A cutting edge spectro, such as PPG’s DigiMatch, is a precision scientific instrument, which is designed to read six angles of reflectance, as well as use its inbuilt digital colour camera to gather data from six imaging angles which can then be fed to the VisualizID 3D colour visualisation software. Even fine scratches and small surface imperfections will disrupt the way the light reflects and make it difficult for the spectro to get a true reading. In basic terms, the cleaner and glossier the paint surface being measured, the more accurate the reading will be. A quick rub with some cutting compound and a microfibre cloth is nowhere near enough!
Start by choosing an area nearest to the refinish area and machine polish properly. For example, when doing a bumper, preferably polish both guards. Don’t skimp – follow the correct polishing process step-by-step, from a coarse pad and compound through to a black pad and fine compound. MIRKA Polarshine has an excellent polish system that makes this easy and effective. Wipe with a micro-fibre cloth to avoid adding scratches to the surface and, between each step, make sure to clean with a water / methylated spirits mix, such as PPG’s SWX250 Water-Methylated Spirits Cleaner which comes premixed and ready to go. Finally, you can enhance the gloss even more (especially with dark colours) by applying something like Polarshine Liquid Nano Wax.
It’s about spending a little time to save a lot of potential lost time. Spending an extra five minutes to do the correct polishing steps can easily save you 30 minutes or more of colour matching time and significantly reduces the risk of rework due to colour issues.