want new radiator grills

[jefla]

I'm going to have the front of my 2000 metalic arena red car painted this winter (bumper and hood), and want to paint or replace the faded plastic radiator grills. Can anyone recommend a good source for these?

Also, the paint shop (which I've used before for oither cars, and like) says he does not use OEM paint, but mixes his own. Says he'll get the match right, down to the metalic, and that in any event true original paint wound not match because of fading.

Sound right?

Jef

[Porsche_Ron]

All paint colours fade (and oxidize) over time, especially those with a high pigment content (such as red). A good painter can match the colour by custom-mixing the paint and account for this fading.

I just went through this myself when I had the GT3 front bumper and rear spoiler installed. The paint shop had to do the job twice because the first time they worked with the factory colour and it didn't match the car. The second time they custom-mixed the paint and nailed the colour perfectly.

[Tool Pants]

Porsche sells the grills. When the front of my car was hit and the bumper cover replaced the body shop replaced them. They turn a white or gray with age.

The shop will want your car to match the paint, to the paint that is on the car. The 2 shops I have used simply do not make up a color from the color code alone. Batches of paint differ. Suppliers differ. Finland vs. Germany. They take the color code and then use it as a guide to adjust it to what is actually on the car.

The 2 shops I have used over the years made a perfect match on my artic silver, which is said to be a difficult color to match. One shop used Sherwin-Williams. The other used Silkkens. An article in Panorama said Porsche uses Dupont. Dupont has been buying up other paint companies so who knows.

Your body shop sounds like they know what they are doing.