> Subject: RE: [MBZ] Salvage door desiderata (MY 300 SD got hit) > > Here we go again, folks. Enjoy the ride. > > It is absolutely not true that "your local body shop has to have every car > matched for paint & why they can't just order paint part number XXX from > the Stealership" Not so. I do not doubt that some may match every job, > perhaps for reasons they may not disclose. > > It is true that the factory paint weathers and fades to some extent, and the > color today is not identical to what it was, say 24 yr and 2 mo ago on my > 1983 Mercedes produced in August 1983 or nearly 26 yr ago on my 1981 > Volkswagen. > > Some of the people who obviously thought I must be crazy to want a salvage > door already painted my color tried to enlighten me on this point. I already > knew, perhaps better than they. I wanted to minimize color match problems, > not finesse them entirely. That's also all that Jim said. > > The factory colors are close to the car colors or new paint colors today.
> In almost all cases they are close enough. I just replaced the hatch on > the VW and changed the replacement hatch color from red to white. > Factory white paint code used to change color. I think it looks like new, > and it no longer pours water where the pinch weld was rusted away, > which is even better. > > It is possible to match existing paint today with new paint, and for a while that > may be short, the matched color and the original color, assuming they are side > by side, will appear the same. > > The match may not last long, depending on the color and exposure. After a > while, (I have a 21 yr long experimental case on a house.), the matched paint > may appear only to be from the same general part of the spectrum as the > original, and not be a match except in the roughest of ways. Across the street > in the dark, perhaps. Not in daylight, not at a reasonable distance. > > The original and matched paints have different compositions and will not > weather identically. That is the bottom line. Reds and colors containing > reds are the worst. > > I believe that if you check, you will find that most auto paint used in the > custom and/or collison repair business does not come from the car dealers; > it comes from independent paint suppliers. Good shops that have the > necessary volume mix their own paint, and buy mixing colors from the > independent paint suppliers. The dealers can be a good source of spray > can quantities of paint for touchup, and they may be the only practical > source of the actual factory paint if you want that (Glasso brand and > similar). > > "Even factory replacement parts are painted after they are installed on your car." is > true, perhaps with rare exceptions. This may be because new replacement parts > from any source nearly alway acquire a ding or two in shipping/handling, and > often require fitting to match the car. This does not even consider the multitude of > factory colors and that some colors may be single year specific while the underlying > part may fit a fairly large number of year models. > > "We can match any color" and similar, while true, is no more than puffery and > surely an attempt to snare customers who may somewhat instinctively believe > matching paint is a good desirable thing.. It can also be a way to disguise a rebuild > from the inexpert eye I would never advise other than full disclosure. > > I know a retired man who made a fortune buying and rebuilding wrecked cars > and selling them He made a practice of requiring all his buyers to sign and date > a picture or pictures of the wreck before repair and a picure or pictures of the > repaired car. He told me he never had a successrul lawsuit over the facts or > disclosure, although he did have some that were dismissed. > > Reputable shops that I know about will preferentially use the factory paint > codes to order or mix. The match of new factory code paint beside original > paint in good condition is almost always quite good, except that reds and > colors containing reds can be a problem. > > No reputable shop I have ever encountered disdained the factory paint code, > saying "Don't worry, we can match any color" or similar. They want the > factory paint code. I spent half a day off and on exposing it on my European > Mercedes. It's coded on on the data plate on the top radiator brace, not the > bright metal printed and stamped plate that anyone can read, but the perforated > other plate painted body color. The owner's manual tells that, and the paint > vendor worked it out for me. My chosen shop, with whom I have dealt for years, > mixed from the factory paint code. > > They did not match existing paint, which would have been the last choice way > to do things, simply because of the lack of a sufficiently large sample of unweathered > factory paint, and (or so they told me) the paint, say, on door jambs is not the > same as that on the exterior. I don't know if that is true. > > Matching is a legitimate way to create a custom color matching whatever or a > color for which there is no factory formula available. We have all seen custom > colors, some attractive and some bizarre. Their owners like them, and that ought > to be good enough for the rest of us. > > For example of colors for which there are no factory formlae available, Model A > Fords (actually, I think up to immediately prewar Ford bodies, and certainly > 1928-1934 Fords) were all painted with what Ford called "pyroxylin lacquer" > which I believe is called "nitrocellulose lacquer" today. It is generally unavailable > in the USA now because of Clean Air Act requirements. Until about 1935, Ford > painted fenders by dipping in black enamel. > > There are no Model A to whenever Ford factory formulas available for today's auto > paints, except that some, most, or all of the colors have been matched, and there are > some majority vote formulas for colors, and except that black is black. > > The idea that all factory paint codes are nothing more than ancient history, and all > paint in the real world has to be matched, is hooey at worst and nothing but an > advertising creation at best. It's not true in the real world I live in. Others may live > in a different real world, but I doubt it.. > > Robert > > Tom Hargrave <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote > > Date: 10/20/2007 9:20:36 AM > > Subject: RE: [MBZ] Salvage door desiderata (MY 300 SD got hit) > > > > The other issue with a door painted the same color is it really is not the > > same color. Two things drive this: > > > > 1. Color mixing varies from batch to batch, within accepted tolerances. A > > color painted this week will be slightly different from a color painted last > > week. There is no problem with cars coming off the assembly line but you > > can't mix and match body panels without doing a color comparison first. > > > > 2. Paints age and fade differently due to different exposure to UV (garage > > kept, not garage kept, northern car, southern car, etc). > > > > This is why your local body shop has to have every car matched for paint & > > why they can't just order paint part number XXX from the Stealership. Even > > factory replacement parts are painted after they are installed on your car. > > > > Thanks, > > Tom Hargrave > > www.kegkits.com > > 256-656-1924 > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > On Behalf Of Robert Bigham > > Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2007 8:39 AM > > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Salvage door desiderata (MY 300 SD got hit) > > > > Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:33:08 -0700 > > From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote > > Subject: Re: [MBZ] MY 1985 300SD got hit ... > > > > > They are recommending finding a salvage door. > > > Out side of inspecting the door before it is 'messed with' (to be sure > > > it is cancer free), any suggestions? > > _______________________________________________________ > > Get one the same color as original, that'll minimize repaint problems. > > _______________________________________________________ > > -- Jim > > _______________________________________________________ > > > > Hello Jim > > > > I agree. It sounds like the most reasonable of notions. > > > > I also offer that when I tried for several months to find a 123 sedan > > driver's door painted Astral Silver Poly, a color that was used for > > many years (And it seems like I meet a different 123 painted that > > color on the road maybe twice weekly.). The persons with whom > > I corresponded (and a Want it Now on ebay) produced nothing > > but doors painted blue, white, and other colors. And they were > > all shells only, no hardware or glass. > > > > Clearly, some of the people thought I must be crazy to want a used > > door already painted my color. > > > > Color change would have cost maybe $150 at my favorite body shop. > > I gave up and repaired minor rust on the old door. > > > > I hope George has better luck than I. > > > > Robert _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
