Paint Codes

[Lewis's Friend]

Hi, can someone tell me where the paint code is on an s3? I take it it's one of the codes on the main build plate inter the bonnet, but can someone point out which one?

I'm guessing on cars this early it's not a TVR specific colour?

Thanks as always

[v8s4me]

It is, but they can be a bit unreliable so if you're going to order paint you would be better off taking the car to the paint supplier. Definitely don't bother with the Halfords paint code matching service!

[AutoAndy]

I thought mine was on the man plate on the bulk head if I remember correctly....not that it did me much good.

If you do find it, it is worth checking the the paint codes and the alternative paint codes wikis on the general TVR forum....As I said, it didnt help me, so I looked at google images of cars a similar colour made at the same time to see whose colour TVR nicked....Thought mine was British Racing Green, but turned out to be colour called Brooklands Racing Green that Jaguar used on their XJs for about 1 year in the early 1990's....Good luck

[Adrian@]

Edited from my post on the classics forum,
The current position..
The mix will be specific to the paint manufacture and will not work with another manufactures system, adding paint basics and then tint in Milligrams to match the read out that the spectrometer will have created....when I was a kid there was a time served paint 'matcher' from each paint supplier who turned up with a collections of colour swatches and did this...he's gone... and NOW a kid with a spectrometer pops out takes 3 readings, creates a mean average of those readings and uploads it to a program, and this then gives you a 100% match, there is no codes, that colour match IS the colour of your car. I have them for all the cars I have painted in recent times and when my paint shop moved and changed their paint supplier those mixes were useless ...and the spectrometer will be used to create new mixes and these will take in to account the sun fade in the colour too!
Adrian@

[Lewis's Friend]

Thanks for all the replies, it's most helpful. Sounds like I need to find a paint supplier in my area with a spectrometer then!

[Adrian@]

OR take an interest in the paint shop you envisage using ...they have access to, even if the do not own a spectrometer ...they can get problems with paint matches whilst using modern water based paints and need to call in the paint suppliers own guys to help problem solve their 'in house' mixing, you just need to chat nicely to the owner/workshop manager, and ask them to call you when they next call out the guys to help them...
Adrian@

[Stwdv]

My S is BMW green and I proposing to give the front part of the bonnet a respray when the rebuild has finished.
I have bought some Cellulose paint to the colour code on the car, does anyone think I will have colour match problems ??
Thanks in advance

[S2Mike]

Its a large area to blend a match, good from the point of view of feathering the colour but rather a large area to hide a blending in of the paint, ( no small obscure areas to lose an edge. ) with the baking heat of the underside of the bonnet , using blending clear lacquer to seal the top coat, may be problematic as well.
It may be better to paint the whole bonnet and feather/blend in the colour match on the lower front wings.