Having your car spray painted can make it seem brand new; a fresh coat of paint can give it colour and style, and help to hide dull and faded paint that may otherwise reveal the car's age and overall wear. However, when considering if spray painting is right for your vehicle, you want to ensure you separate the fact from the fiction about car paint, what it can accomplish, how to get the job done right, and everything else involved in the work. Note a few important factors here, and then discuss these with a smash shop owner as needed.

Paint doesn't cover everything

A car always needs to be prepped before it's painted; rust should be removed and dents either bumped out or filled in. This is because rust will continue to flake away from the car body, taking your new paint with it, and paint is not meant to fill in dents and dings. While paint can update the car's appearance and make it seem fresh and new, plan to have any needed body work done to the car before painting it.

Matching paint

If you want to paint just some of your car, such as for covering up repair work, note that car manufacturers often use custom paints for different makes and years. Never assume you can choose a paint that "looks close" to the current paint on the vehicle, as you may very well wind up with mismatched colours. Ask at the auto supply store about matching your car's current paint or order it from the dealer if necessary.

It's a bigger DIY job than you think

You can spray paint your own car with a good spray gun or lots of cans of spray paint, but this job is often more complicated and time-consuming than you realize. Not only does the car need to be prepped, as said above, but it needs to be thoroughly cleaned and dried before painting. All items not to be painted need to be covered or removed, and applying the paint itself may take several hours just for one coat.

Remember that smash shops have several workers available to help cover one car, along with lots of tools that make removing bumpers and other pieces quick and easy, industrial sprayers that cover a wide area very quickly, and high-temperature driers that speed up drying time. Rather than assume you can set aside a weekend and do this yourself, it's probably best to leave car painting to the pros.

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