Auto body repair & detailing: car painting, painter techniques, paint manufacturer

Question
My car was in for repairs. When I went to pick it up it was very easy to see that my car was two different colors. Two totally different shades of blue. Now the body shop wants to start changing the color of the rest of my car to match the repaired part. They are calling it blending. Is this what is suppose to be done. It does not sound right to me.

Answer
Hi Joan,

It is customary for a body shop to blend onto adjacent panels to achieve a color match. Normally, body shops will go ahead and blend without even verbally telling the customer. It is usually added to the estimate and considered to be part of the repair. Many of the major paint manufacturer's claim that all repaired vehicles that are having paint work done MUST be blended for an appropriate color match. The reason is because many things can change the color of the paint as it is being applied. For example: solvents, temperature, painter techniques, spray-guns settings, paint brands and even car manufacturers can all play a huge role in color changes. My advice is: Go ahead and let them do the color blend. If you can still see the color difference after they have finished the blend then the paint color was too far off in the beginning and they will need to start all over.