How to tell if a car has been repainted, and when you can't

Spotting a repaint can sound easy. It isn't always. When I look for a repaint, the first things I look at are colour differences and the texture of the paint. Those catch a lot. But a repaint done by a skilled bodyshop can be impossible to spot, and I'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. We answer only as far as we can actually tell.

What I look at first

Colour

I look for differences in colour between panels. A panel that has been painted again doesn't always match the panels next to it.

Paint texture

The other thing I look at is the texture of the paint surface, sometimes called orange peel: the very fine ripple you can see in the shine. A panel that has been repainted can have a different texture from the panels next to it.

I work in paintless dent repair and detailing. Even so, colour and texture are signs, not proof. It's also why I look at the paint myself: telling a repaint apart isn't a job I could hand to someone else.

Other things we photograph on a viewing

When we go and look at a car, we also photograph:

• Panel gaps, compared side to side
• Bolt heads on the wings (fenders), bonnet (hood) and doors
• Overspray on rubber and trim

We don't say what these mean for a particular car. We photograph them so that you, and your mechanic if you have one, can decide.

When you can't tell

• A good repaint. If a skilled bodyshop has done the work, the colour and texture may match well enough that it doesn't show. That's the honest limit of looking.
• In photos. A listing photo is a poor place to judge colour and texture. Light, reflections and the angle all change how a colour looks, and the texture of the paint rarely shows at the size a listing photo is taken.
• Why a panel was repainted. A repainted panel doesn't tell you whether the car was in an accident, or just had a scratch taken out. We don't certify accident or repair history. For what the "repair history" field on a Japanese listing does and doesn't cover, see repair history and flood cars.
• What's under the paint. We don't measure paint thickness. We record what can be seen.

So when we report on paint, every item is marked as something we saw, something the dealer told us, or something we couldn't check. If we can't tell, we say so.

If paint is what you're unsure about on a car, tell us which panels you want compared, and we'll photograph them side by side.

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Asking the dealer

You can also ask the dealer directly whether any panel has been repainted. Whatever they say is their answer, and we mark it as Reported, not as something we've seen. A Remote Check is where we put that question to the dealer in Japanese for you.

Paint is also only part of the picture. For most cars, rust on the body and the state of the underside matter more. See rust on the body or a part and what dealer photos miss.

Written by Yoshiaki Sagara, a paintless dent repair and detailing technician in Japan. He looks at cars for overseas buyers through Ninja Desk Japan. About us

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