From the shop floor
Guides
What goes into a respray, a restoration and a show finish, explained by the people doing the work.
What does a car respray cost, and what moves the price?
Why nobody can honestly price a respray over the phone, what moves the cost, from the parts that come off to the finish, and how a quote is built from photos.
Changed the engine? When the V5C needs updating
Which engine changes go on your V5C, the evidence the DVLA asks for, where to send the log book, and what changes when a car is converted to electric.
Modifying your engine? Tell your insurer first
Why an engine swap, a remap or a conversion has to be declared to your insurer before the car is back on the road, and what can happen to a claim if it isn't.
Why is a paint repair blended into the next panel?
Why a perfectly mixed colour can still look different beside old paint, what blending does, and why a small repair can mean painting the panels around it.
How paint is matched to your car's paint code
Where to find your car's paint code, why one code can come in more than one shade, how the mix is checked against the car, and why repairs are blended.
Scuffed or cracked bumper: can it be repaired?
When a bumper scuff polishes out, when a scrape needs filling and paint, why bare plastic needs its own primer, and when a crack means a new bumper.
Car dent repair: knock it out, fill it or replace it?
How a dent is knocked or pulled back before any filler goes on, when a sharp crease has stretched the metal too far, and how the paint is matched afterwards.
Lease car fair wear and tear: what it means for bodywork
What counts as wear and what counts as damage on a lease car's paint and panels, how chips, dents and scratches are judged, and how to check your own car.
Looking after fresh paint in the first few months
How to hand wash fresh paint, why automatic car washes wait, getting bird mess and tree sap off fast, stone chips, and when to wax or seal a new respray.
Respraying a large van: what changes on the big jobs
A long wheelbase van is more panel, more prep and more paint. Why flat sides show every ripple, fitting it in the booth, and what moves the price.
Respraying a Land Rover: what's different?
Land Rover panels are aluminium, the chassis and bulkhead steel. Where they rust, what happens where the two metals meet, etch primer and what comes off.
How a two-tone camper paint job is planned and painted
How a two-tone camper is planned and painted: where the split line runs, the V on the front, which colour goes first, masking by hand and pulling the tape.
Buying a project car or camper? Check these before you pay
What to check and photograph before you buy a project car or camper: sills, arches, floors, jacking points, seams, old filler and the MOT history.
Patch repair or a new panel: which does your rust need?
Cut the rot out and weld new metal in, or fit a whole new panel? How far the rust has spread decides it, and what stops it coming back after either repair.
Wrap or respray: which is right for your car?
A wrap covers the paint but not dents, rust or peeling paint, and needs sound paint to stick to. Where a wrap stops, what a respray reaches, and the V5C.
Single stage or basecoat and clear: what's the difference?
Single stage carries the colour and the gloss in one paint. Basecoat and clear puts a clear lacquer over the colour. What each means for classics and repairs.
Matt or satin paint: what to know before you choose
How matt and satin differ from gloss, why they can't be polished or blended like gloss, how to wash them, and why a small repair can mean a whole panel.
Solid, metallic or pearl paint: which finish suits your car?
Solid, metallic, pearl and candy paint explained: how each one looks, which suits which shape, and why metallic and pearl are harder to match on a repair.
Where do VW campers rust, and what does it take to fix?
Where VW campers rust on older buses and later vans, why they're rustier than they look, how to check one, and what a proper rust repair involves.
Where do classic cars rust? The spots to check
The rust spots to check on a classic car: sills, arches, door bottoms, floors, the boot and behind trim. How to check them, and what bubbling paint means.
Does your car need a bare metal respray?
When old paint can be flatted and painted over, and when it must go back to bare metal: cracking, crazing, flaking, rust bubbles, old filler and too many coats.
Single panel respray or full respray: which do you need?
When one panel is enough, why it is blended into the panels beside it, when tired paint all over means a full respray looks better, and what moves the cost.
Changed your car's colour? How to update the V5C
A new colour has to go on your V5C. What GOV.UK says to do, how long the new log book takes, telling your insurer, and when a respray changes nothing.
How long does new car paint take to cure?
Touch dry, hard enough to handle and fully cured are three different points, and what each one means for driving, washing, polishing and waxing new paint.
Lease return damage: repair it or pay the charge?
How lease cars are judged when they go back, when repairing scratches and dents first costs less than the charge, and what to leave alone.
Same colour respray or colour change: what's the difference?
A same colour respray refreshes the paint you can see. A colour change goes into the shuts, the bays and under the seals, and the V5C has to be updated.
What happens in a strip-down before a respray
Why trim, lights, glass and seals come off before the paint goes on, how every part is bagged and labelled, and what a strip-down tends to turn up.