Touch-Up Paint Colors

Over the course of a vehicle's lifetime, the exterior paint is bound to get chipped, scratched or ruined in one way or another. It is important to know how to best match your car's touch-up color, especially if you plan to touch up the paint yourself.

Matching Colors

It is important to realize when touching up your car's paint job that many colors cannot be matched exactly. When you are just trying to repair a scratch, dent or nick in the car, this should not be too big a deal. Choose a color that is reasonably close, therefore it will blend nicely. Remember that metallic colors are especially difficult to match, as metallic paints look differently when sprayed rather than brushed on. In addition, red and gold colors can fade with time, which might make matching the perfect color a little more difficult.

Color Code

If you are repairing a larger portion of your car's exterior paint, find the color code on the vehicle itself. The color code is often found on a door or fender of a car, where other important information about the vehicle is listed. This color code can be used to order the exact color of paint needed for your vehicle. Color codes can be different for the same vehicle, depending on the factory the car was sprayed in. The color code is the only way to ensure a true match to your car's color.

Two-Tone Paint

Two-tone cars can be a little bit more difficult to match a touch up color. The color code on two-tone cars will only list one color --- not the two different color codes used to achieve the two-tone look. You can use the color code to determine the shades that were used on the vehicles and then decide which paint samples best match your vehicle. Experienced painters may be able to assist you in picking out the right colors for your vehicle.

Metallic Paint

Picking the right metallic paint to touch up your car can be challenging as well. It is important to first find the color code of the vehicle. In addition, use the color description to narrow down the best touch up color for your car. Often, metallic color descriptions have the word metallic in the name. Usually, this is the best touch up color to go with for a metallic car. A color code can often be used to cross-reference, just to be sure.