Last year I went to a shop to get a smog check where they guided me through the narrow space to the point closes to the front of their shop. In doing so they inadvertently guided me into the corner of the roof that was 2" lower that the top of my roof, putting 3 punctures into that fiberglass. I did the repair myself on the section of fiberglass that joins the roof to the side. After I had the fiberglass nice and smooth and primed I had a color shop put their colorimeter on a similar section of paint and then mix me a match. They warned me that it would not be a perfect match, which was certain true, but it was so high up that nobody notices this mismatch. If I were a skilled autoshop I would have worked to blend this mismatch into the surround, but that is a skill I have not perfected.
This driver's side door project is at eye level, so I thought it would be worth going after the original paint by the Sikkens number, or alternatively by the mix formula that was also provided with my vehicle when I purchased it. This is likely to produce a better, although still not perfect, match with the original paint. Because of some onerous environmental laws in California that vary from one region of California to another, Sikkens paint cannot be sold anywhere near San Jose. I had to contact a shop >2 hours away in San Luis Opisbo to find a distributor of Sikkens.
To my surprise and delight I got a call yesterday from a rep who works for Sikkens parent company. He told me that he had gotten my name, number and address from the Sikkens distributor and their local rep and wanted to measure the colors on my RV. He went on to say that he was actually outside of my house and wondered if I was available. I was out there like a shot and we went to the rig.
This was an amazing opportunity to learn a lot about how to finish this job. He advised me on the best way to fill the pits in the corroded aluminum and what grades of sandpaper to use at each stage of the process. He then advised me to not use the SEM etching primer that I had planned to use before the buildup primer. Instead he provided me with an alternative prep material that would do better to block the oxygen from penetrating to the aluminum. He commented that etching primers really don't etch. If they did they would eat their way through the metal can in which they are sold.
Next he used his colorimeter to measure each of the colors and also matched up the level of sparkle in the topcoat. He told me that I could not expect the finish with a spray can to be as good as the ones that a body shop would achieve with a $500 sprayer, several samples of which he happened to have in his trunk. He also could not guarantee a perfect match. As for the match I plan to paint the entire width of my drivers side door so it may not be so obvious that there is a small mismatch due the gap between the door and the surround, even if don't attempt to blend. In any event I am doing this myself to avoid the ridiculously expensive estimates I received from two paint shops and to learn something from the process. If I hate my result I can always get someone to paint over my work.
All this is to say that I am blown away that an AzkoNobel (Sikkens) rep would take the time to come see me and to help me with my project. it goes to show the pride that they take in their product.
