Touchup paint not matching

[david90]

For some reasons the touch up paint that I bought does not match with the color of my car. My 370z color code is K23 and I bought K23 touch up paint. The touch up paint is noticeably darker than my car's paint. I contacted the dealership where I bought the touch up paint, told them about the problem and they sent me another bottle. I shook the new touch paint bottle up really well, applied it and the color still did not match. I have 3 k23 touch up paint bottles and none of them seem to match with my car's paint. Am I doing something wrong? I shook the touch up paint bottle for a good 5 minute and then applied it using the brush that came with the bottle.

I'm the 3rd owner and I wonder if my Z was repainted. The carfax did not indicate any accidents but I read that carfax on occasion is not accurate.

[axmea?]

You are better off taking it to a shop. Note that paint matching is a paint in the a$$. No matter what kind of paint, you are bound to find an issue.

[BoneZ]

Bright silver?

[BoneZ]

I had the exact same experience. The problem is that silver is translucent, which is part of the reason it's so bright and sparkly. It's kind of like a candy color where the more layers you put on, the darker it gets. Since the touch up paint goes on so thick, at certain angles it probably looks fine and at other angles it looks way too dark. I've achieved the best results by first painting the scratch white, letting it dry and then using a paint reducer and Q-tip to gently dab the dried paint to blend it into the scratch. I then take a little of the silver paint, mix it with a tad of reducer, and lightly apply that to get it as close as I can. Usually, it's still a little dark. I wait for that to dry and then use the same reducer / Q-tip method to blend it in the best I can. That silver is a pain.

[EVOHUNTER]

Fill the scratch with the paint pen, let sit for a few days, put painters tape around the scratch. 4"x4" box, Wet sand that area with 3000 grit until your satisfied with it.

then Polish with something like Merenza Fg400.

[stansens]

Not sure what year your car is but severe sun exposure can make paint fade so that your touch up paint would be somewhat darker. If the touch up got frozen the color will change as well. Lastly you could be correct in that the car was repainted.

[kenchan]

its the metallic flakes in different orientation dat can contribute to the darker color...

another reason why silvers and white pearls are a biotch to color match.

[SteveBad]

Same problem.....but I discovered this:

Keep a piece of scrap plastic handy. Shake the paint, and apply a stripe to the plastic.
If it is too light or dark, WAIT 2 minutes, and WITHOUT SHAKING the bottle, apply another stripe.
Not good yet? Wait another two minutes, and apply another stripe.

I found that this allows just the right amount of sparkle to settle back, leaving the paint an exact match. Once you get the test stripe close, go ahead and put the next brushload on the car. I have the dark gray on my '13, and even though I know where the small scratch was, I have to hunt to find it now.

Hope this helps.