A question that is often asked by customers is what about the colour match, to understand that we need to have a brief look at how we get the colours we have first.
To answer that we need to understand what paint is made from and how colour is affected when applied during manufacturing.
There are three basic ingredients in automotive paint:
- Resin
- Pigment
- Solvent
The resin is the component that holds together the pigment in suspension, provides adhesion to the surface applied, and determines the quality and paint durability.
The pigment comes in a powder form like concrete, and the average aftermarket automotive paint mixing system includes about 100 colours or toners to be able to mix formulas including metallic and pearl paint colours.
The solvent is what provides the transferability, without the solvent the paint would be too thick in viscosity to transfer from container to container and through the spray gun.
Auto paint colours are made up of a combination of pigment colours and metallic sizes including pearls, as well as special effect toners. The first challenge is the factory standard. Today, the average paint code has between three to seven alternates that are worth formulating. There are more but the auto paint manufacturers have narrowed them down to keep the databases simple to use.
The reasons above only mention the variables at the car manufacturers level. So, what happens to a colour after three years of sunshine? Many people think that colours do not change, but they can, and this can be proven. If you own a car that is at least three years old and has been out in the sun most of the time, remove a pinstripe or badge and underneath you will see the original colour as it was when the car was new.
Sunlight has ultra-violet rays, which can affect or fade the pigments in all paints regardless of brand. Blue metallic colours sometimes shift to a greener shade, and reds will turn pinkish or more orange. The auto body shop has to deal with matching an oxidized colour in addition to new OEM colours. The new paint to be applied will look brighter and cleaner but the rest of the car looks dead even if you polish it.
So how do we make sure our car is in good hands, and the colour will match?
By choosing a Car Craft Member to carry out the repairs on your vehicle you will be dealing with a repairer that is part of a nationally recognised quality repair network.
Your peace of mind comes from the knowledge that each Car Craft member is required to maintain the highest industry quality standards and uses the best products and equipment available today.
Products such as the Octoral Premium Paint system to ensure the refinish material is of the highest quality available to repairers’ worldwide, with approvals from most of the manufacturers around the world.
Equipment such as the Octoral ‘Spectro’ Colour Matching technology, ensure the closest colour match by downloading live data from a huge database of information to electronically pinpoint the correct colour code and variant for your vehicle.
This is achieved by the Spectro analysing the paint surface of the car and considering the type of finish, (non-metallic, metallic, or pearl) and will find the closest match possible to it. The Spectro analyses information that isn’t even perceptible to the human eye ensuring a perfect match each time.
So, there you have it, by choosing a Car Craft repairer you will have the peace of mind that your car is in great hands.