[Mr. Natural]

I can pretty much live with any of the misalignment on mine too. The thing that bugs me the most is the difference in shades of white on my paint. The trim piece fright in front of the hood is the worst. It’s almost more of an off-white. But all of the plastic looks at least a little off to me.

 

[andrew28]

I can pretty much live with any of the misalignment on mine too. The thing that bugs me the most is the difference in shades of white on my paint. The trim piece fright in front of the hood is the worst. It’s almost more of an off-white. But all of the plastic looks at least a little off to me.

At least I have confirmation now that I wasn't seeing things. I noticed the same thing with my white orchid pearl insight where some of the plastic trim doesn't seem to be the same white as the metal parts of the car. It could be because of paint contamination which I plan on getting rid of with a clay bar and polishing soon.

 

[Richsaint]

I’m happy now I didn’t get the white.

I considered it out loud long enough for my wife to go “oh no, we’re not doing that.”

That would drive me nuts.

 

[Mr. Natural]

At least I have confirmation now that I wasn't seeing things. I noticed the same thing with my white orchid pearl insight where some of the plastic trim doesn't seem to be the same white as the metal parts of the car. It could be because of paint contamination which I plan on getting rid of with a clay bar and polishing soon.

I’ll be really interested in hearing if it dies or doesn’t help. It does seem like it’s more noticeable now than when I first got the car last summer. I really like the white. I just wish it was a closer match.

 

[andrew28]

I’ll be really interested in hearing if it dies or doesn’t help. It does seem like it’s more noticeable now than when I first got the car last summer. I really like the white. I just wish it was a closer match.

It seems to be in areas most likely hit by road spray and salt during the winter for me. The color difference is most noticeable for me when I stand close to the side of the car instead of looking at it from straight on. Will provide an update once I get a chance to clay and polish the car.

 

[andrew28]

I’ll be really interested in hearing if it dies or doesn’t help. It does seem like it’s more noticeable now than when I first got the car last summer. I really like the white. I just wish it was a closer match.

I managed to clay bar, polished, waxed, and ceramic sealant the car earlier today. Took me 6 hours to do this due to the **** clay bar being so hard to reform as the temperature dropped later in the day. Otherwise the car is really reflective, smooth, and also got rid of some paint defects. I'm going to have to recheck my work tomorrow because it was dark by the time I finished. From what I can see earlier, I think the paint is mismatched instead of it being due to contaminants. The plastic front bottom bumper looks like a darker white while the metal upper part like the hood are a brighter white. I notice this mostly when crouching by the front tire viewing it at an angle otherwise I can't really see it. I wonder if the Indiana plant got the Civic Platinum White Pearl parts mixed up with the White Orchid Pearl on the Insight.

I also wanted to add that while detailing every inch of the car. I noticed all of the imperfections on my car like gaps, a few spots where some of the exterior plastic isn't flush with rest of the trim, and particles(dust?) under the paint.

 

[Mr. Natural]

I wasn’t really expecting the clay bar to fix the color problem. Just wishful thinking on my part. Like I said, on mine the only part that really stands out is the trim piece in front of the hood. It’s my wife’s daily driver and she hasn’t noticed it yet. And I won’t be pointing it out to her!

 

[andrew28]

I wasn’t really expecting the clay bar to fix the color problem. Just wishful thinking on my part. Like I said, on mine the only part that really stands out is the trim piece in front of the hood. It’s my wife’s daily driver and she hasn’t noticed it yet. And I won’t be pointing it out to her!

It's for the best, if you don't see it, it's not there. But if you see it, you can't unsee it. :sad:

 

[andrew28]

Here's a picture of the mismatch white color on my car.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zQvskeqTGnFXJa7AHaSt4ONoo9OSdR1i/view?usp=sharing

 

[sEXzNsite]

Here's a picture of the mismatch white color on my car.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zQvskeqTGnFXJa7AHaSt4ONoo9OSdR1i/view?usp=sharing

So andrew28, why did you have to bring this subject up!!! I just looked at mine and NOW I NOTICE IT TOO!!!

I believe it's not just our Pearl Orchid color that's different. I'll presumably say all colors probably have the same slight variation. The fenders and the front bumper covers are separate pieces and they could have been painted separately on the assembly line. If the bumper covers were painted at the same time as the rest of the car the color would match 100%. The shade difference is mainly caused by how the metallic flakes reflect the light. When painting with metallics using different spray nozzles, air pressure and the manner in which the paint is applied/sprayed makes a difference. You get two different painters and the job will look different because they will have different techniques. Though the paint process was done robotically, there were two different robots that sprayed the car body and the bumper cover. That's one of the main reasons when repairs are made painters have to over-spray the outlining areas to blend in the color other wise you'll notice the repair job immediately. Another reason it may look a bit different is because of the underlining material. The hood and fenders are of a metal material whereas the bumper cover is a rubberized plastic.

Thanks again for bringing this up - now I'll notice it every time I look at the car!. And now that I know, it sure sticks out like a sore thumb! :crying: Thanks a lot buddy!! LOL!!

 

[andrew28]

So andrew28, why did you have to bring this subject up!!! I just looked at mine and NOW I NOTICE IT TOO!!!

I believe it's not just our Pearl Orchid color that's different. I'll presumably say all colors probably have the same slight variation. The fenders and the front bumper covers are separate pieces and they could have been painted separately on the assembly line. If the bumper covers were painted at the same time as the rest of the car the color would match 100%. The shade difference is mainly caused by how the metallic flakes reflect the light. When painting with metallics using different spray nozzles, air pressure and the manner in which the paint is applied/sprayed makes a difference. You get two different painters and the job will look different because they will have different techniques. Though the paint process was done robotically, there were two different robots that sprayed the car body and the bumper cover. That's one of the main reasons when repairs are made painters have to over-spray the outlining areas to blend in the color other wise you'll notice the repair job immediately. Another reason it may look a bit different is because of the underlining material. The hood and fenders are of a metal material whereas the bumper cover is a rubberized plastic.

Thanks again for bringing this up - now I'll notice it every time I look at the car!. And now that I know, it sure sticks out like a sore thumb! :crying: Thanks a lot buddy!! LOL!!

It was actually @Mr. Natural that brought it up first. :wink: I think you're right with your assessment because I have to be standing at a certain angle while light is shining on it to see the difference.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hwCQvwcF7Gbwk_kUxL999esSfEFZar5F/view?usp=sharing
^Here's another spot on mine that has a different shade of white if you dare to click.

I can pretty much live with any of the misalignment on mine too. The thing that bugs me the most is the difference in shades of white on my paint. The trim piece fright in front of the hood is the worst. It’s almost more of an off-white. But all of the plastic looks at least a little off to me.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QY1nt_oJrrnZRkBXtldRbzgWTYJKC-fT/view?usp=sharing
The plastic trim right in front of the hood on mine looks normal. I might not be looking at it from the correct angle though.

 

[Mr. Natural]

It was actually @Mr. Natural that brought it up first. :wink: I think you're right with your assessment because I have to be standing at a certain angle while light is shining on it to see the difference.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hwCQvwcF7Gbwk_kUxL999esSfEFZar5F/view?usp=sharing
^Here's another spot on mine that has a different shade of white if you dare to click.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QY1nt_oJrrnZRkBXtldRbzgWTYJKC-fT/view?usp=sharing
The plastic trim right in front of the hood on mine looks normal. I might not be looking at it from the correct angle though.

I was looking at the front trim part on one of the Honda parts websites and noticed it comes in all the colors already painted. I’ll be tempted to look for a replacement that matches better once they start hitting the salvage yards.

 

[sEXzNsite]

I was looking at the front trim part on one of the Honda parts websites and noticed it comes in all the colors already painted. I’ll be tempted to look for a replacement that matches better once they start hitting the salvage yards.

It was actually @Mr. Natural that brought it up first. :wink: I think you're right with your assessment because I have to be standing at a certain angle while light is shining on it to see the difference.

I was looking at the front trim part on one of the Honda parts websites and noticed it comes in all the colors already painted. I’ll be tempted to look for a replacement that matches better once they start hitting the salvage yards.

Since my curiosity was peaked regarding the color mis-match, along my daily drive this morning I looked at hundreds if not thousands of passing and parked cars - and you know what.... they all had the same mis-match! Some were more noticeable than others where the most noticeable were the metallic colors. I found the color mis-match to be the same on both the Front/Rear bumper covers across all makes of cars. It didn't matter what brand whether Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Toyota, Acura, Honda, Audi, Range Rover, Subaru, Chev, Ford etc... they were all the same. I did notice however that the shade difference were not as noticeable on SOLID colors such as BLACK, WHITE & the BLUE in the attached photo.

Also, another reason why there could be a difference are the paint additives. Bumper cover paint has a rubberized additive mixed in it for flexibility. That's the reason why the paint just doesn't crack or peel right off when the covers are bumped and dented. The rubberized additive also allows the covers paint to be heated via a hair dryer or hot water to pop out dents in the covers.

So Mr. Natural, don't waste your time or $$$ trying to get a 100% color match because you won't be able to unless you have the entire car re-painted with the front/rear bumper covers attached, but then you'd stand the chance of the paint cracking and peeling off if the covers get bumped.

To validate my point attached are two photos of a Metallic White Accord showing the color mis-match compared to the rest of the body.
The other two photos are of Solid Blue colored Toyota and as you can see there's hardly a noticeable difference.

 

[Mr. Natural]

I’ve been checking out other cars too and I agree with what you’ve been seeing. It’s way more common than I thought. So if misery loves company, then I guess I’m in love. 🥰

 

[hasarad]

I guess mine was built on a Tuesday. Everything lines up fine. The only issue I have is with the durability of the paint. I've never had this many stone chips in such a short period of time - and I don't really drive highway!

 

[andrew28]

**** why did I click on this thread... Now I'm going to go look. lain:

 

[JK919]

I guess mine was built on a Tuesday. Everything lines up fine. The only issue I have is with the durability of the paint. I've never had this many stone chips in such a short period of time - and I don't really drive highway!

Blame this one on environmental regulations. Paint was better before, but the process caused more pollution. This is a phenomenon that exists across brands.

 

[Mobilcams]

Blame this one on environmental regulations. Paint was better before, but the process caused more pollution. This is a phenomenon that exists across brands.

I had the same thoughts on the chips I have now as well. I try to stay away from rock trucks etc, but it is what it is. My co-worker has a new Tesla model 3 and has paint issues from the factory as well as chips in the front.. He was freaked out about it until I showed him the front of my car.. I love the fact that he had to see my Honda had the same issues to feel better haha..

 

[jdlynch]

Paint Quality

Do others with dark colored insights feel like the paint scratches easily? This paint/clear coat seems to be very soft.

Maybe I’m just too OCD ?

 

[andrew28]

Do others with dark colored insights feel like the paint scratches easily? This paint/clear coat seems to be very soft.

Maybe I’m just too OCD ?

Car paint used to be more durable because it was lead based but now it's water based to be more eco friendly. It also doesn't help that the darker colors show scratches more easily. I don't think it's a coincidence that white is such a popular color. :wink: