[F30AM]

Have you noticed that your rear bumper is a slightly darker shade than the rear metal panel?

Mine certainly is. Probably because it is sprayed plastic and the way it catches the light.

Here are some pictures. What do you think? Looks worse in reality.

Car booked in for 3rd January for the driver's seat and rear bumper. They'll assess both. They need the car for most of the day.

[Isow]

Nearly all bumpers from nearly every car manufacturer are a slightly different shade than the rest of the car.
This doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is if the bumper has been scratched & the body shop can't match the shade of paint, the car looks even more 2 tone.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

Nearly all bumpers from nearly every car manufacturer are a slightly different shade than the rest of the car.
This doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is if the bumper has been scratched & the body shop can't match the shade of paint, the car looks even more 2 tone.

They can be matched perfectly. My bodyshop matched my GTI bumper to perfection.
Anyway, mine looks two tone from new.

[Isow]

Difficult to match bumpers to body.
What the body shop does, is blend the paint into the side panels of the car where the bumper touches and thus create an optical illusion that the bumper actually matches the car body.
Apologies if I am wrong on this.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

Difficult to match bumpers to body.
What the body shop does, is blend the paint into the side panels of the car where the bumper touches and thus create an optical illusion that the bumper actually matches the car body.
Apologies if I am wrong on this.

I am an expert on bumper matching by colour blending. Had my GTI Bumper painted 5 times on warranty!

[Isow]

Why ?

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by F30AM

Have you noticed that your rear bumper is a slightly darker shade than the rear metal panel?

Mine certainly is. Probably because it is sprayed plastic and the way it catches the light.

Nothing to do with the paint changing colour due to substrate, the paint systems are completely different. It is highly likely that the paint supplier for the plastics is a different company to the OEM line paint supplier....FACT!

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Nothing to do with the paint changing colour due to substrate, the paint systems are completely different. It is highly likely that the paint supplier for the plastics is a different company to the OEM line paint supplier....FACT!

^ This.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

Why ?

Because I got a deformed rear bumper from the factory on a new car!

[F30AM]

Look at MarkW83's rear bumper. Sorry Mark, I should have asked for your permission.

[Isow]

I've been told,( but it could be mythology ) that the reason why the paint looks different on the plastic bumper than on the metal body is that when the paint is applied in the factory the paint cools at a different rate on the plastic bumpers than on the metal body. This is more apparent on metallic paint finishes as the different rate of cooling affects the appearance of the metallic particles in the paint.
As I said this could be rubbish , but there is a certain logic to it.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

I've been told,( but it could be mythology ) that the reason why the paint looks different on the plastic bumper than on the metal body is that when the paint is applied in the factory the paint cools at a different rate on the plastic bumpers than on the metal body. This is more apparent on metallic paint finishes as the different rate of cooling affects the appearance of the metallic particles in the paint.
As I said this could be rubbish , but there is a certain logic to it.

All I know is I've got a rear with EBI and EBII!

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by Isow

I've been told,( but it could be mythology ) that the reason why the paint looks different on the plastic bumper than on the metal body is that when the paint is applied in the factory the paint cools at a different rate on the plastic bumpers than on the metal body. This is more apparent on metallic paint finishes as the different rate of cooling affects the appearance of the metallic particles in the paint.
As I said this could be rubbish , but there is a certain logic to it.

Certainly is mythology, no car is painted with the plastic parts attached. The bumper suppliers paint the bumpers sometimes hundreds of miles away from the plant, and they use a different type of paint made by different companies. No way on earth they will match in colour exactly.

[Isow]

Don't let it bother you.
Stop looking at that rear bumper & enjoy the car.
My car has the same slightly baggy seats as everybody else + the rusting seat frames.
You know what I am going to do about it ?
NOTHING !
If mine was the only car with these problems I would be bothered, but as everybody else has the same, they no longer become a problem , they become the norm.
Your rear bumper is normal.
I'm repeating myself I know but most cars' bumpers don't match the body perfectly, that's the norm !
Try to enjoy the car more.

[Isow]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Certainly is mythology, no car is painted with the plastic parts attached. The bumper suppliers paint the bumpers sometimes hundreds of miles away from the plant, and they use a different type of paint made by different companies. No way on earth they will match in colour exactly.

I know that door handles, bumpers etc are not painted on the car.
I never said that they were.
I said that I was told the paint cools at a different rate on plastic than on metal.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

Don't let it bother you.
Stop looking at that rear bumper & enjoy the car.
My car has the same slightly baggy seats as everybody else + the rusting seat frames.
You know what I am going to do about it ?
NOTHING !
If mine was the only car with these problems I would be bothered, but as everybody else has the same, they no longer become a problem , they become the norm.
Your rear bumper is normal.
I'm repeating myself I know but most cars' bumpers don't match the body perfectly, that's the norm !
Try to enjoy the car more.

I am, I am, I am enjoying the car. Trust me. But the baggy seat is faullty and looking as loose as a goose as I enjoy it more and more. The dealer is not happy with it either, so that'a saying something. Has to get fixed so that I can perch on perfectly stretched cow.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by Isow

I know that door handles, bumpers etc are not painted on the car.
I never said that they were.

Apologies I read that the colour difference was down to different cooling rates, which to me implied that they were painted and baked together with the same paint, and only the cooling process made it look different.

[F30AM]

Captain NISFAN: Which type of F30 do you drive?

[MarkW83]

Originally Posted by F30AM

Look at MarkW83's rear bumper in picture 4. Sorry Mark.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showth...=784058&page=2

It's just that specific picture mate that makes it look like that; there is no visible difference in person (believe me I've been round the car with a fine-toothed comb, as has my detailing guy this morning!); also there's not even a difference between the (plastic) rear bumper and e.g. the (metal) boot in the other photos...

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by F30AM

Captain NISFAN: Which type of F30 do you drive?

A blue one

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

A blue one

We ALL know that. It's an M Sport but which one? Stop playing hard to get, big boy!

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by MarkW83

It's just that specific picture mate that makes it look like that; there is no visible difference in person (believe me I've been round the car with a fine-toothed comb, as has my detailing guy this morning!); also there's not even a difference between the (plastic) rear bumper and e.g. the (metal) boot in the other photos...

You're so very lucky. Wanna swap cars?