What needs to be clarified
The task could assess whether the objects are suitable for comparison and which similarities or differences relate to the event being examined. Matching colour must be distinguished from the layer sequence and material properties of a particular surface area.
Materials to prepare
- The fragments in their preserved packaging, with discovery, collection, movement and storage information.
- Pre-repair car photographs, a damage diagram, the repair order and records of replaced or repainted elements.
- Comparison materials identifying sampling location and time, together with available information about earlier repainting.
What to compare
- Whether every fragment and sample can be linked to a particular object and surface location.
- Which examined features belong to surviving earlier coating and which may result from the repair.
- Whether colour similarity, layer structure and other properties are assessed separately with regard to sample suitability.
Possible outcome of the analysis
A possible output traces the materials’ origins, identifies comparable features and explains the limits of comparison. It may separately identify a need for records concerning another surviving panel or additional agreed sampling.
Limits of the conclusions
A common colour match does not identify a unique fragment source. If the earlier coating and its samples are lost, subsequent repairs may leave some questions unanswerable.