How To Do Automotive Touch Up Like a PROFESSIONAL
Tag: bumper repair
How To Spray a New Car Fender with Automotive Spray Paint at home YOURSELF!
How To Spray a New Car Fender with Automotive Spray Paint at home YOURSELF!
Scratch Repair and Rock Chips: the 5 big Myths
Applicator size the dealership uses for scratch repair
The scratch repair touch up paint my car dealership sells me is the best way to fix scratches and chips. Not true.
The biggest problem is with the applicator: it’s just too large! Most chips and scratches are best touched up with a fine dabber (like we use) or a fine-tipped artist’s brush…the kind used by hobbyists who assemble model cars and airplanes.
The second problem with dealership paint is that it tends to be thinned out with clearcoat. On light metallics, this makes the paint transparent. That is…you can see through the paint and into the scratch below. We sell you a small amount of paint without the fillers. Its color coverage is excellent. And it’s the same excellent EOM-quality paint that your vehicle was painted with.
You can’t touch up large scratch repairs
You can’t touch up anything larger than 2 inches wide. Sometimes true…sometimes not. Blacks, whites, solid reds, and most dark reds, blues, and greens, can be touched up, sanded flat, then buffed to a shine. It’s not a 100% repair, but it can get you out of a $1k+ body shop bill. Silvers, golds, and all other light metallics can’t be touched up beyond 2 inches wide. The metallic flake in the paint simply does not lay down flat. It reflects light in varying directions and draws attention to the scratch.
Touch up paint doesn’t stick to plastic
You can touch up steel parts, but touch up doesn’t stick to plastic. Not true. As long as the plastic surfaces have been cleaned with wax and grease remover or iosopropyl alcohol, touch up paint will bond permanently.
Touch up paint always looks dull when repairing scratches
Touch up paint always looks dull…like freckles all over the face of your car. This is true of do-it-yourself touch ups, which don’t involve the application of the “clearcoat” that gives paint its shine. The professional’s trick is to mix in a small catalyzed (two part) clearcoat with the basecoat (colored paint) prior to applying it to the car.
Touch up paint will fall out
Touch up paint will eventually fall out, buff out, or be removed by car washes. Again, as long as the scratch repair area is completely clean prior to touch-up, the repair is permanent. Touch up paint is of the same formulation as the car’s factory paint (urethane), and there’s no reason it won’t have the same lifespan.
Looking for scratch repair products? Look no further as ERA Paints offers premium quality paint and products that provide a long term solution. Visit our store!
Looking for how to videos? Check out our YouTube for up-to-date information on how to properly apply touch up paint.
We pride ourselves on quality products, competitive prices and outstanding customer satisfaction.
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Aftermarket vs Manufacturer Vehicle Parts
When you take your car to the dealership’s service department for repairs, you know you’re getting Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) car parts. However, if you take your car to an independent shop, you’ll most likely get aftermarket car parts. Is there anything wrong with that? Does a less expensive part mean a poorer-quality part? And in what situations should you use only OEM parts?
To answer these questions, we’ve created a list of pros and cons to help you make a more informed decision when choosing what parts go into your car. In this way, you can strike a balance between cost and quality.
Aftermarket Parts
An aftermarket part is any part for a vehicle that is not sourced from the car’s maker. If the parts are direct replacement parts, they will not void your car’s warranty. A number of companies make parts designed to function the same, or in some cases even better than the original. Tom Torbjornsen, host of America’s Car Show, estimates that about 80 percent of independent shops use aftermarket parts. “Be an informed consumer,” said Torbjornsen.”Shop around, make sure you’re dealing with a good mechanic and request high-quality aftermarket parts.”
PROS
Less expensive: Aftermarket parts are usually less expensive than OEM parts; how much you save varies by brand. Shop around to find the best price and to get an idea of how much that part usually costs. If the price of a part seems too good to be true, ask questions about its quality.
Quality can be equal to or greater than OEM: In some cases, you may end up with a better part than you started with. “The aftermarket companies reverse-engineer the part, and work the weaknesses out,” said Torbjornsen. For example, when an automaker designs its brake pads, it has to strike a balance between cost, durability, noise levels and performance.
Why?
If you want better performance and don’t mind some extra brake noise (some brake pads squeak even though they are stopping the car effectively), an aftermarket pad may be your best choice.
More variety: There are hundreds of companies that make aftermarket parts. Some specialize in specific parts, and other companies, like NAPA, make almost any part you can think of. More variety means greater selection and a wider range of prices.
Better availability: You can walk into any gas station, auto parts store or local mechanic, and they’re bound to have a part that fits your car. This gives you more options on where to take your car for service.
CONS
Quality varies greatly: The saying “you get what you pay for” rings true here. Some aftermarket parts are inferior because of the use of lower-quality materials. Stick with aftermarket brands you’re familiar with or are recommended by a mechanic you trust, even if these parts cost a bit more.
Overwhelming selection: If you’re not familiar with aftermarket brands, the selection could be overwhelming, and there’s some chance you may get a bad quality part. Even a part as simple as a spark plug can be made by dozens of different companies and comes in numerous variations. Consult your mechanic for advice or simply stick with the OEM part when the price difference isn’t significant.
May not have a warranty: To keep costs down, some aftermarket parts are sold without a warranty.
OEM Parts
OEM parts are made by the vehicle’s manufacturer. These match the parts that came with your vehicle when it rolled off the assembly line.
PROS
Easier to choose your part: If you go to the parts counter at a dealership and ask for any part, you’ll usually get one type. You don’t have to worry about assessing the quality of different brands and prices.
Greater assurance of quality: The OEM part should work exactly as the one you are replacing. It is what the vehicle was manufactured with and provides a peace of mind in its familiarity and performance.
Comes with a warranty: Most automakers back up their OEM parts with a one-year warranty. And if you get your car repaired at the dealer, they’ll usually stand by their labor as well.
CONS
More expensive: OEM parts will usually cost more than an aftermarket part. When it comes to bodywork, OEM parts tend to cost about 60 percent more, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). There is more of a burden on parts and service to increase a dealership’s profit, since the sales departments have been underperforming. But the gap in pricing might be closing, says Torbjornsen. “We’ve seen a balance in the scales; dealers are now trying to compete with independent shops.”
Need to be bought at the dealership:
Even though there are other ways of buying OEM parts (eBay, online wholesalers), most people will go to a dealership to buy their car parts. This limits the number of places you can buy from. You can request OEM parts from your local mechanic, but it may take longer to get your vehicle repaired since the parts must be ordered.
Quality may not be superior: You paid the extra money for an OEM part, hoping that it was vastly better than an aftermarket part. But that may not always be the case. As Torbjornsen mentioned earlier, some aftermarket parts are equal to or in some cases better than OEM parts. So you might be paying extra just for the name.
When Should You Request OEM Parts?
When it comes to collision repairs, make sure you are getting OEM parts, since aftermarket body panels may not fit properly or have proper crumple zones for crash safety.
If you lease your car, there are also economic considerations. Since aftermarket parts decrease a vehicle’s book value, using them to repair your vehicle’s body may cost you part or all of your security deposit.
But here’s the rub: In 21 states and the District of Columbia, a body shop’s repair estimate does not have to indicate whether aftermarket parts will be used. You’ll often find that your insurance company will favor aftermarket parts because they are cheaper. If you request OEM parts, some insurance companies ask you to pay an additional fee. Check with your insurance provider beforehand, to see what parts they will cover.
Which Is the Best Way To Go?
All aftermarket parts are not created equal — but all OEM parts are. This creates its own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you’re familiar with a number of brands or work on your own car, aftermarket parts can save you a lot of money. If you’re not familiar with aftermarket brands, prefer to have everything done at the dealership and don’t mind paying a bit extra for that peace of mind, OEM is a good choice for you.
Quoted from Edmunds.com.
Do I really need to WAX my car?
The answer is: Probably. Waxing has always made cars extra shiny. That’s still the case today, but both modern paint jobs and wax formulations have improved a lot in recent years. Paint used to be just thatpaint. A new car got a layer of primer and a few coats of colored lacquer, and that was it. Wax not only gave the paint a good gloss, it was also the only line of defense against scratches.
Beginning in the 1980s, manufacturers started adding a layer of clear coat, which seals the paint and adds to the shine of the car. The clear coat also takes the environmental abuse. Things like ultraviolet light, ozone, exhaust, salt, dirt, rain, bug guts, and bird poop build up tiny scratches and oxidation on the clear coat’s surface. As the paint ages, that damage causes the surface to get hazy and the shine to subside, but there’s generally no damage to the color layer below. Not waxing will leave the car looking dull and the clear coat vulnerable to accelerated wear. If you don’t particularly care how the car looks, you can be lazy and never wax it just keeping the car washed will leave it looking reasonably nice (use a gentle soap made for cars no detergents). Waxing provides a sacrificial layer on top of the clear coat so that when you remove dirt and such you’re not directly rubbing the paint.
Things have changed substantially since dads spent Sunday afternoons rubbing carnauba wax onto lacquer car paint. Now even that classic formulation has additives that make it easier to wax on and wax off. New synthetic formulas are even simpler to apply and offer longer-lasting protection, and spray-on waxes can be applied with almost no effort at all. Plus, you don’t need to wax that often. Even if you obsess over your paint, four coats of wax a year are plenty, and you can use spray-on wax to maintain the shine. We like to wax the car at least twice a year, once before winter and once in the spring.
Quoted from:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a3255/do-i-really-need-to-wax-my-car-15829917/