One of the trickiest parts of performing body work on an automobile is paint color. It’d be so much easier if there were just red, green, yellow, brown, silver, and the like. Unfortunately, every color has an infinite variety of shades which vary by manufacturer, make and even model year. Even worse, these colors fade quickly as you drive your car.
So how do you match color after you’re in an accident to cover the repairs? Learn how Brockton, Stoughton and Randolph residents match vehicle paint after an accident, the tricks used by the pros, and how a professional collision repair shop may be able to help.
Match Vehicle Paint after an Accident
When you set out to match paint after an accident, there’s a lot of things you need to consider. What was the original color—the exact shade? Most auto supply shops can look up this information for you based on the make and model year of your vehicle. However, the longer you drive the car, the more the paint fades.
The durability and colorfast nature of your paint depends on a few issues. The resin part of the paint determines how durable it is. Solvent allows the paint to remain viscous so it can be spread over the part to be colored. The pigment is a powder that’s mixed into the resin and solvent to create the color finish.
The exact proportions of each of these determine how durable your car is and how well it maintains its color over time.
Finding the Right Color
Finding the exact color match is often a factor of trial and error. You need to take the color code for your car’s paint job, which you can get at the local parts store or sometimes the manufacturers website.
Next, you’ll take the code to an auto body shop and order the paint, which you will need to mix. Experiment with different hues of light and dark until you find the right match. This can be painstaking work—if it looks “close enough” in the bucket, it will probably create a glaring difference on the car itself.
Buffing and Finish
Auto repair shops don’t end the job with matching the paint. Even with a good match the repair will probably show as a new paint job against the old one. You’ll need to apply things like clear coat, rubbing compound and the like to buff and match the finish.
Using a Qualified Body Shop
In the end, it requires a great deal of work and expertise to match vehicle paint after an accident. This is why most people choose to go with the services of an experienced, qualified and certified body repair shop. At Collision 24, we have been providing high-end repair services to vehicles throughout the Brockton, Randolph and Stoughton regions for years.
If you need paint matching after an accident, we’re ready to help with the best quality parts and service. Stop in or give us a call for more information or to schedule your appointment today.