Today, every shade (and there are tens of thousands) is assigned a specific, computerized code. Using that as a starting point, good, high quality shops then use a spectrophotometer (which measures the wavelengths of light reflected from a painted surface) to help the painter select the best possible match. This process is highly reliable when the car being repaired is fairly new, but due to a variety of factors, matching the paint on older cars can be much more challenging.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at the variables that can cause vehicle paint to degrade and change over time, and we’ll explain some of the tricks of the trade that we use to account for those changes. Our goal, of course, is always to ensure the new paint we apply to repaired sections of your car is as similar to the original colour as possible.
UV Exposure
This is probably the biggest driver of paint colour changes. Today’s paints consist of pigments suspended in a resin formula, with a clear coat applied over the top for additional protection. Over time, UV rays can break down the chemical bonds in the pigments, and the clear coat erodes and oxidizes, altering gloss levels. In addition to fading and dullness, dark colours can lighten and lose depth, while lighter colours can yellow or lose overall clarity. Quality clearcoats nowadays contain a UV protectant, but it is not 100% effective.
To further complicate matters, these reactions tend to happen more quickly on flat, exposed surfaces (hood, roof and trunk) than on vertical surfaces (doors and side panels).
Oxidation
Oxygen allows us to live and breathe, but for paint it is not so beneficial. Exposure to oxygen can cause paint to become rougher, less glossy, and sometimes chalky. Regular polishing and protective coatings can go a long way to protecting surfaces against these effects, but over time, oxidation still takes a toll.
To determine how much oxidation is present, our technicians start with basic cleaning and polishing. They might also compound a test area, which involves using an abrasive compound and polisher to cut away a thin layer of the clear coat in order to reveal the true colour beneath the oxidized layer.
From there, they incorporate their findings with today’s advanced paint matching systems, which are capable of intricates adjustments to toner balance, brightness, and metallic flake orientation. The resulting colour match is far more likely to reflect the car’s true colour, instead of the altered, faded version that is visible on the surface.
Garaged vs. Outdoor Storage
The paint on a vehicle that spends most of its time indoors or under shelter will age much more slowly than paint on a vehicle that’s constantly exposed to the elements. Also, garaged vehicles are not as susceptible to the effects of moisture, airborne pollutants, and temperature extremes, all of which can cause paint to degrade faster.
As noted above, these effects will display unevenly across a vehicle’s surface, further impacted by climate, sun angle, parking orientation, humidity and more.
Age-Faded Paint
Paint does not fade evenly with time, so it’s important for your shop of choice to have access to the latest technologies—especially digital colour analysis—when your older car is being repaired. These systems allow technicians to capture precise colour data from multiple areas of your car in order to compensate for uneven fade patterns.
Highly trained technicians will also be capable of the advanced blending techniques necessary to achieve a gradual transition of new paint into existing paint. Of course, proper sanding, sealing, and clear coat application are also vital for ensuring that visual continuity is maintained across the entire vehicle.
Trust Mitek for Repainting Peace of Mind
As we’ve explained, colour matching and repainting an older vehicle is not a straightforward process, and you shouldn’t trust just any shop to do it. With countless variables to take into account, great results depend upon the skill and experience of the painter—specifically, their ability (and the patience) to make the painstaking adjustments necessary to match the current condition of the paint as accurately as possible.
Here at Mitek, our two paint technicians have been with us for 20 and 30 years … that’s 50 years of combined experience! It goes without saying that they have the advanced training and knowledge—plus access to state-of-the-art technologies—to produce the best possible paint matching results in any given situation. Colour matching and repainting your older vehicle may not always be easy, but our experts are always up to the challenge.