sipar69 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi all, I've been thinking about whether to hang on to my current 370 when the finance agreement comes to an end in about 18 months. I had assumed I'd trade in for another but I'm starting to lean towards hanging on to it for a few more years until Nissan make some significant changes to the Z. If I do, as well as a new exhaust system, I'd like to address the one issue that has always bugged me - the lack of colour uniformity on the rear and front panels. I know this a well known issue with the white Zs but from pictures I've seen it seems to be more of an issue with some cars than others. . A lot depends on the light - it seems much more noticeable when the wheather is dull (dirt doesn't help either). I've attached a couple of shots - one taken in good light and one in dull conditions when the car was in need of a wash. I'd like your views on whether a decent body shop would be able to repaint the panel and create a better match. (I am thinking of using Sumo Power in Rye for the new exhaust and I think they also do paint jobs, so it could be that I could get it all done in one go.) I'd also be interested to know how long you plan to keep your 370? Cheers all! Good light Low light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 A decent paint shop should be able to respray the panels and blend them in. Even if the paint match isnt spot on, the blend will at least mean that the difference is less noticable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Mine is in for some work - lets see how it turns out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Mine is in for some work - lets see how it turns out What ya having done Colin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Mine is in for some work - lets see how it turns out What ya having done Colin? The sills - I'm sure you will see their shape before the rear wheel arch means they are prone to stone chips. So some remedial spray work and then put in condoms, whilst hoping that the colour match is better than what the factory turned out. I gather the colour match problem arises from the the bumpers and sills being sprayed in a separate area to the rest of the car. I can live with the colour changes on my bumpers though - and as it was pointed out to me at Motorline, many Nissan models have this issue and whether we like it not is unlikley to result in a succeesfull warranty claim. Waits to be proved wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 TBH Colin's 370z is the best white zed (colour match wise) i have seen. Some i have seen are terrible, god knows why Nissan have so much trouble in this area! The one i test drove Most of the problems are mainly down to how the material used (plastic bumpers etc) reflects the paint, so i was told by a official Mercedes Benz repair specialist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Wow - that one is pretty bad! My front bumper is not too bad at all but the back bugs me from time to time. Truth be told though I think I'm the only person who ever notices! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Mine is in for some work - lets see how it turns out What ya having done Colin? The sills - I'm sure you will see their shape before the rear wheel arch means they are prone to stone chips. So some remedial spray work and then put in condoms, whilst hoping that the colour match is better than what the factory turned out. I gather the colour match problem arises from the the bumpers and sills being sprayed in a separate area to the rest of the car. I can live with the colour changes on my bumpers though - and as it was pointed out to me at Motorline, many Nissan models have this issue and whether we like it not is unlikley to result in a succeesfull warranty claim. Waits to be proved wrong I see what you mean - my sills are a pretty good match and the front is ok - just the rear. Please post some pictures of yours once the work has been done - I'd really be interested to see if they improve the colour match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzr350z Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I was told a few years ago by a really good bodyshop that because you have to use a different primer on plastic,ie bumpers, to that on metal you cannot get an exact paint match,its something that even manufactures struggle to get right.If you park under a flourescent street light you can see the difference between plastic and metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 I was told a few years ago by a really good bodyshop that because you have to use a different primer on plastic,ie bumpers, to that on metal you cannot get an exact paint match,its something that even manufactures struggle to get right.If you park under a flourescent street light you can see the difference between plastic and metal. I think I'd just be happy with a slightly better match at the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I was told a few years ago by a really good bodyshop that because you have to use a different primer on plastic,ie bumpers, to that on metal you cannot get an exact paint match,its something that even manufactures struggle to get right.If you park under a flourescent street light you can see the difference between plastic and metal. See now this I have never understood. If the primer is different then why cant they compensate the paint make up to make it match? I heard it was due to them being sprayed in isolation and the way the flecks sit in the paint. On the main body the car is sprayed from one angle and on the bumpers/sills a different angle. When you put them together they reflect the light differently which gives different shades. This makes more sense to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 I was told a few years ago by a really good bodyshop that because you have to use a different primer on plastic,ie bumpers, to that on metal you cannot get an exact paint match,its something that even manufactures struggle to get right.If you park under a flourescent street light you can see the difference between plastic and metal. See now this I have never understood. If the primer is different then why cant they compensate the paint make up to make it match? I heard it was due to them being sprayed in isolation and the way the flecks sit in the paint. On the main body the car is sprayed from one angle and on the bumpers/sills a different angle. When you put them together they reflect the light differently which gives different shades. This makes more sense to me For the kind of money we pay for our Zs I don't think a good match is too much to ask! I look at other white cars and I don't see this problem. If end up getting mine done (probably after Christmas) I'll post some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltong Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I was told a few years ago by a really good bodyshop that because you have to use a different primer on plastic,ie bumpers, to that on metal you cannot get an exact paint match,its something that even manufactures struggle to get right.If you park under a flourescent street light you can see the difference between plastic and metal. See now this I have never understood. If the primer is different then why cant they compensate the paint make up to make it match? I heard it was due to them being sprayed in isolation and the way the flecks sit in the paint. On the main body the car is sprayed from one angle and on the bumpers/sills a different angle. When you put them together they reflect the light differently which gives different shades. This makes more sense to me For the kind of money we pay for our Zs I don't think a good match is too much to ask! I look at other white cars and I don't see this problem. If end up getting mine done (probably after Christmas) I'll post some pics. Hi. My GTR was white and I was never totally happy with the bumper colour match. Nissan resprayed both under warranty without too much pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 A while back a mate had a 1999 Golf GTI and it was like a pearly silver colour, it suffered from exactly the same problem, the bumpers and petrol cap were a darker shade of silver, it seemed to get worse over time as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm White Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Wow, I never realised the paint match was so bad on some of them! My sills look a slightly different colour but I'm not too fussed. The front and rear bumpers are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 Wow, I never realised the paint match was so bad on some of them! My sills look a slightly different colour but I'm not too fussed. The front and rear bumpers are fine. Just pot luck I think. My front and sills are fine and in some lights the back looks perfectly ok - just looks off in low light. Unfortunately I'm the sort of person that once I notice something like this it will bug me til it gets sorted I keep being told it will never look perfect but I'm sure it could be better. Off to the body shop to get it looked at tomorrow morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Sills now painted They were taken off the car for the spray work. The depth of paint is clearly deeper than the original and seen against the rest of the bodywork is a much better match - not perfect but in my case on the outside the sills look a lot better from all angles. As was pointed out to me, they have sprayed to match the door/rear wing but that has meant in the door shut area it does look more 'creamier'. But then when you look at the last pic you can see a colour change on the rear wing where it turns the corner into the shut but with a different outcome Just letting the paint cure now before getting the sills fully clear wrapped to help prevent the stone chipping that finally led me to have the sills painted. And trying not to use the car (frustration smilie). Work carried out by Motor Care: http://www.motorcarebodyshop.co.uk/ourservices.html Nissan and most leading manufacturers approved bodyshop at Tunbridge Wells. Very helpful and can't fault their care of GUNS whilst in their care. Had to move this to get mine out of the customer waiting bay I offered to move it ..... But when it started up ...........died and went to heaven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Looks good. I would have taken the orange one home though Looks on the door shuts like the OEM doesnt use the full pearl effect paint, and that you only get that on the main panels, hence yours being painted all over with pearl now looks a little odd. Very weird its not all done the same. Still the main thing is the match is much better from the outside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesmin Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Is it only the white cars that suffer from this variation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Is it only the white cars that suffer from this variation? Nope they all do it to some extent, darker colours appear less so IMO. And a lot more noticable in photos than in real life too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Is it only the white cars that suffer from this variation? No - as Chris ^ says. When I was in a Nissan showroom a few weeks back and raised the issue the service manager pointed out several other Nissan models (and other makes they had in) in a variety of colours where the variations occur. But from what I and others who saw a number of the first batch of 370's in 2009 the white ones semed to be more noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted October 26, 2011 Author Share Posted October 26, 2011 Is it only the white cars that suffer from this variation? No - as Chris ^ says. When I was in a Nissan showroom a few weeks back and raised the issue the service manager pointed out several other Nissan models (and other makes they had in) in a variety of colours where the variations occur. But from what I and others who saw a number of the first batch of 370's in 2009 the white ones semed to be more noticeable. Saw a photo of a grey Nismo on the web the other day - rear bumper match was terrible. Also one of the early review photos (can't remember which publication) had photos of a red one - very poor match on the front! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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