40th paint color match problem
 

hey guys,
so i'm getting an amuse front and side skirt installed, but i got a call from the body shop saying that the color code "KAV" doesnt match properly with the body. he said if oem color is 100%, the color code KAV is about 85-90% matched. so they gotta bring in a guy to color match the color

did any of you guys have this problem from the body shop?
or did they get the wrong color code?

thanks

That color is a special order 40th paint from Nissan. They could try to match it but honestly it's not going to look the same. The paint order thru nissan is not cheap but you'll have no choice if you want it to match like factory paint.

someone can clarify if I have my facts incorrect

thanks for letting me know:) ill call nissan first thing in the morning tmr

anyone got their 40th painted without ordering paint from factory??

Did you try drcolorchip.com ? Any good paint source should be able to provide the right color based on the paint code (KAV). Paint process, paint batch, number of coats, weathering, clear coat application and other factors can affect the look of the finished product. Realize, even paint on metal vs. plastic from the factory will not match 100%. Plastic bumpers usually come out darker, and that is at least partially because they are not painted by the same machines at the same time. Unfortunately, "ball park" is as close as you can hope for, unless you opt for the body shop to strip and paint other body panels at the same time or blend into them. I wouldn't recommend that because factory finish is always going to be better because of the baking involved that can't be reproduced after assembly.

:iagree:
my body shop had to order the paint directly from nissan

i called Nissan this morning.........they said they dont sell paint :(

ill ask our one of the sponsors :)

http://www.the370z.com/40th-annivers...r-handles.html

Check out this thread the one guy has different formulas for a bunch of different parts. All of his stuff seems to have turned out nice...

He might be able to recommend a different product and or have the exact match formula.

thanks for sharing that link!! i sent him a PM :) :tup:

:iagree:

Take it to another shop IMO.

Im going to the shop tomorrow to see how well they can match it. they are very reputable around vancouver bc, done many show cars, including a full r32 covert to r34. and a lot of custom paint projects.

i've used them for my cars for about 5 years, they are very skilled and detailed with their work especially when it comes to aftermarket parts. Hope it works out so i dont have to bring it to another shop. i miss my car :(

random question:
does the brand of the paint matter??

I was on the same page as you OP. in my case now, my Z is my DD, i cant leave it in a shop. So right now I have the same kit plus rear being painted by UAM, and the only "for sure" option was to use a buttload of OEM KAV paint to get it as matching as possible w/o my car over there.

Not the best move but I know I'll be happy as hell. Try going to another dealership, see if you order some and have your shop try to blend the 40th color.

Don't go anything other than oem... heard by more than one person that painted parts for my car (rear bumper and custom injen intake) that the car takes a lot of blending and pearl to make it look right.

Let me know how this turns out. I want to install the Amuse body kit, but am curious how well the 40th color can be matched.

like i mentioned above
get paint from nissan
my front bumper has been repainted and its a great match

i went to visit my car today, i will get it back tomorrow. So i talk to the guy that works with paint.. they eventually gave up on trying to mix a color thats right and ordered it straight from OEM haha

so far i saw the hatch, it looks great, matches great, but the car is not polished and cleaned so i cant really see the true color match yet

i will update tmr when i get the car back :) let me know the angles of the car you guys want to see and ill take pictures!

So what happened do u have a paint code? And where did u get oem paint? Any pics?

wish some one would have called have paint on shelf to paint the 40ths have been working with the paint companys soo the may have blend match

also its not the pearls it is the micas that make our color

here is some pictures

the body shop showed me a paint can that looks like its from Nissan

paint match came out pretty good

That looks pretty good. It's nice to get your baby back, I'll bet.

it was nice to get it back, but then i had to store it for winter lol

Hate to bring this up again, but I had my painter do some work for me over the weekend and hes having the same issues with color matching. Fortunately, it was a test run cause i told him people were having troubles with the color. That said im going to try an order the paint from Nissan today. I assume I should just call the parts department and give them my VIN? Have people been happy with the results when using OEM paint?

You probably won't be able to order it from the parts counter... I would have your painter order it through his suppliers.

Im figuring that out as the day continues. I called every Nissan dealer in my area and they cant provide the paint. So then I asked them who does their body work and called them and got their paint supplier. Call the paint supplier and they said there is no OEM paint. You can only mix the color to get it "close" and that shades will differ based on air pressure used during painting (which i already knew), their suggestion was to either play with the pressure or blend the paint into the rest of the body to make it less noticable. My painter is going to try both.

Just got a quote from my body shop to install front bumper, fenders, rear bumper and spoiler + color matching (practically the whole car)

$8,500 :eek::eek::eek:

They said the paint on the car will only look perfect if it's all matched cause it's like a 3 stage paint and if they were to do only the pieces being installed i would have a car with a whole bunch of shades of color. Does this seem a little high for this kind of job?

Stillen Front
Aerojacket Fenders
Aerojacket Amuse Rear
EVO-R Nismo Spoiler

They're also making a steel support under the stillen front to prevent it from flexing so much and obviously gonna make everything fit perfect and what not.

Seems high to me, but they will have to blend the color in alot in order to make it all look like one color. He's right about the paint process its definitely a drawn out process and the color uses a special toner that make the color expensive to replicate. I know this wont help you any, but my guy painted the side skirts, painted and molded a front lip to the stock bumper and painted my rear spats for only $800 after a $100 tip.

i think 8500 is really high, i got my front and side done for 2000 including some bondo work to make it fit good and fixing a crack.

as for blending, my shop didn't blend the color. im not sure if im thinking correctly, but if you blend the color and go back to stock bumper, wouldnt the color look off? that was my main concern before i got it painted

have you asked another body shop and see what they say?

ill try to ask my shop for tips or the way they sprayed it to make it match. im not familiar with painting and stuff. but if you have specific questions you want to ask, i can ask my shop for you

cant way to see your car done btw!! i think the mix and match will turn out good!

Same SH*T different day, this 40th Anv paint is driving me insane!:gtfo2:

The Nissan KAV paint code is extremely hard to match for some reason, it always comes out too dark. I tried:

- Onyx paint twice
- Matrix paint 4 times (I had only one sample match close, asked the guy to make me a half a liter exactly how he mixed, and it turned out too dark once again)

And none of these really worked, all turned out few shades too dark. I am going to try few other paint suppliers and also try to fix (lighten up) the paint I already have, hopefully something positive happens.

Just venting at this point :wtf2:

I went into a car painters wholesalers , gave them the code and they mixed up a little bottle of touch up paint

Name they had for it KAV code is not what Nissan call it . .but its the same colour

KAV = Grey Pearl

and my 350z KYO
KYO = sporty silver metallic

50 grams of paint cost $25NZ in a touch up bottle with a brush in lid.