This may have been asked before, but I couldn’t find an answer... My 04 sedan's side molding (horizontal strip along side) appears to be a different shade of body color. On shaded side it looks much darker, but on sunny side it's almost a match. A local body shop was trying to tell me they were both different as if one had been replaced, but I explained that they look the same depending on which side light is coming from. But it is definitely a different color than body.

Anyway, I've looked at pics of other sedans and it looks like they all have this (off color) illusion. It is normal right?

 

Yeah. Normal but not right. My dealer said that is just the way it is. Other dealer have painted them for owners. I will not press the issue as the only resolution is paint and I don't want them painted. Painted panels splinter too easily and will just cause more problems in the future imo.

 

My OB matches!?

 

Well, not all colors are affected. You see it more on the lighter colors certainly. OCG - do a search and you will see what others have done. I think some have taken the excuse to go aftermarket! My SS is certainly different. Oh well, took this forum for me to even notice it - but now that I do!

 

Thanks for the responses... I spoke to dealer after I posted this and they concurred that it is normal. The explanation is that the paint color is actually a little different since they paint separately from car.

My gripe is the color matched mud flaps are obviously painted separate too... and even thought there is a slight deviation from body color; it's not as noticeable as the body moldings. Oh well... just something I have to deal with.

 

Yeah I looked at the flaps too. As far as I am concerned everything is pretty much right except for the sideskirts. Oh well.

I read somewhere on this forum about an actual mismatch noted by Nissan for those panels for certain colors. Dealer will never say and probably never know.

 

I have this crap on my coupe too. It's IP so I can see the difference. Anyone take that crap OFF the car? Is it just double sided taped on? Can it be taken off with a heat gun, then buffed? Does a body shop need to do it???