Tell me something? When you were out looking for your first car, what was the one factor that totally dominated your purchase decision? Of course the make of the car did matter. Not to mention price. But it would probably be true if I said that the one decision that gained the maximum importance in swinging your decision was probably the color of the automotive paints the car boasted.

Not many of us realize it, but automotive paints have an undeniable role to play in helping people choose their wheels of choice. How many times have we heard people speak in awe about that red Ferrari or the black Cadillac? A Mercedes Benz is always silver or gold and a number of other automobiles have their own pick of automotive paints. Admittedly, we are all suckers for quality automotive paints. And it is a small wonder that these automotive paints influence the kind of car we buy.

In the days gone by, automotive paints had a very limited scope. Due to the cost of production of automobiles, most models that rolled out of the assembly lines used either black or white automotive paints. But once automobiles had entrenched themselves in the psyche of the modern man, manufacturers began being pestered by users for a wider range of automotive paints. In America, Ford could safely be said to be the first manufacturer who offered a range of automotive paints. Pretty soon, automobiles began rolling out of assembly lines in all sorts of colors. Automotive paints were here to stay.

Today, things have gotten a tad more complicated. Due to the wide variety of automotive paints available in the market, people have begun experimenting with the regular colors of their automobiles. There are a number of two tone automotive paints available in the market and some of the flashier consumers have almost normalized multiple colors. But automotive paints themselves have not remained staid. Today’s automotive paints come in more than just colors. They come with a wide variety of features that earlier generations could only dream of. There are scratch proof automotive paints, rust-free ones and even all weather automotive paints. But one thing is for certain. No matter how high tech these paints get, they still hold a place very close to our hears. And by doing so, they have become the determinants of how and why we loosen our purse strings to buy that blue beemer or green bug!

Do you recall when you where out looking for your first car? And do you remember what determined which car you finally decided to buy? The price, of course, is important. But the paint job I am sure either impressed you or it didn’t. Nothing like automotive paints that are sprayed on a car by a professional.

Some people don’t even realize that automotive paints have an enormous effect on people out looking for wheels, and eventually which car they pick. I have heard people talk about red Ferrari’s and black Cadillac’s. And those Mercedes have silver or gold paint jobs. It’s the same with automotive paints on a number of other cars as well.

Back in time automotive paints where limited to a very narrow specter of colors. You could get a car that had either black or white paint. The narrow choice of automotive paints was due to the production cost of cars in that time. But people got colors on there mind shortly after, and car manufacturers got the message and started producing cars in a much wider range of automotive paints. All sorts of colors got available for you new car.

Now a day it’s a bit more complicated. It’s not just about picking a color anymore when you buy a brand new car. You have to decide if you want automotive paints which are scratch proof, rust-free and even all weather automotive paints is on the market.

There are several two tone automotive paints on the shelves now. And some consumers have almost normalized multiple colors. But still, no matter how high tech these automotive paints get, they are still – like before – what catch the eye on a possible car buyer out looking.

So, how about you? What does the automotive paints of your dreams look like? Maybe a blue Beemer or a very green Bug? The great thing today is there are no rules. Just lack of imagination.

Whether you are just interested in re-spraying a small area to cover up some paint chips, or want to treat your car to a custom paint job that will let you enjoy envious stares from every pedestrian you pass, you will need to follow a few basic rules, and have the right tools to hand in order to carry out the work to a high standard.

The first thing to mention about auto paint jobs is that you should always work in a well ventilated area. Paint fumes can include a number of solvents that can leave you feeling light headed and even poison you if you inhale them, so make sure there is free passage of air through your work shop when you are painting. You should also wear a respirator mask during painting or preparation to avoid inhaling any paint and loose dust that you release.

To get the best effects when painting, you also need to make sure that you are able to keep dust to a minimum. You can achieve a good environment by hanging sheets from floor to ceiling in the area where you are working, and wearing overalls. You should also vacuum clean the area where you are painting at the beginning of every session.

When you apply auto body paint, the main thing is to get a good even finish that looks good, and the key to getting a good finish is having a good start. Preparation is everything in paining. Get it right, and you will be able to enjoy a fantastic smooth finish that will last for years and look great, skimp on your preparation, and your finish will look shabby straight away, and then get worse over time.

Before you paint, you need to strip off the old paint job. You can do this with a solvent based paint remover, or do it the hard way by sanding back the panels to bare metal using a sander. Whichever method you choose, you need to make sure that you have a very smooth base. To achieve this, use the finest grade abrasive paper available, and be prepared to put serious time into the job.

Once you are satisfied with your base, you can start applying the primer. Use a HLVP spray gun connected to an air compressor, as this is much more even than an aerosol, and will be much cheaper in the long run. You should use long sweeping strokes in a single direction to get a good base to paint onto. After every coat, allow the paint to dry, and then sand it back to a smooth surface. Then apply the next coat in strokes that go at 90 degrees to the previous layer, as this will produce an even color.

There are two types of auto paint that you can use on a car, cellulose based and Two Pack auto paint. Most painters now use Two Pack because it gives a better finish, and metallic colors are available, whereas cellulose paint can be tricky to deal with, and is best used on classic cars where you are trying to recapture an older style.

As with the primer, you should apply the auto paint in coats, spraying in a single direction, then sanding back to a fine surface to remove any imperfections, before applying the next layer at right angles to the previous one.

In between coats, it is imperative to clean the nozzles on your HVLP spray gun, as otherwise, small flakes of dried paint can be caught up in the spray and cause imperfections that will spoil the final effect.

Once you are satisfied that you have got a good covering and applied enough coats of auto body paint to create an excellent finish, apply one more coat for best effects, allow it to dry, and then sand back for a smooth finish. You should leave the paint to dry completely for 24 hours and then apply a wax polish to the whole body in order to protect your new paint job and give it a shine that will certainly catch the attention of anyone you pass on the road.

“Auto body repair helps in preserving the re-sale value of the automobile in the long run and helps restore the car to its original manufacturing standards.”

Auto repairs are unavoidable necessities that come along with your vehicle, the one you cannot really escape. Vehicles are prone to damage and deterioration over time and this is really what you have to care for if you want to enhance the performance of your vehicle on the road. Bumps, scratches, and cracks, your vehicle can suffer anything from an incident of accident. The damages to your vehicle could be minor to only affect the looks of your vehicle or the major one to affect the overall integrity of your vehicle. However in any case, it is required that you take your vehicle to one of the reputed auto body garages in your area for the fact that vehicles need looks as well as integrity both at the same time to remain a status symbol for you.

If you own a vehicle, you may better know the importance of those auto body garages that by offering quality and speedy auto repair services save your valuable time and money. The professionals here not only help return your vehicles back in their running condition but also ensure your safety on the roads by actually maintain the integrity of your vehicle.

However there are many reasons to contribute to the wear and tear of the body of your vehicle, accidents are the main reasons to cause damage to the integrity of your vehicle. So, it becomes very important to take care of your vehicles after an event of accident and for this the only thing you have to do is to take your vehicle to a reputed auto body garage that specializes in auto body repair in case of an accident.

Auto accident repair facilities by offering quality body painting, polishing, towing scheduling, and paintless dent repair services restore the original look of our vehicles. The more specialized services of an auto repair garage includes unibody and frame repair, bumper repairs, paint less dent repairs, hail damage repairs etc. The qualified technicians and automobile experts here use state of the art technology and tools to satisfy your auto repair needs. In most of the cases the experts here provide services for both domestic and foreign vehicles.

Taking your vehicle regularly to an auto body repair shop for maintenance can enhance the beauty and durability of your vehicle for a long period of time and could offer you a peace of mind knowing that you are well protected in your vehicle.

Some individuals may suggest to you that using aerosol spray paint to paint your car is not a wise choice. It is true that you are not likely to get that car manufacturers’ perfect finish on it, but you still can get some pleasing results. The important thing is that you buy a good quality paint, and most important you apply it properly. There are some techniques to using aerosol spray paints. They are not hard to learn and are well worth the effort.

First of all you will need to determine if you are just touching up a specific area on your car, or if you are going to repaint the entire vehicle. If you are doing a touch up then you are going to have to pay close attention to color matching, whereas in a total paint job this isn’t quite as important.

Assuming you are going to be doing a touchup you will require some items. You will need some repair items such as sandpaper, putty and a knife. If the area you are working on is rough or chipped you will need to sand it down smooth. If there are pit marks you will have to fill them with the putty then smooth this out.

You will need a good car wash detergent, and degreaser, even if you are doing just a touchup, it must be perfectly clean.

You will need some newspaper and masking tape. Take the time to be diligent about covering other areas that could possibly be in the line of fire when you are apply your aerosol spay paint. Even a very light breeze could cause a over spray onto your chrome, windows, etc.

You need to choose your primer, color and finish aerosol spray paints. Be sure to do a color test by doing a very small area first. Then you will be able to proceed.

Try a few sprays on some cardboard first to be sure you don’t get any squirts or blobs, and the paint is spraying evenly. Don’t forget to shake the can for at least two or three minutes so it is well mixed, or you won’t get an even color.

Keep the spray moving as you press down on the nozzle. Don’t hold it in one spot or you will get runs. It is much better to apply several very light coats, then one or two heavy ones. If you apply it too thick it is going to be very uneven and extremely obvious. It may seem like this is very time consuming, but not nearly as much as it will be if you have to resand the paint off and start over again.

Shake the can of aerosol spray paint every few minutes in order to keep it well distributed.

Your primer and your top coat must be applied with as much care as your color is. With the proper application of your aerosol spray paint, your car can end up very impressive looking, and all of the work you put into it will have been well worth it.