Tips To Repair Automotive Paint Scratches

If you find yourself involved in a fender bender that leaves a few scratches behind, then you may be tempted to repair the scratches yourself. If you do, then you will need to work with auto body paint to make your repair invisible to the naked eye. If you have never worked with the paint before, then there are a few tips you should follow to make sure the paint blends in properly.

Degrease The Area First

There are several different types of paint that can be used on a vehicle. These paints are urethane, enamel, and lacquer. There are pros and cons to each type of paint, but the three varieties have one thing in common: they are all oil-based varieties that bond chemically with the steel body of the vehicle. This bonding process is what helps the paint resist wear. For the paint to bond properly, the body of your vehicle must be completely clean. Dirt and debris need to be removed, and so does grease. If you happen to paint over oils transferred from your hands to the car, then the paint will likely bubble up as it dries.

You can prevent bubbling paint and other bonding issues by degreasing the repair area before applying paint. Use soap and water to clean the area first and then use acetone to remove grease. You can use acetone made for paint preparation purposes, or you can simply use nail polish remover. Acetone will evaporate quickly on its own. Do not wipe that area after applying the acetone or you may leave lint behind. Allow the area to dry and apply your paint immediately afterwards.

Match The Paint Color

Most auto repair and collision shops will have small scratch repair kits that you can buy. These kits come in a variety of colors and match the different paint tones that vehicle manufacturers use. Each manufacturer will use slightly different pigments. This means you will need to match up both the manufacturer and color when repairing a vehicle scratch. You should not do this by eye. You should instead look for a paint color code found inside your vehicle. This code can be found on the paint code identification tag. 

Paint code identification tags can be found in a variety of places. They are typically located on the inside of the door, the glove box, the trunk, or the engine compartment. Some tags can also be found near the spare tire. Look for the tag in one of these areas. The tag will be white with a variety of numbers. The color code is typically on the bottom of the tag and contains a series of numbers and letters. Match this code with the code on the small containers of paint at your local auto repair shop. 

To learn more, contact a company like Fox And Fox. 

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