At our body shop in Coventry I am often asked where we buy the paint for vehicles.  Do we buy them from the manufacturer, and how do we ensure webuy the correct colour?

Initially I found this question surprising but after some thought it makes  perfect sense.  In most peoples everyday life paint is bought made ready mixed off the shelf, logically the same would happen with vehicle paint.

So it may surprise you to know we mix the correct shade for your vehicle ourselves from a vast range of “tinters” we keep in stock.  Your car may be red, but this red will include a whole spectrum of colours, sometimes up to ten different tinters, with surprising shades such as black,  pearl and differing corseness of metallic. 

With the aid of one of the best colour profile chip systems in the industry, a great team of professional paint technicians and the latest computerised mixing system we are able to provide the perfect match to your paintwork.

Unless your vehicle is painted in ”high solid” clear coat or lacquer is then applied over the basecoat colour.   This protects the colour of the base coat as it often contains UV filters,  and gives an excellent finish.

Some colours, for example some metallic colours are trickier to match.   Not because of the colour but due in part because the paint was originally applied by a robot.  When your car is painted after a repair it is applied by a painter, a highly skilled technician but not a robot. In this case we need to paint onto the adjacent panels to blend the colour in. 

Only a specialist accident repair centre with a good, solid reputation will go to such lengths to ensure the finish to your safely repaired vehicle is perfect.  Any re-spay, or new parts should be painted in this way if you want to be assured of a great result.

www.wyndonmotors.co.uk

The insurance excess has been with us for many years.  It is a clause written into your policy which means in straightforward terms, your insurance company do not pay for the first set figure of any claim you make. 

For many years customers would come into the accident repair centre at Wyndon Motors in Coventry and pay an average excess of £200.00, the balance of the repair bill being picked up by their insurance company.   However, in more recent years there has been a growing trend of climbing excess levels.  This is not due to any change in the work we do, nor has this trend has been isolated to a specific type of driver.

Now, it is not uncommon for our customers to be liable for the first £400.00 of a repair invoice and this can come as a nasty shock as not all policyholders are aware of what their excess actually is.  It’s easy to see how this has happened, with the emergence of online insurance policies and price comparison websites drivers are choosing their own level of cover, often on the assumption that they will not have to pay the excess as they won’t need to make a claim. 

The temptation to opt for a higher voluntary excess to lower the cost of your premium is great, especially when money is tight.  Sadly the voluntary excess may not be the only cost, a further hidden cost in the form of an additional mandatory excess.  With insurance policies forever climbing high insurance excesses are probably going to stay araound for a long time.  Wyndon Motors have launched an offer to help with this growing problem, should you need to make a claim on your own insurance we will give you at least £50.00 off your excess.