptable actually too white. Reality and pictures can be off a lot too.?? It does look white though.

tkelley.EClass

Yeah, I may go back... honestly, I'm just glad they replaced the bumper to get rid of the crack. I'm so happy with the car that I honestly can't nit pick. Between the W&C package, the nappa nut brown interior, the 18 month CPO warranty, and the 3D burmester, I couldn't be happier. I've never loved a car so much, I enjoy firing it up and driving it daily which I've never experienced after 10 years of nicer cars.

seamus2154

Understandable. You are over the big hurdle and have a new bumper. You have a great, nicely optioned car, enjoy it. I feel the same way about my car. I recently chipped the edge of the passenger door like an idiot. Up high on the edge. Drives me nuts...but it was me. I am in the same boat. Diamond white! I decided not to chase it right now and continue to enjoy the car. When things calm down around here I will take it over to my favorite shop and take care of it. Overall it is a small problem easily solvable. In the past I have learned any issue on a bumper means pop the entire bumper off and have a quality shop paint it off the car to match. Good luck

1bad540

leave it alone, they can only make it worse.

seamus2154

I agree. Them chasing it will only get worse. Until you are willing to have the entire bumper resprayed and matched, leave it. Tri color whites are terrible to match. Ask any body shop painter. Some refuse the work. BUT there are specialty high end shops that can do it perfectly. My brother had to have diamond white matched on a W221. We interviewed several shops on there experience with it. Then found a high end shop that knew exactly what was needed and guaranteed to get it right.....not a we will try our best and see attitude!!
Understand its standard white like inside your door jambs. Then it is a tint over it before clear coat. The tint has to be right. A real shop will have lighting and do test sprays. It is a PITA which is why some shops will refuse it. If this shop didn't know what they were getting into, I would not have them learn and chase it on your car. Tri coats, pearls, and some metallic are for experienced painters only.

tkelley.EClass

Yeah too bad. Thing is, this is the collision center for Inskip of Warwick. For context, Inskip is a GIANT car dealership complex that owns several locations. They house brands like Bentley, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Lexus, etc. If there was going to be a place that had a ln uber experienced painter, I figured it would be here. They also thought I was paying for the job out of pocket which adds insult to injury. Life goes on, I do love this thing so I'll just have to live with it until its S560 upgrade time. This is not my first Mercedes but I find it hard to believe I'll ever be satisfied with anything less than an S class (maybe the new GLS though)...

seamus2154

I agree. I stepped away from the S for 2 years. Bought a new Denali XL- wife kids, dogs figured I would still have it all in one package and not need 2 cars? WRONG. Once you have had an S there is no going back unfortunately. I tried and all I did was compare every car to my S class which means they all failed miserably. The new GLS looks awesome.......but it will not substitute for an S sedan ride and comfort experience. I will bet it will be the best SUV once released. The S is a different deal altogether. Good luck.

1bad540

When the rain stops Ill take a pic of my factory bumper, doubt it matches any better. Id rather not have extra paint on the fr bumper which is what a redue will get you, and no guarentee it will be any bettrer.

DABRONX

Its the base coat that is off. They did not check variances and match base first. The only way to correct is to rebase the bumper which yes will add paint which is not a great thing on a rubber bumper. Kind of a catch 22. Have them knock some clear off the entire bumper and redo it. You have to understand when they look up the year and paint code there are variances for each color. It is up to them to match the closest to the base in say the trunk or under a door card. The closer they get that the closer it will match. They also could have matched the bumper they took off which is sometimes the best way to go as it will look just like it did before. Having one dead on bumper will leave you with the exact issue.

They should have been able to show you the base spray out card and the subsequent pearl layers.

Was in the industry for many years and you need a better shop. Do not blend any panels.

Does it look like that in real life as the flash of alters the pearl effect. I would leave alone unless it is ruining your enjoyment. In that case find a new shop. If it is dealer shop make sure its their actual chop and its on their premises. If this is the shop that told you they had to blend adjoining panels, run!

tkelley.EClass

Words of wisdom, at the end of the day I had a cracked bumper then a free repair so now I have what I have...

Nice Ride

I purchase a CPO SRX a few years ago with White Pearl. No issues according to dealer and Carfax. On night when fueling up, I noticed half of the car on the drivers side looks like it was only partially washed. The next day it looked fine during the day. I washed the car and went back to the same gas station in the evening and sure enough, It looked the same. Upon further inspection, the fender bolts has a bit of stripped paint and the hood was a bit off with the nose on the drives side. Well, the car was hit, they blended the side. Long story short, I traded the car not long after for and XT5. Buyer Beware CPO or not. NEVER BLEND PEARL or any other paint for that matter, now you have several panels that are no longer factory.