Is Color Sand and Buff needed? It’s been a battle between insurers and auto repair shops for years. The purpose is to remove any “orange peel” look to the refinish. Most insurers will pay for the operation if it is needed but  won’t allow for it on most initial estimates. Many Insurers require shops to prove the operation is actually being done by having the field appraiser come back out and photograph the shop actually completing the operation.

In general, many Insurer’s argue that Color Sand and Buff would not be needed if the shop maintained a clean paint booth but in reality, no repair facility can reproduce sterile factory conditions.  So where does that leave the state of Color Sand and Buff?

As for field damage appraisers, we in the industry simply need only to  follow client guidelines and document all of the damage. If there is a noticeable “Orange Peel”, we simply need to document it and inform the Insurer of what we see. The issue is then handled between the shop and the Insurer.