Bully9

I have a Nurby blue 03. Almost 7 years ago i had my two front wings resprayed. It was an insurance job (i was hit whilst parked) carried out by a reputable, long-established local bodyshop who have all the modern equipment including an oven. It was not a cheap spray job. I was very pleased with the result and have recommended the company (Shalford Coachworks) on this forum.

However, over the past year or so, i have noticed a slight purple tinge to the wings which is becoming increasingly pronounced. Frankly the problem may have been evident for some time, but panel shade variations can often be a 'trick of the light' with this sort of colour and i don't inspect the bodywork obsessively. Anyway, i took the car back for inspection a few weeks ago. I got no explanation that made any sense to me and they said that they would redo the job at a reduced price as a gesture of goodwill. This time the whole front end would apparently need to be be resprayed blending to the doors. The special price would be >£1500.

I have a number of reservations, not the least of which is worrying that the problem might re-manifest in a few years' time. I would be grateful if anyone has any relevant experience or advice they would like to share.

Langelo DeMysterioso

When I have had bodywork done here in the states it's usually guaranteed for life. I would be leary about going back to someplace that I wasn't satisfied with the first time. If they are going to charge me I'd rather take my car elsewhere. Did you check he reputation of the shop before you went there? Did you see any of his work? Was he recommended by someone you know?
LBP is one of those colors that is hard to match. Sounds like he didn't match the paint closely enough

Nottm_S2

sounds weird. i wonder whether the paint is picking up damage from UV or something?

Have you tried machine polishing them to ensure it's not a clearcoat surface issue?

fwiw i wouldn't go near them with a bargepole after that experience, never mind pay them top dollar (i paid sub £900 to respray my M3 front end to a very high standard)

Bully9

Thanks for the replies. They say on their quote 'guaranteed for 5 years' and clearly they are sticking to that. I wopuld guess UV damage is the most likely explanation i suppose but i suspect the quality of the paint was simply not up to scratch. The problem is easy to see even in this low res snap.



If it were a clearcoat issue i feel sure they would have suggested a simpler solution. I think the decent thing would have been to fix it FOC and pursue the paint supplier. And although prices for this sort of work do seem to vary, but my instinct was that £1500+ was taking the p*** especially under the circumstances. I shall not be going back to Shalford Coachworks in Godalming, Surrey anytime soon.

Matt1783

Just prefacing this with the fact that whilst I am a part time detailer, I am still only an amateur and have only been doing it for 3 or so years.

OP whatever you do DO NOT do what I did - my car has had a similar thing done and one of the front wings and bumper was resprayed. The wing has done exactly what yours does and turned a funny colour, but oddly the bumper is fine...

Anyway, I assumed it was CCF (clear coat failure) and broke out the palm sander and wet sanded away.... It wasnt CCF and I actually burnt through a spot of paint near the lights where it was SO thin it was unbelievable. Since I have found evidence to suggest the bumper never even came off for painting, meaning the lights just got masked up and sprayed around... Anyway this isn't relevant; I'd suggest the paint they've used is a littttle bit sh*t - have you used any sealants / waxes / protection on it at all? A lot of shops won't put any protection on the paint after they've polished the clear to save time and money, assuming you're going to do it at home. If you then never do, UVA / UVB damage can be a real issue and cause the kind of effects our cars have suffered.

Whatever you do, don't take it back to them. £1500 seems steep anyway; I was quoted £500 (cash) at a sprayer in Hook for the bonnet, one wing and the bumper. Spraytec I think they're called.. They do a lot of local work for BMW, VM and Mazda, so they're pretty good.

Bully9

Thanks for that. As i said i think the idea of a clear-coat problem was a bit over-optimistic. I keep the car in the driveway but i do polish it regularly to protect the paintwork and the bonnet and wings have had exactly the same treatment. I think i shall take it somewhere else for a professional appraisal, but it's not always easy to now who to trust; perhaps TGM in Fleet who seem to be generally well recommended here, tho' it's a bit of a schlep.

Nottm_S2

I cant see the issue in your pic tbh

the bumper looks different to the bonnet/wing though but its on a different angle so could be light

calisfar

£1500 seems steep as special rate. After having the major rear arch and back end respray done on mine a couple of months back, I was quoted £1500 to do the front, bonnet wings and bumper (which included a bumper repair) and that was their standard price

Bully9

I got the opinion of another bodyshop today. He seemed to think this was most likely a result of the water-based paint used on the repair reacting differently from the original 2K that would have been applied at the factory. At least that's what i thought he said. I tried to get some further clarification via google - fat chance. He candidly remarked that bodyshops tend to rely on owners selling cars on typically every 2-3 years before these sort of problems manifest. Certainly i've had a few cars in my life but never for 5+ years. I think this may have implications for many enthusiasts like those on this forum. Remember the next time some idiot scrapes you that getting a good job done on their insurance might not be the result you thought: it might still leave you vulnerable to a hefty bill a few years down the line.

Nottm_S2

Never seen an issue like this and i do keep cars

i have had two problems in the past, one where the colour coat wasnt completely dry when the laquer was applied and resulted in a small area of "rippling" and one where the aluminium bonnet was probably left unpainted for a while before priming, resulting in a reaction in the paint across it

painting aluminium can be a pita apparently but those wings are not ally so its just a shite job.

good luck with the repair fella