Benefits of paint color matching bumpers and fenders

Are you debating between getting a pre-painted bumper versus a blended paint job at the local body shop? You're not alone.

One of the biggest concerns customers have is the issue of color-matching their bumper or fender to the rest of their car. You'll hear a lot of experts talk about how you need to blend the paint of your newly painted bumper or fender to match the rest of you car due to fading from the sun and the overall aging of paint over time. While this is usually true, you also have to take into account the type of paint being used. These days, advanced paint technology will account for these variations in paint due to weather, time, and usage. However, there are still certain brands and types of paint that just use the original factory color paint, as if it came straight from the dealership.

When using older paint technology and products, you get the original factory color so your car bumper or fender will usually look newer than the rest of your car. However, if you use advanced paint technology, the paint will vary depending on how old the car is and the location the car was originally manufactured (for temperature measures since a car with manufactured paint from a colder state will differ from that in a warmer state and have different curing times). These newer paint products will match your car better and make it more difficult to the average consumer to tell the difference in the paint.

This is the type of color-matching paint that we're going to focus on.

Benefits:

• 1. Lower cost. Already painted bumpers and fenders using the new paint technology will cost you less. These specialty stores can generally charge less for painting since this is the focal point of their business and they can pay less for paint supplies compared to a body shop who may not create as much volume to get lower rates on their paint. Blending paint is also a labor intensive service and body shops will usually charge you a high fee to have this done.

• 2. Quicker turnaround time By purchasing a pre-painted bumper or fender, you save yourself the time it takes to leave your car at the local body shop. Some body shops will return your car within a few days, while others will take weeks to complete the job. If you purchase the part already painted, you can simply install the bumper or fender yourself.

• 3. More care. If you install the painted bumper or fender yourself, you'll usually put more care into it than anyone at a local body shop would. We've heard horror stories of bumpers being misaligned, not installed properly, or have other problems surrounding the car that may have nothing to do with the part they needed installed to begin with. When you do it yourself, you'll get the results you put in.

These are all benefits of purchasing a painted bumper or fender, with cost being the biggest factor for most clients. If you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, getting a pre-painted auto part is the way to go.