Car Paint Jobs
When getting car paint jobs, there are a lot of decisions to be made before forking over your hard earned cash. Things to consider include:
When was the car made?
How long do you intend to drive it?
What portions of your car need repainting?
Does the body have rust damage?
Is your car parked outdoors or indoors?
Do you intend to resell your car?
And those factors are only the tip of the Titantic-sized iceberg that you need to be aware of. Simple car paint jobs can lead to major headaches down the road. If you are not careful you may end up losing more than your money.
First, you need to consider when your car was manufactured. This determines a lot of things. It suggests how well the car frame has held up and gives you a clue to the materials you may need painted. Older model vehicles are mostly made of steel but newer vehicles could include plastic and aluminum alloys.
Furthermore, the color of your cars current paint may not be available today due to supply issues as well as environmental regulations. Old cars were painted with lead-based paints. However, such paints are in short supply because governmental regulations banned their use.
Second, you need to decide how long you intend to drive the vehicle. A paint job is a pretty big investment in car. They tend to run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. For the price of a paint job you may get a new vehicle.
Third, what portions of your car will be painted? If it’s just the frame of the car, then it should be relatively straightforward. However, if you need the bumpers and door panels painted, well, that’s another story. The bumpers and door panels have other materials mixed in like plastic.
Even the hood of a car may be made of non-standard materials. For example, many sports cars use fiberglass on the hood and trunk of the car. Exotic materials will cost more to paint.
Fourth, if your car has rust damage, that is going to complicate things. Rust damage on a car means that the barrier protecting the steel has grown weak and faded away. You cannot simply spot treat it by painting over. The frame needs to be checked for structural integrity and a large portion of the body panel needs to be sanded down and fixed before painting.
Fifth, do you park the car indoors or outdoors? Cars that spend time outside require extra layers of protection. There is damage from dirt, sunlight and water that can wreck a paintjob in no time.
Finally, do you intend to resell your car? Many buyers are wary of repainted cars. That is because most people will not repaint their car unless it has been in an accident.
Buyers can tell if your car has been repainted because of special technology that allows them to check the thickness of the paint. Repainting your car may lower the resale value of the vehicle.
