Hey guys,

I'd just like some input from you white RX-8 owners that have had paint work done to your cars. The reason I am asking is because I've heard from a couple of other white car owners (Specifically the pearly "crystallized" white type) that it is near impossible to get a true paint match.

When I got my front bumper I went to a very reputable body shop in my area called VP Auto Collision. We talked about how it would turn out patch-matching-wise for like a half hour and he told me very clearly that it would not be an exact match and that it would be noticeable under specific lighting conditions (Usually when it's cloudly, or under unnatural light such as inside of a garage). The bumper turned out great as I expected, and as I was told I could notice a slight difference in paint when I was in my garage inspecting it. Can't really notice anything when it's sunny/dark.

What I would like to know from you other white 8 owners is whether or not this guy is bullshitting me. I have gone to this body shop multiple times and I really feel like they do the best work; a lot of tuner style cars get aftermarket body work done here and they're always packed, and they're not cheap either. The guy told me straight up "If you had any other color RX-8, I could guarantee you a perfect match in paint. But with the crystal whites like these, I simply cannot"

So what is your guys' experience with paint work on your 8? I really want to debadge my trunk and obviously get some side skirts in the future but the thought of not having paint that matches under all kinds of light is just demotivating.

 

my 8 is crystal white pearl as well...mine is the same...in the shade you can see the difference, in the sun its a perfect match. being able to get any pearl period to match under all conditions and angles is darn near impossible.

 

+1 Its very difficult to match. I got my work done at a custom shop and they had problems matching it. The biggest issue is that your paint will get discolored over time. For instance my new paint looks white and the factory paint now looks off white. Theres no way to avoid this unless you get the whole car resprayed.

 

I even got OEM aeroflares from Mazda and they look whiter than the rest of the car.

 

Also the substance getting painted makes a difference. Metals such as the body and hood show the paint different than say flexible bumpers and trims or fiberglass body kits.

 

+1! My family owns a body shop in So fla. and when it comes to paint matching with pearl colors it becomes real difficult to do. The Rx8 white is very hard to get a near perfect match from what i hear as i need body work as well. There is a place that is very reputable for matching paint. Since we are friends with them ill see if they can match the white and keep it on record for me incase any other Rx8 owners in So Fla have a white Rx8 and need some painting done. PM me if u need info on this

 

My replaced front bumper is the same as the rest of the car. Under some faint conditions you can catch a ghost of a difference between the bumper and the body. The shop that did mine was an official Mazda run body shop though, and that's why I picked them for the work. I'd call it the best shot that you can have.

 

Well ****, why didn't I think of that?! There's a Mazda "collision center" down in Baltimore (I guess that's the same thing, right?), so I could just have the shop I usually go to do the fitting, and this Mazda place do the painting? I don't know.

That does sound like my best shot, though. I guess having the best color does come with its disadvantages.

 

Hah

Yeah, we do have that minor annoyance of a disadvantage. Gotta pay a price for the best somehow

But yeah, if anyone can match a notoriously hard to match factory paint...the manufacturer can.

Everyone was telling me that any shop can do it, that it's just "a simple matter" of matching "any paint out there". No guesswork. But I knew that it just wasn't right, that it's not a 1-size-fits-all. There are exceptions to any rule.

 

2 more points to add to what everyone else has pointed out. 1 That bodyshops also have thier preferences in paint maunfactuer(PPG, Dupont, etc). I know from talking to VP they do not use the same paint as mazda. The way body shops work around this is that paint codes can be "almostperfectly matched" by other manufactuers through paint formulas, essentially mixing different amounst of colors, pearls, metalics, to arrive at the desired paint code. Each code has a formula specific to each paint manufacter. 2nd again with what everyone has said about matching being nearly impossible, is that Ive seen car Manufactuers paint vary slightly depending on the model cars production and where a specific car fell in the production. The first few and last cars may vary slightly because the way the paint is applied. particles and remnants from other colors may have mixed in with the current color altering that color ever so slightly. If you take a bumper off an early production and swap with that color car that was produced during the middle of the production chances are that those colors will has slight deffernces in specified lightling.

 

even "mazda" collision centers will have their challenges when it comes to matching the paint. Even with the proper paint code, you have to take into account that the rest of your car's paint has slightly faded over the years so if they just throw in fresh paint without taking anything like that into account, it won't match.

Good luck.

 

Yeah, my repair was at ~16,000 miles I think? so largely unfaded still.

 

Did they paint the bumper seperately? when the repainted my bumpers they blended the paint so that it isnt a clear defined defference when there is a seam in the car such as bumper to hood, bumper to fender, etc.

 

They painted my bumper while it was on the car.

 

even the factory cant get it right, i have oem paint on all panels still and the front and rear bumpers look distinctly different than the metal parts of the car under certain lighting conditions. I think getting paint blended is the best bet but it'll cost way more than just having a bumper painted.

 

^^^ Thats because the paint is ionically charged to help the adhering proccess, and metal vs. plastic, or what ever that material is that our bumpers are made with, does not behave the same when a charge is applied to it,,,

Blending is the best.

 

Yup, painted metal and painted plastic will never match.

 

I have gotten my car's passenger side quarter panel painted before and the paint match is exact under any light conditions. There is no way anyone can tell that the panel has been repainted before. All I can say is that the quality of the work greatly depends on the person doing the job.

 

IMO It being a quarter panel though it would have to be blended, which is why you cant tell the difference.

Anyway if your not building a competitive show car I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it

 

^ agree!

If you worry about the color matching a lot, you can also blend the bumper to the hood, and fenders...