Hi All,

I have a 08 White TL. A week after I bought it new about a year ago, friends brought to my attention that the front and back bumpers along with the mirrors were a different color than the rest of the car. It is definitely yellower than the rest of the car! So I've been on the look out for other cars that are like mine and low and behold, almost every single newer white Acura (not just the TL) I have seen have a different yellower tone than the rest of the car. Now that I've seen that, I called Acura to inquire about repainting my car. They told me to bring it in because it is a "known problem". How likely is it that they will repaint my car, or at least the bumpers and mirrors to match the rest of my car? I wanted some advice because if they decide not to paint my car, I'll definitely raise a big stink because it's a "known problem". Thanks!!

Hello and welcome to Azine....

Unfortunately this is a well known issues for most cars, especially WDP (white diamond pearl)...

The front and rear bumpers will always be yellower (darker yellow tint) than the rest of the car. Repainting it won't bring you good results as the bumpers use softening additives which makes the bumpers flexible, which already provides a different surface to paint on...

I have WDP, and I know your pain.

yea same problem with my TL-S too. i noticed it after i bought the car =(

Welcome to AZ and the WDP discolored bumpers........

I have no idea what you guys are talking about, that must suck although, hold on...i just washed my car 5 minutes ago, and it already looks dirty- i gotta go wipe it off AGAIN

^ If you have WDP..and you don't see it... Your vision ain't that good, sorry.

jllyblly, we all have the same problem, and as the dealership states "its a reoccurring issue with the color i chose" but they repainted the bumpers and side skirts free of charge and since then its been a thousand times better. I'm sure the problem will still occur as TeknoKing said, but it was painted almost a year ago and i havent seen a difference in color yet. Just talk to your dealership if you bought it from one otherwise i don't know.

^ Don't get me wrong, when I wax and buff the car, the shine hides it, but since I know it's there, I'll always see it...

It's not a big deal... but if you look for it, you'll find it. Matching WDP paint is extremely hard, as it is a 3 stage paint. I'm glad the dealership did such a nice job for you

WDP = :thumbsdow

AM =

*knocks on wood*

Mine still looks pretty even. Bought the car in Aug '08.

I feel your pain.
My SSM Rear Type-S doesn't match the rest of my car, sadly. =[

You must be half blind My car has a July 08 production date and still have the problem.

This problem can be corrected.

This is a manufacturing defect that Honda ignores. Their excuse is the flex additive that is used on the raw plastic parts. Not all flex additive has this effect, the tint can be adjusted to compensate, and flex additive can be left out of the mix in some cases. WDP does have yellow tint in the base mix no matter what paint company it's formulated from. Today's auto paint is highly engineered, there is products and techniques to remedy. Some auto manufacturers do not have this problem. Sure, additives can cause slight, minor color shifts, but the WDP issue is way past the point of acceptability.

A good quality high end shop can correct the issue. People just need to be informed on what is considered acceptable, and normal for a bumper. The color might not be absolutely perfect afterward, but it will be extremely less noticeable. Some people might not even notice any slight color difference. What sucks is that high end, quality work is not cheap.

WDP owners should get together and get a Class Action Lawsuit started... Who's with me?

1. BlueAc

+1.

From what i understand here...is you have a type s rear (which is asm) on ur ssm tl...i dont know if u are aware of this...but they are two different colours...the asm has a slight tint to it!

Yeah, I must be blind. But as long as I don't see it, it's all good.

Thats what I was thinkin too... Cause the TL-S' ASM is definitely a different silver then the SSM...

i heard that plastic will absorb color over time. is it true? beats me..but my bumpers dont match either

I agree that Acura could correct the problem. I don't see it on the white pearl colors from other manufacturers. I am on my 3rd WDP TL (2k, 04, 08) and all of them have had the same problem but I like the color so much I'm willing to live with it.

The Type-S bumper was painted SSM. I bought the bumper from the dealership so it came unpainted.
My painter even stated that the SSM would come off darker than the original paint. From my understanding SSM/ASM and WDP were tougher to match than the other paint colors.

No big deal anyways! I bet the car looks sick...we'll have to meet up sometime once i start modding lol

acura design a good looking car but a fuked up car at the same time. lol oh my god so many stuff wrong with some of these cars, cracked dash, trans issue, all kinds of noise coming from god knows where. but dont get me wrong i love this car, the integra was engineer way better then this car.

My dad says the same thing about his 90 integra compared to my 06 TL

True fuken story he is right

I'm always down for a meet.
I think it looks good... after all I needed it to fit in some ATLP Quads

I have an 07 WDP and I notice it and I HATE IT!

I honestly will never buy another WDP Acura.

happens 2 all

so they told me they're going to repaint it.. If it makes the yellow less noticeable then I'm ok with it. It just blows that I spend 30K on a car to have the bumpers yellower than the rest of the car. from what i remember i didnt purchase a two-toned car. only good thing that came from this is that they put me in a loaner for the memorial weekend + however many days it takes to paint

i also have the same problem only with my rear bumper. noticed it after i bought the car which was about a month ago

x3

I too have the same problem.....front and rear. I installed the 07-08 blinking mirrors...and now they are yellow too. Weird thing was my stock mirrors matched perfectly. O well....you get used to it after a while

I would rather look at that than the chip on my back bumper from some ass hitting me while parking.....if I only knew who did it they would be dead right now!!!!

Enjoy your two-tone car... I know I do!

trew is your RJ bodykit two tone as well?

Somewhat... WDP is tough to match. The color difference is noticeable in direct sunlight.

im juss waiting to get rear ended so i have a more justified excuse to repaint my WDP bumper.

x2

My '04 SSM suffers from the same mismatch. I've had lots of cars with this issue, and I was under the impression it has more to do with the way the paint oxidizes differently on plastic versus steel. Check out an old red Miata sometime, the front and rear bumpers turn pink with age. Frightening.