Car maintenance often requires repairing or replacing damaged parts. Sometimes, car owners must replace such parts as hoods. This article covers everything one needs to understand about hood replacement.
What Is A Car Hood?
The hood of a car is the huge metal panel at the front of the vehicle that conceals the engine compartment, thus making it one of the most crucial auto body parts. The hood may be lifted to provide access to the engine for maintenance or repairs. The hood may also cover other crucial car details, such as the air filter to cool the engine, battery, fuse box, etc.
The hood is usually locked in one place by a latch mechanism at the front of the car. Typically, car manufacturers add a secondary safety latch to prevent the hood from opening accidentally while a car owner is driving.
What Options Car Owners Have When The Hood Needs A Replacement
A relatively recent option is to order painted hoods from reliable third parties like Painted Auto Body Parts. However, let’s first see all solutions a car owner may use in case they need a hood replacement:
- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) hoods. Car owners can order a replacement hood from the car’s manufacturer. The car owner waits for the hood to arrive, then it is installed, and then the car owner can paint the detail. This is the most expensive option.
- Aftermarket hoods. Consumers can purchase an aftermarket hood made by a third-party manufacturer. Aftermarket hoods are often less expensive than OEM hoods and may come in various styles, materials, etc. However, there is a chance of receiving a body part of worse quality.
- Pre-painted hoods. This is the option mentioned at the beginning of this section. It provides many benefits to car owners since they can save time and money. Typically, reliable third parties selling pre-painted hoods offer discounts so that you can save money. Moreover, they offer numerous car details from numerous car brands, and the paint always matches the rest of the car’s color.
- Used hoods. Car owners might consider purchasing secondhand hoods from salvage yards or online. This option is the cheapest but may cause trouble. First, the hood may not perform its main function – protecting the engine. Second, you would still have to pay money to paint it to match the car’s color.
Given the mentioned information, the best and most affordable solution is ordering pre-painted hoods.
Benefits Of Ordering Pre-Painted Hoods
This option is relatively new, so many car owners would like to understand the benefits of ordering painted hoods. The list goes as follows:
- Convenience and ease of installation. Buying a pre-painted hood saves time by removing the need to find a separate paint shop and book an appointment. It’s especially useful for people who need to get their car back on the road as soon as possible.
- Typically, pre-painted hoods have a guarantee covering flaws, giving the owner leeway to contact a third party to fix these issues.
- Color matching. Pre-painted hoods are color-matched to the vehicle, reducing the need for further paint mixing or touch-ups. However, the owner must clearly specify the code of the color used for his model.
- Excellent quality. Pre-painted hoods are painted using the same technique and materials as OEM hoods, assuring a high-quality and long-lasting paint job.
- Cost-effectiveness. While pre-painted hoods are more expensive than unpainted hoods or aftermarket solutions, they can be less expensive in the long run since they eliminate the need for separate painting and touch-up work.
As you see, pre-painted hoods may be less expensive than obtaining a new hood from the car’s manufacturer. For instance, you can get a hood from Painted Auto Body Parts at a discount. Thus, this is a more cost-effective and convenient solution.
