How to Match Automotive Paint Colors
Matching automotive paint is an extremely difficult process. Many factors play into it, making it difficult to determine your car's exact paint color. The age of your vehicle and the type of weather you drive in can change the color of your paint significantly. Sunlight tends to fade the paint, therefore actually altering the color, tone and tint of your vehicle. If you cannot determine the color on your own, there are trained professionals who can assist you in finding the right color match.
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Instructions
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Refer to the car's identification sticker. Each car comes with a hidden sticker from the manufacturer. This sticker includes details about your car. This sticker can be found in places such as the driver's door panel, glove box, trunk, under the hood or in a door jam. If you cannot find this sticker, consult your car's manufacturer or search the manufacturer's website to locate it. On each sticker there is a line, below the barcode, that says "Exterior Paint Colors." It includes some numbers and letters. This is the exact color that was painted on your car during the original assembly process.
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Buy the right color. Take this code to a body shop or automotive paint shop to purchase an exact match. You can also use this code to purchase any type of paint from websites on the Internet (see Resources). If using this website, you don't normally need the paint code. You have the option to search the color by the year, make and model of your car. However, tt is better to have this code in case their database is not entirely up-to-date.
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Test your color. Make sure to test the color match before using it to repair your paint. Sun and weather tend to fade paint and even the smallest touch-up can reveal a difference in the color. Test the color on a hidden spot on the car. Let the paint dry and compare the paint with the original paint. If the paint matches, continue with your work. If it doesn't, you may have to visit a professional to blend the paint for you. An auto-body paint specialist, or companies such as Maaco, will be able to help blend car paint.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit a car in a car show image by Gary from Fotolia.com
