samtls2003

I've had my car painted since the day I baught it. I drove around stock for about two months before I said eff it. Since I didnt have a problem with the stock paint, I wanted a color that would look classy and elegant against our stock Satin Silver. After many samples of various pearls and combinations, I came down to one color. Duponts Shimmering Shamrock over Satin Silver was it! Its not easy getting a good looking pearl over silver since silver is made up of several colors. The outcome was perfect. I've been happy ever since.

Since thought I'd let you guys check it out

Let me know what you think!!








Here are some right after the paint job with the windshield tinted








Recent PIX





Sadly, thats all I got right now. I'll post up some more as I find the time.

Give me some feedback!

extremetls

cant really see the pearl effect.

big mike 13

lol looks the same to me
guess its a thing you have to see in person...

samtls2003

I can see what you mean. Its hard to justify through pictures. I didnt want it to be the most obvious paint since I didnt get too far into the engine bay and such. You can really it at dusk. The gloss is much higher then stock also.

Thanks for the feedback though.

ChrisQ1980

It looks really good, but as others have said it still looks satin silver in pics. Take some closeup shots with the sun on it.

SSMTL01

but from what i can see of the pearl effect- it looks sick!

Get some pics under flourescent lights at night- that should bring out the pearl realy well

samtls2003

I might just do that. I gotta find a nice lit up garage though, or maybe at the parking garage at the mall would be sufficent.

You gotta see it in person. In a side by side comparison to stock its pretty shinny.

Thanks SSMTL01!

snowman81

Or if you know anyone with an SSM, take a pic side by side. That would be a good comparison. Looks good though. I wish my car was freshly painted. The rock chips are killing me.

fsttyms1

I can really see the difference and i think it looks great. I think you did a excellent job in finding the right hue. Pearls can sometimes be a real pain to get the desired look. Yours looks great!

fsttyms1

To those who are having a hard time seeing the difference look at the rear 1/4 panel in the 1st and 3rd pic

Also in the 7th pic look at the front and rear door by the door handles as opposed to the front bumper or side skirt and you will see the pearl.

Pearls can be very hard to capture with a camera. They are best seen in person

tim'sTLS

I can see it. I think it looks great. Give us a brief process.

fsttyms1

If existing color is fine, color sand (wetsand) then apply desired pearl over the top with as many coats as needed to get desired color. Then clear.

If existing color not good, many other steps could be involved

GreeneggsandHam

looks good...what suspension are you on?

njzprettyboy

looks nice I guess. Cant tell much of a difference in pics though..

Phrosttz0

looks good from what i see from the pics, more pics under better light

vzuptnguyen

clean car man

and damn 3 years and u only have 15 post. haha. crazyy

vzuptnguyen

oh did u just cut off your water nozzles or did you mount them elsewhere? howd u fill gap? bondo?

Leviathan

I can see it and it looks fantastic. I can only imagine what it looks like in person!

Now talk to me about those grilles...i likey.

Phesto

^^ werd the car looked better with the Grille Tech inserts.

I have those also cheap, slick mod........also BTW the paint is sweet,that pearl with a nice sunset must be off the hook to look at.

RevinV12s

Do I see greenish hue??

samtls2003

fsttyms1 Thank you for the fine compliment I really appreciate it. I'm a real picky guy when it comes to my car. To me it has to be perfect and I set my standards high. I try to keep my car immaculate as possible.

It did take me some time to make the ultimate decision. It had to be right and like you said it is a pain to get the desired look.

Thanks buddy! You can really see it at dusk or when its really gloomy. I had the grills installed when I had the car painted. To let you in on a tip, the top grill is gutter guard cut out to our grll. The bottom grill is actually a grill kit.

nope. if youre referring to my wiper nozzles, mine are located on the inside of the fron of my windshield. They're not on the hood.

I like to keep the clean car look. Alot of people dont recognize the car. They do a double take.

lol. yup. I registered with AZ a long long time ago. I just started craving the attention.

samtls2003

Yes sir. The Shimmering Shamrock it s greenish pearl color, kind of like a minty color. Real refreshing to look at lol.

2003BlizAkTL

yeah i can see the green hue, its hella clean =) hella good job

tientruong

Hella clean........

really nice color.

datzdaboi

clean car.........looks real nice

subtledreamer

that's a custom paint job well-done... looks awesome bro

samtls2003

Thanks for all the feedback guys, its a great ego boost! I had the chance to take a few more pix. Its in the day time so you cant even see the pearl but you can still tell its different then Satin Silver.

More dusk pix will come soon...


82,300 miles and you can practically eat off the engine bay...I love it!




2 12" Eclipse with the Kicker ZR600 atop bundeled with 2 one Farad digital Caps.

Notice the white LED shineing down...those are sweet.





G2 Silver Epoxy painted calipers. F/R








Just a few more...

Thanks for all the feedback. The TL has an exquisite style. Its quite appealing to look at.

datzdaboi

i like the last pic with the sunset......lookin good

mikey3.2

lokks good how much did it run u to paint the car.

samtls2003

Thanks Mikey3.2. It costed me at the time roughly around $3,500 but keep in mind this was done in Detroit, Michigan when I was living there. The cost of labor is much more then it would be here in San Diego. Its nothing like having a stock painted car. Their is much more up-keep to be done with a custom paint.

I enjoy every bit of it.

Papa_Sean

Im guessing taking that thing to an automatic carwash is out of the question lol Good job though. Looks nice

samtls2003

Thanks for all the kind words guys, I really do appreciate it. I've never really showed off my car although I've always loved car shows. Maybe a South Cal meet will come up and I'll get a chance. I'm really trying to get the right picture of my car when the pearl is at its best since I do know its hard to justify in pictures. Its kinda hard to get it right with your average digital camera, but I'm tryin my best. So when I was at work around 5 ish' I went outside with the camera and took a few dusk shots.

The car is a bit dirty since it did get drizzled on earlier today. Thank god for wax...the car is still lookin shiny.

Let me know what you guys think!

Thanks!






Check out the front fender...looks like a minty green.



Bring on the feedback!

RevinV12s

Looks awsome! Very subtle yet it stands out.
I'd say the car has a surprising treat for those who look at it carefully.
It might look like a stock colour but there is a twist to the paint job like a lime in a coke :P.
I like it alot! Keep it clean

nguyen

is that a neuspeed bar with the comptech stickers on it?

samtls2003

lol. Yeah it is. I baught it on eBay and it was on their when I got it. I knew it was a Nuespeed brace before I got it. No shame in having a Comptech sticker on a Nuespeed brace.

Good eye nguyen.

Hot Boi

iTrader: (1)

Looks straight Get some black magic for those tires though son.

samtls2003

Thanks Hot Boi! I use Dupot Teflon Tire Coat which works pretty good. I dont like excess flyin off my tires and onto the body.

Anybody got any good suggestions for Tire wet? Just curious. Excited

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

Very nice...I have been itching to do a differ color on my car.... but stick to something white.

samtls2003

The difference between silver and white is alot of colors. If you're thinkin to switch up your paint, you have tons of choices. Black and white seem to compliment many colors. If you come across a good painter and the time is right, go for it!

If you wanna do it, do it. You'll stick out from the rest and you won't regret it.

Thanks dnd29841.

Costco

Looks great! The pearl is more noticeable in the recent pics compared to the ones in your first post.

You'll probably notice the pearl in sam's car if you have a WDP and stare at your car just for the hell of it once in a while. Somewhat subtle, and good choice; I think the greenish pearl is a better choice for SSM than blue, I would think.