I have to get my rear quarter panel and bumper repaired and repainted. Two bodyshops that have been recommended have suggested 2 different painting strategies. One proposes to paint and clearcoat the entire 2 panels while the other suggests blending the paint on the panels (from the repair area to the rest of the panel) and clearcoating the entire 2 panels. The shop for the 2nd approach suggests that blending/fading the paint will ensure that if there is any color variation you won't notice it while if you painted the entire panels you might notice a slight variation to the adjacent body panels.

Any paint experts have any opinions on which way would be best way to go?

 

Well, I'm no expert, but I used to have a Pearlescent T-Bird and that paint color was impossible to match correctly. I think the best approach is to blend one panel into the other, otherwise the difference in colors will be more noticeable. See in this picture I had the front bumper and door moulding repainted and it wasn't blended into the fender and the door, making it very noticeable.

 

Makes sense. I suppose some colours are harderto match. I would think that metallic paints are harder to match as the flakes could sit differently depending upon the application.

 

By no means an "EXPERT" but I do have friends that do Paint & Body for a living. If you don't blend, it probably won't match. You don't think it will be noticeable but it will be.
Even with the Paint Code, a good painter will, at times, have to adjust the paint to make it match more closely. So IMO have it blended.

 

I agree. Have it blended. It will match a lot better, especially with the Tungsten color you have.

 

If the damage is both in the quarter and bumper, then both shops will end up doing the same thing. Shooting color over the repair area, and pulling the gun away creating the fade, making the repair invisible to the eye. It's just the way things are done. If the first shop is telling you otherwise, maybe he just wants you to feel like you're getting your money's worth. What you have sounds to be like a communication problem more than anything. If one shop is discounting the labor/materials and not charging to paint the whole panel, then you may as well go that route and save the money.

 

Todays body shop usually have the right equipment to color match the paint.My daughters 02' Focus was a mineral tan metalic and it had hail damge.They had matched the color perfectly just using the the color code off the door jamb.Check to see if the shop your going to has one those color analyzer type tools.

 

When I had my accident in the rear quarter panel, the paint was blended, and it looked great in the end. I agree, the blended way makes the most sense.

 

If panels are damaged and repaired they are almost always blended within the panel. It's when panels are replaced or damage is near the edge of a panel that blending the adjacent panel is debated.