3 Reasons Why Painting a Car Should Be Handled By Professionals

Tony Mers • December 31, 2020

It’s important to your car repainted as quickly as possible after its body has been damaged. When it comes to painting a car, it's important to take your car to a body shop. Don't try to do it yourself or find a knock off option. It may be frustrating, but with 77% of cars needing repairs, it’s safe to assume that your car will some sort of repair at some point, too. Painting a caris difficult and should be left to professionals rather than risking making amateur mistakes.

Here are three reasons, among many others, why it’s important to go to a professional paint shop when damage occurs to the paint on a car.

The Paint Job Changes Your Car’s Value

Having the original paint job on a car increases the car’s overall value. Repainting a car, be it due to damage on the vehicle or a choice made by the owner for one reason or another, lowers the value of the vehicle. Given the fact that many people who try to repaint their car themselves don’t know what they’re doing, these jobs often come out poorly. They look ugly, and the value of the vehicle drops exponentially. While repainting the car will still hurt the vehicle’s value, as it’s not the original paint, a professional paint job will still come out looking good and won’t hurt the car’s value as much as it could if done by an amateur.

You May Be Able to Repair the Damage Without Paint

There are times when a dent repair, often brought on by hail damage, is so severe that the traditional style of body work becomes necessary. In traditional body work, the dent is actually filled in and then painted over. This usually looks good, but as it’s not the original paint on the vehicle, it does decrease the value. However, oftentimes a car damaged by hail can be fixed by paintless dent repair. This is a specialized method, which should only be done by someone trained in it, that involves pushing and pulling out dents. Professionals then reshape the body to its original shape without ever actually needing to repaint their vehicle. Paintless dent repair is cheaper than the traditional method and helps save the overall value of your vehicle.

You Can’t Use Paint to Cover Up Damage

Some people will try painting a car to cover up body damage to the vehicle. Scratches and rust still exist on the body of the vehicle and will usually need to be replaced and repaired to properly repaint your vehicle. Otherwise, chipping to the new paint job can occur, and even if that doesn’t happen, they’d need to be repaired to make sure the paint job comes out properly. Furthermore, as painting a car can be a long and time-consuming process, making sure that the body is as flat a surface as possible makes it easier to paint a car.

Painting a car can be done out of necessity or desire. However, for whichever reason you may want to repaint your car, it’s important to remember that it should always be done by a professional. Otherwise, the results can be devastating to your vehicle.

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Why Ignoring Small Dents Can Lead to Bigger Problems

January 30, 2026

It is an awful feeling when you walk out to your car after a long day and see a small dent on your passenger door. While it may appear to be just a cosmetic issue, you should still get it fixed, because ignoring small dents can lead to bigger problems for your vehicle. Don’t let small dents on your car go untreated; let's talk about why you need to tackle these issues ASAP. Rust Loves Chicago Winters We all know the drill here in the Windy City. We have beautiful summers, sure, but we also pay the price with brutal winters. And what comes with winter? Salt. Tons of it. Your car’s paint job acts as a suit of armor protecting the metal body underneath. Even a minor dent often comes with microscopic cracks in the paint—sometimes too small to see with the naked eye. Once that seal is broken, moisture and road salt sneak in. They settle against the bare metal and start a chemical party you definitely don’t want to host. Oxidation begins immediately. By the time you notice bubbling paint or that tell-tale orange stain a few months later, the rust has already been eating away at your door panel from the inside out. Resale Value Takes a Nosedive For many people, maintaining their car is a valuable part of purchasing a new vehicle. When that day comes, curb appeal is everything. Used car buyers (and dealership appraisers) will judge your car by its exterior appearance. If they see a vehicle riddled with door dings, bumper scrapes, and ignored scratches, they see a car that wasn't cared for. They assume that if you didn't care enough to fix the outside, you probably didn't care about the rest of it either. It lowers the perceived value instantly. Maintaining your car’s body and its paint is an investment in your future trade-in value. Paint Damage Spreads Like a Virus When a dent or scrape compromises the integrity of the paint, the surrounding paint loses its grip. High-pressure car washes, wind, and temperature fluctuations cause the paint to flake away from the initial injury site. A scratch the size of a quarter can grow into a patch the size of a softball over a couple of seasons. It’s Easier (and Cheaper) Than You Think Here is the good news: fixing these things early is surprisingly affordable. Modern body shop technology is amazing. For many small dings where the paint isn't cracked, we can use techniques that massage the metal back into place without spraying a drop of paint. River North Collision Repair offers paintless dent repair in Chicago to fix minor dents. Regardless of what nicked your door, we can help remove the dents and maintain a seamless look for your vehicle. Don’t Wait for Problems Don't let minor dents turn into a big nightmare. Save your future self the headache (and the cash). Swing by River North Collision Repair for your quick and easy repairs. Because driving a car you’re proud of? That’s a feeling you can’t put a price on.