Our expert refinishing and colour matching services restore your vehicle’s appearance to pre-accident condition, delivering a professional and seamless finish.
Car paint repair and refinishing: the finishing stage of every repair
Almost every accident repair ends in the paint shop. Once a panel has been reshaped, a bumper repaired or a new part fitted, it has to be refinished so the repair is invisible: the surface prepared, the colour matched to your vehicle, base and clear coats applied, and the new paint blended into the panels around it.
Our spray painters are trained in automotive refinishing; we train our own apprentices through the Certificate III in Automotive Refinishing Technology. For a panel or bumper respray in its own right, see car spray painting. Both are available as a private repair or through our partnered insurers: AAMI, GIO, Apia, Shannons Insurance, Vero, Bingle and Suncorp Car Insurance.
Refinishing work we carry out
Colour matching
Matching the colour and effect of your paint, including metallic and pearl finishes that have weathered.
Blending into adjacent panels
Feathering new paint into the panels either side of a repair so no line is visible.
Refinishing repaired panels and bumpers
Priming, painting and clear coating areas reshaped or filled during a panel or bumper repair.
Painting replacement parts
New panels, bumper covers, mirror caps and trims painted to your vehicle's colour before fitting.
Paint touch-ups
Blending in chips, chipped edges and small scratches to protect the panel and tidy the finish.
Clear coat and polishing
Clear coat applied over the colour, then cured, polished and inspected so gloss and texture match.
How we match and refinish paint
Identifying the colour
The factory paint code is the starting point, but paint fades and manufacturers produce variants, so we match the colour to your vehicle as it is now.
Preparation
The repaired area is sanded, filled and levelled where needed, cleaned and primed. Trims, badges and lights come off or are masked before any paint is applied.
Base coat, clear coat and blending
Colour is applied in a spray booth, followed by a protective clear coat. The new paint is blended into the neighbouring panels so the transition can't be seen.
Curing, polishing and quality check
Once cured, the area is polished and inspected against the rest of the vehicle before collection. Every repair is backed by our warranty on all repairs.
See the result
Drag the slider to compare a Hyundai Accent front bumper bar before and after repair at Capital SMART. For more examples of our work, visit our before and after gallery.
Paint and refinishing considerations
Metallic, pearl and three-stage colours
Modern colours are often two or three-stage finishes where the effect depends on how the base and clear coats are applied. Blending is essential, because two panels painted separately to the same code can still look different side by side.
Plastics and metal take paint differently
Bumper covers, mirror caps and trims are plastic and need different preparation from a steel or aluminium panel to keep the paint flexible and adhered. Our refinishing process accounts for the material as well as the colour.
Painting near sensors and radar
Radar reads through the bumper cover, so paint and filler thickness over a sensor area are kept to specification and any calibration requirement is coordinated as part of the repair. See ADAS calibration.
Looking after fresh paint
New paint keeps hardening for some weeks after it leaves the booth. Avoid waxing or polishing the refinished area, and be gentle with automatic car washes, during the first month. Your repair centre will tell you what applies to your vehicle.
Related repair services
Car Spray Painting
Panel and bumper resprays as a service in their own right.
Scratch Repairs
Scratches, scuffs and chips repaired and refinished.
Front and Rear Bumper Repairs
Bumpers repaired or replaced, then refinished to match.
Panel Repairs
Panels repaired or replaced before refinishing.
Dent Repairs
Dents reshaped and, where the paint has broken, refinished.
All accident repair services
Explore the full range of accident repair services we offer for drivable vehicles.
Common questions about paint and refinishing
How do you match the paint colour to my car?
We start from your vehicle’s factory paint code, then match the colour to the car as it is now, allowing for fading and manufacturer variants, and check it against the adjacent panels before painting. The new paint is then blended into the surrounding panels.
Will I be able to see where the new paint starts?
The aim is a seamless finish. Instead of painting a panel to a hard edge, the new paint is blended into the neighbouring panels so the transition between the repair and the original paintwork isn’t visible.
Can you touch up stone chips and small scratches?
Yes. Chips and small scratches are prepared, colour matched and blended so the panel is protected and the finish is tidy. Deeper scratches are treated as a scratch repair.
How long does refinishing take?
Refinishing is part of the overall repair time. Most minor repairs are completed within days, with larger multi-panel jobs taking longer. We confirm an estimated timeframe once your vehicle has been assessed.
Can I wash or wax my car after it's been repainted?
Gentle hand washing is fine. Avoid waxing or polishing the refinished area and be cautious with automatic car washes for the first month while the paint continues to harden. Your repair centre will advise what applies to your vehicle.
What if I have a concern about the finish after collection?
Every repair we complete is backed by our warranty on all repairs. If you have a concern about the finish after collection, contact your repair centre.
