How to Know if Your Car Needs New Paint

You’re wondering if your car needs a new coat of paint. It’s a big step to take. You’ll either have to invest in all the tools you’ll need to give it a new touch, including an airless paint sprayer, or entrust it to an auto body shop. But how can you be sure that a new paint job is what’s really needed? Here are the signs that it’s time your car needs to be resprayed. 

1. Fading

The once rich color of your car has begun to fade. Is the outer clear coat wearing off? If it is, you may need to respray. Then again – perhaps it isn’t! When last did you have your car waxed and polished? If it’s been a while, it may just be a case of giving your car a shine up! Clear coat should last about 15 years – another factor to bear in mind. But if your car is either red or black, it may tend to fade somewhat faster than other colors do. At all events, try the wax first and see what you think about the color after that!

2. Peeling

Peeling clear coat shows up as discoloration, a blotchy appearance, or even s a similar look to what you get when your skin begins to peel after a sunburn. It’s a definite sign that your car’s coatings need attention. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix that might solve your problem. It’s time to recoat your vehicle. 

3. Bubbling

A “bubbling” appearance is a very bad sign indeed. It means that your car is rusting beneath the paint coat, probably because it was compromised at one point or another. It’s not just a matter of repainting the car. You’ll either have to try removing all the rust and using body putty to fill before respraying or you’ll have to replace the body panels. And since these often come with just an undercoat, the body panels must be sprayed to match the rest of the car. Since matching isn’t always easy, you may have to respray the whole car to get an even color across all the body panels. 

4. Scrapes and Scratches

Scrapes and scratches need to be attended to as soon as possible. With the coating compromised, rust is the next thing to set in. and if you don’t want to replace body panels, attending to the problem promptly is the only solution. If the areas are quite small, you may be able to get away with some light sanding a tiny touch up. It will likely leave a mark, because it’s very difficult to get a seamless effect from a touchup, but that may be unobtrusive enough for you not to mind. The alternative is a full respray. 

If you still aren’t sure whether to respray or not, consider asking someone who knows about cars and who doesn’t stand to gain if you do decide to go ahead. And since respraying is a big step, consider whether you might not prefer to trade your car in as is and get a new one if your coatings are failing. If you’re planning to replace your car within the next couple of years anyway, that might be the better solution! Have you considered getting an electric car? It could be just the thing!