It’s almost inevitable in the city that your vehicle is going to get a bit banged up. Sometimes it feels like dents and scratches appear out of nowhere. And that can be really disappointing, especially if you are someone who appreciates a perfectly flawless paint job.
So what are your options if you notice a small scratch in your car paint? You have a couple of options: Do it yourself (DIY) with touch up paint or take your vehicle in to an auto body shop.
Depending on the severity of the damage, approaching the fix yourself might be ok.
First, you are going to need to colour match your paint. If you walk into a shop and say, “I need some blue paint for my car,” you’ll probably not get a great response. Instead, look under the hood for the vehicle’s paint code. Once you have the code, you can order the exact match.
If you can’t find your paint code, some car paint websites can help you out. You supply your year, make and model and you will get a list of possible matches. As long as your car isn’t a custom job, you should be able to spot your vehicle’s match.
Paint matching is a very crucial since even a small variation will yield poor results, and the patch will look pretty awful. Once you get the paint, apply some to a small hidden spot to make sure it is actually a perfect match.
You’ll probably spend between $50-$100 for the can of spray paint and applicator, plus you’ll need to buy a primer and a clear coat, too. Once you have these supplies, you can get on with the actual job.
Start by washing and drying your car. Then carefully sand down the affected area so that the primer has a rough surface to adhere to. Apply a thin coat of primer and let it dry.
Next apply a thin layer of paint over top of the area and let it dry. Follow that up with another coat or two, depending on how bad the chip or scratch is. Once the paint is on, let it dry for 24 hours. After that, gently sand the area with high grit sandpaper and continue until the texture is gone and the new paint flawlessly blends in with the old.
Finally, apply the clear coat and allow that to dry. If done correctly, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference!
Of course, we recommend that you take your time and if you have any reservations or uncertainty, a professional is always the best person for the job. The above instructions are for information only and any work you do is at your own risk!
At the end of the day, an auto body shop has the right tools, training and techniques to do the job correctly. If you would like to discuss repairs on your vehicle, even if it’s just a small scratch or chip in the paint, bring it in to Super Euro auto body repair shop in Vancouver and we will get you on your way.