Locating the paint code on your vehicle is easy once you know where to look. Manufacturers place these color codes in various areas around your car or truck. This article will highlight a few of those areas assisting D.I.Y.’ers with their at-home projects. If you’re one of those people who have a home shop of their own, then painting can be a fun hobby. Listed are five common automotive manufacturers, and what their codes look like in the event you feel like spraying some paint around.
If you’re less inclined to delve into painting yourself, this guide will also help you figure out the codes to order the correct materials for whomever is working on the exterior for you, and help you figure out the best way to go about ordering it or to choose the right person to do it for you.
1.) General Motors
The General Motors Co. has a few areas it likes to place its color codes. More often than not, it’s on a sticker in the glove compartment and is written as pictured here. It can also be put underneath the spare tire cover in the trunk, as well as in the door jam of the driver’s side of the vehicle.
2.) Ford Motor Co.
The Ford Motor Co. almost always uses three areas to place their vehicle paint code. The sticker for their code is usually located on the door jam of the drivers side vehicle, on the b-pillar or in the glove compartment. This code is identifiable by two letters or a letter and a number combination. Pictured here, the paint code is “WB”.
3.) DaimlerChrysler
The DaimlerChrysler Co. puts the information for its paint codes in one of two spots. The most common is in the door jam of the driver’s side of the vehicle. They also place the code under the hood on the firewall. Daimler Chrysler uses a three letter and number combination to categorize its paint codes. In this particular example, the code is “PS2” and is highlighted here in yellow.
4.) Toyota
Toyota uses two areas in which they put the information for their paint codes. One place is on the b-pillar of the driver’s side. The other is on the firewall under the hood. The color code in this example is “1F7”. Toyota typically uses a three letter/number combination for its coding system. On their late model vehicles, Toyota places their codes and information on a black tag or sticker like the one pictured here.
5.) Honda
Honda likes to place their paint code and vehicle information in two places. Honda installs this information on the driver’s side door jam or b-pillar. They also use a lengthy code consisting of a combination of six to seven numbers and letters like the example pictured here.
Finding the color code on your car is one thing, but where’s the best place to order your paint? Having your paint match is of the utmost importance, so what’s the easiest way to go about making sure you get the best results? Ordering your paint from an auto body supply store is the best option, bar none. Not only do these businesses stock the tools of the trade, but often they supply the paint to local area collision repair facilities.
The benefit to ordering from local outfits is their ability to help solve any color match issues. With every color comes a variant to that color. White isn’t just white. The color of your vehicle may be more yellow, blue, lighter or darker than the standard color. In the event you’re having trouble with a color match, most of these auto body supply stores have a high tech camera. The camera is used on a clean panel of your car and snaps three photos. Once the results of these photos are uploaded to a computer, the camera and software work together in an effort to give the best color match results.
As you can see, locating the paint code on your vehicle, once you know where to look, isn’t a difficult task. For those of you who enjoy home projects or paint for a hobby, knowing the codes can be fun. I’ve painted many model cars, helmets and various other toys for people who wanted a color they had seen on a vehicle. Those are usually fun projects that end up putting a smile on someone’s face.
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