Motobase LV Color Match

H

hoodun

Has anyone used the Motobase LV from Automotive Arts? How wass the paint match?

I just sprayed a hood and the color is off the factory color. Its drastically darker, not even close. More of a british racing green than a brooklands green which is what it should be. Either the color was mixed wrong or the paint just does not match well. I have used Nason, Prospray, and Matrix all on this car and never had an issue with matching.
 
Hard to tell without all the info but my guess mixed wrong. Maybe Chad will chime in. Just did a 2012 Nissan code LAE in Wanda and very close and blendable match BUT first time the jobber send out a terrible way off match.................the part time driver mixed it in a jam . So maybe a jobber mess up,send it back.
 
If I recall properly, there were a number of shades of British green over the years, it was actually brought up on one of the restoration shows about a year ago but not sure.
 
I have used it on a couple of cars now. One was a very difficult color to match and the Motobase LV was nearly dead on where PPG and BASF weren't even close.
 
hoodun said:
Has anyone used the Motobase LV from Automotive Arts? How wass the paint match?

I just sprayed a hood and the color is off the factory color. Its drastically darker, not even close. More of a british racing green than a brooklands green which is what it should be. Either the color was mixed wrong or the paint just does not match well. I have used Nason, Prospray, and Matrix all on this car and never had an issue with matching.
Click to expand...

If you used the other paints on this car with no issues why are you using something else, that's just silly using so many differant paints on the same car, if you had one that was good the first time why change?
 
I originally used Pro Spray, had a solvent issue. Sanded it down and bought Nason since it was local. Matched perfect but didnt cover well. It needed many coats. Car was hit again on the side door. I purchased a batch of Matrix for the door and it matched perfectly. Also painted the bumper a while back with spray paint from scratch masters and it was a passable match(near perfect) . No one could notice. Car was hit by a cab (this is a city car) and I repainted the front fender and hood with Motobase since shop closed down and the guy no longer has Prospray. He recommended Motobase when I gave him the color code and said it was amazing.

I stupidly just sprayed it and buffed it before removing the plastic. Thinking it just had to be close enough. Its a daily driver city car. I'm not very picky which is why I buffed before even removing the plastic. I saved some paint in case a blend was needed but its so far off its not blend-able. I really do not care if its a slightly different shade. I was just looking for somewhat close. This though is like a completely different color code. Correct color on the top -- motobase LV match on the bottom. It was hard to see in the garage...

IMG_20170505_174846.jpg


Went to a local matrix supplier and they mixed a quart. I didnt mention the color difference. The guy walked out and looked at a small run of paint on the side of the motobase qt I brought with me (I asked him to give me something of the same quality).

He walked back and forth 3 times looking at the small paint run. Then he brings out the color he made and explained to me that it was a different color. I told him that is why I was there. I asked him how it could be so far off and he explained the amount of colors that Matrix has. I can only assume at this point that Motobase does not have the amount of colors to match paint well. Though its a solid dark green color that is easily matched. Perhaps the person that sold it to me just sent me some left over paint. Hfb 753 is the code it should have been instead I received a generic british racing green. Also, it required 1/2 gallon of mixxed paint to cover the 600 grit scratches in the hood. Paint covered well but did not fill the scratches well at all.

So I have to sand the entire hood and fender down since it now has too much paint. Also didnt realize until I buffed it all... Friggin nightmare and costly. Lesson learned, I will never expect paint to match again no matter how much I pay for it or how well reviewed it is. Also, will never consider buying paint online again. It makes no sense to do so.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Man you and I are opposite ends of this issue.
I have painted at least 10 vehicles all with paint purchased online and a couple of cars where I bought the paint locally.
Most of my projects are painted with SPI epoxy, 2k and Euro Clear - all ordered from a far.
I have bought ProSpray and now Motobase from Chad giving him color codes and they matched every time:
This is a 1998 Town and Country pearl white tri-stage that I painted the bumper only without blending.
ColorMatch.jpg


Needed an Ebony black to match the paint on the hood of this truck, Chad came through again:
Colorwithflash.jpg

TruckFrontAfter.jpg


I could go on but the point is there is nothing wrong with Motobase LV and I would say it is at least three steps better quality than Nason, Omni or Shopline brands they charge almost the same price for locally. Coverage is great and it is shipped right to my door.
 
I still go back to the Jobber or who ever mixed it wrong. Most of the lines of paint come in pretty close to a blendable match
 
I still go back to the Jobber or who ever mixed it wrong. Most of the lines of paint come in pretty close to a blendable match

Wasn't going to mention it, but I bought it from Chad. I know he is highly regarded here which is why I find it so confusing. The paint looks amazing as far as coverage. There is no transparency at all.

I think he may have matched it to the Pro Spray I purchased years ago, which may have been different because I told him I was painting the entire car, but that doesn't make perfect sense because that should have been matched to the code too. Who knows. I'm an amateur so I really do not know. I can only assume matching paint by color code is not as easy as it sounds.

I'm blaming myself for not checking first. Im sure he would have taken it back, however at this point Id be sending a mostly empty can... I also would of had to wait... Could of been a communication problem. The can only said HFB not HFB 753. It did say Brooklands green though.

I'm just sticking to the local place here in South San Francisco. The guy there can easily match the paint if I bring a panel(as most paint suppliers can). If there is an issue I just drive 10m and have it remedied.

Clear coat does not have the issue of matching. I will continue to order clear coat online.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I personally know 2 people who used to sell/mix auto paint. One had 40 years in the mixing room. Could have been one of the following or none of the following. Since paint is mixed by weight one extra drop of a color could have thrown color off. Also if not mixed good from bottom of can every time used what is left over could be off from what was started with. Sometimes formulas are changed also. Who knows? It's anybody's guess. Spraying out a test panel first probably would have helped here. I know it takes extra time but could save time/labor later on. I know I hate to do it but I remind myself that I don't have time to redo it if not right. Hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top