You should really get your eyes checked. I also have a Blizzard Pearl 'V at home, and depending on the lighting, it can look as though every bend in the body is a different shade. In Reality, they are all the same, but the shadows really showcase this car in bright light. The bumpers, mirrors, and all other body panels match very nicely, and are all the same shade.
The problem with Blizzard Pearl (and metallics in general) is matching the color. The blend of the paint is critical, but also critical is the application. If the metallic flakes in the paint is not applied at the same angle or density of the original paint, the reflective qualities change. This can be affected by the air pressure used in the sprayer, the settling of the metallic flakes in the paint canister as the paint is applied, the clear coat depth application can change the ablges. That's why the colors do not match. I had a diamond silver Audi which was involved in a accident. After repairs, the car had four shades of silver, from diamond silver to a light gray silver....
The bumper will always be a slightly different shade. It's usually not noticeable and you really have to be staring at it at the right angle to notice the shade difference. I believe it's because of the fact that the bumper is plastic vs. the metal (steel or aluminium) body. Both our Titanium Silver Camry, Silver Opalescent Corolla and Tideland Pearl Prius have different shaded bumpers but again, it's hard to notice.
I had a plain white car, it turned "gray" evenly and when I washed it you could see how dirty it was. I can't speak to how often you need to clean a pearlized white paint job. I have a neighbor who damaged his wife's lexus (pearl white) and had to pay quite a bit more money to have the paint touched up because of the pearl white paint job (echoing what others have said about needing to get the metallics right etc). Beautiful color, especially in the sun.
Really? Then why are all of the Prius fleet/county/city cars (at least here in CA) white? Silver is a timeless classic color. Blizzard happens to be my color choice at present; that may change when I actually buy one next year...or not. I have owned several white cars, but none were peal white. I would get it with the dark grey interior though. I sat in one with light grey interior and it was a bit light of a color for me.
I'm sorry, but I am just telling you what I saw on that one particular car. The gentleman checking out the Priuses on Sunday commented on it first. I get these same type of comments from my husband when trying to pick out paint for a room. "Those 3 colors of tan are different?!?" LOL
One more reason for Blizzard Pearl: I haven't washed the car in 2-3 weeks, it's been lightly rained upon (enough to set dust), and yesterday, we had a dust storm which left a layer of dirt all over the car (note the windshield). From a distance, the car still looks great (though the dust covered black moon-roof is a dirt giveaway).
Any body shop worth it's salt as they say should have no problems matching up the paint. My present car is a metallic grey and when I had a door replaced the paint matched perfect after the clear coat faded. I asked about this when I picked up the car, the door was slightly lighter. The owner said wait about six months and you will not be able to see a difference. He was right you can't even tell the door was painted 350K miles and 20 years later than the rest of the car. Yes a three step paint is a little more work but if the painter knows what he doing and is up with the latest technology and techniques he will have no problems matching up the color.
Many times when a quality body shop repairs a car with pearlized paint they will blend in the pearl paint on adjacent panels and then clear over the whole repair. This makes the repair almost invisible. John
Ah, would they also do that if you only needed to get painted that separate part on the back where the 'Toyota' and 'Prius' badge have been pinned to?
Which color did you choose? I had the same dilemma--Blizzard Pearl or Classic Silver. I liked the monochromatic look of Classic Silver with the wheels--very futuristic, but I opted for the Blizzard Pearl. At night it looks silvery--very cool. Either color is great. My perfect Prius color combo would be Classic Silver with Bisque interior--love the silver/tan combo in cars.
I originally wanted the dark gray or the Barcelona red, my dealer only had 12 Prius. 10 Blizzard and 2 top of the line silver. Blizzard was my third choice and now that choice was made for me as I didn't want to wait for them to get different colors in. Let me tell you, I don't regret it one bit. The pearl color is awesome, all kinds of cool. It hides dirt and easy to maintain. Both bumpers are indeed a somewhat different color. Upon closer inspection, they have a protective film, I assume that is what makes the color look different. Luis
Blizzard Pearl does get dirty and needs to be washed often but it's worth it once it clean. Plus, I have seen more Blizzard Pearl around my area than any other color.
My two cents? Get what you like the best. Get what you want to live with the most. I just got a new Black vehicle. Some people (a lot of people) hate black because it IS difficult to maintain. But I think you have to get what you like the best. If washing and waxing and maintenance is a huge priority and you do not like doing it? Then factor that in to your decision. I've actually heard that Blizzard Pearl is good at hiding dirt. It is all just kind of P.O.V. . For example, people will complain that keeping black clean looking is difficult...and it's true. Black hides nothing...so almost anything shows. But my P.O.V. is that when black is clean? It's REALLY clean. To me it looks great, when it is looking great. The rest of the time? It's dusty...so what? Plus I enjoy, find washing relaxing...so I allow for periods of dustiness and enjoy a quick wash for sunny weekends. My rambling point being, get what you want. Don't make a decision based on convienence only...or fear that color matching in the future in an as of yet unrealized scenario might be difficult. Most reputable body shops, are very skilled at color matching...or they should be...and again IMO you can deal with that problem if and when it ever occurs. But I actually think getting a color you like is a very important part of car ownership because you can clean and maintain as much or as little as you wish, and you can re-paint or match shades if and when you have to, BUT what you have to live with is what you see every time you approach your vehicle and drive it, and if it's a color you don't like and/or wasn't your #1 choice, you will never feel as good about it as you could. Don't compromise and get the color you want, based on your desires...be it ease of maintenance of purely visual or a combination of the two.
My last Prius was a 2007 Touring Edition In BLACK, now THAT was a car that showed every single speck of dirt. I find the Blizzard Pearl less offensive when slightly dirty. Modern high gloss clear coat car finishes ALL show dirt prominently, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. There just isn't all that much difference, a dirty car is always a dirty car. . . . Untill its washed.
