SkipSauls

I've searched the archives but can't find anything on this topic, but I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about as it seems that it shows up frequently in 928 pictures. The rear bumper on my 928 is a slightly different shade than the rest of the car, and it doesn't appear that this can be fixed or masked easily. Here's a few shots that demonstrate the difference:



The front bumper matches well enough, and it and the rest of the car match my '96 993 that is also Guards Red. I've tried an orbital buffer with cleaners, polishes, etc., but nothing I do seems to make the rear bumper match any better. Has anyone dealt with this issue, and if so what did you do?

Thanks!

<img src="graemlins/drink.gif" border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" />

Jim V

Skip,

Cool wheels; where did they come from??

As far as the bumper I don't think you've got any
options other than having it re-painted.
Look for a first line body shop and be sure they
use the best paint available, it's probably taken
some light damage in the past and cheap paint would fade to a different color over time - especially reds.

SkipSauls

Hi Jim,

The wheels and tires came straight off of my '01 Boxster, which recently got a set of '02 996 18" wheels and tires for track use. The tires on the 928 were worn, especially the rears, so I put the Boxster set on to see how they do. The fronts are a bit narrower (205 vs. 225) and the rears are a bit wider (255 vs. 245), but the car rides and handles well with them. I'll probably put 225s on the front anyway as I've been told that it's "under-tired" as it is now.

Here are the wheels on both cars:



I think they look better on the 928!

I figured as much on having the thing painted, but wanted to check to see if there was some sort of "miracle cure" for the fading.

Thanks!

Eric R

Skip:

If the fading is due to an oxidation process, you might be able to "compound" it out. Speak to a professional detailer to see if it can be done. Might be satisfactory and cheaper.

E

Nicole

If you have a color differrence, the cover has most likely been repainted. (same on my car). the question is why...

If you have it repainted, make sure they remove the cover, and replace the black beading carefully. Don't have them mask it off - it might chip at the next little impact.

My local body shop guy insists on using German made and mixed paint for Mercedes and Porsche cars (he's done restaurations of $200k 60ies Mercedes SL convertibles). He says the US paint doesn't have the same chemicals and won't last nearly as long. I don't know what brand he uses, or what the exact difference is, though.

Just keep in mind that red paint fades the most - I think that's because of the way the red pigments handle UV rays. Here in CA you see lots of faded red cars. Especially, I notice that repainted areas on red cars seem to fade much more than the rest of the cars. I can only assume that this has to do with a difference in paint quality between factory and repair...

Jim V

Good advise about removing the cover Nicole.

While it's off it would be good to check the actual bumper and the mounts for damage.

With just the cover having been repainted I would assume a very light hit or more likely cosmetic damage such as backing into the garbage cans or mailbox post.

I've been told that Porsche OEM was Glasurit paint, made by BASF. Not sure if that's true but
it is very good paint.