I was just detailing my 05 GPW for the first time the other day and noticed that the nose and tail clips (the only plastic body panels on the car) don't exactly match the white on the car. They seem slightly more yellowish. VERY slightly - my g/f says she can't tell. The car has always been garaged except for about 2 months when it sat on a used car lot. and has very low mileage. I'm wondering if this is normal with the GPW due to the base color of the plastic showing through the primer / baselayer. Can anyone else with a GPW confirm if they have this as well?

Thanks,
-Joe

 

joe- have not heard this before, but am replying to move this up...

 

I don't know about white, but this has definitely been discussed on silverstone and spa... It's a very difficult exact match due to the substrate - plastic vs. metal and the different formulations of paint and primer required for each.

So yes, it's "normal". If you're concerned about the possibility of repair work having been done or the bumpers being replaced, just check to see that the serial number stickers exist on both pieces. I believe they're in pretty obvious places on both. The rear bumper is just under the lower part of the trunk and the front bumper is on a tab just under the front edge of the hood, I believe.

 

If the car hasn't been in an accident, I can't really see a reason why the color would not match. Check the VIN on both the front and rear bumpers to make sure they match the car. If they do, I don't really know what to say. If they don't, well, you've got some leverage...

 

Honda doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to paint. The mismatch could be from the different materials. This can be avoided when prepping the surface for paint by spraying a sealer before you prime and paint. However, I seriously doubt that any car manufacturer would shell out the money for this extra step.

Just a thought.

 

^ Correct. The reason why it looks "off" is due to the fact that paint on plastic doesnt look the same as it does on metal. The difference should be VERY minor, so dont worry about it. Its the same on 99.9% of cars...brand new cars for that matter.

 

its normal, mine dont match either...its not that far off though. its the way the paint sticks to the plastic surfaces. we get a lot of these complaints at my Acura dealership.