Rear bumper colour - is it supposed to match?

[SamDude]

All,

When I bought my A3, I got the seller to drop his price (in part) due to the bumper being a different colour - see below:

(yes, I know it needs a wash)

I have it in mind to get it resprayed to match the rest of the car - it is something that I get drawn to every time I look at it.

Anyways, I've started to notice this on other A3's - for example, does this one (in Akoyo Silver) have a slightly 'off' colour or is it the light? (or is it me?):

Are all bumpers perfectly colour-coded, or are they slightly off due to the bumper being plastic/not metal?

 

[newbiecrg]

The colour should match, does not matter if it is plastic or metal, they should adjust the hue so it matches in the end... I know it is not easy but separates good paint jobs from normal paint jobs...

Pedro

 

[DIABLO636]

no...its you im afraid.
bumber on second picture is fine - looks slightly different due to light catching it on an angle but same colour car and bumber.

 

[SamDude]

Thanks for putting that one to rest.

I feel better about getting it redone now...

 

[DIABLO636]

just a shame it needs doing, should imagine it will be a few hundred quid ??

 

[SamDude]

I'm waiting to put together the spoilers/skirts first and then get it done as a single job...

 

[cdb2]

Your rear is def a different colour.

People have said for years that plastic bumpers do not always match exactly even from the factory but never such a poor match as yours, it must've been a poor respray.

My rear bumper was resprayed at an Audi approved bodyshop and the colour is a perfect match. I'd say it looks better than the factory finish front which can look very slightly darker in some lights. Silver and Akoya are prob the worse.

 

[cdb2]

Mate had a rear bumper done by Audi too, was about £340

 

[newbiecrg]

Audi bodyshop does not necessarily grant quality. I've seen very poor work from VW dealerships (it's the same as Audi in PT) and outstanding paint jobs from independent garages....

Best of luck! Also £340 is a rip off!!!!
Pedro

 

[steve184]

yeh thats defo been resprayed at some point - badly! There is no way that would have come out of the factory like that, or at least if i had a brand new car and it came out like that i would refuse to take it.

I just think its an excuse that bodyshops use to save a bit of time and money by saying you cant get plastic panels and metal panels to match - what rubbish, the correct application and number of layers of paint will result in a 100% opaque coating which will not show through anything which is underneath - i've had this excuse tried on me a number of times - needless to say i found it insulting to my intelligence!

Jeez you defo gotta get that repainted (properly) i couldn't live with that!

 

[newbiecrg]

At least in the 1st pic is pretty obvious... again... best of luck!

Pedro

 

[BrianM]

It's a problem that some of us particularly with Misano Red have suffered, I had both front and back resprayed under warranty from Audi at Huntingdon even tho mine was purchased ex demo from them. Mine was also peeling on the front bumper. However yours is such a mismatch that it def looks like a respray at some point, or the guys bought a secondhand bumper of a slight different colour.

 

[cdb2]

Audi bodyshop does not necessarily grant quality. I've seen very poor work from VW dealerships (it's the same as Audi in PT) and outstanding paint jobs from independent garages....

Best of luck! Also £340 is a rip off!!!!
Pedro

Am fully aware that Audi Approved Bodyshop doesn't always mean quality. I've had 2 items resprayed by them, both had to be redone as the finish was quite poor. Unfortunately you need to use them in certain circumstances to keep up the warranty.

The £340 was the set fee they charged to remove, prepare, refinish and re-fit. The equipment tells them exactly how much paint etc so apart from the hourly rate I imagine most Audi dealers would charge a similar rate as Audi tend to specify job times for dealers. Have seen a similar post with a similar figure too.

No doubt an independant would be cheaper but on a new car the warranty issue comes into play. Likewise I would guess you might get a better colour match using Audi paint rather than a mix at an independant but the finish is down to the individual, whether they work for Audi or an independant is irrelevant. If you find someone good, stick with him!

 

[HeliChris]

No doubt an independant would be cheaper but on a new car the warranty issue comes into play. Likewise I would guess you might get a better colour match using Audi paint rather than a mix at an independant but the finish is down to the individual, whether they work for Audi or an independant is irrelevant. If you find someone good, stick with him!

Audi Paint?

I have been a good friend with a painter for many years, yes he is an independent, but he gets work from most local dealers including the local audi dealer, yet he always uses his mixing system regardless of the make, I was unaware that they import paint as a spare (apart from touch ups), and why when he does warranty work for them he is not using it.

We have discussed the difference in bumper colour before, and there is always a difference but sometimes it takes an expert eye to see it, unlike the photos above.

The best way to find a good painter is to find someone as fussy as yourself who has been satisfied with paint work carried out, them use them yourself.

One of the most important thing to find is a good painter

Chris.

 

[SamDude]

Thanks all. The picture I posted shows the mismatch in the 'worst' light. It is not that easy to spot unless you're really looking out for it (which I do, everytime).

Like I said, it is something that will be rectified - the £1200 drop in price I negotiated with the private seller will more than cover this and a couple of other bits of work that need doing....

 

[rich1068]

The picture I posted shows the mismatch in the 'worst' light. It is not that easy to spot unless you're really looking out for it (which I do, everytime).

Obviously it's your motor so you will look for it. Good luck with getting it sorted. Odd though how some people have an eye for these things. I really don't but my dad can spot a mismatched panel from 100 yards.

 

[Amchlolor]

My rear bumper also looks slightly different from the rest of the car (akoya silver).
A paint sprayer I know says it's quite common as it's a nightmare trying to get paint to match on plastics.
He says it's not the colour,it's the way paint goes onto plastic that results in a slightly different 'finish' (simplistic terms)
Like the difference between silk and matt emulsions of the same colour.
Put them side by side and you'll notice a slight difference,even though they're technically the same colour.
I've never bothered about mine,as it doesn't bother me.

 

[cdb2]

Audi Paint?

I have been a good friend with a painter for many years, yes he is an independent, but he gets work from most local dealers including the local audi dealer, yet he always uses his mixing system regardless of the make, I was unaware that they import paint as a spare (apart from touch ups), and why when he does warranty work for them he is not using it.


Chris.

Sorry Chris, I didn't make myself very clear. When I said 'Audi Paint' I meant 'Audi Approved Paint'. I too am not aware Audi produce their own paint but believe they specify 'approved' bodyshops should use factory approved refinishing materials such as Glasurit and the Spies Secker Waterborne paint system. I would therefore assume an approved bodyshop would be able to give a closer match than an unapproved guy with a non approved mix system. However this doesn't mean a better finish of course! Presumably your friend uses one of the approved mix systems.

 

[steve184]

so they always mismatch do they????

Well i must have a very special car then and the whole factory must have stopped one day to make sure my car was perfect because my bumpers match my metal work PERFECTLY - and they did on my last A3 and they did on my Vectra GSI i had a few years back (pre-accident!) after accident when they just sprayed bumper on its own it didn't match and they tried the old 'its cos its plastic excuse' I did not accept that and made then do it again, only because they couldn't be ***** mixing the right colour they sprayed up the sides of the car to blend (which i wasn't too impressed about) - however after this the bumper matched perfectly!

 

[newbiecrg]

Yeah, I don't buy 'cause it's plastic bull *****! In that sense the coloured door mirrors would be a mismatch as well....

My phantom black is spot on, but being black any difference is probably not very noticiable... Don't take *****, mate!

Pedro

P.S.: The fact of my door mirrors are silver does not help

 

[HeliChris]

Sorry Chris, I didn't make myself very clear. When I said 'Audi Paint' I meant 'Audi Approved Paint'. I too am not aware Audi produce their own paint but believe they specify 'approved' bodyshops should use factory approved refinishing materials such as Glasurit and the Spies Secker Waterborne paint system. I would therefore assume an approved bodyshop would be able to give a closer match than an unapproved guy with a non approved mix system. However this doesn't mean a better finish of course! Presumably your friend uses one of the approved mix systems.

Yea not sure which one

Nice to have a painter you can trust.

Yeah, I don't buy 'cause it's plastic bull *****! In that sense the coloured door mirrors would be a mismatch as well....

Mirrors are often worse than bumpers but it does not show because they are not always in direct contact with the body.

Chris.