20 Mar How Tucson Heat Changes Collision Paint Matching (and How Pros Fix It)
Over time, heat and UV rays can actually break down the molecular structure of vehicle paint. This can lead to thermal expansion that causes bubbling, peeling, and cracking. It also affects the color of the paint, causing fading and oxidation and giving the vehicle’s paint a dull, chalky appearance. While paint damage can affect the beauty and value of your vehicle, it can also affect the ability to paint match after a collision. At National Auto Collision Centers, our expert auto technicians excel at vehicle paint matching during auto body repairs. Even if the Tucson heat has affected the color or quality of your paint, our pros have the knowledge and tools needed for proper paint matching so that your vehicle is restored to its optimal beauty. Here’s a closer look at the potential problems we encounter and how we solve them.
Fading, Discoloration, and Oxidation
Heat and UV rays can break down paint pigments over time. This causes fading, especially in black or red vehicles. It can also lead to oxidation, which will give the paint a chalky or cloudy appearance. If we need to replace a panel during collision repairs, the new panel will not match the paint on the surrounding vehicle. To fix this issue, we will make sure the new panel matches the surrounding oxidized paint by blending the base coat into adjacent panels. We will then apply a UV- and heat-resistant clear coat to all of the panels. Alternatively, we can restore all old panels so that they match the new panels, sanding and buffing out oxidation on the whole vehicle and then color-matching paint so that the new panel blends in seamlessly with the entire car.
Damage to the Clear Coat
Prolonged exposure to intense heat will damage the clear coat over the paint. As it degrades, it can turn cloudy and start to peel off, exposing the paint underneath. Before we repaint any part of the vehicle post-collision, we will need to sand and clean the area to remove the clear coat and smooth the underlying paint. We can then do color matching using a high-tech spectrometer and paint-matching software to ensure the new paint perfectly matches the rest of your vehicle. When we’re done, we’ll apply a durable, UV-resistant wax or ceramic clear coat that is designed to withstand Arizona’s extreme heat and sun.
Material Expansion and Stress
If your vehicle has consistently been exposed to high temperatures, the metal panels and the paint may expand at different rates. This puts stress on existing paint, but will also affect any new paint that we apply. That means that even after car paint repair, the vehicle may be vulnerable to cracked or peeling paint. To mitigate this risk, we ensure that paint is applied in a temperature-controlled environment.
After a car accident in Arizona, it’s important to take your vehicle to an experienced, professional auto body shop with technicians who understand how to color-match paint and apply paint in a high-temperature environment. At National Auto Collision Centers, we ensure optimal paint and auto body repair. Call us today or contact us online to schedule an appointment at one of our collision centers in Tucson, AZ.