Why is professional car painting so valuable?
Painting a vehicle is more complicated than most people realise. There is a lot of
prep work that needs to be done to ensure the job is done well. And there is a lot of room for error if you try to paint your car yourself. Whether your car needs touch up paint, collision repair paint, or a full vehicle paint, we don’t advise the DIY approach when it comes to painting a vehicle.
A professional car paint job will not only look best, but it will also help your car last longer by minimising the chances of rust or other corrosion.
The process of professionally painting a car includes repairing dents, scratches and other types of damage. We can also remove rust spots and fill in any holes.
All of this ensures the paint is applied properly, but it is also a way of making sure that damage doesn’t get worse. In most cases, we can take a car with scratches and dents and make it look like a new vehicle.
What types of car paint are out there?
Having your car professionally painted also means that the right type of car paint
will be used on your vehicle. It’s also important to note that there is more than simply paint colour involved.
Painting a vehicle also includes having the right primers, thinners, sprayers and
clear coats.
Just as you would choose from options like matte, gloss, semi-gloss, etc for
painting a part of your house, there are also choices to make when it comes to
types of car paint. The most common types of car paint are:
- Solid paint finish – the most common and easiest type of paint to work
with - Metallic paint finish – has tiny pieces of aluminium powder mixed into the
paint to give it a reflective appearance - Matte paint finish – achieved by either using a primer with a high epoxy content, a high PVC content in the paint itself, or a flattening agent in the lacquer so that the paint absorbs more light than it reflects
- Pearlescent paint finish – contains ceramic crystals in the paint, giving it a shiny lustre that appears to be different colours from different angles
- Custom paint finish – there are other specialised options that involve using
different paint colours, layering paint colours on top of each other, or
creating different effects with a combination of metallic and pearlescent
paints
How effective is a car paint scratch repair pen?
To be honest, we’re not fans of car paint scratch repair pens. First of all, they’re very tricky to use. You need to line up the pen precisely with the scratch, and keep it accurate along the full length of the scratch. This is easier said than done.
In addition, most scratches need a filler and paint that matches the car’s colour.
This isn’t what you get with a repair pen. The pen is filled with a clear coat resin
that is similar to the topcoat of a paint job. The resin fills the gap of the scratch,
making the scratch appear less obvious. But if the scratch penetrates the colour
layer, the pen isn’t going to fill the scratch in with colour.
Most of the time, these pens only work temporarily and then make the scratch even more noticeable than it was before.
What car paint colours exist?
How long is a piece of string? Paint colours nowadays come in almost any colour you can dream of.
Car manufacturers have paint colours that are their proprietary colours and unique to their vehicles – the BMW Sao Paulo Yellow, Audi Tango Red, Porsche Moonlight Blue, Holden Tuxedo Black, etc.
But if you’re looking for something customised for your car, it can be created by a knowledgeable panel beater. At Mt Roskill Collision Centre, we are experienced in working with all makes and models of cars.
What is involved in car paint repair?
At Mt Roskill Collision Centre we are experienced in touch up car paint as well as collision repair car paint.
Car touch up paint is often what is needed if a car door has been scratched, a
branch has fallen on your car, or a shopping trolley or child’s scooter has come too close.
Collision repair car paint is usually paintwork that is needed on a larger section,
requiring a bit more work than touch up paint. If your vehicle has been involved in a collision and there is damage to it, once we’ve completed the repair work, we will need to paint the affected section(s).
Usually this involves a bumper, door, side panel or the bonnet of your car. We will repair the damage, buff, polish, colour match and paint.
How to clean your car before painting
In order to get the best car paint possible, it is essential that your vehicle is clean
and free of debris before it is painted. This will also ensure a smooth finish, with no dirt trapped between paint layers.
Before you have your car painted, repaired or touched up, we recommend you
wash it by hand first rather than take it to the car wash. Washing it yourself with a hose and bucket means you’ll get into all the nooks and crannies where dirt gets trapped. You can also open the doors, bonnet and boot and remove dirt from these areas, which isn’t possible when you go through a drive-through car wash.
How much is it to paint a car?
The cost of professionally painting a car varies from car to car. The factors that
affect the price include the condition of the vehicle and how much repair work may be needed (if there are many scratches, dents, dings, rust).
The price of a car paint job also greatly depends on the type of paint you prefer. A solid paint finish is less expensive than a metallic, matte or pearlescent paint finish.
And a customised paint job will be more expensive.
If you would like an estimate of how much it costs to paint your car, please get in
touch with the experienced team at Mt Roskill Collision Centre.
We offer a lifetime warranty on our paintwork as we use superior paint in Mt
Roskill, Auckland. Contact us online or call us on 0800 227 762 for a free quote or to book an appointment.