While many of us can paint the interior and exterior of our homes ourselves, when it comes to our car, it’s a job best done by professionals. Look at it this way: when your car has been painted well, people won’t notice. However, when it has not been painted well, people will notice it right away. A bad paint job is something that you will have to (literally) drive around with.
The good news is that professional car painting can be quite affordable. In this article, we will go over the specifics of how much it costs to have your car painted, with a specific focus on Vancouver.
How Much Does Car Painting Cost in Vancouver?
Not all car painting jobs are similar. Before we dive into specifics, let’s list off some of the factors that are sure to affect the price of your car painting:
- Paint type
- Car surface area
- The difficulty of job (precision)
- Preparation time needed
The average cost of a car paint job in Vancouver could be anywhere from $500 to upwards of $5,000. It is very important that these numbers are kept as a ballpark range, as the factors can contribute to wildly fluctuating circumstances.
It is also important that you also consider additional costs. If your car is new or has been freshly painted, you may actually want to invest in car paint protection as well. Car paint protection is a thin protective coating of a few millimetres that can be applied to your cat’s paint to protect it from scratches and blemishes.
Why Has Your Car Painted?
So, why would vehicles want to paint their car at all? There are a few reasons.
The number one reason why somebody would have their car painted is that it is in poor aesthetic condition. While scratches and blemishes can happen just about anywhere, cold and wet climates such as the one experienced in Vancouver can be especially hard on the vehicle. It is common to see rusting in vehicles that are not even old. Sometimes, the only way to eliminate these imperfections is through car painting.
What Does Car Painting Entail?
Car painting is a process best left to the professionals, not only because it requires skill but also because it can get quite dangerous due to the use of chemicals. It is not recommended that you ever paint your own vehicle.
Your auto body shop will first examine your car to determine the best way to go about painting it. They will generally use three paint coats that consist of a primer, topcoat, and final (clear) coat. Traditionally, solvent-borne paint is used although water-borne paint is an environmentally-friendly option that is becoming more and more popular.
The auto body shop will then be sure to match the colour of the new paint to the existing paint of your car. They will achieve precision through sanding and re-sanding your vehicle, as well as applying a final buffering. You can tell that a paint job is of high quality if the new paint is virtually indistinguishable from the old paint.
Even after the routine steps have been followed, your auto body shop’s work is not done. Professional body shops will be sure to check and re-check their work to make sure that there has not been any oversight at any point of the painting process.
Your Local Vancouver Body Shop Experts
Vancouver body shop experts have been helping local residents upkeep their cars since 1991. They offer services ranging from auto body repairs to customization and are fully accredited by the ICBC. They also offer a lifespan guarantee — get in touch today to see how they can get your vehicle looking its best.