Just lost a full day's pay on a bad paint match

Had a 2018 Ford F-150 in for a rear quarter panel job last week. Customer wanted a perfect match on the factory blue. Mixed the paint myself, looked spot on in the booth. Pulled it out into the sun and it was way off, like a full shade lighter. Had to strip it, re-prime, and start over. Cost me about $400 in materials and a whole eight hour day I can't bill for. The paint code was right, but the batch variance got me. Anyone have a solid process for checking color in natural light before you commit to the whole panel?

4 comments

4 Comments

murray.jana1mo agoMost Upvoted

That sun gun sounds like another expensive tool to buy. Tbh, I've matched paint for years just by pulling the car right to the shop door for a quick look in real light. It takes two minutes. Spending a grand on a special light just to maybe save a re-spray once in a while doesn't add up for a small shop. Sometimes the batch is just bad and you have to eat it.

lilya762mo ago

Ever try a sun gun in the booth to mimic daylight?

tessa_murray2mo ago

Did you find it made the colors easier to match?

the_wesley2mo ago

How much of a difference did you see with the color match, @lilya76? I've used a sun gun for years and it's a total game changer for getting things right. The big thing is it shows you the true color without that weird yellow tint from regular booth lights. You can actually see if a blend is off before the client steps outside. It saves so much time fixing mistakes later. Honestly, every booth should have one.