i'm like within day of picking up my WDP TL and everytime I check it out, I keep seeing a different color variation between the bumper and the body. It's not the same. I plan on getting the A-Spec kit also and I just want to make sure they all match in color.

I don't know one yet so I can't compare but anyone out there notice the same thing? My prelude right now is a pearl white and I noticed poor aftermarket paint jobs does a bad job to match the pearl white but factory should be perfect.


:gheywave:

 

That's the way they are from factory. I have a wdp too. Try and see if the dealer can paint the bumpers over. It's a longshot but you never know.

 

It is an annoying issue that will cost you a few bones to fix. It really depends on how the light hits the paint. The bottom metal parts of my doors appear to have the same off-white color when the sun hits it right. I've gotten used to it. The rear bumper is the worst. But I will have to admit that putting the A-spec piece over the bumper makes it less noticable, unless the light hits it the right way.

 

I have a WDP TL and have the same problem too. I have no idea why Acura painted the bumper like that!

 

okay, I just thought the car could have been in an accident but at least now I know it's from factory.

That's a BIG SUCKY SUCKY from acura!

 

yeah it's a common problem with wdp and am. the difference is the surface they're painting on supposedly...metal vs plastic

 

i used to have that problem but eversince my car was painted all around everything match perfectly now!!

 

I have a WDP too. My bumpers were darker, so I replaced them and had them painted. Now they're lighter

 

My WDP is the same. Had to replace my front bumper, so now it matches great!

 

mine came with the aspec lip, i discovered it is a little yellow around there

 

I've had 3 WDP TL's (2k, 04 and 08) and they all have the paint mismatch problem and (like you) I don't buy Acura's reason for it. No other manufacturer who offers a White Pearl color seems to have a problem matching the paint on their plastic bumpers. Geez, even GM can get this right. Otherwise, I still love WDP. Oh, and congrats to the OP. Welcome to Azine.

 

Thought I'd chime in here..

First (as many have already said) its ALL in how the light hits it (as with any panel of a WDP car, will look different in different lighting.. even the same lighting but different angles as per the curves of the car). It also makes a big difference as to how close/far you are while observing the car. I have the mismatch (of course) but I cannot tell when I am 50+ feet away, and I also cannot tell if I am looking at the car on an angle adjacent to the corner of the rear bumper. (Yes, I've spent a lot of time obsessing over my mismatch)

It's really not a big deal, not even close of a big deal enough to compensate for not having WDP... I would take a bumper mismatch any day to have this color.

Secondly, I cant understand when people constantly state that no other manufactures do this? I don't know if its just me.. but before I owned a WDP.. I have NEVER noticed this problem on this car or any other. Now that I have been exposed to the issue, not only do I notice it on the Acuras.. But I notice it on every other manufacture as well. Lexus, Mercedes, etc. etc. It's the flat white colors that arent as noticeable.. but if you see them in a specific way, you will notice it too. I also notice this mismatch on other colors as well of various other cars.. I just can't help but to look for it now.. but it is there so don't feel like you're the only one.

It IS the way the paint adheres to the material.. maybe Acura could have used paint that would have been less noticeable? Who knows, fact is.. paint on metal will more often than not look different than paint on plastic.

Hope this made you feel better in any way

Cheers

 

ive heard that plastic will absorb the color over time..guess that would be the problem

 

owell! i'm still going to buy one tomorrow hopefully if the dealer gives me the right price. woot woot! will update tomorrow.


btw, for those who had it repainted, how much did it cost? I was thinking about doing it because the previous owner of the car put some nicks in the car and tried to "touch it up" but it looked more like he was using white out so it looks bad.

 

I say the only way to make it not look so bad is to keep the whole car clean. That way it somewhat matches better, and people pay attention to the whole car's cleanliness instead of the mismatched bumped.

but yea the white on the bumper is pretty off..o well.. jus take care of the paint

 

freakin paint mismatch, my car is not WDP its AM, but it had the same damn problem of the bumpers not matching. I had them repainted and now they match perfect. I didn't think to do my sideskirts at the time though and those still don't match lol

 

My family's MDX has the same issue

 

i think the 2006 wdp tsx has no color mismatch issues, which is so fishy

 

I was told that the manufacturer puts a flexible agent in the paint on the bumpers. I guess a body shop can do this too, but they spend more time matching it since it's going to be under more scrutiny.

 

My WDP is a victim as well. I just try my best to keep it clean

 

My wdp has the same issue, althought the strange part is that the side skirts seem to match perfectly, so why the front and rear do not and the sides to is beyond me...it's the same plastic. i now have the aspec kit and while it helps the rear, IMO it makes the front even look worse. the funny thing is, the aspec kit matches the rest of the car perfectly, so how did they get it right with the aspec, but not the bumpers?

 

this makes sense.

 

its funny because i have heard people say that the car was probably hit or crash and the body shop didn't do a great job matching the bumpers, not knowing this is an issue already strait from acura on this cars!

 

I'm taking mine in to the dealer tomorrow (07 wdp type s) stock body to address a few service Bullentins (chirps from timing belt, navi spazing out sometimes and changing my presets on me and Rear shelf rattling sometimes). I will mention to the dealer about the Bumper getting worse in terms of the mismatch. When I bought the car 2 years ago it wasn't this bad.. it seems to get worse as the years go by. Might as well try while still under warrantee.

 

let me know what's up!!!

 

This is why NBP is better than WDP. Thanks for letting us know

 

So I spoke to the rep @ the counter and what he tells me is that Acura really doesn't have a stand on the issue. They can repaint the bumper for $300 but there still is no guarantee that it will come out matching the body paint. I think I may actually get a quote from a body shop and see how much they charge since in terms of paint, I think body shops do a better job at matching the paint and are cheaper than dealer.
oh.. and champ.. even w/ the bumper color I still would take a wdp over nbp. Not because it's better, but because I think it looks better

 

How much did the paint job cost you?

 

Make certain they guarantee a paint match before entering into the deal. Many shops won't give the guarantee, but the shop I deal with will. He's not cheap as they take test patterns on blanks to ensure the consistency and match before spraying. Our WDP you can't tell the difference between the bumper/hood/fenders, day or night. In fact the paint/workmanship comes with a lifetime guarantee. I'd hate to see the 3 stage paint bumper paint job with flex, for $300.
Good luck as body shops are a dime a dozen.

 

So you paid more than $300 ? but it sounds to me like you did both bumpers and possibly fenders. Is that correct? I only want to do the rear bumper. It's actually the only piece in the car that doesn't match. Crazy enough the rest of the car does !

 

They sprayed the fenders and the front bumper, $1750. His price was $750 additonal to do the rear bumper. Sorry I didn't have it done.

 

I have the same problem with my '07 WDP. Acura authorized for both the rear and front bumpers to be re-painted under warranty. Not only did my bumpers have a slightly yellow tint, they also had dark gray streaks in some areas. Terrible paint job out of the factory. So my car went to the Acura paint shop, and to make a long story short, came out looking just as bad as when it went in. Clearly the shop spent almost no time attempting to match the color. It wasn't even close. My battle wasn't over.

I went to a highly recommended body shop in the area, and they explained that the Acura paint shop more than likely did not do a "let down panel" to make sure the paint matched. They guaranteed a 100% improvement if I would let them re-paint it. Got a quote for $950 to do both the front and rear bumpers, and took the quote to the local Acura dealer. Believe it or not, they authorized the re-paint and agreed to pay the bill! Car goes in this week!

 

That's why I have a nbp color and don't have this problem

 

This certainly adds insight to this thread.
The NPB will show dirt, dust, swirls and constantly needs to be cleaned, thats why I have WDP.

 

its common with all with white pear and metallic colors...its not that they have been painted again its just that they are different surfaces...metal and plastic, the basecoat sits different and the other thing is that these factories arent painting the bumpers together with the car....there are many stories behind it but those are the main two...

 

My SSM has this problem on the rear bumper.

Not so bad that I'm willing to shell out money to get it painted, though.

 

Sorry, but it's not common with all and not the substrate, just poor quality from Honda/Acura. Just for example, you can see a White Diamond Escalade and the bumpers are perfect. Actually don't know of any/many other quality cars that the white pearl paint is a different color or has a yellow tint.

 

This is great! Let us know the results.

 

My AM has the same issue. The rear bumper does not match the bodycolor depending on the light or the angle you are looking from. The funny thing is, the problem is only on the passenger side. I saw another AM TL in town with the same issue.

I didn't notice it when I bought it because it was at night and this was the only 6MT that I liked so I really had no choice.