Does silver paint fade?

Malcyb

Malcyb

Member
Hi, I’ve been trying to touch up some of Gracie’s blemishes, however the results have been disappointing so far. After reading good reviews, I went and bought a touch up kit from Chipex - unlike other touch up paints it apparently doesn’t require finishing with lacquer, and a “blending solution” is provided to, er, blend the paint after application. They offer a colour match guarantee and to order you simply provide the vehicle reg and they do the rest. However, even though the paint bottle has the right code on it - Gracie’s colour is Silver sea light metallic (LY7W), and the bottle is stamped with the code Y7W which appears to be audi’s code for the same colour on other cars - it appears to be much too dark. After one unsuccessful attempt at covering a short deep scratch I sent a photo back to Chipex of how it appeared before applying the blending solution (which just removes it all if you persist) and they agreed and quickly sent another bottle FOC. However the results aren’t any better so I’ve just contacted them again and I’d hope they’ll refund me as they’ve been very fair so far. Question is, why is the colour match so apparently lousy, surely it can’t be because the original colour has faded so much? I’m tempted to have a go with another supplier’s touch up paint but I’m coming round to thinking I’ll just have to leave it as I can’t justify the cost of fixing it professionally which may be what it needs. Here’s the photo I sent to Chipex…
B087DC21-B83D-4956-93A8-77C0AB24A275.jpeg


Has any any good experiences of touching up this colour and what did they use?
 
Silver is a bit of a pain to match up Malcy. I once bought some silver coloured touch up paint from a VW dealer for my Up to cover a chip on the drivers door. It didnt match and was too dark so i left it thinking that the whole door would need a respray to blend in.

On the other hand i do have some Missano red touch up paint which is a perfect match. Sorry i cant be of more help.
 
I disagree that top coat not required. Something right out in the panel like that will be very difficult to match in and will never ‘polish up’ like the surround. You might get away with it for the little chips you can get right on the edges of doors for example but it will be a struggle in the location you show. I would say it is a bit darker, colour match wise. I have a Crystal Blue A2 which has some rear bumper damage from previous owner, I’m going to save up to have it fully re-sprayed. From what I understand they can match to the actual of the car which takes into account time related colour fade
 
I have had similar problems with Crystal Blue. The Halfords touch up with the correct code is definitely darker and almost looks like Island Green!
 
I've seldom had a perfect seamless blend with touch up paint of any colour. As Dave says, some colours fair much better than others mind. Metallics and pearlescent paints are incredibly difficult to get great results with. I attempted to touch in Dave's door on silver paintwork that was no more than a year or so old and using factory VW touch up. The difference was similar to that in your picture, with or without lacquer. I'd therefore rule out any kind of fading. It is the flecks in the paint, the angles and depth of damage and the way the light reflects differently that make it stand out so prominently, rather than the pigmentation being miles out. A flat area like that in your photo will pick up reflections differently in the majority of cases sadly.

This said, you could always opt for genuine Audi paint and see if this gets it any closer. Try to dab it onto the damage with a cocktail stick or small brush rather than the one that comes with the kit. This way, you have greater control over the amount and area applied.

One wildcard option, if you wanted to restore it cost-effectively, would be to speak to one of our ethical breakers and replace the wing.

As a tip, this looks like damage from the bonnet being dragged along the top of the wing. Sadly, quite common amongst garages with limited experience of removal and refitting. I put tape on the area temporarily for the annual MOT as a precaution.

Special edition said:
Silver is a bit of a pain to match up Malcy. I once bought some silver coloured touch up paint from a VW dealer for my Up to cover a chip on the drivers door. It didnt match and was too dark so i left it thinking that the whole door would need a respray to blend in.

On the other hand i do have some Missano red touch up paint which is a perfect match. Sorry i cant be of more help.
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I have a memory of a post advocating not to use VW silver paint it is slightly different to Audi silver, even though the names and paint codes are the same, one has more blue apparently.

Andy
 
Good advice Andy re: using appropriate paint for the brand and not a generic VAG paint.

In my post above, linked to Dave’s post, this was his VW up! not an A2. The principle is the same though.

Cheers,

Darren
 
Darren C said:
I've seldom had a perfect seamless blend with touch up paint of any colour. As Dave says, some colours fair much better than others mind. Metallics and pearlescent paints are incredibly difficult to get great results with. I attempted to touch in Dave's door on silver paintwork that was no more than a year or so old and using factory VW touch up. The difference was similar to that in your picture, with or without lacquer. I'd therefore rule out any kind of fading. It is the flecks in the paint, the angles and depth of damage and the way the light reflects differently that make it stand out so prominently, rather than the pigmentation being miles out. A flat area like that in your photo will pick up reflections differently in the majority of cases sadly.

This said, you could always opt for genuine Audi paint and see if this gets it any closer. Try to dab it onto the damage with a cocktail stick or small brush rather than the one that comes with the kit. This way, you have greater control over the amount and area applied.

One wildcard option, if you wanted to restore it cost-effectively, would be to speak to one of our ethical breakers and replace the wing.

As a tip, this looks like damage from the bonnet being dragged along the top of the wing. Sadly, quite common amongst garages with limited experience of removal and refitting. I put tape on the area temporarily for the annual MOT as a precaution.
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on one of my attempts I used a pin to get it as fine as possible but it was no better really. Might consider a replacement wing as an option if it’s a really good one. Yes there’s little doubt that the damage was caused in the way you describe - fortunately Gary (B&F autos) knows his A2s so hopefully will never happen again.

At the risk of asking a really dumb question, what would be the best way of getting hold of genuine Audi paint at a reasonable price, one for @CreweAudi perhaps?
 
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Andrew said:
I have a memory of a post advocating not to use VW silver paint it is slightly different to Audi silver, even though the names and paint codes are the same, one has more blue apparently.

Andy
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I found this post too. However as I mentioned in the original post, the bottle is stamped with Y7W, as far as I know this code is Audi-specific? Might look to have one more go with genuine Audi paint if it’s not too expensive but I’ve just about resigned myself to accepting no touch-up will work.
 
Tom at Crewe Audi is always a great help, so yes, a great option. Any Audi dealer network should be able to assist too. Normally, when I’ve ordered in the past, they take the registration and the rest is on the system. You might need the VIN if you have a private plate, that will be on your V5 as well as the car and documents. Best of luck.

Malcyb said:
on one of my attempts I used a pin to get it as fine as possible but it was no better really. Might consider a replacement wing as an option if it’s a really good one. Yes there’s little doubt that the damage was caused in the way you describe - fortunately Gary (B&F autos) knows his A2s so hopefully will never happen again.

At the risk of asking a really dumb question, what would be the best way of getting hold of genuine Audi paint at a reasonable price, one for @CreweAudi perhaps?
Click to expand...
 
Another tip, build the paint up lightly a few layers at a time rather than trying to fill it in one coat. Leave it to harden for a week or two and then you can cut it back with a polish to improve the final appearance.

If you want to remove the paint you have applied when the Audi paint arrives, a panel wipe solution and/or cutting polish will get you back to where you started.
 
Darren C said:
Another tip, build the paint up lightly a few layers at a time rather than trying to fill it in one coat. Leave it to harden for a week or two and then you can cut it back with a polish to improve the final appearance.
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yes I’ve read this myself too. The trouble is, I think, that this is such a deep and narrow scratch that it’s kind of impossible to do that without the repair standing proud. Much easier with a stone chip. This is another reason why I’m at the point of calling it quits with a touch up fix. I’ve also seen it suggested that for a scratch like this you should sand down to make the scratch smoother and wider. I’m kind of reluctant to do this as I’m no expert and sure I’ll end up making it much worse than it is now. Something to try if I had nothing to lose perhaps but I’ve lived with the scratch for over 2 years so it’s not the end of the world.
 
If the scratch is too big to patch up, you'd try paint the whole panel, which probably won't match properly but might worth a shot, or you'd try to get a new wing panel from breakers. They're bolt on apparently, so no welding needed.
 
I had bonnet damage too, both sides, Chips Away do a very good job, as good a match as you could wish for, but was £200 last year.
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
I had bonnet damage too, both sides, Chips Away do a very good job, as good a match as you could wish for, but was £200 last year.
Mac.
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I‘ve used them before and been happy with their work, though I’m aware they’re only as good as the local franchise. Can’t really justify £200 for something like that unfortunately
 
Could have been my post re VW and Audi using the same code ... VW and Audi L7YW Silver are different mixes, the VW has a bluish tint to it and not a good colour match.
 
Tomscar said:
Could have been my post re VW and Audi using the same code ... VW and Audi L7YW Silver are different mixes, the VW has a bluish tint to it and not a good colour match.
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Ah, you may know more about VAG codes than I do then. The paint I received from Chipex was labelled Y7W, after I’d provided them the car reg, which is how they match the paint. As far as I’m aware, Audi codes LY7W and Y7W are exactly the same colours. You say VW LY7W is different, but is there such a thing as Y7W from VW? If there is, that could possibly help explain why the match was so poor.
 
Malcyb said:
Ah, you may know more about VAG codes than I do then. The paint I received from Chipex was labelled Y7W, after I’d provided them the car reg, which is how they match the paint. As far as I’m aware, Audi codes LY7W and Y7W are exactly the same colours. You say VW LY7W is different, but is there such a thing as Y7W from VW? If there is, that could possibly help explain why the match was so poor.
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Hi Malcyb ... yes they are a different shade of silver and the code is the same, both LY7W ... I learned this through having paint mixed by Halfords and was shown the recipe of toners for VW and Audi ... I was a time served printer all my working life and know a bit about colour matching ... I then had paint mixed by a company in Merseyside who sent me a tin labelled VW LY7W by mistake, these experts said it was the same but it definitely has a bluish tint ... not the biggest fan of Halfords but they actually got it right and their system shows both with the same number.
Possibly Chipex don't know they are different.
 
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