How to Inspect Automotive Paint Work

At a glance or from 10 or 15 feet away, a shiny paint job can look great. But a close visual inspection can reveal a myriad of issues and tell you a lot about a car's history. The next time you're looking at a car that is advertised as being in "as new" or "immaculate" condition, use the tips below to see if the seller is true to his word or trying to pull a fast one on you.

Instructions

1

Look at the surface of the paint in direct sunlight or with a bright light to determine if the clear coat (if there is one) is burning off, particularly on areas the hood, roof and trunk.

2

Look at the separate panels that are near each other from different angles and in different light to see if they have been repainted. It is very hard to exactly match the color of a repainted panel to the rest of the car.

3

Inspect the paint very closely to see if there is any checking or "crazing" which is where the paint dries out over time and begins to crack. If the paint is checked, the car will need a new paint job to look its best.

4

Open up the engine bay and doorjambs to see if the color in these areas is the same as the exterior. If the color is different, the car has been resprayed.

5

Inspect areas around the headlights, taillights and trim so see if there is any overspray or areas where the paint has been taped off. Look very closely where the trim meets the painted metal body of the car for evidence of overspray or taping off. Often, cheap paint jobs do not have very thorough taping off, though a good painter can make a respray virtually undetectable.

6

Inspect the engine bay for signs of overspray, particularly on the areas toward the bottom, which are hard to mask off during a cheap paint job.

7

Look down the side of the car at the reflections. These should be relatively straight without excess waviness. If the reflection is wavy, the panel might have been damaged and repaired at some point in the past. Also, run your hands down the surface of the paint to make sure it is smooth. If it is rough to the touch, it was probably cheaply repainted at some point.

8

Check the door and panel gaps. The gaps should be the same width all around the panel. Gaps that get narrower or larger are signs that the car was taken apart for accident repair and repainting.

9

Check for signs of corrosion in the lower extremities of the rocker panels (the area that runs down the bottom of the car's side between the front and rear wheels) and around the bottom of the windshield and rear windows, where moisture can accumulate. Look for bumps where rust may be building up, since it may still be covered with a layer of shiny paint.

10

Run a magnet over areas of the car that you feel might have excess bondo repair. The magnet will stick to metal, but not to bondo or a fiberglass repair.