Auto Maxtuning

Once you have decided that you are going to repaint your vehicle then you are going to need to learn the techniques involved in getting a long lasting finish. Of course, the product you are going to need is car spray paint. This comes in a variety of forms, but each one has its own unique way of applying it.

You will find the most common type of car spray paint utilizes compressed gas. Then compressed air is used to provide the ability to spray it. There are also a variety of spray guns on the market specifically designed for this type of painting chores.

If you are doing just touchup or a small job then you should find the regular canned spray paint adequate. These are aerosol cans of car spray paint that are highly pressurized. To apply you keep your arm moving as you quickly apply a light coat of the paint to the desired area. Do not hesitate in moving the can as you will end up with runs.

Then you have to the option of using the large spray guns. In this case, the spray gun will combine the paint with the air to acquire the needed pressure. Again, you will only want to apply a light coat and again keep your arm moving. If you don’t keep an even sweep of the paint, you will end up with an inconsistent finish. There is a lot of over spray with this method as about 1/3 will go to the object while 2/3rds goes into the air.

Another type of technique you can use is with a High Volume Low Pressure sprayer. It is very similar to the conventional spray gun except the gun requires less pressure. In this case, though a higher volume of air is needed. This method if you use it properly will mean reduced over spray so more car spray paint will reach the target area. In this case 2/3 rds of the paint will be utilized with 1/3 going into the air. Opinions differ as to whether one like using the HVLP techniques.

For hard to reach areas you can use the electrostatic spray painting. Once again, this method is more efficient for the amount of car spray paint that hit’s the target area.

There are several other methods that are very similar. In regards to techniques it primarily depends on the type of equipment you are using. Most of the equipment used for car spray paint will come with instructions and suggestions. In almost every case though it will recommend several light coats as opposed to one or two heavy ones. The basic techniques of keeping the paint moving will most likely be instructed.

If possible, you may want to practice a little with whatever equipment you decide on. Better to make your mistakes on another object besides your car. If you don’t you could end up with a lot more work than you bargained for.

The US automotive industry suffered a fatal blow. Yet anyone who claims that the industry’s demise can be linked to a single root-cause of failure is sadly mistaken. I spent the greater portion of 10 years within that industry many of which in an executive or managerial role.

Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet that caused the fall. I say unfortunately because a single cause of failure could be prevented in the future. In this case, the blame can be put only on the system as a whole making it difficult to protect against a repeat occurrence.

What the automotive industry suffered was a catastrophic failure caused by multiple points of failure. We’re talking systemic failure in its truest form. As an insider in the industry, I can personally attest to some of the actions (or lack thereof) that pushed the industry to a collapse.

One of the biggest gremlins that undermined the industry was a myopic focus on piece price (cost). Over the years the automobile manufacturers became totally engulfed in driving (no pun intended) suppliers to lower sell prices in an attempt to reduce the production cost of a car or truck and therefore increase the bottom line.

This shortsighted focus on lower piece cost was so strong that supplier relationships were sacrificed. In fact, one of the Big 3 automotive companies believed that if one supplier went under that another would always step up. How is that for arrogant?

The pressure for lower piece cost was so extreme that suppliers were forced to seek low-cost countries for the procurement of parts and for their own manufacturing processes. On the surface this approach may seem logical. However, what was lacking was a holistic view of the situation to see that lower piece price demands were leading to other systemic issues:

Reduced quality and increased life-cycle costs due to overseas outsourcing
Suboptimal designs because of shortcuts to reduce costs
Jobs being pushed out of the US
Collapse of solid, reputable suppliers
Tarnished relationships with the legacy supply base

The situation went as far as the automotive manufacturers demanding payments from suppliers to maintain current business or to be awarded new business. These payments were commonly known in industry as “givebacks”. These givebacks started as checks that were written for absurd amounts of money and then changed into piece price concessions over the length of a given contract (the SEC wouldn’t necessary like the check approach, i.e. buying business).

Business is about more than just the bottom line. The way in which you go about producing profit makes a difference. Our friends in the automotive industry learned the hard way that relying upon myopic, dictatorial and selfishly driven profits at the expense of your suppliers and customers is not sustainable.

If you want to repaint your vehicle on your own and achieve that trendy look, then it is important to get all the information you can get about the paint that you will use. You will need to choose the tools to use wisely, select that part of the garage that is well ventilated i.e. where there is free passage of air.

All automotive paints are not the same but there are some few qualities that you need to ascertain before you buy the paint for your car. Any paint that you use should not be polished after application unless it is of poor quality. Paint should always be flexible without the use of flex additives. To improve paint coverage, use paint primer as an undercoating.

When dealing with a minor repair or even a full restoration, preparation is absolutely necessary. Clean the surface that you are using. There are two types of contaminants that will need to be cleaned, these are Water based contaminants, such as dirt, dust and bird droppings. These can be removed easily with a good car washing soap and hot water. And then there are Solvent based contaminants that include wax, plastic resin, oil and tar grease. These require the use of grease remover. In order to know that the area is clean, flush it with water. The water should not stick on this surface, if it does you will need to add more grease remover.

Before applying the automotive paint that you desire, you can remove the old paint using solvent based color removers, making a smooth base on your car body. You are now ready to use a primer on these surface. Use a top quality spray gun, applying sweeping horizontal strokes back and forth. Let the coat dry before sanding it again and applying a fresh coat.