When your vehicle experiences body damage, you want it fixed correctly and properly. You want to ensure that once your vehicle is repaired, it is as structurally sound as it was before the damage took place. And while it’s certainly imperative that your vehicle’s “bones” are solid, its post-repair outer appearance is equally as important. After all, a perfectly refinished exterior is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also helps protect your vehicle from inclement weather and environmental conditions, as well as maximizes its value.
That’s why it’s vital that you never cut corners when it comes to automotive refinishing.
Some examples of substandard work in this area include:
Peeling: when the paint film separates from the substrate, caused by incorrect surface preparation, incompatibility in coat applications, insufficient dry time, or incorrect thickness of film in topcoat or undercoat
Blistering: a pitted, swollen, or bubbling appearance of the paint; often caused by painting over moisture or dirt or solvents that are trapped in the paint.
Sags or runs: a “liquid drip” appearance when the coating fails to adhere uniformly to the painting surface; caused by paint drying too slowly, improper paint surface temperature, too-heavy finishing coats, or spraying over oil, grease, or wax
Wrinkling or lifting: when the wet film swells; caused by application of lacquer over enamels or the last coat drying improperly
Dry spray: when dry dust from the paint settles on previously-painted regions; caused by too-slow of an application or paint drying too quickly
Orange peel: when the vehicle surface resembles that of a citrus fruit; caused by an improper facility temperature or the paint applicator being held too far away from the vehicle surface
Fish eyes: characterized by small blemishes in the finish that resemble craters; caused by an unclean workplace or silicone on the vehicle surface
Sand scratches: visible marks or lines in the paint film that stretch in the direction of the sanding; caused by improper use of a reducer, insufficient dry time for undercoats, or using too-coarse sandpaper
Mottling: the streaking of (usually metallic) paint colors; caused by uneven thickness of film, too much paint film wetting, over-reduction, or incorrect spray techniques
Therefore, if you entrust your vehicle to an automotive refinishing facility that cuts corners in its work, you may see one or more of these problems on your vehicle in either the short-term or the long-term. That’s why it’s vital that you find an establishment that adheres to the highest standards in all facets of the automotive refinishing process.
ACS – the Best in Automotive Refinishing in Baltimore
This all starts in the preparation process, which includes sanding, cleaning, priming, sealing, and masking. The painting process must meet strict quality standards and use paints and coatings that best match those applied at the automotive factories themselves. Finally, any imperfections in the paint must be removed by the necessary detailing, scratch refinement, machine polishing, compounding, sanding, and swirl elimination processes.
You wouldn’t cut corners when you took your car in for engine or structural damage repair. So why settle for anything less when it comes to automotive refinishing?
