Appreciation post for double checking the blend time on a 3-stage paint job

I was doing a pearl white on a 2023 Camry last Thursday and almost just trusted the mixing system timer like usual. Then I remembered the last time I did a metallic silver, the flakes looked all wrong because I let it spin too long. So I set a separate phone timer for exactly 30 seconds less than the machine said. The color came out perfect, no striping or weird shimmer in the final coat. My buddy at the shop next door said he never bothers and just uses the default, then wonders why he gets comebacks. Has anyone else noticed the mixing time throwing off your match?

3 comments

3 Comments

thompson.nathan11d ago

You seen that on the high-end pearls too? A buddy of mine runs a shop and he swears by cutting 45 seconds off anything with fine mica. Says the extra spin time just beats the particles flat. I started doing 60 second max on any three-stage pearl or metallic. Had a Honda blue pearl last year that the machine wanted 2 minutes on. Pulled it at 1 minute flat and the match was flawless. That 30-45 second window really is the difference between a perfect blend and a re-do.

dianal9411d ago

Dude, the machine almost screwed me on a pearl white for a '22 Accord last month. It wanted 2 minutes 15 seconds but I've learned the hard way that anything over 1 minute 45 seconds on pearl makes the mica sink and clump. I set a separate beeping timer for exactly 90 seconds and the match was dead on, no weird separation in the clear. Some shops just run the default and wonder why their pearls have that patchy, streaky look in direct sun. It's crazy how those extra seconds can totally wreck a flake orientation.

cora_scott7711d ago

Right, because who needs a perfect pearl finish when the factory software knows everything, right? My mixing machine told me 2 minutes for a silver once and it came out looking like a glitter bomb exploded on a school project. Set my own timer for 90 seconds and it was spot on. The machine is great until it decides you need to overwork the metallic flakes into submission.