How does one know when... A car has had paint
Discussion
once you have a little experience its easy in some cases, harder the better job thats been done, but generally these days the majoruity of cars over 3 years old ghave had some minor paintwork done.... it all depends how good it has been prepped and finished.
A few simple points -
try and view the vehicle in daylight, with the car clean!
check along the sides of the car looking for "ripples" or other imperfections in the paint. look carefully for bits of rubbish in the paint or laquer or where the laquer has sunk. Also look for rubbing down marks or Da sanding marks still wisible through the paint on flat panels and especially around wheel arches.
Next check the door openings for masking lines where the door shuts have been masked off - you can get a visible or actual line in the surface where the masking was.
Next check all the door boot and window rubber seals for over spray including the engine bay and wheel arch liners. Try and gently peel back a window rubber slightly to chekc the paint beneath has no visible join to the paint on the rest of the panel.
you can go further than this and i have, but generally this would catch most non factory paint, although do be aware that some cars have minor paintwork repairs done by main delaers even before they are registered/originally sold!
A few simple points -
try and view the vehicle in daylight, with the car clean!
check along the sides of the car looking for "ripples" or other imperfections in the paint. look carefully for bits of rubbish in the paint or laquer or where the laquer has sunk. Also look for rubbing down marks or Da sanding marks still wisible through the paint on flat panels and especially around wheel arches.
Next check the door openings for masking lines where the door shuts have been masked off - you can get a visible or actual line in the surface where the masking was.
Next check all the door boot and window rubber seals for over spray including the engine bay and wheel arch liners. Try and gently peel back a window rubber slightly to chekc the paint beneath has no visible join to the paint on the rest of the panel.
you can go further than this and i have, but generally this would catch most non factory paint, although do be aware that some cars have minor paintwork repairs done by main delaers even before they are registered/originally sold!
Edited by hedgefinder on Sunday 27th January 12:41
To be honest it's quite an art spotting areas that might of had paint.
Obviously the better the job the harder it is to tell but start with comparing overall paint finish around the car, try to see if there's any inconsistencies between panels.
Look for slight colour variations, if it's a poor paint job there maybe masking marks under seals etc.
Hope this helps,
Darran
Obviously the better the job the harder it is to tell but start with comparing overall paint finish around the car, try to see if there's any inconsistencies between panels.
Look for slight colour variations, if it's a poor paint job there maybe masking marks under seals etc.
Hope this helps,
Darran
mrdemon said:
You cannot tell by eye with good paint shop, you need a paint depth gauge.
Yes you can tell a masked off over spray non oven baked job, but we are on a Porsche forum so I would expect people to pay for a good job and then it's gauge time.
i have seen oven baked jobs with masking lines around door shuts, so wouldnt agree with you there. also wouldnt agree that you need a guage to be able to tell if the majority of cars have been painted - it just takes a little of the right knowledge.Yes you can tell a masked off over spray non oven baked job, but we are on a Porsche forum so I would expect people to pay for a good job and then it's gauge time.
I am a very particular and fineky git though and have done paintwork previously in my life so usually see things 99% of people dont unless pointed out to them.
My sisters boxster - bought from a main dealer without me viewing it - had obviously had the whole of one side painted and the front done. Neither of the 2 friends she took with her to view it spotted it, but i spotted it within 5 mins of seeing the car due to the panels being a very very slight shade out when viewed at the right angle in the sun.
Its all down to how much attention people pay and obviously how good your eyesight is !
I know poeple who have sworn that a car hasnt been painted and even had the imperfection or masking line pointed out to them and they still couldnt see it.
Edited by hedgefinder on Sunday 27th January 13:17
I have a paint depth gauge, it simply makes things easier.
If you're looking with just the eye though there are a few tricks though it depends on paint types, colours etc.
Look for machine polishing marks, look for differing paint finishes (orange peel effects), overspray, panel gaps-especially from one side to the other).
Get down on your hands & knees & look up at the car in direct sunlight. If a cars been reprinted it will have been by a bloke standing up, most paint sprayers don't want to spend their days on their knees & cars are usually viewed by people standing up. Therefore when the paint settles its smooth from top to bottom, but slightly rougher from bottom to top.
I've always had a good eye for things but viewing a few cars with an ex bodywork guy has taught me a hell of a lot.
If you're looking with just the eye though there are a few tricks though it depends on paint types, colours etc.
Look for machine polishing marks, look for differing paint finishes (orange peel effects), overspray, panel gaps-especially from one side to the other).
Get down on your hands & knees & look up at the car in direct sunlight. If a cars been reprinted it will have been by a bloke standing up, most paint sprayers don't want to spend their days on their knees & cars are usually viewed by people standing up. Therefore when the paint settles its smooth from top to bottom, but slightly rougher from bottom to top.
I've always had a good eye for things but viewing a few cars with an ex bodywork guy has taught me a hell of a lot.
I had a Polar Silver car that needed a couple of bits cleaning up and it had some paint. I asked another body guy who now does highe end detailing if he could tell me where it had been painted. He could not - it really was an amazing job. He said they must have done a strip down full body respray. Which they had not.
What was deeply ironic is that I eventually sold the car to an OPC who decided to respray the front due get rid of a couple of stone chips - even Stevie Wonder could have spotted that respray!!,
What was deeply ironic is that I eventually sold the car to an OPC who decided to respray the front due get rid of a couple of stone chips - even Stevie Wonder could have spotted that respray!!,
Measuring the film thickness with an elcometer will only give you part of the story. You need to know the factory specification for MAXIMUM paint thickness on all areas of the body. Note that the figure for vertical surfaces will be different to the horizontals, which will be different to the shut faces etc. A previous post mentioned pre-delivery repairs at the dealership, but don't think repairs don't also take place in the manufacturing plant. These can be spot repairs, panel repairs or full repaints - and as long as the thickness doesn't exceed the maximum specification IN ANY ONE AREA, the vehicle will be sold as new. IF however the maximum is exceeded, in theory the bodyshell should either be scrapped or the paint sanded back to allow a repaint - I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not companies always adhere to the spec in these situations...
Without question, the best way to identify post-sale paintwork is by using the visual methods mentioned throughout the post and the more experience you have of this the more likely you are to find the truth.
The important thing to consider is whether any panel and paint repairs have been carried out to a high standard, using quality materials etc., or was it a bodge job? The latter would normally be easy to identify.
Without question, the best way to identify post-sale paintwork is by using the visual methods mentioned throughout the post and the more experience you have of this the more likely you are to find the truth.
The important thing to consider is whether any panel and paint repairs have been carried out to a high standard, using quality materials etc., or was it a bodge job? The latter would normally be easy to identify.
Echo above, the easiest way to spot is with paint depth gauge.
If you're near ealing, pop over and i'll put mine on it.
With a few years in the trade, some of which working in the body repair industry, I can sometimes miss a well done repair.
Any decent bodyshop will remove screens,seals and trims and paint surrounding areas to minimise colour match issues.
If you catch a sunny day, get your head close to the clean body and look for dust particles.
If you can't see it through the telltale signs above, the its proably not that important.
If you're near ealing, pop over and i'll put mine on it.
With a few years in the trade, some of which working in the body repair industry, I can sometimes miss a well done repair.
Any decent bodyshop will remove screens,seals and trims and paint surrounding areas to minimise colour match issues.
If you catch a sunny day, get your head close to the clean body and look for dust particles.
If you can't see it through the telltale signs above, the its proably not that important.
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