Blending paint on a bonnet
Discussion
Bonnet, roof & many bootlids require the whole panel to be painted as the edge of the new onto the old is likely to be visible, even the lacquer edge.
Bodyshop territory as trying to paint a big horizontal flat area outside is asking for trouble - insects, dust, birdbombs, leaves etc etc.
You MIGHT get away with it if there are clearly defined swage lines that you could stop at.
Depending how good the paint colour match is you may not need to blend into the wings & front panel but I can understand the bodyshop as they don't need the hassle of you complaining that the bonnet doesn't match the surroundings.
Bodyshop territory as trying to paint a big horizontal flat area outside is asking for trouble - insects, dust, birdbombs, leaves etc etc.
You MIGHT get away with it if there are clearly defined swage lines that you could stop at.
Depending how good the paint colour match is you may not need to blend into the wings & front panel but I can understand the bodyshop as they don't need the hassle of you complaining that the bonnet doesn't match the surroundings.
I understand about matching the adjoining panels but one bodyshop wanted £1400 for what is a barely visible shallow ding on the front edge of the bonnet,I had to point it out to the estimator. Aren't there paint matching cameras that take out the colour guesswork now ? As the pic shows there are swage lines to blend up to.
Bodyshops do tend to blend big - one main reason being that they use big bodyshop guns.
Smart repairers use smaller guns and can therefore blend within smaller areas.
But as mentioned above a bonnet isn't the kind of thing that should be done outside - the whole bonnet will probably need lacquer and another problem (other than leaves, insects etc landing on a large flat area) would be trying to bake it off outside.
If you could find a someone that does smart repairs that operates from a unit that would be the way to go - by they're not that common.
Smart repairers use smaller guns and can therefore blend within smaller areas.
But as mentioned above a bonnet isn't the kind of thing that should be done outside - the whole bonnet will probably need lacquer and another problem (other than leaves, insects etc landing on a large flat area) would be trying to bake it off outside.
If you could find a someone that does smart repairs that operates from a unit that would be the way to go - by they're not that common.
blade7 said:
On an Alpine White bonnet like this is it viable to paint the centre of the bonnet and blend up to the swage lines ? A couple of bodyshops tell me the whole bonnet, front panel and maybe the top of the wings would need painting.
received a inch long car park ding in the centre of the front passenger door over the weekend.Chap i would normally use doesn't really want to take on the repair so took the car to a ford main dealer who say they would need to repaint both the front and rear doors.
My experiences of main dealers over the years doesn't inspire me with confidence.If i go for their repair when picking the car up i will take the chap i know to inspect their work.Also they would want the car for 4 days.
Edited by cerby54 on Thursday 31st July 11:20
cerby54 said:
Similar position to yourself,wife's 3 month old pearl blue candy fiesta
received a inch long car park ding in the centre of the front passenger door over the weekend.Chap i would normally use doesn't really want to take on the repair so took the car to a ford main dealer who say they would need to repaint both the front and rear doors.
My experiences of main dealers over the years doesn't inspire me with confidence.If i go for their repair when picking the car up i will take the chap i know to inspect their work.Also they would want the car for 4 days.
Blue candy - being a 3 stage - is always going to be a difficult one to blend, especially mid panel on a door.received a inch long car park ding in the centre of the front passenger door over the weekend.Chap i would normally use doesn't really want to take on the repair so took the car to a ford main dealer who say they would need to repaint both the front and rear doors.
My experiences of main dealers over the years doesn't inspire me with confidence.If i go for their repair when picking the car up i will take the chap i know to inspect their work.Also they would want the car for 4 days.
Edited by cerby54 on Thursday 31st July 11:20
It's not the fault of the painters - it's the fault of the manufacturers for bring out colours that are so difficult to repair ..... and it won't be mentioned when you purchase!
Think you've got a problem? Look up BMW's special frozen colours ..... they are covered in a matt lacquer that can't be blended and is nigh on impossible to match!
Squiggs said:
Blue candy - being a 3 stage - is always going to be a difficult one to blend, especially mid panel on a door.
It's not the fault of the painters - it's the fault of the manufacturers for bring out colours that are so difficult to repair ..... and it won't be mentioned when you purchase!
Think you've got a problem? Look up BMW's special frozen colours ..... they are covered in a matt lacquer that can't be blended and is nigh on impossible to match!
I must admit i have never thought to research a paint colour before,lesson learnt for the future.It's not the fault of the painters - it's the fault of the manufacturers for bring out colours that are so difficult to repair ..... and it won't be mentioned when you purchase!
Think you've got a problem? Look up BMW's special frozen colours ..... they are covered in a matt lacquer that can't be blended and is nigh on impossible to match!
Years ago scumbags pulled the door lock out of my diamond white RS Cosworth trying to thieve it. The local Ford dealer repaired it and painted the door, the new paint didn't match so they said they'd blend new paint half way along the front and rear wings. I made them repaint the whole side of the car. I could see the mismatch by standing back a few feet, I'd have thought any slight mismatch wouldn't show up as much on a horizontal surface though ?
blade7 said:
I understand about matching the adjoining panels but one bodyshop wanted £1400 for what is a barely visible shallow ding on the front edge of the bonnet,I had to point it out to the estimator. Aren't there paint matching cameras that take out the colour guesswork now ? As the pic shows there are swage lines to blend up to.
Everyone works differently if i was to do that job i wouldnt do the the front wings seems a bit ott to me for a ding on the front edge of the bonnet. You could do up to the swage lines but the reality is its less hassle to flick the colour over the repair then lacquer the whole bonnet .£1400 does seem excessive to me even half that.
Paint cameras yeah they are good but they still get it wrong depending on which system is used the painter still has to decide which colour to paint the car in. The camera for ici/nexa takes five readings then compares them with all the colours on the system. It them gives them a match rating number, the lower the number the better the match.
TBH it's barely visible unless you crouch down and look across the front edge of the bonnet, which is why despite having the car for 5 years I haven't had it done, but I know it's there 
. I asked a couple of body shops about it when I bought the car and it was those that said about repairing the ding and blending up to the swages, then clear coating the whole bonnet. I'm inclined just to fit another white bonnet now.
. I asked a couple of body shops about it when I bought the car and it was those that said about repairing the ding and blending up to the swages, then clear coating the whole bonnet. I'm inclined just to fit another white bonnet now.blade7 said:
TBH it's barely visible unless you crouch down and look across the front edge of the bonnet, which is why despite having the car for 5 years I haven't had it done, but I know it's there . I asked a couple of body shops about it when I bought the car and it was those that said about repairing the ding and blending up to the swages, then clear coating the whole bonnet. I'm inclined just to fit another white bonnet now.
It you do get a bonnet it may need blending into the surrounding front end, and it you get one that's been painted in the past it definitely will.. I asked a couple of body shops about it when I bought the car and it was those that said about repairing the ding and blending up to the swages, then clear coating the whole bonnet. I'm inclined just to fit another white bonnet now.tbh id just live with it, you've already had previous with white repairs so I would imagine your going to be on the ball this time.
I wouldn't attempt that repair without blending into the front panel as I know, there will 100% be a shade variation with the paint system I use. there would be no need to do the wing tops though as the basecoat would be blended long before the swage.
Ive found in the past cameras next to useless on white basecoats.
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