Does your car or truck need a new bumper, fender, hood, or tailgate? Are you unwilling or unable to have the work done at a conventional auto body repair shop, due to time or financial restraints? Say hello to Paint A Part, the pre-painted body part solution.
With Paint A Part, you order the replacement body panels you need—painted in the original color. When the parts arrive, you perform a simple remove and replace operation. This approach can save you three to four times the cost of a repair at a conventional body shop, and it avoids the loss of use of the vehicle while waiting for the repairs to be completed.
Traditional Roots
Paint A Part is based in Houston, Tex. The company, which started in 2011, grew out of a conventional paint and body shop. “My brother Michael and I turned the business into what it is now,” explained Tony Loayza. “Our dad had a traditional auto body shop, which dated back to the 1970s. Our operation these days is more like a manufacturing facility, rather than a body shop.”
Orders come in via Paint A Part’s eBay Store and are custom-painted and shipped out in a two-week time frame.Most orders ship free, via Fedex. The shop primarily uses aftermarket parts, to hold down costs for the customer.
Fender Bender? Paint A Part to the Rescue
“Our parts are more suited to fender-bender repairs, rather than heavy duty collision work,” Loayza said. “Fathers buy these parts for their son’s cars and save hundreds of dollars in the process by doing the work themselves.”
Color matching can be an issue. “We can only mix the original paint code, without consideration for the age or condition of the vehicle,” revealed Loayza. “A traditional shop will compensate for paint fade and will feather the new paint into adjacent panels.” This process takes time and talent, which results in a higher cost. “If the top priority is convenience and saving money, we’re the perfect solution,” said Loayza. “If a guaranteed paint match is your main concern, then a local paint shop may be the way to go.”
The age of the original paint job should be taken into consideration. Some colors are more prone to fading than others. Red paint is particularly susceptible to the effects of the sun and can turn orange over time. White paint, while low in tone, can yellow as the years roll by. Black paint tends to age well.
Do Your Homework
“I love it when my customers call ahead of time, before ordering,” said Loayza. “That way, they’re informed about the pros and cons, advantages and limitations, of the services we offer.”
The shop offers a 15-day turnaround time but strives to deliver earlier. “It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to the ship date,” Loayza said.
Paint A Part does not provide instructions, but the parts themselves are fairly self-explanatory and YouTube is brimming with body panel replacement how-to videos. “You might scratch your head for a minute or two figuring it out,” said Loayza. “But it won’t defeat you. Simply match up the tabs, pop in the fasteners, and you’re good to go.”
Learning how to paint car parts requires an investment in time, effort, and resources. If you have an abundance of all three, go for it. But if you need to get the job done without drama, pre-painted panels from Paint a Part get the nod.
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