Posts Tagged automotive paint

How to Choose a Auto Body Shop When You Have Been Involved in an Accident – Valuable Information

When you have had the unfortunate event of being in a automotive collision, the last thing you need is to have a bad experience with an auto body shop not doing their job. A good auto body shop will fix your car back to pre-loss condition, both in appearance and in structural and mechanical integrity. A great auto body shop will almost make you feel like the accident never happened. They should start with customer service better then you get at a good restaurant. They should ask if everyone was OK after the accident, generally, they should be more interested in your needs and concerns then their own profit margins. The sad thing is there are many body shops that are just in it for a quick buck and do not have the customer skills or even the repair skills to do the job you, or your insurance company, is paying for. So how do you weed those shops out?

I have been in this industry for over 25 years in the same area, I have worked in high quality auto body shops large and small, and have owned my own collision and custom shop in Portland Oregon for the last 8 years. In my area there are hundreds of auto body repair shops in a very small area, yet I only know a few I would trust with my vehicles. So for the most part you have to be as informed as you can, and ask alot of questions.

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Automotive Three Stage Paint

Today’s automotive paint is durable and resistant to stains and has a high gloss. Vehicles of today primarily utilize a two stage paint process know as base coat, clear coat. There are a number of three stage colors that have become popular. The best example is the pearl white that General Motors uses on the Cadillac. When viewed from different angles the paint color appears to change. This is due to the mid coat, which is applied after the base coat and before the clear coat. The mid coat contains pearlescent powders that cover a broad color spectrum. If you look closely, you can see the small flakes of purple, reds, blues and other colors that give the pearl look to the finish. This type of refinishing is also known as” Tri Coat” with some paint manufactures.

This three stage process drove painters crazy when attempting to match colors. Typically, when a fender replacement was needed, blending the color back into the door to achieve a proper color match was required. In preparation for the blending operation all items are removed from the door such as handles, glass, moldings and trim. The base coat or first stage was applied to the fender and partially into the door. The second stage is the application of the clear coat, which is applied in two coats over the fender and complete door.With the addition of another spraying process after the base or first stage, the blending into the door did not produce an acceptable color match. The industry had to come up with a solution to this problem. The answer required a procedure known as zone refinishing.

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Automotive Three Stage Paint

Today’s automotive paint is durable and resistant to stains and has a high gloss. Vehicles of today primarily utilize a two stage paint process know as base coat, clear coat. There are a number of three stage colors that have become popular. The best example is the pearl white that General Motors uses on the Cadillac. When viewed from different angles the paint color appears to change. This is due to the mid coat, which is applied after the base coat and before the clear coat. The mid coat contains pearlescent powders that cover a broad color spectrum. If you look closely, you can see the small flakes of purple, reds, blues and other colors that give the pearl look to the finish. This type of refinishing is also known as” Tri Coat” with some paint manufactures.

This three stage process drove painters crazy when attempting to match colors. Typically, when a fender replacement was needed, blending the color back into the door to achieve a proper color match was required. In preparation for the blending operation all items are removed from the door such as handles, glass, moldings and trim. The base coat or first stage was applied to the fender and partially into the door. The second stage is the application of the clear coat, which is applied in two coats over the fender and complete door.With the addition of another spraying process after the base or first stage, the blending into the door did not produce an acceptable color match. The industry had to come up with a solution to this problem. The answer required a procedure known as zone refinishing.

Read the rest of this entry »

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