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I have my car in the shop at the moment, having body work done to it and it will require quite a bit of painting done to it. So I have decided to have the whole car painted as the insurance company is paying for most of it. The current color of the car is Graphite Grey Metallic. I am really considering having it painted Machine Grey, I have always loved that color and you never see it anywhere around here or much at all as I'm pretty sure it's one of the more rare colors produced. I'm also thinking of other colors along that colors spectrum but would probably prefer an OEM Crossfire color. So I'm just asking the forum on thoughts opinions etc. Thanks guys and gals in advance.
The machine grey would be closest to Graphite if the surface was scratched and areas that may not be completely covered with the new color unless they are going to totally strip all of the body parts off for repaint.
The machine grey would be closest to Graphite if the surface was scratched and areas that may not be completely covered with the new color unless they are going to totally strip all of the body parts off for repaint.
They will be doing all of that, plus sanding and priming the car. Machine Grey has such a unique hue to it.
They will be doing all of that, plus sanding and priming the car. Machine Grey has such a unique hue to it.
I always look at a car that has been resprayed a different colour and most times it is a mess, open the doors and seeing two colours is a bad sign, also the underside of the hood, trunk etc
Any overspray under fenders is a bad sign.
My advice is keep the colour you have and definitely do not spray it a totally different colour.
Years back Fubu did a great job, changing an Aero Blue SRT to an Alabaster NA look alike with a black engine compartment. The car was practically taken apart to do it properly. It was an amazing job. $$$$
What year is your car? Graphite Metallic had a paint code of ZDR in 2004. In 2005, the name became Graphite Metallic Clear Coat and changed code to PDR. PDR is also the code for 2006 when the name was again changed to Machine Gray.
Regardless, don't change the paint color/code unless you are doing a complete disassembly and painting the parts and subassemblies separately. Door jams, fender wells, etc. will always give away a re-paint job. Much better and easier to stick with the original color, as masking and other labor intensive prep are become slightly less critical.
Even with a perfectly executed full body off re-spray, if anybody ever did a comprehensive VIN check down the road, they would see the color doesn't match the original. That could decrease potential re-sale - not that our cars are expensive any more.
Even with a perfectly executed full body off re-spray, if anybody ever did a comprehensive VIN check down the road, they would see the color doesn't match the original.
You are correct. HOWEVER, an on-line VIN check tool (such as vindecoderz.com) will give every detail about the car - including colors, option packages, powertrain, date of manufacture, etc.
I always consult that website before buying a used car to see what changes (if any), the previous owner(s) may have made from its original configuration.
You are correct. HOWEVER, an on-line VIN check tool (such as vindecoderz.com) will give every detail about the car - including colors, option packages, powertrain, date of manufacture, etc.
I always consult that website before buying a used car to see what changes (if any), the previous owner(s) may have made from its original configuration.
Thanks for that site info - really good stuff !!!!!
What year is your car? Graphite Metallic had a paint code of ZDR in 2004. In 2005, the name became Graphite Metallic Clear Coat and changed code to PDR. PDR is also the code for 2006 when the name was again changed to Machine Gray.
Regardless, don't change the paint color/code unless you are doing a complete disassembly and painting the parts and subassemblies separately. Door jams, fender wells, etc. will always give away a re-paint job. Much better and easier to stick with the original color, as masking and other labor intensive prep are become slightly less critical.
Even with a perfectly executed full body off re-spray, if anybody ever did a comprehensive VIN check down the road, they would see the color doesn't match the original. That could decrease potential re-sale - not that our cars are expensive any more.
My car is a 2005. Thank you for the info on the codes. I’m still up in the air on what I’m going to do. I don’t ever plan on selling the car. I’m about 99.9% positive I won’t, so I’m not really worried about it. I do appreciate the info again. The shop that’s doing it has all the paint code books from Chrysler back then and too present. I go in Monday to sit down with them and pick what I want. Thanks again.
What year is your car? Graphite Metallic had a paint code of ZDR in 2004. In 2005, the name became Graphite Metallic Clear Coat and changed code to PDR. PDR is also the code for 2006 when the name was again changed to Machine Gray.
Regardless, don't change the paint color/code unless you are doing a complete disassembly and painting the parts and subassemblies separately. Door jams, fender wells, etc. will always give away a re-paint job. Much better and easier to stick with the original color, as masking and other labor intensive prep are become slightly less critical.
Even with a perfectly executed full body off re-spray, if anybody ever did a comprehensive VIN check down the road, they would see the color doesn't match the original. That could decrease potential re-sale - not that our cars are expensive any more.
Actually, the PDR Code was the Sales Code for the Gray paint colors on the Crossfire and it was unchanged for the Gray Colors during all the model years except for 2004. Per your comment above, in 2004 the Graphite Gray Metallic Sales Code was ZDR. Chrysler moved that code to the Graphite Gray Paint Code for 2005 model year, using the PDR coding for the Sales Code. As such, many paint shops consider the Graphite Gray & Machine Gray the same with only a name change occurring in 2006. In actuality, the colors are distinct & different. The Chrysler Paint Code for Graphite Gray Metallic was ZDR; for Machine Gray Metallic the paint code was DDR. If a paint shop is using the PDR code, you have to make sure you provide the color tint numbering to distinguish Graphite Gray (PDR/759) from Machine Gray (PDR/184). The numerical code tells the paint shop how to mix the paint. If a paint shop tells you the colors are the same, find another paint shop!!
I agree with these color options except I would reverse the order. I'm sorta partial to Machine Gray. If I bought another Coupe (not sure I want a Roadster), I prefer it to be Oyster Gold. And I know where 2 low mileage Coupes are for sale!!
What color to paint the car?
