The Inferno Red Mystery..

**RCThunder** · 10-21-2004, 10:10 AM

Ok, I know it has been talked about before. I saw a new Magnum in the new red to me, seeing it on the side of the road, was night and day. Looked more darker - more like maroon.

All the ads have the Inferno Red and it appears that is gone. Was this a special low production to increase some uniqueness and early value for the lucky ones? Or a messup? I am sure many new buyers want the car in the red in the ads but won't be able to....

Strange indeed!

**oroblram69** · 10-21-2004, 10:33 AM

,,, or maybe it was cheaper, or maybe the switched companies b/c it was cheaper.

**o_swas** · 10-21-2004, 01:43 PM

I'm not sure if this is actually true, but here's the story I heard -- can't remember if I heard it FROM bramptonassembly.com or maybe DCX Customer Service....

Supposedly Inferno Red did not store well for long periods of time, almost as if the paint went "bad" if it wasn't soon applied to a vehicle. Since Inferno Red has a roughly $225 premium, it wasn't as popular as the other colors, and thus wasn't used as fast. Since it wasn't used as fast, some of it would go bad and have to be thrown out. DCX could purchase less paint FROM the supplier (PPG?) but then the paint would cost more due to diminished volume discounts.

Blaze Red apparently does not have any of these problems, thus the change over to Blaze Red and its supplier (DuPont?).

**dansk** · 10-21-2004, 01:46 PM

The story I have been able to glean FROM varoius posts on 5 different forums is that DC started with the tinted clear coat, which has a short shelf life once it is mixed. When production started and the demand for these cars was over anything they expected, they switched paint suppliers and fell back on the red that they have now. Unfortunately, the communication was not made clear to their outside heated mirror supplier, who paints the mirrors before shipping them to DC. This caused a delay in Red RT's that broke loose just as the RT demand was at it's peak.

**Vaderwagon** · 10-21-2004, 02:11 PM

They should have offered the car in Flame Red. That would be a more "sporty" performance type color to go along with the colors of the Ram, Viper ETC. Just my $.02 worth.

**RCThunder** · 10-21-2004, 02:17 PM

Good points...

**analyte** · 10-21-2004, 07:05 PM

Some people got bits of it,

1. Tinted clearcoat has a poor shelf life once loaded INTO a paint system and with Inferno Red only offered on Magnum its percentage of production was too low and the surcharge didn't help.

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

3. Repairs were also more difficult since the color is very film build dependent.

4. The change in colors had NOTHING to do with a change in paint suppliers. We are all able to supply the same colors based on standards provided by the automakers. This change was made due to reasons other than quality, appearance, material issues, or cost.

All red pigments are more expensive than other colors. The tinted clearcoat added to that cost. Therefore, the color is about the same price regardless of the paint supplier.

Kerry

**E8502** · 10-21-2004, 07:39 PM

Anyone have pictures of the new color so we can see then side by side??

**Ig-man** · 10-21-2004, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by analyte

Some people got bits of it,

1. Tinted clearcoat has a poor shelf life once loaded INTO a paint system and with Inferno Red only offered on Magnum its percentage of production was too low and the surcharge didn't help.

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

3. Repairs were also more difficult since the color is very film build dependent.

4. The change in colors had NOTHING to do with a change in paint suppliers. We are all able to supply the same colors based on standards provided by the automakers. This change was made due to reasons other than quality, appearance, material issues, or cost.

All red pigments are more expensive than other colors. The tinted clearcoat added to that cost. Therefore, the color is about the same price regardless of the paint supplier.

Kerry

Very good explanation. You sound like you have good "inside" information.

**AndyK** · 10-22-2004, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by analyte

Some people got bits of it,

1. Tinted clearcoat has a poor shelf life once loaded INTO a paint system and with Inferno Red only offered on Magnum its percentage of production was too low and the surcharge didn't help.

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

3. Repairs were also more difficult since the color is very film build dependent.

4. The change in colors had NOTHING to do with a change in paint suppliers. We are all able to supply the same colors based on standards provided by the automakers. This change was made due to reasons other than quality, appearance, material issues, or cost.

All red pigments are more expensive than other colors. The tinted clearcoat added to that cost. Therefore, the color is about the same price regardless of the paint supplier.

Kerry

Thanks for the clear and comprehensive information.

**05MagnumRT** · 10-22-2004, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by E8502

Anyone have pictures of the new color so we can see then side by side??

There were a couple of side by side picts posted by Tzar007 in this thread:
http://www.dodgemagnum.net/phpBB2/vi...ight=blaze+red

**Cal Jeff** · 10-22-2004, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by analyte

Some people got bits of it,

1. Tinted clearcoat has a poor shelf life once loaded INTO a paint system and with Inferno Red only offered on Magnum its percentage of production was too low and the surcharge didn't help.

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

3. Repairs were also more difficult since the color is very film build dependent.

4. The change in colors had NOTHING to do with a change in paint suppliers. We are all able to supply the same colors based on standards provided by the automakers. This change was made due to reasons other than quality, appearance, material issues, or cost.

All red pigments are more expensive than other colors. The tinted clearcoat added to that cost. Therefore, the color is about the same price regardless of the paint supplier.

Kerry

This sounds like a very good partial explaination. What is lacking is the reason the colors were changed.

**analyte** · 10-22-2004, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Cal Jeff

Originally Posted by analyte

Some people got bits of it,

1. Tinted clearcoat has a poor shelf life once loaded INTO a paint system and with Inferno Red only offered on Magnum its percentage of production was too low and the surcharge didn't help.

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

3. Repairs were also more difficult since the color is very film build dependent.

4. The change in colors had NOTHING to do with a change in paint suppliers. We are all able to supply the same colors based on standards provided by the automakers. This change was made due to reasons other than quality, appearance, material issues, or cost.

All red pigments are more expensive than other colors. The tinted clearcoat added to that cost. Therefore, the color is about the same price regardless of the paint supplier.

Kerry

This sounds like a very good partial explaination. What is lacking is the reason the colors were changed.

uhh....I guess I don't understand your question Jeff. I gave the reasons for the switch, but if you need the definite, true reason for the switch it is:

2. The automation equipment used at Brampton had issues with incomplete purges in the clearcoat zone. This is turn caused cross contamination of the two clearcoats, tinted and non-tinted.

All the other reasons could be dealt with as they were/are at other plants. The automation purge issue could not be corrected and the only true way to solve the problem would have been to install newer equipment, a very costly option for a problem with only one color. Therefore, the best answer was to just change the color to something close(opinion based) that could use the same clear as the other colors to avoid the purging issue.

Hope this helps clear it up...

Kerry

**OA-5599** · 10-22-2004, 06:15 PM

So, stupid question, assume that since this was an equipment issue, the availability of the paint itself should be good, right?

**Cal Jeff** · 10-22-2004, 06:36 PM

If I get this the tinted clear coat in the Inferno red was the problem DC changed to Blaze Red Crystal Pearl coat. So the question should be if any paint supplier can make any color why change FROM the inferno red part and just switch to the pearl coat