A small scrape on your car can be made invisible with some paint touch-up. However, the perfect match of the car paint color should be found. So, how to match car paint colors? You can do it yourself or with professional help. Read on…
Before we start looking at the two ways to match car paint colors, let us understand why matching car paint colors is a challenging task. First of all finding the exact paint color which was used on your car is difficult, this is because each car paint manufacturer keeps a margin of 5%. For example, there is a cherry red shade for a car. Now, the manufacturer has made a standard sample for this car color paint. But, a tolerance of plus or minus 5% is kept, when the paint is delivered. This means a client who bought a car which was manufactured in plant A , can be different from a client’s car who bought the same car with the same specified color from plant B. So, even cars which are of the same model and have the same color can look different. This is the biggest challenge when it comes to finding the right paint color.
There are some more challenges to finding the right paint color too. Many factors can affect the car paint color. Some of these factors are present during the manufacturing process, while some are climatic factors which affect the car paint color over time. Paint colors for cars get affected by the metallic color control value. It also gets affected by the drying time allowed for each coat of car paint. However, try to remember this important point, when paint is wet it will appear lighter, once it is dry it will become darker. Many factors like sunlight can also make a car color fade. So, if your car has been exposed to sunlight substantially, then the color is bound to be lighter.
Matching Car Paint Colors
It is important to understand the factors which affect the car paint color, because this will help you to choose a car paint color better. It will give you a judgment of how a color might later on match your original car paint color.
Do It Yourself
The job of matching the car paint color yourself can be quite difficult. However, there are certain ways which can help you find the car paint color. The best way is to try to find the color code. You can go to the car manufacturer’s site and see if you can find the car paint color code. You can also go to a car repair shop, and ask them if they have the car paint color code. Once you are able to locate the color code, find the paint color and get your car painted with it. Go with fast drying paints, as they will help you to make a closer match. Then you can spray paint the color on the car area yourself.
Professional Help
However, even if you follow the above steps, it is possible that the color patch you painted on the car doesn’t match the original color of the car. Again the above mentioned factors come into play. May be after few months due to sunlight exposure, the patch will fade and merge with the original color. So, there is no surety that the color will perfectly match your car paint color. Instead, it is better to get your car paint color matched by a professional company, and allow them to paint the particular car area. They know all the factors mentioned above, and with above factors in mind, they will match the car paint color. This will give you the closest match and a seamless job.
So, consider hiring professional help to match the car paint color, rather than trying to do it yourself. There are many online companies that will help you find the perfect car paint color, to cover the affected car area. Good luck!