Since auto painting is not an everyday task, many people who need to repaint find themselves at a loss for where to start. Body shops often include minor repainting in their estimates, too, which can lead to customers assuming that auto body shop painting is the only option. While it is certainly cost effective and convenient for small operations, the cost of auto painting at an auto paint shop is not excessive, and the benefits make it worth considering whenever you are dealing with vehicle paint.
Depending on how you calculate costs, auto paint shops can sometimes be a value savings over other repainting operations. This is particularly true when matching paint for large sections of the car, as in a fender replacement. Paints change as they age, and when looking into the full range of expenses one is incurring, the potential mismatch between the newest part and the original finish is enough to rebalance that equation for a lot of people, even when doing so involves a little more outlay up front.
The cost of auto painting at an auto paint shop can also be lower than the other options when you are looking for a full vehicle repainting, like when you want to change colors and go for something more dramatic, more unique, or just more in line with what you see for yourself when you imagine driving your vehicle. The efficiency and volume of their operations leads to better quality control on a tighter deadline than you would typically find when getting paint done at a general body shop, and that leads to both higher expectations and smoother fulfillment of those expectations all around.
Taking all of this into account, it is easy to see how the savings offered by single-service shops might not always add up when you compare them to the cost of auto painting at an auto paint shop. The best deal, though, is when you find a paint shop with specialists who also do body work.
