The intent of the Autotech blog is consumer education about the repairs we make to your car and why we do what we do, even if other shops in the South Jersey do not.
Throughout our website, we make mention of the OEM way, and the DRP way of doing things. When a shop is working on your vehicle, they have a choice to make: either they start each repair by doing their research and check with sites such as the OEM one stop and other vehicle specific OEM information sites, or they can dive in and guess based on their experience, or based on how the insurance company tells them they will pay for the repair.
The problem is, those that guess often guess wrong. If you are in the 37% of Americans who own a Ford, and in need of collision repair, this will affect you.
Less is not more when it comes to your paint work.
When it comes to painting your vehicle, the less paint materials and time consumed, the less expensive the repair. When we paint a panel we will sometimes utilize is a technique called blending where we blend the new base coat paint into the existing paint to create a visually imperceptible repair. On top of that blend we spray the clear coat. The problems is that shops who cut corners will simply feather sand the adjacent clear coated area and blend the clear since it has no color. But these costs cutting measures are often harmful to the consumer, and Ford specifically says not to do it.
A recent OEM position statement released by Ford states that Ford does not approve the procedure or usage of clear coat blending in any collision or warranty repair. In addition, Ford never approves partial clear coat blending for paint repairs under warranty. They also do not approve clear coat blending on repairs paid from either the customer or insurance.
Over time, the edge around the repair will lift and become very noticeable with discoloration. In order to not have environment factors (such as the unpredictable and harsh Southern Jersey weather), or resist the damages of ultraviolet light, the clear coat on cars needs about two mils of thickness. The problem with clear coat blending is it is not nearly thick enough and tapers out at the edge of a blended area.
All approved paint system manuals have reinforced Ford’s position on this matter. It’s unfortunate that there are some shops out there who pay no mind to these manuals and just do whatever they want based on, “past experience”.
What that means to you the car owner
When a manufacturer puts out an OEM position statement, they are making public the rules they have for the repair of their products. These position statements also contain the penalties for not following these guidelines such as a voided warranty even on a new car. So, customers can unknowingly be hiring a body shop to void their paint warranty if that shop chooses to cut corners.
At Autotech Collision Service, we have state-of-the-art paint matching equipment. This not only ensures we are using the right color for your car, but that it follows the exact requirements from your car’s manufacturers & keep you under warranty. We also take the necessary steps to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to keep our reputation and your warranty intact.
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