Auto Painting & Refinishing
Spot repairs, single panels or a complete respray — matched to your vehicle's actual colour as it sits today, not just the code on the door jamb.
At a glance
- Division
- Collision & Autobody
- Colour matching
- Spectrophotometer + spray-out
- Booth
- Downdraft, controlled bake
- Warranty
- Lifetime workmanship
Overview
Auto Painting & Refinishing
Paint is the part of the repair everyone can see, which is why it is the part we are most particular about. A structurally perfect repair with a poor colour match still reads as a repaired car every time somebody walks past it in a parking lot.
We refinish in a filtered downdraft booth with a controlled bake cycle, using automotive systems designed for Canadian temperature swings. That matters here — a finish that cures properly holds gloss and adhesion through freeze-thaw cycles and road salt instead of clouding and lifting after one winter.
What this service covers
- Single-panel and multi-panel refinishing
- Complete vehicle resprays and colour changes
- Spectrophotometer colour matching and spray-out verification
- Blending into adjacent panels for invisible repairs
- Clear-coat failure and sun-fade restoration
- Two-stage, three-stage and pearl finishes
- Trim, moulding and wheel refinishing
- Cut, polish and final gloss correction
Why colour matching is harder than a paint code
Your paint code narrows the target; it does not hit it. Manufacturers run variants of the same code across production plants, and those variants can be visibly different side by side. On top of that, your vehicle has been living outdoors — ultraviolet exposure, wash chemicals and road grit shift the finish over years, so a factory-fresh mix of the original code will not match a six-year-old panel.
We read the actual panel with a spectrophotometer, mix to the closest variant, then spray a test card and check it against the vehicle in daylight before a drop of paint touches the car. If it is not right, we adjust and spray another card.
Blending, and why we do it
Even a perfect match can show as a hard edge where new paint meets old. Blending carries the new colour a controlled distance into the adjacent panels so the transition happens gradually and the eye cannot find it. On a metallic or pearl finish, blending is not optional — it is the only way to get an invisible repair.
Some estimates cut blend time to bring the number down. It is a false economy: you save a small amount of labour and get a repair that is obvious from ten feet away.
Restoring faded and failed clear coat
Alberta sun is hard on horizontal surfaces. Roofs, hoods and trunk lids are usually the first to go — the clear coat clouds, then peels away in sheets, and once it has lifted no amount of polishing brings it back.
The repair is to strip the failed clear back to a sound layer, re-prime where the base has been compromised, and refinish the panel properly. We are straight with you about what polishing can and cannot fix: oxidation and light scratching will correct, delamination will not.
Key points
- Roof, hood and deck lid clear-coat replacement
- Sun-faded bumper and trim restoration
- Oxidation removal and gloss correction on sound finishes
- Scratch and scuff repair without full-panel refinish where possible
How a auto painting & refinishing job runs
Same four stages every time, so you always know which one your vehicle is in and what happens next.
Assess
We document the damage and look past what is visible, so the scope is right before anything is ordered.
Quote
An itemised written estimate — parts, labour and timeline separated — in the format your insurer works in.
Repair
Parts ordered on authorisation, work carried out to the manufacturer's published procedure for your vehicle.
Return
Quality inspection, clean-up and hand-back with your repair file and warranty documentation.
- Spectrophotometer + spray-outColour matching
- Downdraft, controlled bakeBooth
- Lifetime workmanshipWarranty
Collision & Autobody FAQ
Questions about auto painting & refinishing
If yours is not here, call the shop — somebody who works on the vehicles will answer it.
Can you match my colour exactly?
In almost every case, yes. We measure the panel rather than relying on the code alone, and we verify with a sprayed test card before committing. Where a panel has faded beyond a blendable match, we will tell you up front and recommend refinishing the adjacent panels instead of pretending it will disappear.
How long does paint need to cure before I wash the car?
Handle it gently for the first thirty days. Hand wash only, no automatic brushes, no wax or sealant, and avoid pressure-washing the repaired area. Fresh finishes continue to harden after they leave the booth.
Do you do colour changes?
Yes, including door jambs, engine bay and hatch shuts for a proper factory-quality change. Be aware that a full colour change should be reported to your insurer and noted on the registration, and it will affect resale differently depending on the vehicle.
Related services
Often needed alongside this
- 01
Collision Repair
Full structural and cosmetic collision repair for cars, SUVs and light trucks — from a parking-lot scrape to a major impact.
- 02
Paintless Dent Repair
Door dings, hail dimples and shallow creases massaged out from behind the panel — original paint kept intact.
- 03
Bumper Repair & Replacement
Scuffs, cracks, tears and torn mounting tabs — repaired where sensible, replaced where it isn't.
- 04
Heavy Truck Collision Repair
Highway tractors, vocational trucks and buses — cab, hood, frame and body repair after collision, rollover or wreck.
Need auto painting & refinishing?
Free written estimate, no obligation. Send photos or bring it in.