Just for your information, the body and the bumpers are painted at different times in different parts of the plant, but the paint is from the same source, just has a modifier in it for the flexiblity of the bumper. And it is a problem that has been sorted out in the plant somewhat, but will always be an issue, just because the parts aren't of the same material (plastic bumpers, metal body). Just be glad you got the right bumpers and they're the right colors!! That poor mazda was sure ugly!!! It had another mazdas' rear bumper on it and not the correct one to boot!! (some have a similar feature at the bottom like the GT 'stangs do)

 

Hey Nagman. . . . why do I NOT see this problem on the imports? Do they do something different (ie "right")?

 

I see this problem on imports as well. The Chrysler dealership i work for also owns a Toyota dealership so we repair both makes and actually we have more problems on the Toyotas. They come right from the factory like this and as I said sometimes we have the problem in our paint shop. But every manufacturer uses different materials and suppliers so it is going to vary from make to make.
It can be frustrating for us and our customers.
The problem does affect lighter hues as opposed to darker colors.

 

Nagman,
Thanks for your insight. I do wonder whether a re-paint of the bumper would be a reasonable solution, seeing that, as you say, this is difficult to get right. But again, $28k is no small chunk of change. For nearly this amount, you're talkin entry level Audi A4, BMW 325, Infiniti G35, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX8, etc. Is it too much to ask a domestic auto manufacturer to paint a car consistenty?

 

I think the only thing that the paint shop could try is to repaint the bumper and blend the paint into the fenders,but again these parts are different materials and still may not match properly.
No its not too much to ask a domestic manufacturer to paint a car consistently, but have a close look at other manufacturers at a dealership or at a parking lot and you will notice many many vehicles have this same problem. I see it daily.
I also see alot of crappy bodywork and paint work on vehicles in my travels so always stick to the dealer or a very reputable bodyshop to work on your car. Alot of shops WILL cut corners to save themselves time and money (workmanship and materials).

 

I went and looked at a Tungsten car today. For the most part I really like the color. But it does change a lot depending on the light.

I kind of wish it was a touch lighter gray than it is... but it's pretty darn nice.

What was kind of dissapointing was the amount of orange peel on ALL of the paint jobs on the Mustangs. I have a '91 and have little to absolutely no orange peel.

Oh well... progress I suppose.

 

sorry to ask ...but what do you mean by orange peel...please explain ???

 

Like the surface of an orange... it has dimples.

 

ahh,,,ok thanks

 

There was one on ebay and i thought it might have been in an accident until i read all this!!!!!

 

Do you mean that you were able to see the Two-Tone Tungsten issue on the e-bay car as well?

 

yes , i would have saved the pic, but i am a vista blue gt. i spent alot of time looking at it and wondering what was up with that. it's one of those things that the light has to hit just right. now a little leary about what vb will look like . still have not seen one in person.

 

Was this a problem on the 2005's as well? Can anyone tell me if its noticeable in Legend Lime? Thanks!

 

Clem, I assume that your taking about the paint not matching? I have never noticed this on a Leg Lime for the reason that the car goes from green to an almost mint under certain light and because of that the bumper and the side pannel have never been in the same light for me to notice this. My vista matches perfectly to my knowledge. I also can report that my car has NO orange peel.

 

Attention Tungsten Grey owners! Please respond to this forum and let me and others know whether your car has the "two-tone" issue, which is described in the first post. THANKS

 

I stopped at a dealer to check one out early morning. Yes the fascias have less Metallic and ofcourse they appear a little different. A lot of bright purple in Sun light reflection too.

 

darn it just when I was feeling all great about the TG I have being built this week I see this. It's too late to change it now, guess I'll just have to wait and see how bad mine looks when it comes in, in a few weeks.

 

its the flex-all in the paint on the plastic body parts that make the colors slightly off like someone else said, and its not that toyota or honda does it right when you see there bumpers matching. if you notice older import cars like that will have paint chipping off the back bumpers or from the front, (and they match in color) its because they did not add the flex to the paint so it matches perfect but anytime you bump something the paint wil chip and flake causing you to spend more money repainting the bumppers in the long run, sorry if im not making sence its late and im tired lol

 

More than likely the Bumper Fascias are manufactured and painted at a Tier 1 Supplier, don't quote me on that, (Direct Ship to Ford)...that is why there is a possible color difference...Looks like the Quality team at Flatrock may have missed it...Maybe someone at Ford will read this and take a look... :notnice:

 

If you read the post from hiznherponies (who works on the production line at AAI) at the top of this page, you see that the fascias are painted at AAI but at another part of the plant.