Chipped or Scratched Paint on Your Car Body? You Can Fix That!

29 December 2018
 Categories: , Blog


Sure, a ruined auto body paint finish won't affect the safety and performance of your vehicle, but it can spoil your driving experience. Auto body blemishes are so conspicuous they can't be ignored, so you'll want to get them fixed when you can.

If the paint coating on your car body is peeled off, you can actually fix the damage yourself. Sad to say, you may not achieve professional results the first time. But you can get a decent job done if you have the necessary know-how.

Check out this useful DIY guide on how to repair chipped paint on a car.

Mask off the damage

Repairing chipped or scratched paint involves performing a simple touch-up—not painting the entire body of your car. So, the first thing to do is to protect the work area from overpaint. Masking off the area around the damaged paint with masking tape will achieve this.  

Clean the damaged area

The next thing is to clean the masked off areas to remove any dirt and road grime that may have accumulated on the surfaces over time. Use a clean and dry microfibre cloth and rubbing alcohol to get the dirt off, making sure you clean both inside and outside the chip or scratch. Alcohol is a great choice for cleaning because it evaporates quickly. Avoid using old newspapers and paper towels because they'll leave lint behind.

Apply the primer

Once the chip or scratch is clean and dry, apply the primer using the applicator brush that it came with. Applying the primer helps improve adhesion between the paint and the bare metal. Apply the primer only to the substrate metal, and not any of the surrounding paint. Let it dry properly before you apply the paint.

Apply the paint

Once the primer has cured, mix your paint and grab the applicator that came with the paint. Apply a thin, even coat of paint, while ensuring you don't leave any lumps behind. You don't have to fill in the scratch or chip with the first coat. You'll add the remaining coats in stages, so you'll eventually fill in the peeled off paint up to the level of the surrounding paint.

If you're not confident in your ability to take on this DIY repair job, you can always ask a professional auto body work painter, like those at Intouch Panel & Paint, to do it for you. Simply go online or head over to the auto body shop to get a quote. 


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