BMW ColorSystem Shops?

Cincinnatus · 11-26-2023, 08:45 PM

Does anyone know of a good shop in the Northern NJ or NE Pennsylvania area that can properly do some touch up work on my car?

I picked up a fair amount of road rash behind the wheel wells and rocker panels when I drove the car home in an unexpected snow storm from Chicago to PA and would like to have it looking like new.

I'm concerned that the color match from a non-bmw shop might not be right because this color is hard to match (Sakhir Orange) and I want it to look like new, not like the shop mixed something that's "close enough".

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Opie55 · 11-26-2023, 11:08 PM

What are you looking to have done - to have the rockers resprayed? Generally "touch up" refers to fillings small chips with a brush.

scubachris · 11-27-2023, 06:52 AM

hi.
i live in the uk..i have had an issue like you,having paint matched..mine is tanzanite blue,which is a pearlescent,which means looking straight at it it looks darkish blue,but when in sunlight and looking at the car on an angle it "flips" to violet..
i have been to 4 bodyshops,,even got bmw glasurite paint sample.had colours mixed from the paint code and also using a spectrometer scanner.most can match the darkish blue but non can match the violet flip..some have a small amount of flip but non even 30% of the factory.
a friend of mine used to work in the dingolfing factory where f 06/12/13 was made,tanzanite blue is an individual colour,i believe yours is too..standard colours are mixed and painted by robots but individual colours cost £2500 more as a person prepares.mixes and paints the car.if that person is 1 or 2% off with the pain tinters you will never match it.
when paintshops get your colour code or spectrometer code they do what is called a spray out..they paint a postcard sized peice of tin in the same way they would paint the car,then hold the spray out against the car to compare.
you need to be there to judge it yourself,especially on an angle..
i cant even get a match that is close enough to fade out and blend in.all 4 paint shops have said painting and blending would stand out like a sore thumb..we have also tried different manufacturs of paint.bmw glasurite..max mayer.pro spray.de beers ect.
its not nessesarily bad news for you though as my last 640d was deep sea blue,which is also a pearl..the paintshop did a spray out from the paint code and it was perfect !
i tried to buy a sakhir orange 640d but it had sold,but the orange does flip to a light yellowy/gold colour..
you must test a spray out first..yours is low down so might not show up as much..unless its on a garage lift.
thats the procces.find a good paintshop who has a spectrometer and willing to try diferent manufacturers of paint...in uk even though bmws are water based paint a lot of paint shops use solvent based paint as its much harder wearing.
and the closest match we got to my bmw tanzanite blue was by a spectrometer and came out as a honda blue colour !

Cincinnatus · 11-29-2023, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Opie55

What are you looking to have done - to have the rockers resprayed? Generally "touch up" refers to fillings small chips with a brush.

Sorry for not knowing the right term(s) to use, but luckily you knew what I meant based on my description. So, yes. Looking for the area behind the wheel wells, rocker panels and a bit of the door to be re-sprayed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scubachris

..mine is tanzanite blue,which is a pearlescent,which means looking straight at it it looks darkish blue,but when in sunlight and looking at the car on an angle it "flips" to violet..

i have been to 4 bodyshops,,even got bmw glasurite paint sample...

tanzanite blue is an individual colour,i believe yours is too..

when paintshops get your colour code or spectrometer code they do what is called a spray out..

No, Sakhir Orange is not an individual color but was unique to M's. Apparently they had to reformulate to "Sakhir Orange II" some time after it was introduced because the pearl component became unavailable, probably due to COVID. I may be mistaken, but I think the characteristic that causes the 'flip' in my case is because the pearl is not a silver, but has a yellow-ish tint to it. In any event, yes, even the VDC shops need to do test sprays due to variations in dye lots and also the angle from which the areas will be viewed. What you're describing is *exactly* why I'm looking for a competent shop.

Thanks in advance for the feedback. Still on a search. My next step will be to head down to the dealership I used to work at (I'm a former CA) and see if they can point me in the right direction.

Opie55 · 11-29-2023, 02:42 PM

That is a pretty big job because although you can spray color on a partial panel to get a good blend, you have to spray clear on the entire panel. Those must be some bad stone chips to do that and risk being able to see it no matter who does it.

scubachris · 11-29-2023, 05:48 PM

spraying colour on part of a panel is the best way to sort stone chips.IF you can get a good enough match to blend,which is the issue here..some paint shops prefer to laquer a whole panel but nowadays you need only laquer part of a panel and use "fade out thinners" to blend new to old laquer .even top notch paint shops use fade out thinners in areas like rear quarter panels where otherwise you would have to loose the new laquer on a swage line or laquer the whole rear quarter and roof too ..im in the uk.im not sure if i have the terminology correct.i know for a fact the bmw paintshops in the uk use fade out thinners to blend laquer..
the original posters problem is getting a paint match that "flips" the pearlescent colour close enough to fade out and blend in.
in the old days car paint was "metallic" with tiny silver metalic particles...this then evolved into "mica" chips which are coloured ceramic chips..that then evolved into "xzarilics "which are tiny plastic coloured hologram chips.these xzarillic chips are orientated using flip controller,which suspends the chips so they look different colours at different angles..without flip controller the chips would just lay flat.
as long as you personally view the spray out samples at different angles and the static and flip angles match is real close then it can be faded out to blend..good paint shops use an led torch with a special colour rendition to replicate sunlight.. if you stand next to your car.hold a normal led torch right up to the car but parrallel to the car you will see the "flip" colour in the torchlight ,this only happens with pearlescent colours..laquer isnt a problem.

11-26-2023, 08:45 PM	#1
Cincinnatus First Lieutenant 123 Rep 396 Posts Drives: 2013 M6 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Northeast PA iTrader: (0)	BMW ColorSystem Shops? Does anyone know of a good shop in the Northern NJ or NE Pennsylvania area that can properly do some touch up work on my car? I picked up a fair amount of road rash behind the wheel wells and rocker panels when I drove the car home in an unexpected snow storm from Chicago to PA and would like to have it looking like new. I'm concerned that the color match from a non-bmw shop might not be right because this color is hard to match (Sakhir Orange) and I want it to look like new, not like the shop mixed something that's "close enough". Any recommendations are appreciated.
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11-26-2023, 11:08 PM	#2
Opie55 Colonel 1195 Rep 2,908 Posts Drives: '15 650i Convertible Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: US iTrader: (0)	What are you looking to have done - to have the rockers resprayed? Generally "touch up" refers to fillings small chips with a brush.
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11-27-2023, 06:52 AM	#3
scubachris Private 11 Rep 60 Posts Drives: bmw f13 640d Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: north yorkshire iTrader: (0)	hi. i live in the uk..i have had an issue like you,having paint matched..mine is tanzanite blue,which is a pearlescent,which means looking straight at it it looks darkish blue,but when in sunlight and looking at the car on an angle it "flips" to violet.. i have been to 4 bodyshops,,even got bmw glasurite paint sample.had colours mixed from the paint code and also using a spectrometer scanner.most can match the darkish blue but non can match the violet flip..some have a small amount of flip but non even 30% of the factory. a friend of mine used to work in the dingolfing factory where f 06/12/13 was made,tanzanite blue is an individual colour,i believe yours is too..standard colours are mixed and painted by robots but individual colours cost £2500 more as a person prepares.mixes and paints the car.if that person is 1 or 2% off with the pain tinters you will never match it. when paintshops get your colour code or spectrometer code they do what is called a spray out..they paint a postcard sized peice of tin in the same way they would paint the car,then hold the spray out against the car to compare. you need to be there to judge it yourself,especially on an angle.. i cant even get a match that is close enough to fade out and blend in.all 4 paint shops have said painting and blending would stand out like a sore thumb..we have also tried different manufacturs of paint.bmw glasurite..max mayer.pro spray.de beers ect. its not nessesarily bad news for you though as my last 640d was deep sea blue,which is also a pearl..the paintshop did a spray out from the paint code and it was perfect ! i tried to buy a sakhir orange 640d but it had sold,but the orange does flip to a light yellowy/gold colour.. you must test a spray out first..yours is low down so might not show up as much..unless its on a garage lift. thats the procces.find a good paintshop who has a spectrometer and willing to try diferent manufacturers of paint...in uk even though bmws are water based paint a lot of paint shops use solvent based paint as its much harder wearing. and the closest match we got to my bmw tanzanite blue was by a spectrometer and came out as a honda blue colour !
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11-29-2023, 02:42 PM	#5
Opie55 Colonel 1195 Rep 2,908 Posts Drives: '15 650i Convertible Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: US iTrader: (0)	That is a pretty big job because although you can spray color on a partial panel to get a good blend, you have to spray clear on the entire panel. Those must be some bad stone chips to do that and risk being able to see it no matter who does it.
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11-29-2023, 05:48 PM	#6
scubachris Private 11 Rep 60 Posts Drives: bmw f13 640d Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: north yorkshire iTrader: (0)	spraying colour on part of a panel is the best way to sort stone chips.IF you can get a good enough match to blend,which is the issue here..some paint shops prefer to laquer a whole panel but nowadays you need only laquer part of a panel and use "fade out thinners" to blend new to old laquer .even top notch paint shops use fade out thinners in areas like rear quarter panels where otherwise you would have to loose the new laquer on a swage line or laquer the whole rear quarter and roof too ..im in the uk.im not sure if i have the terminology correct.i know for a fact the bmw paintshops in the uk use fade out thinners to blend laquer.. the original posters problem is getting a paint match that "flips" the pearlescent colour close enough to fade out and blend in. in the old days car paint was "metallic" with tiny silver metalic particles...this then evolved into "mica" chips which are coloured ceramic chips..that then evolved into "xzarilics "which are tiny plastic coloured hologram chips.these xzarillic chips are orientated using flip controller,which suspends the chips so they look different colours at different angles..without flip controller the chips would just lay flat. as long as you personally view the spray out samples at different angles and the static and flip angles match is real close then it can be faded out to blend..good paint shops use an led torch with a special colour rendition to replicate sunlight.. if you stand next to your car.hold a normal led torch right up to the car but parrallel to the car you will see the "flip" colour in the torchlight ,this only happens with pearlescent colours..laquer isnt a problem.
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