Factory Paint From Subaru?
 

Sometime this spring, I plan on getting my SVX repainted. What advice can anyone offer me about paint? Can you still get original paint from Subaru? Should I get a paint shop to match the color?

I'm pretty set on a friend's body shop handle the painting. So, I guess I'm not looking for advice on WHERE to take it so much as concerns about the differing quality of paint.

As always, anyone's input is greatly appreciated!

I would talk to the shop you will have painting the car. They may have some good ideas and who they like to deal with. Good luck. :)

Good quality paint shops should be able to specrtum analyze your paint and come up with an exact computer match. This is helpful when repainting a panel to match surrounding panels which may have faded somewhat over time.

AS my paint guy said to me, "I don't care what color the factory says your car is, I care what color YOUR car is" He showed me paint swatches for 6 variations of my color alone.

He also said "I could take a Polo green SVX, produced at 8AM on one day and park it next to another SVX of the same color produced at 3PM the same day. For all intents and purposes, they look identical in every way...

Now swap doors or fenders between the two and see what happens."

We have seen many different variations of pearlies at Reading; some were whiter, some had a slightly golden cast, etc.

Just use a top quality paint, such as Sikkens or Glasurit. The imported paints are of much higher quality.
.

Coming from the guy in charge of colormatching at a bodyshop, svxcess is dead on right.Now for me to type till my fingers bleed...
The reason for color diffrences right out of the factory is they typically mix all their paint in a huge vat. Theese vats are used for all he colors, and even after a good cleaning some residual tints from another color can throw it off.

There is so much involved in even just the last few stages of bodywork itll make your head spin...and most of it will show if its done wrong. I know you have it set in your mind to use that particular bodyshop...but take a look at the work they do. If you can tell where there's been a reparir at all...odds are they arent all what they are cracked up to be.
Keep an eye out for overspray(Check rubbers, cornrs where doors meet, that kinda thing) edges in the paint (Usually around rubbers, moldings, ect.) lumpy bodywork, halos(this is the unfeathered edge of primer under the basecoat, caused by improper sanding prior to prime) Pinholes (Pretty self explanitory. Usually they'll be in a patch) dust / dirt in the clear, orange peel (the svx has no peel from the factory...to match this properly the car has to be wet sanded and buffed) Hard lines in the basecoat (caused by an improper tape up prior to primer...hard to explain) sanding scratches (Itll look like comeone ran a comb through the basecoat...caused by too coarse inishing grit on bodywork, primer, or during stripping) ghosting in the blend areas (The new paint looks like its hovering over the old. Caused by poor scuffing before paint) buttholes (This is an area that was a chip and is now a dent. Caused by "digging" a chip out rather than doing it right) waves (Look down the side of the car...youll know what I mean if it has any) Repairs that werent repaird..body lines, gaps..hell, even look down the side and make sure the pinstriping was put on straight

Lemme know if you need more...for now, my fingers are bleeding

Flex vs Metal.
 

Some really good advice on painting here. Do we need a certain kind of paint for our plastic flexible body panels and bumpers? I thought I heard that these need to be different. I would also need something like this for my CF Hood.

Thanks for all the info!!

Re: Flexible parts
 

For flexible parts, the paint is the same as the rest of the car, Although the preperation and primer will vary

Many bumpers come with primer from the factory. although you COULD shoot them just like they come, I find the finish is smoother when you wet sand them with 600 first
Some bumpers come in raw, meaning theres no primer. This will likely be the case for most aftermarket parts, both urethane and in some instances fiberglass.The problem with raw finishes is that to get the part out of the mold its made in, they use slippey chemicles as a mold release. To rid the bumper of theese, you need special cleaners. It also helps to flambe the part after cleaning to burn off any residue
A special note on carbon fiber and fiberglass parts...Most of them come gelcoated, in which case it will be necicarry to wet sand them with 600 grit to give you nice smooth surface to paint
as for primer on flexible parts, most major automotive refinishing companies will offer special primers. Some will also offer adhesion promotors that are sprayed on prior to primer (There are adhesion promoters for paint as well)