Accidents happen and if they are small you might not want to claim them on your car insurance. You have a few ways that you can deal with these problems. You can clean it up the best you can and maybe buff out any light scratches and live with the results or you can decide to do the work yourself and sometimes save yourself more than a body shop would charge you. I say sometimes because you have to factor in the entire cost of doing a repair yourself. Small jobs like a scratch or chip you can often buy just a touchup bottle and it should look ok. Larger jobs where you have to paint a full panel or bumper cover require that you have all of the equipment and a good space to do the work.
Here we will look at the options you have for purchasing the materials necessary for a small repair such as painting a bumper cover, door or fender.
Buying A Junkyard Part Of The Same Color
Many people just breeze by this idea but if you have a relatively new vehicle that is somewhat popular you can expect that the salvage yards in your area will have a replacement that is the same color as your vehicle. Although the part might not be perfect you can normally find one that is acceptable for a reasonable price. New aftermarket fenders, hoods, door shells will require painting and you will be cutting out this cost and time if you can buy a part that is already painted. You should investigate this option if you don’t have the equipment or space to paint your car yourself.
Automotive Touch Up Paint
Professional and Touch Up paints are dramatically different products. However for small scratches and chips the use of Touch Up Paint that is color matched to your vehicle is a good option. Touch Up Paint can be purchased at your dealership or an auto supply store. They come in two types: A small bottle with a brush in its lid that resembles finger nail polish or a spray can that may or may not be an exact color match.
The problem with Touch Up Paint is that it is a Synthetic Enamel Paint just like any can of spray paint. This means that there is very little durability to the paint and it will either have to be repaired again in a year or so or it will have to be protected with a 2k Clear that has an activator. I personally wouldn’t use synthetic enamel on any vehicle that I cared about.
OEM Color Matched Spray Paint In A Can
You can also order color matched spray cans of paint which matches your car’s color exactly. Not every auto body supply store offers this service but many can and you can also order online. A can that could be used to paint a few square feet will cost you about $35 and it must be protected with a can of activated clear or 2k clear which will cost you about the same. So for about $75 you can get a kit that will allow you to
This might be a reasonable solution for many people but you have to remember that the base or color coat of the paint might not match your paint that well. Additionally this is Synthetic Enamel that will not have a long life.
Even with an application of activated 2k Clear you still will probably have a much shorter lifetime than professional paint systems.
Ordering Professional Automotive Paint
Finally you have the option of doing exactly what the professionals would do. Buying Acrylic Enamel or Urethane or Water based Paint Kits that are an exact color match to your vehicle and applying them just like a body shop technician would.
The problem with doing this is the equipment and skill that is required to do the work. You will normally need a 5hp or larger compressor with a large tank, A professional HVLP paint gun, Air Respirator with appropriate rating for Automotive Paint and you will need a good clean space to do the work.
If you have all of these things or are working on getting them then buying your paint is the final step.
You should talk with your local Automotive Paint Supplier. They normally will only carry one brand of products and will normally have access to all of the materials and things you need to get the job done.
Although color matching systems are pretty good today you can’t always expect exact matches even when using professional paint systems. The problem you run into is production runs of vehicles can vary and even if your body shop supply provides an exact tint for your vehicle it might not match your car exactly. Professional painters know how to get around this by fading in panels or knowing when to blend color into adjacent panels. If you painted just your bumper it might not match your fender exactly but it should be very close. Additionally professional body shops have tint systems at their shop so they can paint small test cards and then make adjustments to their mix. This is something you won’t be able to do.
For that reason colors like Gold or Green Mists that are basically White with a slight tint or browns and gold colors are the worst to match. Also anything that has a lot of metalics or that requires a 3 or tri color paint which means a base color, mid tone and a tinted clear. Those colors are close to impossible to match in your home garage. You are almost better off painting the entire car another color.
Final Note
There are many options when buying Automotive Paints. Some include the type of paint and others include the procedures necessary to get a good result. You should talk with your local Auto Body Supply Store and most towns have them. Ask your Auto Parts store if you have problems finding one in your area. Also its mandatory to do your research before you start any job. A touchup of a few paint chips on your bumper is not difficult at all but if you are painting your full bumper or a door or fender then you will need to do your research first.
Also don’t expect to be able to do a perfect professional job. Technicians that paint cars normally have many years of experience behind them. It is also an art as much as a technical skill and the best technicians get paid very well to do this work because the are few and rare.
For More Information Checkout our Other HowTos on Autobody Repair.