When you need dent, scratch, or collision repair, one of your main concerns will be making the incident invisible on your vehicle. Part of this lies in the ability of your auto body shop to match the paint they apply during the restoration to the original color on your vehicle. Below is a guide that explains how this is accomplished. 

Finding the Right Color 

A vehicle’s paint color has a code assigned to it, which is labeled somewhere on the vehicle. If the auto body shop searches for that particular code, then their computer system will show all the possible matches for that color from the manufacturer. The auto paint repair specialist picks the shade closest to your car and then sprays a test panel with it. If the color doesn’t match your car upon comparison, an advanced camera is used to analyze the pigment and provide a close match. Another test panel is sprayed with this color. If it’s not exact, the specialist adjusts the pigment to get as close as possible, and then the color is blended into the surrounding paint on your car, so it’s unnoticeable. 

Mismatching Issues

There are several factors that could influence how close the auto paint repair technician is able to get to your car’s original color. Cars that have been faded by the sun and weather may be difficult to match because they aren’t quite their original color, and finding a pigment to match without making the rest of it look faded is difficult.

Older models with unique colors may also be difficult to match exactly, and vehicles whose paint sticker has faded may not get an exact match, either. Cars that had previous repairs may be difficult to match if the last auto body shop didn’t match the color correctly, which may create two different tones of color. In this case, the paint and collision repair shop will have to match the dominant color, which could make the previous repair stand out more.

Do you need an experienced auto body shop you can trust to match your paint as precisely as possible? With over 50 years’ experience, Tracy’s Collision Center in Lincoln, NE, provides reliable dent, scratch, collision, corrosion, and restoration services to the area. All paintwork comes with a lifetime warranty. You can read more about their services online, and call (402) 441-4820 for a free estimate today.