How Does an Auto Body Shop Match the Color of the Repaired Parts to the Rest of the Vehicle?
Will the Auto Body Shop Match the Paint Color of My Car?
Getting your vehicle fixed after an accident can be a burden. Almost all repairs to the body of the vehicle will require paint application. Vehicle owners often ask how the auto body shop will match the color of the paint on their vehicle. This can be one of the most challenging parts of auto body repair, and is essential for any successful body shop.
At the assembly plant, your vehicle was painted along with a number of others from a paint formula that was mixed and prepared for those vehicles that day. There are many variables affecting the color tones and hue of that particular mixture. Although, paint application equipment is cleaned, the previous color formula pigments will carry-over into the next formula color. Paint ingredient suppliers have slight variations in their pigments, and material cost drives frequent supplier changes. During the application process, humidity, application pressure, nozzle size, distance and angle to panel influence how the dried paint will appear. Body paint matching a vehicle is a skill that not all auto body shops can accurately achieve. Luckily, Ray’s Automotive has years of experience color matching vehicles.
How Do You Find the Right Color?
All automotive paints are assigned specific color codes, but each code can have numerous variations. Even basic colors like black have dozens of shades. Over time, exposure to sunlight and weather causes paint to fade, especially in older vehicles, making color matching more challenging. Auto body shops start by identifying the paint code from a tag on the vehicle (often located in the door jamb, trunk, or hood) and referencing the manufacturer's database. A test panel is sprayed and compared to the vehicle’s color, but older or previously repaired vehicles may require additional adjustments to achieve a closer match.
Because perfectly replicating the original color is nearly impossible, skilled painters use blending techniques to create a smooth transition from the new paint to the existing panels. Blending ensures the repair area is invisible, even with slight color variations. This technique is an industry standard, but some insurance companies may resist covering it. Choosing a certified auto body shop with experience in blending and advocating for proper repairs ensures your vehicle looks seamless and meets quality standards.
How Do Auto Body Shops Match Paint?
Auto body shops use a variety of techniques to match vehicle colors. Each vehicle has a tag (located in areas such as the door jamb, trunk, hood, or glove compartment) indicating the paint color code. This code provides the shop with common formulas in the manufacturer's database.
The process typically involves:
- Selecting a color variant from the database.
- Spraying a test panel on a 5"x7" card to compare with the vehicle's color.
- Adjusting the formula based on test results using a special camera to analyze pigment content or the painter's visual expertise.
Ray’s Automotive Guarantees Quality Paint Work
Most shops do not properly "prep" a vehicle for paint because it is time consuming and not initially apparent after the job is painted and complete. If a vehicle is not prepped properly, the paint job will eventually fail over time, but this happens usually several months or a year later. For customers of our insurance direct repair programs, we guarantee the paint job for the duration of your ownership of the vehicle.
Once the vehicle has been prepped, Ray's Automotive can now take the necessary steps to paint the vehicle to bring it back to life. This is the step that is most apparent to the outside world. The repairs can be performed perfectly, but without a precise paint job the repair is not complete. Ray's Automotive uses only the highest quality paint for your vehicle as we would for our vehicle repair.
Give Us a Call
Our team has years of experience in painting vehicles. Whether you need to touch up scrapes or need a paint job after a collision repair, we have you covered! We promise to bring back the beauty of your car with a fantastic paint job. Call us today to learn more about our vehicle painting services.
How do auto body shops determine the paint color for my vehicle?
Auto body shops start by locating the vehicle’s paint color code, which is typically found on a tag in areas like the door jamb, trunk, or hood. This code provides access to the manufacturer’s database of color formulas. The shop then sprays a test panel to compare the color with the vehicle and adjusts as needed to achieve a close match.
Can a shop match the exact color of my vehicle’s original paint?
While shops aim for an exact match, replicating the original color perfectly is difficult due to factors like fading from sun exposure and environmental wear over time. Experienced painters use blending techniques to ensure the repaired area transitions smoothly with the rest of the vehicle, making the difference virtually undetectable.
What tools and techniques are used to match paint colors?
In addition to using the manufacturer’s paint formulas, shops may use spectrophotometer cameras to analyze the color and pigments of the vehicle. Painters then refine the formula by adjusting pigment ratios, testing multiple panels, and applying blending techniques to achieve a seamless look.
