WARNING: "Medium Prairie Tan" not the same from year to year

[the_tool_man]

Hi all:

I just got my tan dual sunvisors from Ebay. They were from a '97 EB with tan interior. However, they are not quite the same color as my '01 with tan interior, but slightly "redder". Does anybody know when Ford changed the color? It's not different enough to show up in pictures, but it is obviously a different color when viewed in person.

Regards,
John.

 

[Bronco638]

Any chance this might be related to the sun fading the color? You're talking about something that's now 7 years old as opposed to your 3 year old interior.

Just a thought - Dave.

 

[the_tool_man]

Hi Bronco638:

I suppose it's possible, but I doubt it. The color is actually a bit darker than mine. Usually, UV causes colors to shift toward yellow, not red. Of course, maybe that means that my interior has faded! If the '97 was kept in a garage and mine (just bought it used) was kept outside, that might be the case.

However, the fabric and plastic pieces on the ones I bought are all exactly the same color (even under the mirror lids). I would think sun fading would affect the plastic differently than the fabric, causing some color variation.

Regards,
John.

 

[410Fortune]

YES it is a well known fact that Ford changes the tint of their interiors from year to year.

I learned this a while back, installing 97 "Mocha" Eddie Bauer seats into a 88 Eddie Bauer truck = brown vs tan.
Every year is a little different, you have to be careful how you mix them.

Its not the sun, no two years have the same "tan" color

 

[MONMIX]

think about it, the massive amount of fabric that goes into just one model year down at the Ford plant. Spread that out over several years you can imagine the natural inconsitiancies in the dyeing process and so forth.

 

[410Fortune]

think about it, the massive amount of fabric that goes into just one model year down at the Ford plant. Spread that out over several years you can imagine the natural inconsitiancies in the dyeing process and so forth.

Yes but they do it on purpose
My interior is mostly 90 BII Eddie Bauer, partially 97 Eddie Bauer Explorer, some trim from 98, 99, 2000 models, lots of custom built stuff I made, and some original 88 stuff and some painted 88 stuff.
Its NOT easy getting a match, and actually even in a brand new truck the colors/shades are different. A little mis match may stick out like a sore thumb when you first install it, but it will blend in together, and you are the only person that will likely ever notice

 

[Hokie]

My ex GF's '96 XLT has a wierd dark brown with a slight reddish tint that he's probably describing... definately different than the other tan interior's that i've seen in explorers...

sorry to hear that you've fallen victim to a color mismatch :thumbdwn:

thank goodness i have the basic gray interior

 

[Bottomlesspit]

I have checked with Ford about this color thing and even they admit that they "shift" colors ever so slightly, if not a drastic change each year.
I put in my EB TAN leather seats from a 97 and it was close to my 99 colors. I just installed a leather rear seat set from a 96...dang, it's more of a brown color than tan. It shows up a little too much for my taste, but heck, perfect leather condition and they were only $50 on E-bay. I can live with that color for that price. I just say to people who notice that my interior is 'custom'!!!
Ken

 

[the_tool_man]

Thanks for all the quick replies:

I guess I'll put them in and see if I can live with it. If not, I can always keep looking for more from an '01.

FWIW, I work for a major US supplier of interior fabrics and nonwovens for Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, Toyota and Honda. All of the car makers have very strict requirements for color match on all interior materials. There is NO WAY that the color discrepancy I am seeing is due to normal process variation in the manufacturing of the parts.

Regards,
John.

 

[the_tool_man]

Update:

In case anyone else is interested, I just got another set of visors from a 2000. The color is the same as my '01, so I guess we can assume that at least '00 and '01 interior pieces are interchangable.

Regards,
John.