The color or shade topic along with catalogs always amazes me as to why modelers are so concerned with it. First, catalog representations are generally never correct. If you go by them, you might be fooling yourself. Most long-term modelers on here don’t expect catalogs to be 100% correct. As I always say, I wish they were better like having a 360 deg view of the item. Most of my interest is on the ends of a rail car or engine, not one side.
As for wrong shade, that’s irreverent to some as everything gets weathered. I can color shade anything to make it look like the real version. There are many shades due to the environment and time spent on the rails. Keep in mind, safety yellow can turn to cream with time. No two used cars are exactly alike. The cars in the real photos are DIRTY. Make a water wash mix of raw umber and a few drops of flat black to tone them down and take the edge off. If you purchase these hi end models to keep pristine, well perhaps you’re not doing them justice. I don’t see these cars to be any different from all the other new stuff you have purchased through the years. I fixed some customers bright Lionel PRR orange box cars, no big deal.
As for the truck issue. I would send the cars back to the dealer.
