Styling Bossa Nova White Paint Codes

[Alk15]

Hi all, long time lurker but new member to the forum and new to the 500. I picked my late 2013 500 up last month and a week later my Dad swapped his '07 Grande Punto for an Abarth, they had their first wash at the weekend and noticed a lot of small stone chips, obviously nothing unexpected for a car 2 years old and the state of the roads here in Lincolnshire!


I have ordered a paint pen from Fiat Accessories, 268/A Bossa Nova White, but having looked at my paint code, it is just Bianco Bianco 268. I am under the impression that this is also Bossa Nova White, but when parked together my Dad's Abarth is creamier than my car, which has the paint code 268/A Bossa Nova White.


I also can not for the life of me find a touch up pen for just 268. Obviously the pen I have on order will work on the Abarth, but will it match mine?


I'm not expecting a flawless finish, but I at least want it to match. Now winter is coming here in the UK I don't want to risk anything with salt and snow around!


Also, when applying, do I need any primer or any other materials? As I see they don't mention it on the Fiat site.

 

[306maxi]

They are the same colour code.

 

[Alk15]

Thank you for confirming! I believed they were, but it was just worrying seeing our cars parked together and them looking so different to one another.

 

[typecastboy]

I had this problem when I bought a new bumper on eBay that was painted to code. I gave the name and the colour and when it turned up it was a creamier white and looked awful on the car. I queried it and according to everyone on here it's just two names for the same colour for different markets. I went back to the supplier and he said they are not the same and he had painted it in the wrong colour. I sent it back and he repainted it and it was then perfect.

It seems that if you do it by code it's pot luck, if you do it by name you get the right colour,

Many on here will say I am talking nonsense but this was my experience

 

[306maxi]

That's because you are talking nonsense. My bumper is creamier than my body panels.

 

[Alk15]

This is what I am worried about as I believe I actually read your topic when searching about this. My Dad's Abarth looks the same as mine in some areas but creamier in other lights.


His definitely says 268/A and mine just 268 but both are Bianco Bianco on the plate, but there is definitely a difference. You can't buy just 268, which I think is very bizarre as well.

 

[306maxi]

Alk15, have a read of that thread again, everyone aside from Typecastboy agreed that they are the same colour. Google for 268/a bianco bianco and you'll see that comes up too.....

 

[Alk15]

I will do, I am aware they are the same colour as far as Fiat and the general consensus are concerned but the two cars do look different side by side, whilst I know that there's a 99% chance that there won't be a problem, it does worry me a bit seeing how creamy the Abarth looks compared to my bright white lounge.


Also, I am wondering if any primer will be needed with these touch up pens? I mentioned it in my original post, but Fiat don't mention any need for it.


I'm not very clued up on paint and tarting stuff up to be fair.

 

[306maxi]

Alk15, have a read of that thread again, everyone aside from Typecastboy agreed that they are the same colour. Google for 268/a bianco bianco and you'll see that comes up too.....

Cars are always going to come out of the factory in various different (albeit close) shades of the same colour. If you're concerned about a good colour match then a competent body shop is the place to go. It'll cost more, but it'll be far better. Unless done perfectly, touch up pens tend to look a bit crap.

 

[306maxi]

I will do, I am aware they are the same colour as far as Fiat and the general consensus are concerned but the two cars do look different side by side, whilst I know that there's a 99% chance that there won't be a problem, it does worry me a bit seeing how creamy the Abarth looks compared to my bright white lounge.


Also, I am wondering if any primer will be needed with these touch up pens? I mentioned it in my original post, but Fiat don't mention any need for it.


I'm not very clued up on paint and tarting stuff up to be fair.

Is your car cleaner and has it been clayed or waxed more recently than your dads? You'll be surprised at how much less creamy it looks when perfectly clean and with a layer of wax on it.

 

[Noxide]

We've 3 Fiats in the same colour code and each appear ever so slightly different.

Gonna have to give them all a good clean/polish and see if that evens it up.

 

[Alk15]

They were both cleaned at the same time with the same stuff, that's what brought out the colour difference more, we thought it had been waxed differently or something but now that's been cleaned off it is definitely creamier. Obviously we aren't new to Fiats at all and they're ever so slightly variations of the same colour having owned Puntos for many years, but this worried me as they are so noticeably different!

My paint has arrived and I'll be going up to my Dad's at the weekend so we can have a go with it and see if it matches both cars. From looking at it it actually looks more like mine in the tube than the Abarth.

 

[typecastboy]

So how do you explain when the bloke who actually paints cars for a living admitted he painted it in the wrong colour and redid it perfectly ?

 

[306maxi]

When you sent him a chunk of the other bumper to colour match it to.....

 

[typecastboy]

When you sent him a chunk of the other bumper to colour match it to.....

Yes that's true, I did, but he admitted it was his mistake that it was painted in the wrong colour!

 

[306maxi]

And do you actually know why he painted it wrong?

 

[jrkitching]

Interestingly when I ordered a BNW touch up pen for the Panda from Chris@souls, he asked me for the car's VIN, in his words, 'so that I can be sure I send you the right one for your particular car'.

That suggests to me there may be more than one shade of BNW touch up pen out there, but I can't find any internet reference to anything other than 268/A.

White is a surprisingly difficult colour to match. Even if a competent professional bodyshop do a proper job of blending in an invisible repair, there's no way of guaranteeing it won't stand out like the proverbial after a few years of weathering.

After standing out in the elements for awhile, the chances of any car being exactly the same shade as it left the factory are slim - and many BNW Fiats leave the factory with the bumpers a slightly different shade to the rest of the car.

 

[306maxi]

But a good parts person will always do that. Means there's no comeback.

 

[Alk15]

Well I will be painting it at the weekend. I understand different conditions effect the paint, and yes my bumpers are slightly different to the rest of the car which is normal anyway, as they look creamy like the Abarth does.


Searching the internet they do not sell a 268 touch up pen, so that leads me to believe they are in fact the same colour. with such small chips I highly doubt that it will make much odds as they won't be any more noticeable than the metal shining through anyway.

 

[jrkitching]

But a good parts person will always do that. Means there's no comeback.

I've known Chris a long time and he was quite specific that there are two distinct shades of BNW. But I still can't find a paint reference other than 268/A.