3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Paint Your Own Car

Tony Mers • February 2, 2021

As Americans, we tend to love our cars like the solid body metal children that we treat them as. From buying air fresheners to cozy steering wheel covers, sometimes we end up cherishing our cars just like our own pets or children. Many times this means getting routine maintenance done at a dealership or taking in a damaged car for auto body repair services. Whatever the case, it's important to get your car worked on by a licensed professional.

This is no less true when it comes to touching up the paint on your car or repairing the paint job after hail damage or some other natural disaster. While it may seem like you should be able to paint your car yourself, nothing could be further from the truth. You can certainly paint your bedroom or bathroom, but painting an automobile requires skills only found at an auto paint shop.

You should bring your car to an auto paint shopso it looks nice and neat. You don't have to get racing stripes or bright colors to complete a quality paint job, but painting a car is a skill that should not be taken lightly. Let's see why it's a whole different animal to paint a car and why you should definitely pay for the service.

Most Paint Jobs Follow Auto Body Work

It's rare that people change their car's paint color on a whim. It is certainly done, and there is certainly a car paint shop around you that would be glad to indulge your whims, but many times painting a car comes after auto body work. Auto body work almost always comes after an accident, but in fact there are four main causes of auto body damage: weather, negligence, fender benders, and high-speed collisions.

You'll want to make sure that the place where your auto body work is done is also an auto paint shop or can recommend one. Only they will be able to apply paint in the layers and coatings that will work for your unique situation.

You Can't Just Use a Brush

In order to apply auto paint, you need to use special, and expensive, primers and let them sit in a garage. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, these may be covered by another cover of sealant or additional primer. Since you're trying to match the original paint color of your vehicle and not have any bad matches, you have to be delicate, so you can't use a brush. Most often what is used is a sprayer device that allows for a broad, smooth, and even coating that looks akin to factory paint.

The Fumes Can Be Toxic

If you observe the inner workings of an auto paint shop, you'll notice that most of the professionals there are wearing ventilator masks. This is because inhaling auto paint can be incredibly hazardous and detrimental to your health. You're better off hiring a professional to delicately paint your cherished car instead.

Hire an auto paint shop to repaint your car following an accident or other damage-inducing situation. While painting your car may seem like a DIY task, you will be much happier with the results your local auto paint shop can provide you instead.

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.
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