Keep Your Budget Realistic
Let’s say you have an older vehicle with high miles, valued at a couple thousand dollars. It’s looking a little tired, but you love the car, and it’s still running great. Opting for a cheaper repaint in the same color is fine if all you want is a quick exterior freshening for minimal cash outlay. This might hold true if you’re looking to sell this same car. Spending several hundred bucks, maybe a thousand or two, could bump the asking price, though probably not by more than you’ll spend on the paint job. On the other hand, if you have a vehicle that’s either a classic or something with a higher value, skimping on paint can be a recipe for disaster. You could adversely affect the car’s value and potentially be stuck with a finish that’s not even close to what the car looked like when new.
Tips On Choosing The Best Color For Your Vehicle’s Paint Job
When it comes to painting your car, the color you choose is important. You want to pick a color that will look good and last long. Here are some tips on selecting the best color for your vehicle’s paint job:
1. Consider your car’s body shape and style.
Not all colors look good on all cars. For example, bright colors may not be a good choice for a dark-colored vehicle. Consider the shape and style of your vehicle when choosing a paint color.
2. Think about your driving habits.
If you drive a lot in the city, you may choose a darker color that won’t show dirt and scratches as easily. On the other hand, if you drive mostly on highways, brighter colors may be a better choice.
3. Consider your surroundings.
If you live in a sunny area, you may want to choose a lighter color that will reflect the sun’s rays. If you live in a colder area, you may want to choose a darker color that will help keep your car warm.
4. Choose a color that matches your personality.
You should choose a color that makes you happy and proud to drive your car. If you’re not sure what color to choose, ask someone else for their opinion.
5. Test out different colors.
It’s always a good idea to test out different colors before making a final decision. Visit your local paint store and see how the different colors look on your car.
6. Ask for referrals.
7. If needed, take time to think about it before making a final decision.
8. If you have a metallic paint job, avoid painting it differently.
What Affects The Cost Of Painting A Car
Like many things in life, youll absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to professional paint jobs. You can swing into a budget shop and be out the door for $500, but dont expect it to be a top-notch job. In general, you can count on paint job prices to vary based on:
- The magic fingers car wash. A solid, high-quality paint job averages around $5,000.
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What Tools Do I Need To Change The Color Of A Car
Before deciding to paint your car a different color, make sure you can get all the tools you need. Check with Home Depot as at one point they were renting out tools. Check to see if it is cheaper to rent one for a couple of days or purchase one.
The tools that you will need include an air compressor, sander, broom, dust pan. The air compressor is used to spray paint the car and prime the car throughout the job.The sander, along with sandpaper removes the car’s old paint. The broom and dustpan is to clean up the mess so that it doesnt end up on the car after painting.
How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car
The cost of painting your car depends on several factors, including the supplies, the area that needs repainting and the person carrying out the work. Doing it yourself is the cheapest way to repaint your car as you will only need to buy the necessary supplies. If you are hiring a professional to carry out the job, you should use a car paint job cost estimator to have a better understanding of the cost structure.
The professional painters add several coats of primer, your preferred paint color and a top coat to ensure, quality, shiny finish. Although you will save money by doing it yourself, you will need time and energy to complete the task. You will need specialized tools that can be expensive to buy for a one-off job.
Furthermore, before you can start the process of changing the color, you will need to carry out a thorough car steam cleaning to get rid of tough stains and dirt. Painting over dirt and stains will make the outcome less appealing. You will further need a well-ventilated area where dirt and dust will not fly onto the wet surface and ruin the new paint while it is drying.
You will also need to invest in sandpaper to remove any rust or grime and masking tape to outline the painting area accurately. The masking tape will further help you cover the areas you do not want to paint. Your painting supplies should also include a spray gun, glossy car paint and primer.
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The Interior Components Need To Be Removed
A lot of people do not realize that the interior needs to be completely removed before the painting process begins. This could include the console, dash, and most commonly the seats. Why? Well, some of the items might hinder the entire process, and in order to ensure that it is done right, the parts need to be removed.
Now, like all the other additional services on this list, it will also increase the price. This is why you might want to choose to take some parts by yourself since it can easily lower the cost of the services. Additionally, do not forget to remove every personal belonging in the vehicle since you do not want them to get lost or damaged.
I Do Not Wish To Need To Get My Car Seats Reupholstered What Can I Do
While the retro car interior may be interesting for some, others may wish to update or alter the appearance of their old cars interior. Seat covers can be a cheaper option.
The price of reupholstering your car seats can in some cases be too difficult to take in. While in some severe cases there is no option, there is frequently a more budget-friendly choice for car owners.
One alternative, in particular, that might save you a bunch of money is custom-made seat covers. While we note that seat covers can be a fix for all upholstery damage, it truly depends on the level of it .
KEEP IN MIND: This short article goes over custom-made seat covers and not universal ones.
There are a couple of situations where customized seat covers can be of help.
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Use The Internet To Find The Best Option
The internet is your best friend when getting auto bodywork, touch-up paint, a new paint job, or basically anything else when auto painting.
You can search for different companies, read cost helper guides, and more just by pulling out your cell phone for a quick search.
Go check out our painting supplies and tools page for some great recommendations on what to buy.
Do You Have To Notify The Dmv When You Repaint Your Car To A Different Color
Yes and no. We couldnt find any information that specifically says you have to notify the DMV, but the rules and regulations may vary from one state to another. If youre wrapping your car, you probably dont have to do this since the wrap isnt permanent.
But if you repaint your car, we recommend taking a look at your cars registration. If it has any information regarding the color of your car, its a good idea to notify the DMV. The DMV will view your car as the same car as long as it has the same VIN, but it doesnt hurt to notify the DMV. Additionally, youll want to notify your insurance company as well. This is to avoid any legal issues and avoid problems when you want to make an insurance claim.
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What About The Interior
Most of what Ive covered so far has related to the exterior of the car, although I have mentioned the fact that things like carpets, seats, door cards and the dash will have to be removed to do a full-blown professional color-change of your car. After all, you wouldnt want to have a shiny new blue exterior color but leave the old red color on the inside, would you?
This brings us to another thing you need to consider about changing the color of your car, which is will your new color match the current interior or will you have to change that too? Im not talking about the metal on the inside because Im assuming youre going to have that done as part of the respray. What Im talking about are all those bits youre taking out so you can have the metal painted.
If your car has a black interior youre probably going to be just fine whatever color you choose to paint the body. However, some cars can have some pretty funky-colored interiors that might work well with the original color but might look absolutely hideous with your chosen new color. Lets say the cars original color was green and the seats, carpets and door cards are all green too but youre changing the color of the car to orange or red? If you like the idea of that sort of color combination then good for you, but Id like to be that fly on the wall again when you try to sell that car in that kind of color combination somewhere down the line.
Understand The Work Involved
For an inexpensive paint job, preparation will be minimal, and the shop might not include repairs to rust and door dings. The glass area and other non-painted exterior trim will be covered up before repainting, but that’s about it. From 50 feet away it might look fine, but up close there will be numerous telltale signs it was a surface respray, such as overspray on the rubber gaskets around the windows and on exterior trim, differences in the color of the doorjambs, and spots of overspray where the masking off wasn’t perfect. If you know this going into the process, okay. Just understand what you’re paying for, and check to see if there’s any kind of warranty on the work.
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Estimated Pro Cost Of Labor
Quality paint jobs on repaints are going to cost you significantly more than doing it yourself, but hiring a professional might save you time in the long run.
For example, professionals remove all the doors to paint the door jambs/jams, and they also have to remove or mask trim pieces which can sometimes be a lot of work.
Some pros might even take off the hood of the car for it to be painted on both the outside and the inside.
Like we stated earlier, the average cost is anywhere from $2-4k for hiring a pro for the job.
Why Hire a Pro?
- More attention to detail
Professional autobody painters know sanding and body filling techniques that take years of experience. Your car will look like a show car once a good body shop gets ahold of it for some paintwork.
- Saved time
Chances are a pro painter will really only take a few hours to paint your vehicle despite the number of labor hours charged for the job–the good part about this is that you saved a lot of time by not having to paint yourself.
- Licensed and insured
Nobody wants to talk about legal situations, but it’s something that you should always take into consideration.
- High-quality paint job/showroom quality
If you hire a high-rated pro painter for a basic paint job, you can be sure to expect showroom quality on your respray.
How Long Does Pearl Paint Last
While there is no exact expiration date on pearl paint, the sheen, glistening effect, and iridescent luster can fade over time without proper preservation. Pearl-painted cars need to be waxed as recommended by the auto body technician in order to reduce the risk of scratching, peeling, and fading from direct sunlight since pearl paint is more vulnerable to marks and scratches.
Pro Tip: Just like normal paint jobs, the colors and hues of high-end pearl paint jobs will still fade or become uneven if left in the sun too much. And when a high-quality paint job fades, it simply wont do. To mitigate this, you should park the car in the shade as much as possible. Better yet, keep it covered or in a garage.
I recommend picking up a basic inexpensive cover for your car. Its better to replace it frequently rather than paying a lot of money for one that birds are going to pool on or that might get torn by careless neighbors trying to sneak a peak. Here is a quality inexpensive model found on Amazon that does the trick nicely.
Potential wear and tear is another reason for ensuring that the original paint job has been done correctly. As time goes on, it will be nearly impossible to match the exact job therefore, the entire body will need to be redone. Therefore, getting a thorough pearl paint job that will last longer compared to low quality, cheaper pearl paint jobs will pay off in the long run unless the car needs to have serious repairs done.
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Diy Auto Painting Costs
For older vehicles, the cost of a professional paint job may be excessive. In these cases, you may wish to try painting the vehicle yourself. The necessary materials are widely available from hardware and automotive stores for as little as $200. Your only other costs are in time and effort.
The required materials and tools include:
- Gloss paint.
- Sandpaper.
- Mineral spirits for cleaning.
One of the biggest concerns with a DIY project is finding a location to paint the vehicle. Many professional painting and body shops have climate-controlled booths, designed to limit the amount of dust and dirt that might come into contact with the paint and ruin the finish.
For a DIY project, your best option may be to paint the vehicle in a clean, well-ventilated garage.
How Much Is A Matte Black Paint Job
The average matte black paint job cost is $2500 in the USA. However, some companies offer higher matte black paint job costs that can be up to $6000.
The pricing range of matt black paint is a topic to ponder before pursuing the process. The standard cost of a matte paint of any color finished for most automobiles revolves around $2500. Matt finish, as opposed to the shiny appearances, is known for its subtle and non-reflective appearances. They are primarily sandy in texture with a non-smooth and rough touch. The matte appearances have gradually evolved and made their way as a modern technique of automotive landscape finishing. Matte black appearances operate and function similarly to conventional automotive paint structures however, matte appearances are not a shiny and clear coat. The clear coat must be dried up to evolve to a rough texture rather than a smooth appearance. The dark look of matte paint is an increasing technique used in matte paint jobs. This trend has significantly grown over the years, and many car owners are experimenting with their cars to produce a unique and attractive look.
You can clean your matte car paint by using a VAX-free ph neutral car washing detergent. The soap needs to be wax-free because wax can have a cloudy appearance and significantly damage the surface.
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Alternatives To Painting The Car
Plasti Dip was mentioned earlier in this article. It is the cheapest way to change the look of your car and the process is much simpler.
The best thing about Plasti Dip is that it is easier to use and if you arent satisfied with the results, you can simply peel away the paint.
Another alternative is to wrap your car. Wrapping your car might not be the best option as the paint beneath the wrap needs to be in good condition.
The cost is very similar to painting the car in terms of how much it varies. These factors include the type of vinyl that is used, the size of the vehicle, and its overall shape. If your car has many edges and hard-to-reach spots, the wrap will be more expensive.
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A benefit of wraps is that they are not permanent. This can also be a disadvantage as a good paint job will outlast a good wrap.
In any case, you can always remove the wrap if you become bored by the design or color. Usually, this is done by those who have a bit more money to spend.
Dyeing Or Spraying Car Interior Which Is Better
Dyeing is for leather whereas spraying is for vinyl and plastic. If you have a leather interior and want to change the color, dyeing is the best option for you.
All that is needed is a leather colorant kit that can be applied not just in leather but also on other surfaces such as vinyl and plastic.
Alternatively, if you have a vinyl interior, you can change the color with spray paint. Spray painting does a commendable job at changing the cars interior colors.
And it works even on fabric seats. When changing the car interior color by yourself, all you will need is some quality spray paint and a primer.
Though inexpensive, DIY car interior color change requires careful spraying techniques, lest you may end up getting paint on unwanted surfaces.
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