[Alarmin]

Hi All,

Recently had my G80 M3 rear-ended. While I am confident a good shop can install the parts, I am concerned about the ability to paint match Dravit Grey paint. Something about the mixture of grey and gold flake seems like a delicate balance that would be hard to match perfectly - and shops I've talked to seem to indicate the same.

Just wondering if anyone on the forum has experience having to repaint body parts in Dravit Grey and if so, how did it go? Bonus points if it went great and the painter is in California.

Thanks in advance!

[JDUNITNOW]

There was someone on the G20 forum that had a similar situation as you and he had to have the the shop do extensive research to have paint matched correctly. If I'm not mistaken, he reached out to BMW Germany to get exact paint codes.

[merlin3008]

I can imagine this being a pain. I have a brooklyn grey G80 and even that looks like a challenge to match. In this case, my instinct would be to have the car fixed through a BMW dealership. They will almost certainly outsource the repair to a local shop (although a few large retailers have in house body shops) and it may cost a little more. But in the end, if I have a warranty claim down the road, I would prefer to work through BMW than through Joe's Body and Fender. Your insurance carrier may also provide some protection should you file a claim.

[Alarmin]

Originally Posted by Murf

Alarmin how did this work out for you? I'm also looking at a panel repaint and am worried about color matching.

I will let you know when I pick it up in 2 weeks!

[GregM4]

Not sure in the US, but here is Australia, BMW have their own repair and paint centres in some capital cities. They guarantee their work.

I will only take Individual colors to BMW for any work if required. I just ensure my insurance provides me choice of repairer.

Good luck.

[Gfit]

Originally Posted by Murf

Well my car is back and they matched dravit pretty well, almost perfectly. I had a nickel sized dent and chip on the roof btw the windshield and sunroof from a big rock thrown by a semi. At least I think it was a rock, rang the entire car like a bell when it hit. Chip was down to metal. They filled the dent, basecoated the area and blended, and then sanded and re-cleared the entire roof. Did a pretty shitty job on masking, I've been removing overspray from windows and trim for 2 hours. But matched well. Clearcoar application was just "ok" there are a few spots where dust or something got trapped in it and a section that looks a little wavy from certain angles, but nothing earthshattering or worth re-doing. If you looked *really* closely and knew what to look for you could probably tell it was resprayed but to a casual observer it probably looks like stock paint. Was little over 1k to fix, there was zero chance of PDR repair due to size and depth.

To OP I wouldnt worry about the match, they are capable of getting it right and it's prob easier on newer paint, mine is 18mos old already.

That's great. It's amazing what body shops can do these days with paint matching.

[astroricardo]

Originally Posted by Murf

Well my car is back and they matched dravit pretty well, almost perfectly. I had a nickel sized dent and chip on the roof btw the windshield and sunroof from a big rock thrown by a semi. At least I think it was a rock, rang the entire car like a bell when it hit. Chip was down to metal. They filled the dent, basecoated the area and blended, and then sanded and re-cleared the entire roof. Did a pretty shitty job on masking, I've been removing overspray from windows and trim for 2 hours. But matched well. Clearcoar application was just "ok" there are a few spots where dust or something got trapped in it and a section that looks a little wavy from certain angles, but nothing earthshattering or worth re-doing. If you looked *really* closely and knew what to look for you could probably tell it was resprayed but to a casual observer it probably looks like stock paint. Was little over 1k to fix, there was zero chance of PDR repair due to size and depth.

To OP I wouldnt worry about the match, they are capable of getting it right and it's prob easier on newer paint, mine is 18mos old already.

Indy body shop, collision center, dealer?

[Alarmin]

Just thought I'd post a quick update. Do your due diligence on the shop you choose and you'll get great results. Very happy with the way it turned out - I can't tell the paint difference at all!