5 Collision Paint Repair Considerations
Posted on: 14 September 2021
Paint damage is one of the more minor collision issues, but it can be a challenging type of damage to repair. Matching the paint can be so difficult that many car owners often opt to repaint the entire car instead of just the damaged area.
1. Fading Concerns
Paint repairs on older vehicles following a collision are the most challenging problems to fix. Over time, the color of the paint can fade on the entire vehicle, which can make it difficult to match the color completely. The repaired and repainted area will be much more vibrant than the sun faded car. Your repair service may recommend repainting the entire vehicle if the color difference is quite striking.
2. Paint Code Specifics
The manufacturer provides a pain code for your vehicle, which can typically be found on the information plate that is in the driver's side door frame. Your collision repair mechanic can use this code to mix up the specific paint color needed to match your vehicle, if they have access to manufacturer certified paint bases. If you want an exact match, verify that the mechanic can mix to the paint code.
3. Blending Issues
A small ding in the paint may seem like no big deal now, but this can be one of the most difficult paint repairs to make due to blending challenges. The color of the touchup paint must match the surrounding paint exactly. Since this is difficult to do, especially when fading is an issue, a blending technique must be implemented to blend the slightly more vibrant touchup paint into the paint on the surrounding panel. Otherwise the repair will noticeably stand out. Often, the repair tech will recommend repainting the entire panel to avoid blending issues.
4. Damage Depth
A deep scrape is typically more difficult to repair than a shallow scratch. Even with a perfect paint match, steps must be taken so that the paint layers are built up in the deep scratch so that the repaired paint doesn't appear sunken. This process requires lots of sanding around the scratch, along with the application of many thin layers of paint until the panel surface is level.
5. Special Coatings
You can sometimes solve small color variations and inconsistencies from a paint repair by applying a special coating all over the car. Ceramic coatings are especially popular because they give the car a deep sheen and luster that can help camouflage small variances while also protecting the car against future paint damages.
Contact an auto collision repair service for more help if you are in a paint damaging accident.
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