How to Check a Car for Repairs

How to Check a Car for Repairs — spotting repaint work. A quick, practical read for South African collectors: the essentials, the mistakes, and the local suppliers.

The Short Version

Spotting repaint work. That is the heart of it — but the details below are where most people go wrong, so read them before you start. Related deep-dives live in the network block, and unfamiliar terms are one click away in the glossary.

Step by Step

• Prepare — gather tools and a practice piece; never learn on something valuable.
• Research — check reference photos on hobbyDB and the community wikis.
• Execute slowly — patience beats force every single time.
• Evaluate — compare your result to the references; note what you would do differently.
• Protect the result — display and protection options keep your work safe.

The SA Angle

Supplies and services for this are all available locally — the SA shopping directory lists suppliers, and the community groups in the events guide are full of collectors who have done exactly this and happily share advice. Budget R500–R1 500 for a starter setup.

Frequently Asked Questions