So my car was backed into and they drove off. Got the rear drivers side door, dented in the quarter panel and scratched my wheel.

My car is Velocity Red, 2005.

Just wondering if blended paint is a good option or if there is a way to talk the body shop into painting the whole car since I dont feel comfortable with blended paint from anywhere.

Opinions?

 

Man, people suck! I don't get how someone can do that, and just drive off! I've heard a few people talk about how hard it is to get the VR paint to match when they've gotten work done...so it might be tough to get it blended perfectly

 

Believe me, getting the whole car repainted is very expensive, if it's done properly. Blended paint is the way to go. (I know… blended paint sounds half-assed and like a compromise and like it won't look very good, but done right it works, and you won't be able to tell. Even with Velocity Red.)

 

route62, where did you go?

and does anyone know such a shop in maryland?

 

Can this blended paint procedure be used to repair paint that has been damaged by the incessant lovebugs?

Where did you go, route62? I will eventually want to get my front bumper redone when I decide to sell, and I live in Orlando.

 

Yeah thats what Ive been wondering.

So will one side of the car look fresh and the other a bit weathered?

 

A good body shop can blend paint so well you'll never be able to tell. Mine did when I got keyed, see my sig for the pic. The trick is finding a good one.

 

so.... yeah. i need to find a good body shop. my passenger fender was swiped.

any good md body shops?

 

Im still trying to decide what Im going to do because estimates are about $2k.

They have said they are going to have to blend the whole side of the car.

 

the entire side? well that makes sense i guess... it would be very hard to tell the difference between the old paint and the new paint

 

2k is way too much to pay

 

If the body shop knows what they are doing, blended paint is the way to go, way cheaper too. The body shop should wet sand and buff it after they are done painting as well, this will get it to match perfectly. My father owns a car customizing shop and they do it all the time. It looks just like the factory paint if done right.

 

Mine was just blended from a wreck and they did a great job with or color mix VR thats the only way to go!!!

 

That is absolutely the kind of body shop anyone who really loves their car should look for! Yes it costs more - but really, not that much more. When you think about how bad you feel every time you approach your baby in a parking lot and notice the slightly mismatched paint, that's a small price to pay for perfection, IMHO.

 

Where did you go?

 

I took mine to Service King , Top rated and most expensive collision shops, other than taking it to a custom shop.

 

Which Service King to be specific?

 

I can second the work from Daya's. They have always done good work.

Blending is absolutely the only way to repair the VR cars. As stated, if done right, it will be very difficult to tell there was ever a repair. The easiest way to spot the repair will be to look at the clear. IF the shop can match the factory orange peel, then they have really done something. Most shops(even good ones) will lay on the clear, then wet sand the heck out of it. You will end up with a very smooth look on the repaired side. Unless the stock paint is also wet sanded/buffed, the other side will be different. Not noticable to most people, but not the same.

The factory paint (clear) on the RX-8's is very disappointing. The amount of orange peel is horrendous. It really shows on the black cars(guess which color I have). Even the stock paint can be wet sanded and buffed to remove most of the orange peel though. You have to be careful since it isn't very thick.

and, to address an earlier post, the rear quarter skins are welded. If they replace the skin, they will aslo need to blend the deck lid and rear bumper cover. IIRC, the rear door skins are aluminum. For a job done right, $2k isn't that much.

 

Yeah Im thinking when I take it in Im going to have them shave my emblems on the front bumper and trunk to get a nice "clean" look.