body shop repaint vs factory?

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Hi,
When one has to have a body panel repainted at a top quality auto body shop, is that new
paint the exact same quality as the factory paint?
I ask this because I read that once a car is repainted, it's not of the same quality and
durability as the factory and is more prone to chips and cracking, no matter how skilled
the body shop is.
 
Depends on the shop, and the paint they use. There are some awesome painters out there, that do better work than factory new.
 
Ok, I ask because I recently had my front bumper repainted on my new 2013 Honda Civic due to a shopping cart big scratch. Its looked beautiful at first and the paint matched perfectly. This
was done is early December and I notice I already have several chips in the paint.
This was done by a AAA approved, very well respected shop in my town.
 
Originally Posted By: flinter
Ok, I ask because I recently had my front bumper repainted on my new 2013 Honda Civic due to a shopping cart big scratch. Its looked beautiful at first and the paint matched perfectly. This
was done is early December and I notice I already have several chips in the paint.
This was done by a AAA approved, very well respected shop in my town.


Prep is everything, if they didn't prep it right it might look good and not last. Like I said it depends. Take her back, as long as it wasn't hit which might crack the job they should redo it. If they don't you'll know what kind of shop they run.
 
Factory paint is different from aftermarket paint in that it is formulated to be baked at very high temperature after application, which is not possible after the car is assembled. I agree that the body shop can do a much better job on an individual car than the factory can do on an assembly line. The body shop job can look much, much better, but I don't think it will have the long-term durability of a factory finish.
 
I've worked in the auto collision industry for 15 years, a quality shop can do a better looking job than the factory. As far as chips go, they are going to happen no matter what factory or re paint. The factory paint is a little more resistant to them because the paint at the factory is baked on at over 600 degrees and is fully cured. A body shop can not produce that kind if heat in there paint booths and if they could most if the interior would melt. The re paint is softer but will eventually completely cure out. As to the remark about a shop be a quality shop just because they are a preferred shop for a insurance is a false statement. They are a preferred shop because they fix the car however the insurance tells them to, which is always the cheapest way possible. The shop goes along with this because the insurance will always funnel work to there shop.
 
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If I understand correctly, in addition to the baking process, body shops may also use a different brand of paint/clear than the OE does. It could be PPG, BASF, DuPont, etc. Each having a different hardness characteristic than the other.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
If I understand correctly, in addition to the baking process, body shops may also use a different brand of paint/clear than the OE does. It could be PPG, BASF, DuPont, etc. Each having a different hardness characteristic than the other.


Correct, the shops do use different brands of paint from the factory in some cases, there has been times in the past when a paint company forms a relationship with a factory just like the oil company's do. Also when it comes to color the factory had over 200 different tints to make there colors, as with aftermarket paints like PPG and others they only have around 60-70 tints to work with. That's why some colors are harder to match than others.
 
Paint that chips off plastic is an indicator of lack of prep,lack of plastic/flex primers/and lack of flex agents in the paint/clear.Some bodyshops are in a hurry to cycle thru and cut many corners.A paintjob is only as good as the painter/body shop.A down n dirty job wont hold up.Cant blame the paint when that happens.
 
I've found that I can easily spot most aftermarket repaints due to the inability to full match the OEM orange peel texture. And body shops tend to leave sanding pigtails, horrific buffer holograms, etc.

As far as the quality of aftermarket refinishing, the aftermarket is generally not able to cure the paint at the same temperatures as the factory. qwertydude can comment more specifically on this, as he can explain how the aftermarket finishes are inferior to the OEM finish in terms of the UV inhibitors.
 
Originally Posted By: Texican
They are a preferred shop because they fix the car however the insurance tells them to, which is always the cheapest way possible. The shop goes along with this because the insurance will always funnel work to there shop.


So true, so very true.
 
Factory paint is interesting these days. Its come a long way from the problems factories had back in the 90s changing to more environmentally friendly paint processes. It would be almost impossible to top most factory paint in terms of adhesion and rust protection, but the finish is mediocre at best even on high-end cars (except insane high-end things that are still hand-assembled). Everything is robot-sprayed, and even though the coverage and adhesion are superb, orange-peel to some degree or another seems to be the standard these days. A competent body and paint shop can do FAR better than the factory in terms of appearance- getting that "one inch thick" look with a perfectly smooth surface is easier now than ever with the base/clear process and then finish blocking and polishing the clear.

Its funny how peoples' standards have changed, too. A few Lexus, Cadillac, and Benz factory paint jobs might look "perfect" until you walk around a few well-done re-paints where a lot of care has been taken on the final block/polish.
 
Robots paint your vehicle in perfect conditions with a computer making sure it precisely is done.

Humans do after work in conditions set by humans.

Choose your shop wisely.

I always wondered on my WRX(purchased brand new) why one panel looked slightly off. I found at sale time(90k/9years latter) it was repaired before sold in a vehicle history I dug up for next buyer. The shop who did work is known for really high quality work locally.
 
The quality of paint and body repair work by auto body shops totally varies by shop. There is only one shop in the entire Kansas City metro area that can do repairs of a quality level where you can't tell it's been repaired, and that's Eveland Brothers. I don't know where you are from but if you called these guys, they could probably recommend a shop in your area that hopefully would do very high quality work.
 
OK, comparing what you can do on a body panel at OEM (baking the paint at 600* as was posted earlier) VS aftermarket brings me this question:

Since you cannot bake paint at 600* on any of the plastic bumper covers used on most all cars nowadays, would a body shop that properly prepared a surface do an equal job as OEM on said panels?
 
No factory bakes paint at 600f. My oven self cleaning is 550!!

Factory paint is more durable. Aftermarket can spray a better finish with good prep.
Elevated cure and own paint is excellent. Factory is more precise mixing and uses more specialized system.
 
Originally Posted By: Propflux01
OK, comparing what you can do on a body panel at OEM (baking the paint at 600* as was posted earlier) VS aftermarket brings me this question:

Since you cannot bake paint at 600* on any of the plastic bumper covers used on most all cars nowadays, would a body shop that properly prepared a surface do an equal job as OEM on said panels?


It doesn't mater how good a bumper is prepped, if your going down the highway at 70mph and a rock with just the right amount if mass hits the bumper, or hood it's going to chip the paint. Even windshields get chipped and cracked from rocks flying down the highway. That windshield is a whole lot stronger than that thin layer of paint.
 
If you mean can you get paint to look as good as factory?

Yes absolutely and even better actually. Multiple coats wet sanded in between each layer, you put 3-4 coats of clear and wet sand and you can have paint smooth as glass.

Will it be more durable and last as long with as little care as a factory job? No it won't. Those special high solids factory paints need to be applied with a special electrically charged sprayer and they use robots to get a perfect job every time. Not to mention the specialty ultrahard formulas and self healing clears simply won't be found on the aftermarket period.
 
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