Hey all,

I went to look at new cars yesterday and really liked the Versa. The salesman showed me a new arrival (with out the B.S. $600 tint job or the $800 interior protection) and as I walked up to it I noticed a glaring flaw... the rear bumper was a completely different shade of red than the rest of the car. The front bumper did not have this problem. I was really upset about this as I had already made up my mind about getting the car. So I held off on buying it and checked out a Versa with the same color and it had the same problem! However, the red Versa next to it had a perfect bumper. So has anyone else noticed this problem? Or has the Ventura County area just recieved a bad batch?

I did notice this on my car, i think its because the dealer didn't remove the protective film correctly, or didnt wax it right. but the day i bought my car i waxed it and all was right again. and still lookin good. You should go back and take a little wax and see if its the same problem as what I had.----they are great cars.

I just realized the same thing on my light blue Versa today.

It's not actually that uncommon though. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the material that is sprayed, Because the bumpers are plastic, and the rest of the panels are metal, they take to paint and reflect a bit differently than the metal does. While the same colour paint is used on both parts, the materials under will change the colour a bit. I notice this with almost all cars, some it's easier to tell than others, and it also depends a lot on the lighting, side trim and spoilers are often a slightly different colour as well because they are plastic, and not metal.

-Legacy40k

Legacy40k wrote:Because the bumpers are plastic, and the rest of the panels are metal, they take to paint and reflect a bit differently than the metal does.

But it was hardly noticable on the front bumper. So that is what drove me to ask the question online. With "red alert" it was almost a beacon that drove your eyes to it. However, the other red versa on the lot looked fine. As erll as the white and black one. So now not only do I have to find the Versa with the options I want... but with matching bumpers too!

Nissan sure likes to make this complicated, don't they?

White and black are very different paints, non metallic flake for one, which is no doubt part of the reason they are more similar in colour, and its harder to notice with those colours.

The other red one you saw may well have different shades of red on each bumper as well, but it is very subjective to the lighting and angle of view (I find its easier to see from the back than the front)

Well I ended up with a Sentra specV in emerald blue. I tried to get a versa SL with a sunroof, convience, audio packages with a 6 speed... but it just wasn't to be had, and I couldn't keep waiting till the sunroof was available. But my specV has the audio package, sunroof, and the 6 speed, + the LSD! It was a bummer when I picked up the Sentra though, the dealer had a Versa SL in saphire blue with the audio, convience packages, but it had a CVT trans and no sunroof (big,big,big thing for me when buying a new car) parked right next to my sentra But my specV was only 19.3K out the door... almost the same as the versa I wanted.

What I got:bigger enginesportier handlingclose fitting front seatslimited slip differental

What I lost:MPG (though last trip netted 32mpg!)headroom (not for me, only 5'6")leg room for rear passengersunique lookbluetooth supportMP3 support

All in all I'm really happy with the specV and can't wait till the break-in peirod is over!

Thanks guys!

BTW, I'm sure the sentra has the same issue with the paint, however the bumper lines are pretty much at right angles and I can't notice it. Must be how the bumper on the Versa tucks up in the rear and rises high along the contours on the sides.

i noticed all the versas have tape marks on the front bumper specially around where the fog light covers/lower grill are.and also noticed on mine there is a paint flaw/piece of dirt under the paint on the roof towards the tail gate around the long moldings going back.check yours!also a big buff mark on my l/r door,i guess the prep center scratched it and held the buffer on the spot for too long.