While we all try to stay safe and digilent on the road, accidents can happen to anyone. Whether you’ve suffered a minor fender bender or a serious collision, it’s likely that your car’s paint job will get damaged in the process.
At Mackin’s Auto Body, we have the necessary skills and tools to provide effective and efficient repair for a wide variety of collision-related issues, including paint damage. If you’ve suffered an accident and sustained damage to your car’s paint job, we can provide expert color-matching and painting services to restore the look of your car.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about car painting services after an accident.
When to Call a Production Collision Shop
Paint repair is one of the most common types of car repairs in Portland and across the whole country. In some instances, you may be able to handle minor paint damage yourself. For example, if you were in an accident and there’s remnants of another car’s paint on your panels, you may be able to buff it out yourself. But if you were in a major accident or your car’s paint is significantly scratched, chipped, or scraped, your best bet is probably to call the shop and get a professional evaluation.
Does car insurance cover paint damage?
In general, car insurance exists to protect you – and your lender, if you have a car loan – in situations that cause sudden and unexpected damage to your car. Whether or not insurance will cover the cost of repairing paint damage depends on the type of insurance you have and the type of damage your car has sustained.
- Comprehensive insurance protects you when your car is damaged by incidents such as vandalism and theft, extreme weather, falling objects, and fires.
- Collision insurance covers you in the event of an accident that involves other cars or objects.
- Full-coverage insurance typically includes both comprehensive and collision coverage.
In most cases, insurance will cover paint damage, especially if you have full-coverage insurance. Keep in mind, though, that most policies don’t cover general wear and tear. If your car has paint damage that has occurred over time, it likely won’t be covered under collision or comprehensive coverage.
What’s the typical cost?
The cost of paint restoration will depend on the type and extent of the damage, as well as the make, model, and color of your car. From superficial chips to deep scratches, you could be looking at estimated costs anywhere between $100 to over $1,000 per panel. The type of paint the auto body shop uses can also have an impact on cost.
At Mackin’s, we do everything we can to get an excellent match and use your car’s original paint product. When you bring your car in, we’ll take a close look at your vehicle and give you a fast and accurate estimate.
Learn more about the services we offer by checking out our most frequently asked questions!
Blending the Paint
In most cases, your car doesn’t need a complete repaint after an accident. Usually the most time- and cost-effective way to handle paint damage is to refinish the damaged panels and blend the new paint as far as necessary to create as perfect a color match as possible to the car’s original paint.
Take care when choosing the right auto body repair shop for your specific situation. Mackin’s is what’s known as a “production collision shop” – that means we repair damage from accidents on modern vehicles, which allows us to order new parts with ease and get a good paint color match that can be blended to look as good as new. If you have a classic car that needs paint repair or your car’s overall paint job has deteriorated substantially over years, you probably need to seek out a restoration shop.
Will the paint match?
Making sure that the new paint matches the original color is one of the most pressing concerns car owners have when getting paint repaired. At Mackin’s, we use state-of-the-art color-matching software to find the exact paint you need. We use the same paint product used by the original manufacturer, and hand-mix paints based on specified formulas provided by the manufacturer to ensure a good match.
While we can provide an excellent color match, we won’t be able to perfectly match the fade of your paint. If you’ve had your car for a while, you may have noticed that the paint job doesn’t shine as much as it used to. When we repaint the damage on your vehicle, it will likely appear newer and shinier compared to untouched panels, but this generally isn’t noticeable to the naked eye.
Been in a wreck? Mackins can help!
For over 75 years, Mackin’s Auto Body has built a reputation as a trusted collision repair shop. With us, you can rest assured that your vehicle is in good hands. Our specialists are experienced and skilled when it comes to collision repair. From minor restorations to extensive reconstructions, we’ll get your car looking and driving like new.
Contact us online to learn more or visit one of our 9 locations today!