E30 Zone

Hi all.

Question about matching paint on older cars really. Its fair to say nobody can match paint perfectly and when replacing panels the entire side of the affected area should be painted. But are some bodyshops better than others in terms of getting a match? Do they use electronic measuring or just go by the paint code?

Is blowing in / fading always a bad idea or okay if the painter is skilled? This is more in terms of just keeping a decent car on the road looking tidy than rest-level stuff.

Thoughts / experiences welcome.

Hello mate I was a panel beater for 11 years I quite it about 6 months ago, nothing gives a better example in my experience of " you get what you pay for " when it comes to bodywork, the last place I worked we did Porsches Lamborghinis, maseratis right through to e type jag race cars and group c Le Mans stuff. A good painter is worth his weight in gold the guy at my last place could match anything, for general paint match it is done off a code then the variant chips, some colours have more variants than other ones if none of those match its down to tinting or using a colour brick which is a digital light box you put on the paint and it figures out the mix for you.
The best advice I can give is ask to see examples of their work and don't go on how tidy the place is but also contrary to what I said before the most expensive isn't always best but the best certainly won't be the cheapest either

Cheers mate.

And fading is always a no go - ?

If by fading you mean a flashin where they don't paint a whole panel then polish back where they stopped then if it's done well it's fine I would have no problem with having one done on my car and I have had them in the past and they've been fine but it's all about how well it's done

Roger.

Cheers!