Painting the hood

Hello everyone,

A deer ran into the front of my car and damaged the hood in the spring.
I just took the Passat to the VAG workshop to have the hood replaced with a new one and painted in the car's original color.

The result was rather disappointing:

The paint was too light and too soft, and as a result, it was already scratched very thinly just from being "polished" with a finger. Inclusions (air and/or foreign particles) were present in the coating layer.
The remaining dark red parts of the vehicle are noticeably darker. The hood was even positioned significantly further to the "right." On the left side, the gap to the metal was approximately 3 mm wide on the outside, while on the right side, it was only 1 mm wide.

Okay, I'll definitely go back to the friendly staff member next time (on Monday).

Okay, there they said that there had never been any problems with "the red" paint, that the rest of the car still needed to be polished, and that the imperfections in the paint could be removed.

Well, I still don't know what to make of it.
I've scheduled an appointment, and I'm seriously considering being present at the workshop when they work on it.

I was thinking that, besides the correct color of the paint and a closed painting booth, some hardener should also be added to the paint.

Besides the fact that the tip about using a hardener when repainting comes from a tutorial in a forum from my gasoline-powered car days, is it still okay to use?
Is there a rule of thumb for that?

What else should people pay attention to?
What are some potential things that might have gone wrong, and what should have been taken into consideration?

Regards,
macro

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Okay, there they said that there had never been any problems with "the red"

, that the rest of the car still needed to be polished , and that the inclusions in the paint could be removed .


I haven't heard such nonsense in a long time.

A professional paint shop first polishes the areas adjacent to the hood with a silicone-free polish. This is also where the color sample is taken, and nowhere else. Then, the best color tone is determined (in daylight) based on the number and the color chart. It's not uncommon to find up to 5 or more shades within a single color tone. A "spray pattern" is then created using the best color tone. Based on this sample, a decision is made on how to proceed. If the color matches, then it's OK. If it doesn't match, a decision must be made whether to mix a new batch of paint, and/or, in consultation with the customer, to "repaint" the adjacent areas.

If the edges of your fenders weren't polished, it's likely that they were simply painted with the base coat. Possibly, your car wasn't even at the paint shop.

Apart from all of that, there are few colors that blend so well without painting that they become virtually unnoticeable, depending on the lighting.

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In the paint layer, there were inclusions (air and/or foreign particles).

If it looks like tiny snails with a pin, it's called a "lackkocher." These defects occur when the required dwell time between individual coating applications is not observed, or when the coating thicknesses are too high.
One possible indication would be the unhardened paint, as the drying process may have been interrupted after the cookers were detected. Deep scratches in the paint can only be properly removed by repainting.
Dust inclusions, on the other hand, can be easily ground and polished.

Hello BM.

Great, now I understand things at least somewhat .

Unfortunately, we can only speculate about exactly what happened in the workshop, because you often have to "pull information out of people" there.
Tomorrow I'll be there and at least I can offer some "advice" if people are making mistakes.

What do you think about the thing with the hardener?
Should one add a harder component (and how much) to make the resulting finish more resistant when it dries?

Regards,
macro

What BM wrote represents the ideal scenario. This includes having the vehicle's bodywork repaired at the workshop and then being sent to the paint shop for painting, which means the customer will be without the vehicle for several days.

When repairing the bodywork, all parts to be replaced should be completely pre-assembled, and the seams, gaps, surface dimensions, and all attached components should be reasonably aligned. Once the hood is precisely aligned and the grill and bumpers are properly positioned, the remaining adjustments are minor and are the responsibility of the workshop performing the installation.

The contracted painter will receive a vehicle that is 95% flawless in terms of its bodywork, meaning that only minor adjustments regarding panel gaps and surface alignment might be necessary. Whether the parts to be painted are disassembled and painted separately is a decision made by the painter.

BM already explained how to determine the correct paint. If the match is perfect, you'll barely notice a difference in the gloss between the repainted part and the rest of the car's body. A complete, gentle polishing of the original factory paint would largely eliminate this difference. Repainting adjacent surfaces should remain a last resort, as it involves a significant amount of work for the painter.

Unfortunately, a common problem in many painting shops today is that not enough attention is paid to cleanliness, and the parts being painted, the paint, and the air in the booths are usually too cold. The painting booth should be the warmest room in a paint shop, and the vehicle or parts to be painted should ideally be allowed to warm up for several hours beforehand.

Hello everyone,

I think that might be my problem, as far as the undertone is concerned.

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As far as I know, LY3D is actually Tornado Red, right? I'm not sure if the colors make a big difference, but just a little tip: consider Tornado Red. I have the same problem. Forget about repainting it. After my deer collision, I had to have the entire car repainted because of the damaged paint. The new paint is much lighter. A friend once explained to me that the paint develops black particles over the years. You can definitely see a huge difference.

Okay, bitte gib mir den deutschen Text, den du übersetzt haben möchtest.

My car is also tornado red, manufactured in 1999.
Can the painter do anything about it, perhaps by adding black until it matches?
If you have some knowledge of color theory, you can clearly see that the "old" paint has a slightly higher black pigment content than the fresh paint.

"My" painter is unfortunately located 400km away. If that weren't the case, the problem with the color difference wouldn't have happened, as he routinely mixes and checks the color. He can already quite accurately match the color that the paint will ultimately have, just by looking at it.

Is there any chance that the workshop can fix it, at least somewhat?

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My car is also tornado red, manufactured in 1999.

It depends on whether it was painted in two coats (base coat and clear coat) or in a one-coat process.

When applying a single coat, the resulting color often appears as a shade of purple. Over time, and due to UV exposure, the color develops a whitish haze. In this state, it becomes quite difficult to accurately match the desired color. Some of these colors may develop a purplish tint over time.

For 2-Shift operations, the previously mentioned applies.

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What BM wrote is the ideal scenario. This includes the vehicle being straightened in the workshop's body shop and not further processed, then sent to the paint shop, and it will be away from the customer for several days.

The customer pays for the ideal scenario, which includes the creation of a mold design. All things considered, this should be completed within a single workday.

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Repainting adjacent surfaces should remain a last resort, as it involves a significant amount of work for the painter.

In reputable companies, staying up-to-date with the latest technology is essential, and it leads to satisfied customers.

Especially with light metallic shades that contain a high proportion of solids (glitter), these particles align differently depending on the spraying direction (upwards), so that even when the color match is almost 100%, the color appears different depending on the angle of the light. In these cases, there's nothing else to do but repaint.
Unfortunately, this has become very difficult since the introduction of water-based paints, especially for colors like silver.

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It depends on whether it was painted in two coats (base coat and clear coat) or in a one-coat process. When applying a single coat, the mixed purple color often shows streaking. The color develops a whitish haze over time and due to UV exposure. In this state, it becomes very difficult to accurately match the desired color. Some of these colors may develop a purplish tint over time. For 2-Shift operations, the previously mentioned applies.

So that's where the delicate blue/violet hue of the originally painted surfaces comes from .
I thought that was intentional...
(I bought the car used about a year ago.)

This color cast accounts for (subjectively) the majority of the difference in color tone!

Damn it, though

I'll tell the workshop to work with spray patterns.
They apparently didn't bother to properly prepare the surface, but simply sprayed the new paint, according to the color code, onto the (probably still cold) hood.
That's almost like the lottery .

It has become a truly informative thread, with each (reply/post) being a valuable contribution .

Regards,
macro

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This color cast accounts for (subjectively) the majority of the color tone difference!

Oh, I forgot. Could you grab some polish and give the top of the fender a quick polish? Also, the hood from the inside.

If the cotton ball turns red, it indicates a single-layer structure. However, if it remains clear, it should be applied in two layers, and there should be no further bleeding or similar issues.

Hi,

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Maybe your car wasn't even in the paint shop.

Depending on the workshop, the car was not actually there. Every morning, someone from the workshop drives a van to the paint shop with 5 fenders and 4 hoods inside, and in the afternoon, they pick everything up again.

I don't understand what the question about the additional hardener is referring to: In a two-coat paint system, the base coat is a 1K paint, while the top coat is a 2K paint, where the resin and hardener are mixed in the ratio specified by the paint manufacturer.
For single-component coatings, the resin and hardener are mixed in the ratio specified by the coating manufacturer.

Temperature/humidity: Must comply with the requirements of the paint manufacturer. Depending on the specific conditions, different dilutions are added to the paint. In any case, both the part and its surroundings are warm!

Curing: Especially with rapid spot repairs, the paint is not fully cured when delivered to the customer. How could it be, when the part only has about 10 minutes to dry after being painted. In the summer, with high temperatures, this is still acceptable, as the parts can then be carefully polished the next day. In winter: Absolutely not allowed!
A common problem with multi-layer coatings is that the time interval between applying the base coat and the top coat is too short, which can lead to the issues already mentioned. This also applies even if the container needs to be filled beforehand.

Color tone: Every color has its color code. This allows the painter to identify and mix the color. Well, theoretically at least: If it weren't for the different shades... In practice, the color code of the base tone is not very useful; instead, a color chart is used. I know painters who, despite using a color chart, get the wrong color in 60% of cases. Experience is key here. If the painter is mistaken, it will be evident in the spray pattern, but only if the underlying surface has been prepared identically.
As an alternative to color charts, there are spectrometers: these analyze the paint color and provide the exact composition. However, the surface must be verschandeln for the paint to adhere properly.

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Quote: Repainting adjacent surfaces should remain a last resort, as it involves a significant amount of work for the painter. In companies that value quality, the state of the art is implemented, and customers are satisfied.

Depending on the shade, it may not be necessary to repaint adjacent areas. For some shades, it's even hardly worth it, as that would really be a waste of money.
Tornadorot is a type of paint that can be applied to the entire part without needing to be touched up on adjacent surfaces. However, it is possible to add a coating.

@Marko: If you can easily recognize the color difference, then the painter probably cut corners. The imperfections in the paint also suggest this. If the paint is still not properly cured, then the entire paint job needs to be sanded down again . I think you will make many new friends in the workshop .

Blessed are the blind...


Regards,
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Micha"

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Tornadorot is one of the paints that can be applied to the entire part without having to touch up adjacent areas

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Okay. Who even has a Passat 3B in Tornado Red? In my... I assumed it was from Metallic.

It wouldn't particularly surprise me if they simply painted the hood in one coat .

Hello,

Okay. I went there today, but unfortunately, I had to leave the car at the workshop. I quickly explained the problem to them again.

Picked up the car tonight. The hood has been repainted, and supposedly the surrounding areas were polished (but I can't see any difference), sanded (I hope), and repainted.

This time, the painter also put in more effort .

The color tone is a good match. Not perfect, but a good match, with an acceptable difference, mainly in the gloss.

Too bad, it could have worked out the first time.
For that, there was a correct and thorough explanation of the complaint.
I must add that this was not the case in all workshops.

It seems like everyone just cooks with water. Some people just have better cooks .

Thanks & greetings,
macro