Over the past several months, blend panels have been the center of controversy for collision repairers all across the country. This issue has been brought to the Society of Collision Repair Specialists' (SCRS) attention, not only by several of our members but also at a recent Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting.
The questions delineated below, and their subsequent answers, should not only provide some clarity but also assist the industry in resolving potential problems before they arise.
MOTOR: Blending may be necessary for adjacent body components to avoid noticeable color variation between newly applied paint and the existing paint of adjacent components or areas.
Trevethan Enterprises: Blending or a partial basecoat application may be necessary to facilitate color match in adjacent panels. This includes the proper application of clearcoat to manufacturer specifications.
Also, it is important to independently assess the procedural steps required when refinishing a vehicle from the labor times necessary to perform those steps and that both of these items should be evaluated independently from the costs or materials needed during the operation.
The following is an example of what some have inaccurately considered a blend panel: A fender has a small dent in the front of the panel. After being properly repaired, the refinish technician prepares the fender for paint. During the refinish process, the technician blends the basecoat such that color does not reach the rear portion of the fender and then applies clear to the entire panel. In this example, the fender is NOT a blend panel because it was damaged and you were not applying basecoat for color match purposes.
2. Does clear need to be applied to the entire panel or can it be blended?
SCRS contacted the paint manufacturers and requested a written response as to their recommendations. In summary, a proper repair entails applying clearcoat over the entire panel. Applying clearcoat to a portion (blending the clear) and melting in the edge is not warranteed. SCRS members can obtain a copy of the written response from Akzo Nobel, BASF, DuPont, PPG and Sherwin-Williams by contacting Linda Atkins, SCRS Administrator at (877) 841-0660 or e-mail at
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3. Insurers are being questioned for arbitrarily reducing the amount of refinish time provided in an estimating system on repaired panels because basecoat is not being applied to the entire panel. They claim that it is a "blend panel." Are they correct? What can I do to show them they are using the information incorrectly?
To further illustrate the issue, the repair facilities' estimating system provides three hours to refinish a fender. The fender has a dent at the front of the panel and is properly repaired by the body technician. The refinish technician has enough room to blend the basecoat on the fender so that blending an adjacent undamaged panel (such as the door) is not necessary.
As explained in the response to the first question, applying basecoat to a portion of a damaged panel and then applying clearcoat to the entire panel, does not qualify that panel as a "blend panel." Full refinish time applies. The refinish time should not be reduced because by definition, this is not a "blend panel." Based on that information, we believed it should be enough to address the issue. However, we decided to go a step further in investigating this matter. If times were being reduced, we wanted to understand how the insurers were coming up with the times they were suggesting.
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