When driving a brand new car, you have little reason to want to repaint your vehicle (except perhaps wanting to give it a customized look). But if you’re stuck with a used car or if you’re planning on reselling your old auto, then giving your car a shiny new paint job can easily increase its value.
Before you make your final decision on whether or not you should repaint your car, take into consideration the expenses. It might cost you more than just a few hundred dollars, especially if you’re going to have a professional do the job for you. Take a look at these tips to determine how you can repaint your car the economical way.
Tip #1: Consider it a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project. Although repainting your own car is going to save you a lot of money, do this only if you’re willing to shell out for some premium tools and materials. Also take into consideration your skill and patience. Repainting the car yourself is not going to be an easy or breezy task. It’s going to take you quite some time to finish this project.
Tip #2: Ask yourself: Is it really necessary to repaint? While this tip may look a lot like the question I posted a few paragraphs earlier, ask yourself this question after checking your vehicle for the amount of damage you need to correct. If you simply want to remove signs of oxidation on your vehicle (in less technical terms, you want to remove the chalky look that age has brought on your auto), then you can try some car-finish products that are being sold by major auto parts stores. Investing in a high quality car-finish product is a lot less expensive than repainting your entire vehicle. You can also use it to remove light scratches on your vehicle’s paint job. Consider this alternative.
Tip #3: Consider spot-repair. If there’s just a certain spot in your car that needs repair or if you’re just dealing with rust spots, then you can easily conduct a DIY spot repair. All you need is great sandpaper, some paint (in the right shade please), clear coat and several spray cans of primer and you’re good to go. Consult with your mechanic first to find out the right paint needed for your auto. This job will initially take a few hours of your time, but some primers require you to apply the finish a day after the initial coat dries. In short, follow instructions to a tee.
*side note: While this DIY spot repair tip is highly applicable if you own an old vehicle with a low resale value, if you’re driving a luxury ride then I highly suggest you let the professionals do the job for you. You wouldn’t want to botch up your ride, do you?
Tip #4: Ask the professionals to do the spot-repair job for you. If your source of woes is a series of damages caused by a minor collision, then it’s highly likely that your insurance policy doesn’t cover the spot repair required to restore your auto’s good looks. Consider taking your car to a car-painting shop. Most patch jobs (even the smallest ones) can easily cost you at least $150. If body repair is required, then expect the bill to reach $500. If you think they’re asking you to fork over too much dough, then DIY my friend—DIY.
Tip #5: Determine what type of repaint is required. Do you need a custom repaint or can you settle with a production paint job? In making this decision, take into consideration the type of vehicle you’re talking about. If it’s a luxury car, then don’t take chances—I highly suggest you go for the “custom” job. If it’s a beat-up old vehicle then it really doesn’t make sense why you’d pay thousands of dollars just to repaint it. In short, if it’s old and not that valuable, then production paint job it is!
Also take into consideration how long you plan on driving your old car. If you plan on parading it or cruising the streets with it for a few more years then go for custom, otherwise, production.
Tip #6: If you’re going DIY when repainting your auto, then wait for my next post! Okay, so this tip is not so much an auto repaint tip as a plug, but seriously, I’ll be giving easy step-by-step advice in my next post. So stay tuned. :D
