Color Codes
Spectrophotometer
Auto repair shops use a variety of methods to match paint. At the top of their list are color swatches. When a homeowner wants to match paint, they can submit a tiny sample to a paint department and a computer matches the sample. The consumer can also grab a color swatch from the color board and try to match the paint color. Auto body shops have color swatches with color codes to identify vehicle manufacturer paint. Matching vehicle paint by numbers helps auto technicians match vehicle paint.
When you need a color match for your vehicle Brown Collision Center in Charlottesville, VA uses the correct primer color, color codes, and spectrophotometer to match vehicle colors. Visit our shop at 1590 Seminole Trail Charlottesville, VA 22901 and speak with one of our painters or you can give us a call (434) 984-8400 to schedule a consultation.
When paint is matched, it is usually tested on card stock and dries. After the paint has dried, it is placed against the vehicle for a color match. Homeowners take the same approach. Technology has introduced the automotive industry to a tool, a spectrophotometer. The paint is submitted into a computer and scanned for colors that makeup the vehicle color code. The only missing piece of the spectrophotometer process are metallic elements that result in the shimmer of the color. To reach the correct shimmer with metallic elements, an experienced vehicle painter needs the eye of a fastball hitter, someone with the skills of MLB Hall of Fame hitter and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient Ted Williams. A sharp eye that can determine what color code of paint and color code of prier may be the difference in hitting 400 or striking out.
Auto body shops also use primer that may undercut the color quality of color matching. Like color shades of white, the color of gray has a wide scale of undertones and color codes. If a painter uses the wrong primer color, the manufacturer’s vehicle code color will not match. Additives also play a role in the quality of paint matching. Some paints have flakes and metal powders that give paint a reflective look. When light hits paint, it can change colors and will negate the vehicle color code that was intended to be used to match the paint color.
If you have been involved in an accident, or need your vehicle paint color matched, call Brown Collision Center in Charlottesville, VA (434) 984-8400 to have one of our I-CAR Gold certified technicians evaluate your vehicle’s condition after a road crash.