TIP: Sharp or jagged edges usually are signs of bodywork.If it isn’t smooth, the chances are very good it was re-sprayed. When youcompare a painted and unpainted panel, it will be very clear. Also, look in (^)
the door, hood, and trunk jams for sharp lines where the masking tape wasapplied to keep overspray down. Better body shops “roll” the edges of their (^)
tape, and wet sand out any rough spots on the edges; while these are thesign of good work, dealers also can have this done to later to disguise
accident damage and bodywork.
For our next step, slowly move your head back and forth, about six to 12inches away from the panel, while looking down the side of the vehicle, as (^)
in the video. Look for changes in the paint’s “complexion”—its depth andshine; paint drips and runs; parallel lines below the surface called sanding (^)
marks or “DA marks,” and variations in the texture, which is known as“orange peel.” All factory paint (except on cars like Bentleys and such, (^)
which are wet-sanded before leaving the factory) has some. It is called thatas it does indeed look like the skin of an orange; it should be uniform in
texture and fairly smooth.
Finally, any minor pointy spots that peak up on otherwise smooth panelsare indications of dust in the paint. If you find little round dimples the size of (^)
a pinhead, they are telltales that dust was sanded out after a re-spray—they’re called “fish-eyes.”