Carbon silver rear bumper doesn't match from the factory!
 

In certain lighting, the rear fascia is noticeably darker than the 1/4 panels. The front fascia isn't quite as bad. I know painting plastic wont have an exact match, but geez! The gas cap is the same way.

Most of you probably never noticed it because you weren't looking for it. I worked at a body shop for several years, I see things that most don't. Take a look in different lighting situations, you'll see what I mean. :)

My silver alloy rear bumper was also noticeably darker. I had it re-painted last year and it's pretty damn close to a match. Sad that Nissan can't better match there bumpers with the rest of the car.

Yea, not cool.

Did they blend into the other panels when they repainted it?

They didn't have to blend... The painter that did my car had 3 shades of silver to chose from. He made a choice to go with the lightest shade and the match is near spot on.

Blending will get you an even better match. I see so many cars with darker bumpers.

I remember looking at Z's on the dealer floor, non of the bumper matched. Even if you look at 370Z's , you will notice the same. The paint seems to be slightly different when applied over plastic vs metal.

Did you buy the car brand new?

:werd:

Let's see some pics

It's more so that the metal parts are not painted at the same time or place than the plastic parts. There's bound to be a variance. It's especially noticeable on certain colors.




No, but I bought it with low miles(not that it matters), and I worked at a body shop for years. I know how to spot paintwork. No "dirt" in the paint, no tape lines, no sanding scratches, screws haven't been touched, etc. I'm 100% sure none of the car has been re-sprayed.

Yeah it was the same on redline Z's. The plastic parts did not match the painted metal ones

Here's a picture with an LED flash that shows it matches. In certain lighting, it doesn't. I knew this before I looked at any Z's, it's just annoying.

http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps4db6c3bc.jpg

The color bumper match on my carbon silver '08 seems just about as good as on any car I've ever seen. Maybe I just got lucky?

Have you really paid attention to it? If not, take a look at it in different lighting. You'll probably notice it then.

ive got carbon silver and mine seems fine..

You've probably never paid attention to it: :)

Believe me, I've looked, as my ex-M3 was horrible, so I almost expected the same with the Z. The worst lighting for this sort of thing seems to be that yellowish (sodium vapor, I think) lighting you'll see in some large parking lots. My Z really looks pretty good, in terms of color matching, although the overall paint quality leaves something to be desired.

Here's some examples of what I'm talking about.


http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps652ef5a1.jpg


http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/s...pse46505e8.jpg


http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps8f1bc811.jpg




Cool. You must have got lucky!

I've found this to be very common with body components made of different
materials.Also,the color of the paint is a factor.Its more noticeable with
metallics.For example,if your car has OEM splash guards,they are not a
perfect to the body.Bumpers may be the same.Its possible that poly
parts like bumpers are pre-painted then installed?My Z(Silverstone)has
a great match with all the body parts.Paints are a much like fabric,tile etc.
They are produced in lots.Could be some variations between lots.Being
a bit of a perfectionist myself,the bumper not matching would drive me
nuts.I would'nt buy the car.

Remember, it's not a mismatch all the time, just in certain lighting. If I had to guess, more OEM painted Z's have this problem than not(some colors are much more noticeable). Usually, plastic parts are not painted at the exact time or place as the metal parts. This is the major factor in the difference. Not so much the flex additive that some will claim.

I've also noticed that the super black Z is different in certain areas. For example, I got done after detailing my car extensively after about 9 hours, and went over the whole car with a spotlight to make sure I didn't miss anything. Certain areas on the car look more brownish than they do black. But it's only noticeable under a spotlight, so I don't really car that much lol.

Pretty sure this is the case with most cars and metallic/metal flake paint. The type of surface and direction you are spraying affects the way the flakes lay, which causes the flake to reflect light at different angles. Depending on the angle you are viewing, this can give the illusion of mismatched paint when in fact the color is spot on.

Saw an interview with George Barris who was the king in the custom paint scene of the 60s and 70s when the flakes were huge, and I remember him saying always paint a part in the exact position it will be mounted - hoods horizontally, doors vertically, etc., so the flakes settle into the paint at the correct angles.