I meant baked at the temps you guys were referencing for metal parts(300-400 degrees F), and I did mention force drying with heat. Not all plastics/urethane parts are baked by OEMs, and some body shops have baking booths as well which they used to force dry as I mentioned.

I'm also familiar with the actual process of body work and spraying since I have a lot of hands-on experience doing that as well.

The only one trying to act as authority is yourself since it seems like you're trying to tell everybody else that they're wrong.

Shops do bake or provide an additional heat source to heat the paint... It helps to cure it. While this may not be true for waterbased, this is true with the urethane paints

Also... it heavily depends on the paint that is being used. While the temperature may need to be at 400 degrees, some amount of heat is used to help the adhesion of the paint after it is sprayed. this is not saying that it is necessary to bake it.

Heat also helps solvents evaporate faster. This can speed things up a bit.

Painting metal versus painting the plastic has its main difference in the fact that when it is on plastic, a flex agent is applied. That way when the plastic flexes (however much it flexes) won't crack the paint.


I went to a specialties shop where they do old classic restorations, airbrushing, etc. They painted my rear bumper from where someone hit my car in a parking lot and left me 2 nice screw dents and scratches.

They were able to paint match and blend it fine. They also used heat lamps. So while they did not "bake" the bumper, they still applied an external heat source.

Also... I saw someone mentioned that the there are shops that use a solvent based clear....

I'm not really sure if it's just my misunderstanding or what-not...

but... Clear coats are/should be 2 part urethanes. It is a part A and part B type of thing. It cures from a chemical reaction.

I'm not sure what you mean by solvent based clear but, the clear coats from my understanding are always a 2 part clear coat.

This one may have less damage and is only 240 and in white

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=07678490075

Sent from my flux capacitor using Taptalk

Until the other guy mentioned something about 400F, I don't think anyone ever mentioned a specific temperature for baking painted parts. I certainly never made that claim.

BTW, I obviously have no way to know what "all" OEMs do when it comes to baking plastic parts, but I'd say that the majority of them absolutely bake them. It's really all about curing more than anything else.

Don't look now, but if you're debating my words, then you're also telling me that I'm wrong. Don't be a hypocrite. All I'm saying is that it's almost comical that a guy who cleans & waxes cars and a guy who works for an insurance company are both acting like authorities on painting cars. What we need in this discussion is to hear from more people who have actually painted cars as a profession, that's all.

Reading comprehension might not be your strong point, so let me clear this up for you: By saying that I "used" to work for a body shop doesn't mean that I don't still do body work or spray cars. It simply means that I don't work for a body shop anymore. Does that help you out at all? Do I need to explain it further?

Depends on the work I'm doing. 95% of body work can be done right in my own garage at home.

Hate to break it to you, but LOTS of shops are still painting with solvents. Like I said, water is just now starting to become popular for environmental reasons. Of course its just a matter of time before water becomes the norm, especially as the tree huggers continue fight against solvent spraying.

As for your lacquer comment, I think you need some help. You can't say that something is "obsolete in many ways" because that doesn't make sense. It's either obsolete or it isn't. If something is obsolete, it isn't used anymore. FACT. And here's another fact for you: I have a new Audi that was factory painted with lacquer paint.

You never said anything about bumpers or trim? That's a laugh riot. This entire discussion has been based on bumpers being difficult/impossible to match to the car body.

LOL, do you think that washing & waxing cars somehow makes you an authority of body work or painting? Since you like facts, here's one for you: I have experience painting cars as a profession. You're a car detailer. You have experience washing cars and waxing them.

I think you need to do some research, especially on the OEMs. Like I said, you seem to be very much out of touch with reality. Here are some more facts for you:

1K topcoats aren't being used very often anymore. Last I heard, it was less than 2%....and that's not in North America.

2K urethane clearcoats are very popular in Germany and even with a few Japanese OEMS. In the U.S., the unions are opposed to them, so you don't see 2K urethane clearcoats very often here.

There are plants in Europe that are using both waterborne clearcoats and even powder clearcoats. I believe BMW is currently using powder clear in one of their factories, but I'd have to look it up to be sure.

The vast majority of "aftermarket" paint used by body shops in the U.S. are 2K urethane clearcoats, athough the base coat can vary.

Same thing happened to me last night... 2 AM at IHOP and I backed into one of those waist high yellow poles... Needless to say, ruined my day early.
No dents or anything, but I have a few deep scratches and a bunch of smaller ones.

all you need is a good bodyshop. give them the color code. and the bumper. and they will paint. it'll match pretty damn close, as long as they are reputable. they're off their rocker if they want to blend the entire front end...you only need to do this on metal/aluminum parts because the paint adheres and appears differently. bumpers are easy. i've had numerous done by just giving the body shop the pieces, the code, and they called me when they were ready.

Tell me, after looking at my pics or inspecting the car in person. Unless pure highly trained, no ones been able to find where it was blended and re shot

DRAMMAAAA

Bringing back an old thread, cuz these people here seem to know their shit...

I'm considering getting a clear bra on my SWP bumper/hood after spotting my first rock chip. I know the debate has always been getting the clear bra done, or just repainting the bumper down the road.

This being my first car with pearl paint, I've know it's really hard to paint panels and have it match to factory specs. My question is, will even a Subaru dealership not be able to perfectly match a bumper (or any panel) to the rest of the car? Seems like your local body shop is totally out of the question, I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be to color match. Is it just the case of finding that really experienced shop that would match the thing near factory?

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17698
^ that
or dish out the money to have a pro fix it.

tri-stage colors are a total pain to match, especially if you are not blending the adjacent panels. it doesn't matter if you go to a dealership shop, or a lone guy who works out of his garage. it all depends on the paint system used, how well the painter can apply a tri-stage, and how well the painter can tint the paint system being used. i am a painter, and i would never own a pearl white car. take that for what its worth lol.

But it just looks so damn awesome lol. Ok, you convinced me to at least get a clear bra… For now.