After a collision, repainting your vehicle may be the last thing you’re thinking about – especially if the damage was severe. However, it may be the final step in the repair process. Painting is an important part of maintaining the look of your vehicle, but it’s also a barrier that protects the car from rust.
Why Do I Need A Quality Paint Job?
Ultimately, your vehicle can look however you want it to. Time, wear and tear from wind, rain, snow, dirt, dust, sleet, and other natural occurrences, and collisions can all affect the way that a vehicle looks and the quality of its paint job. There are several reasons that you might consider a new paint job, or a touch up on a damaged portion of your vehicle.
Painting your vehicle after a collision can help protect or change it in several ways.
First, a quality paint job protects your vehicle from rust. In addition to not looking as nice, rust is actually a process by which metals, which make up a large portion of your vehicle, break down when they’re exposed to the elements.
A little bit of rust, especially under your vehicle, will likely happen over time. Ultimately, however, allowing your vehicle to rust or failing to maintain the paint job is like constantly scratching the surface of the vehicle and continually breaking it down.
Repainting your vehicle is also a way to make it look like new or to to give it a whole new look. Keeping your vehicle clean is helpful in protecting the paint job and allowing the paint to adequately protect the vehicle.
Considerations for Repainting a Vehicle
If you’re in need of replacement auto parts, check with your collision repair shop to see if they come painted. If they do, it’s important to get the right color so that it matches the rest of your vehicle. If they don’t come painted, you may want to have them painted, especially if they are metal parts. Again, make sure to discuss color matching with an auto painting professional.
Sometimes, whole parts don’t need to be replaced, but they may have been dented and fixed, scratched, or the paint may have chipped. Even the smallest scratch can allow rust to start spreading.
Over the paint, most vehicles have a clear top coat, which helps to protect the paint and make it more difficult to scratch. The top coat also has a UV protective layer that helps prevent sun damage from fading or weakening the paint.
