Preventing Paint Damage

There are a few things you can do to keep from spending money on your vehicle's paint coat. By doing a little research and maintenance ahead of time, you can prevent most chipped paint incidents. Doing small paint maintenance can prevent larger maintenance projects later.
One of the first things that you can do when you purchase your automobile is to have a clear paint coat protector applied to your vehicle. You can do this yourself or have the dealership apply it before you drive off the lot. If you choose to apply it yourself, read the directions very carefully. You want to make sure that you apply it exactly as the manufacturer recommends.
There is some question about the effectiveness of these clear coat protectors. In the end, though, the time or money involved in applying one of these coats will pay off. They can stop any premature fading or harm to your car's paint. The protector will wick away water, chemicals or other possible damage causing agents. This can be the first step in lengthening the life of your vehicle.
Something else you can invest in after the purchase of your vehicle is a clear film. These films are applied directly to your vehicle with an adhesive. Invisible to the eye, they are a great way to protect a new paint job and keep you from spending money on car repair. Generally, these films are applied to areas of the automobile or truck that receive the most sun, water or bug damage. Places like the front bumper; hood and roof of the vehicle need more protecting than other areas.
Finally, another habit to get into is cleaning your vehicle on a regular basis. By keeping your vehicle clean, especially during winter months, you are lengthening the life of your paint job. Salt, road dirt and mud, tar from construction sites can all damage your vehicle's paint, causing necessary car repair.
Take your vehicle through an automated wash or wash it yourself. Either way, you need to make sure that a thorough cleaning job is done on your automobile. One of the places that often gets over looked but can cause the most damage is the underside of your vehicle. Especially during winter months, it is necessary to wash these areas. Road salt used to melt ice and snow can cause irreparable damage.
Thoroughly clean the wheel wells and under carriage of your vehicle. This will prevent premature rusting that can lead to paint chipping. When a wheel well or under carriage is left to rust, the vehicle's metal body is weakened. This weakening in turn causes issues with the paint. Cleaning this area of your vehicle will also keep you from major car repair bills later.
By maintaining your vehicle through paint protectors and through regular washing, you can lengthen the life of your car's paint job, preventing major car repair.

Visit a Paint Shop and Watch Your Car's Value Rise

Repairing a vehicle's visual imperfections like scratches is one of the best ways to increase value. When it's time to sell a vehicle, potential buyers view scratches and dents as a major red flag. It can give the appearance that the car was in an accident or not cared for. Paint shops can repair damage like deep scratches for a very small investment, potentially increasing the car's value by up to $1,000. Combined with a deep cleaning of the car's interior and wheels, fixing chipped paint can improve the chances of selling a car for a good price.
How Paint Services Increase Value
First impressions count for a lot when selling a car. Although the mechanical shape of the car is most important, buyers typically feel more comfortable buying a car that looks pristine and new. A car with scratches or dents raises a red flag to buyers and signals that the car may not have been maintained properly. It may also give the appearance that the vehicle was in an accident. A paint shop can increase the value of a car by restoring its original appearance for a very small investment.
What a Paint Shop Can Repair
A paint shop can affordably repair a range of scratches in a car's paint job. Under the top layer of paint is a coating of primer on top of metal. If only the paint is scratched it's possible to simply sand and buff the scratch. Many people try this themselves but it can easily make the problem worse. Scratches that go all the way to the metal require the attention of a trained professional at a body shop. For jobs like this, specialized tools are needed as well as professional paint matching.
Improve Appearance and Maintain Value
Everyone prefers the look of a clean, scratch-free car, whether it's new or old. Regular visits to a paint shop to fix small scratches as they occur can maintain the value of a vehicle in a number of ways. It prevents scratches from becoming worse and reduces the chance of chipped paint flaking. Existing chips in the paint will worsen over time and allow rust to build up on the car. Paint shops can repair these damages when they occur for a small price, although the problem becomes more expensive the longer it exists.
Choosing a Paint Shop
Selecting the right body shop or paint shop to repair scratches and paint chips on a car is very important. Dedicated paint shops are a good option for some individuals because they specialize in paint jobs and are experts in paint matching and filling techniques. However, many body shops now offer paint services that rival expensive auto paint shops. Body shops typically employ technicians specially trained in scratch removal and paint chip repair that can restore the original appearance of a vehicle, increasing overall value.
It's almost always a good decision to repair scratches, chipped paint and dents in a vehicle before selling it. These imperfections raise issues with a potential buyer but they can be fixed very affordably at most body shops. Typically, everything from chipped paint to a deep scratch in the metal can be fixed at a body shop as well. Always select a shop with a specialized team that has experience with filling and paint matching. Although the repairs may cost $100 - $300, it's not uncommon to see a large return on investment.

Waterborne Paint For Auto Body Repair

Car paints are mostly used for auto body repair. And it is known that most paints are solvent based. But the fact that solvents can escape into the air means that they also contribute to air pollution. In fact, the majority of such organic solvents impose great damage to the environment.
And today, higher air quality standards demand the use of water-based paint for auto body repair uses. This demand will soon be a standard.
About couple of years ago, two of California's largest air quality management districts imposed emissions regulations and required the use of water based paints. And as expected, this trend instigated new legislations that aim the reduction of harmful emissions from the automotive finishing and refinishing sectors, at least in California.
Essentially, one of the most infamous regulation changes that automotive refinishing industry in Southern California has dealt with was the lowering of the limits of VOCs found in products used to paint cars.
VOC actually stands for "volatile organic compounds". These are solvents and other compounds contribute to pollution. Typical VOCs consist of the solvents in paints, adhesives and inks. However, VOCs are not just limited to paint supplies as plastics release VOCs as well when they age. And these chemicals are alleged to react with gases in the atmosphere that contribute to smog, pollution, and toxic death.
This is understandably why there's a pressing call for the use of water-based paint for automotive painting today. As you know, water is not organic and while it evaporates as well into the air, it is not a VOC.
With tighter regulations set by California Air Resources Board, there was a reformulation to switch solvent-based paint to waterborne. This step would allow refinishers to meet the new environment-friendly standards. Nowadays, finding solvent based materials becomes more and more difficult.
However, there are some considerations to remember in using waterborne paint for auto body repair. Although there are some available waterborne primers, generally you still have to use traditional, solvent-based primer. As a result, colors tend to dry to a dull satin finish. You will have to clear it to achieve the shine you want.