Tips for inspecting a paint job

[TouringM3]

Hey Pals –

I'm getting bids from professional auto body & paint shops on a full repaint of my wagon after the tear-down and welding surgery.


For those who have had paint work done, how do you recommend I inspect the work (quality control) prior to signing off and receiving the car?

Aside from looking for obvious stuff like "orange peel" and other surface inconsistencies, i'd love any advice from those who know.


Thanks!
~David

[N1rve]

This is what I look for when I help family members and friends get their car back post accident.

1) Measure Panel Gaps or look to see if it bothers you or not.
2) Look at different angles to make sure that the paint looks like the rest of the body panels (especially bumper to fender, rear bumper to trunk/quarter panel). Most important on a metallic paint or paint that "flips and flops" (3 stage/4 stage paints).
3) Check door frames/edges (trunk,hood,etc) to see if any paint ran off or if any poorly painted spots.
4) Check headlight alignment
5) Check hood alignment
6) Open and close all doors, hood, and trunk to ensure everything closes smoothly
7) Check trim alignment for any gaps or odd fitting
8) Run a clean glove/your hand over the paint to feel for any imperfections or debris in the paint.
9) Check for swirl marks

[TouringM3]

Thanks a lot N1rve, i appreciate it!

I'll end up reassembling everything after the paint job since it's a full paint, but the paint specific advice here is really informative.

[stealthm4f8x]

Check the edges of the painted panel thoroughly

[Nativetexan]

What was previously mentioned are all good ideas.

One thing I do is I walk about 50-100' away and walk up to it like you're walking out to a parking lot to get into your car. I do this from multiple angles and in the sunlight and shade if possible.

The subtlety of the paint coloring is most noticeable from far away in my opinion.

Checking for quality up close in panel gaps and surface smoothness is a given, but I care the most about the coloring being right.

[JagR2611]

Originally Posted by TouringM3

Hey Pals –

I'm getting bids from professional auto body & paint shops on a full repaint of my wagon after the tear-down and welding surgery.


For those who have had paint work done, how do you recommend I inspect the work (quality control) prior to signing off and receiving the car?

Aside from looking for obvious stuff like "orange peel" and other surface inconsistencies, i'd love any advice from those who know.


Thanks!
~David

I agree w/the others but would +...

1. Use a Scan Grip light to inspect
2. Use a gauge to measure the thickness.

With both, you will be able to...

1. Tell if any (1) panel has been repainted and/or corrected at some point.

2. If correction is necessary, you will know what you are up against and how aggressive you can be.

Hope that helps.

[TouringM3]

Originally Posted by JagR2611

I agree w/the others but would +...

1. Use a Scan Grip light to inspect
2. Use a gauge to measure the thickness.

With both, you will be able to...

1. Tell if any (1) panel has been repainted and/or corrected at some point.

2. If correction is necessary, you will know what you are up against and how aggressive you can be.

Hope that helps.

This is super helpful, and Nativetexan 's comments about doing the long-approach under real world light situations.


Since my paint is going to be atop the factory paint (not doing a full paint strip), you've brought up a good point that I should do paint depth measurements before, and after so i know what (new paint) i'm really dealing with.

[TopJimmy]

In addition to the long-approach in sunlight also ask if you can see the work in the paint booth. They have really bright lights so you can check the work, and sometimes the booth can switch lights (blue/red hue) to check color matching.

I also like to check at night with streetlights...the yellow sodium or white halide lights also show color differences. Check under both.