Why is that?

 

I know.. I know.... pick me..

4 yrs age difference between models and varying degrees of sun and elements exposure!

What'd I win???

 

Most good paint supply shops have a HIGH tech gun for identifying the paint color, I had them match some aftermarket wheels, so I could match the trim bits to the wheels. Ask. Woody

 

So here is what I have found out so far. At the Sherwin-Williams store, the guy told me after calling a S-W center that the side strakes and door handle is a powder coat, and is not the same color as the windshield trim, and after looking closely had to agree. The windshield trim is a warmer silver. The code that S-W list is for the strakes and door handle, they didn't have a code for the WS trim. Went to see a guy who is supposed to have an eye and he told me bring the car in and he could match it. That looks like my best bet.

 

Didn't think about that...makes sense to me! I'm going to try the stuff at AZ...

 

The gun only gives you the closest formula match - contrary to what some believe (that it will create a formula where none exists in the system). I used to have painters call me to bring it out, even when they already had the right formula (and they didn't want to mess with matching it).

As for why one formula won't be a perfect match in all instances ... Sun and weather can play a role, but with modern paint, not as much as in the past. You can take 10 brand new cars with the same exact paint code, and have 10 different variations.

One reason is, it might not be the same paint. The OEM might buy paint from different suppliers, in which case, it may or may not match. Even different batches from the same supplier may not match.

Another reason is, the parts might be made by different suppliers (who each use different paint suppliers) - things like door handles, strakes, window surrounds, bumper covers, all of that kind of stuff is usually made by someone else and shipped to the factory, painted, for assembly.

One of the most interesting reasons has to do with metallics. At the OEM facilities, the paint is often a considerable distance from where it's sprayed, and it travels through pipes. Every time it hits a 90° bend, those flakes are slamming into the pipe - which is exactly how you make them smaller (in a big rock tumbler type thing). So ... paint matched perfectly to the standard, by the time it gets through those pipes, isn't going to match anymore.

When you get into silvers and whites, in addition to the standard formula, there are almost always a large number of alternate formulas, some of them very different from each other.

Finally, the documentation from the OEM's on anything other than the body color - trim colors, interior colors, etc. is usually very limited, and generally not well documented or researched.

 

Thanks very much for all the good information. That certainly sheds a new light on this color thing. I'm glad someone who knows a lot more than I do weighed in on this. Saying that, then having this gentleman with a good eye for color is the best bet for me. Again, thanks for the info.

 

These parts are plastic and you can not powder coat plastic like that, he was mistaken.

 

Powder Coating Plastics | Wright Coating Technologies

 

A lot has happened in the 10 years since the car was built, hell look at the NAV system, they did not use up to date tech on this car...

 

Tons and tons of truth in this post. I've been in the auto industry for ten years, and this is spot-on (especially the part I placed in bold). We have these headaches all the time at Nissan, especially with our affinity for metallics. Take a moment to look at how many shades of white/grey/beige we've used across the product line for the last decade... it's eye-crossing.

 

Especially since our tech was re-heated 1998 technology

 

Ok guys, time to close this epic search. Ready for some laughs? I went to this guy who has an eye for color, he mixed me up a pint of PPG paint, $90. I thouhgt in the can it looked a little dark. I asked about some Lacquer thinner, which I use to clean my guns, he said a store just up the road called Colors has it. So I went and it's a PPG store. Out of curiosity I asked if he could mix paint code XZA, he looked in his book and said silver trim for a Crossfire? I had him do a pint of the inexpensive kind $27. Came home did 2 color cards, guess what? The cheapo PPG was spot on, the 90$ stuff just a shade too dark. So there you have it, go to PPG store ask for XZA. Voila! I would recommend the $90 stuff though, it's a better quality paint.

 

Definitely not!

The top tier automotive paint from any of the top companies (PPG, DuPont, Sherwin-Williams, Sikkens, RM ...) is expensive because;
1) Color Match research and documentation
2) Lifetime Warranty (which applies when a certified body shop does the paint)
3) Meeting OEM specs

The paint that's the next tier down? It was the top tier paint last year or a couple of years ago. It had to meet OEM specs then (chip resistance, UV resistance, etc.). It didn't get worse just because they came out with something newer. However, they typically don't offer alternates on that line - you get the standard mix for that code, and no other choices.

If anyone is curious where I am getting all this from, I worked for an automotive paint manufacturer (one of the top 3) for many years.

The other thing is - no one makes all their own stuff. The paint companies sell stuff to each other, or there are third party vendors who manufacture some of these products and label them for each paint companies - especially pearls, hardeners and other additives. SO ... any talk about any one brand being better than another is pretty much BS.

 

Just to clarify. the $90 stuff was dark because the guy with the eye for color wasn't on his game today. That's why I still recommend the best paint, afterall we want to treat our babies right.

 

Moral of the story? Always trust ze Germans...

 

Sorry, that did not work in 1939, so we will keep an open mind on that.
Remember, vee have vays to make you tok.

LOL