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Ok so I still have some work on my car , then im going to take it to a shop to get painted. What I want is a nice blue color that will stand out, nothing too dark or too light. I was thinking maybe the 350z blue color or mazda6 blue color, or something like that.

Also I want to get a kandy color to make it look alot nicer, but im open to ideas.

Thanks.

Kandy colors will cost a good bit more since they are harder to paint. I'd stick with a standard color that will be easier to keep a good shine on. Also, I'd suggest looking at paint chips at the paint shop to decide on a color. They will have alot more blues than 350Z or M6 and you might find something that looks great and you won't likely see on another car.

yeah go to local paint shop and ask to see (Honda) Fiji Blue ...everytime I spray this color it looks awesome and sporty

The Mazda 6 blue is more teal. The 350Z blue is too purple for me.

I'm painting my MX3 the blue off the new Miata and RX8. Called Winning Blue Mica. I've had the paint for a couple months, but the body work is taking me a god awful long time.

Other blues I like are the new Honda Fit (Vivid Blue Pearl), the silverish baby blue off the Mini Cooper S (2002-2004), (this may sound stupid) but the blue off the Suzuki Aerio SX (Techno Blue).

And as far as Candy costing more .... the labor will be more, but the actual paint is fairly cheap because you'd be using off-the-shelf colors. House of Color candys are $40 a quart, and the bases are $25 a quart. My Winning Blue from Valspar (same company as House of Kolor) was $55 a quart. Custom mix paints are pricey in blues. Whereas silver and blacks are cheapest. But if you're paying to get it done, the paint cost is the least of your worries, as the body work and labor are 80% of your cost.

Wow thats alot of good information. And when I find a paint color I like , how do I find the color code? Say If I want the blue RX8 color, do i go to the dealer and ask them the color code then bring it to my paint shop?

Anyone else got any color suggestions?

fabmxer wrote:Wow thats alot of good information. And when I find a paint color I like , how do I find the color code? Say If I want the blue RX8 color, do i go to the dealer and ask them the color code then bring it to my paint shop?

I did a Google Search with the official paint color name and the words 'paint code'. Found the actual code on a Miata site. If the color is a couple years old, there was an automotive paint website that you could search for the paint code on. I think it was PPG's site if memory serves. Maybe BASF. One of those two.

Here's some pics of a MX-3 in the Mazda 6 Strato Blue:
http://www.mazdamx-3.nl/members/member_show.php?id=272

These sites might help you find the color codes:

http://www.cyclecolor.com/id26.htm

http://www.color-rite.com/

mx almere wrote:Here's some pics of a MX-3 in the Mazda 6 Strato Blue:
http://www.mazdamx-3.nl/members/member_show.php?id=272

That's too purple. That's why it took me so long to find a color. Too many car's blues had either too much purple or too much green. Only a few blues I've found to actually be a true blue with no hints of other pigments in it.

Rx-8 Blue?

Nd4SpdSe wrote:Rx-8 Blue?

That's the Winning Blue Mica I was talking about.

I painted my car the Daytona Blue Effect off of the 350Z. Here is a pic from when it was done:

93MX3SpecialEdition wrote:I painted my car the Daytona Blue Effect off of the 350Z. Here is a pic from when it was done:

Looks good. Now you need lowering springs and a front chin spoiler.

jschrauwen wrote:I'm of the persuasion that unless all of the door jams, hatch jam and the engine bay is also painted to colour match than I always recommend that the MX get painted the original oem colour. Nothing more gawdy than openning up a door or the front hood and seeing a completely different colour. It takes everything away from an otherwise posssible great paint job. The only other alternative i could see would be to use the oem colour as a base and jazz it up slightly with a pearlescent or light sparkle fleck so that it's not noticeably removed from the jams or engine bay.
My $.02

agreed

jschrauwen wrote:I'm of the persuasion that unless all of the door jams, hatch jam and the engine bay is also painted to colour match than I always recommend that the MX get painted the original oem colour. Nothing more gawdy than openning up a door or the front hood and seeing a completely different colour. It takes everything away from an otherwise posssible great paint job. The only other alternative i could see would be to use the oem colour as a base and jazz it up slightly with a pearlescent or light sparkle fleck so that it's not noticeably removed from the jams or engine bay.
My $.02

Depends on how big a color change you're doing. My car is already medium blue. I'm doing the jams, but I'm only going into the engine bay enough to get the entire face of the fender panels. It's not a big enough change to warrant painting the engine bay.

Also, a black engine bay you wouldn't really need to paint no matter what color you chose for the exterior.

But you don't want like a red engine bay and then paint your car green or something. That would be horrific.