 |  | | | Unless your driving habits keep you away from the public at large, sooner or later your pride and joy will sport scratches. Face it—we're obsessed with appearance. Still, many people choose to live with scratches. Big mistake. The car body is no different from the human skin—when damaged, it's exposed to the elements and, left unprotected, it will start to fester (except for fiberglass or plastic panels, which will just look bad).
The irony, of course, is that if you repair a scratch right away, it's comparatively no big deal, as far as time and expense goes. But leave this opportunity for oxidization to form on your sheetmetal for any length of time, and you'll be astounded how quickly surface rust turns to body rot—and how pricey it can be to repair.
So do the right thing. Today, a myriad of new products promise easy and low-cost scratch-repair, and some may be the perfect solution to your problem. You might want to consider some independent input on how good these products are before purchase; otherwise, buyer beware.
Read these instructions thoroughly before proceeding.
Stay Safe | Back To Top
Appropriate maintenance and service procedures will keep your car in the pink and you out of the emergency room. So whenever you're working on your vehicle, please do the following:
> Keep a first-aid kit nearby.
> Use goggles and a mask to protect your eyes and lungs.
> Cans of spray paint can be transformed into (first) a nasty blowtorch and (second) a bomb in the presence of flame. If you need to ingest nicotine while painting your vehicle, don't smoke: use nicotine gum, and you won't set things (such as yourself) on fire.
Parts List | Back To Top
> Sandpaper (400 or finer wet/dry)
> Wax remover
> Primer
> Correct, body-color paint
> Rubbing compound
> Wax
Repair | Back To Top
> Thoroughly wash the area, and remove any surface wax with wax remover to ensure paint adhesion.
> Sand smooth the scratched area with extra-fine 400-grit wet sandpaper, feathering the edges.
> If the scratch/nick goes to bare metal, brush on a coat of primer. Once dry, wet-sand it smooth.
> Dab on the body color, avoiding brush marks if possible.
> If the factory paint is base/clear, brush on clearcoat when the color coat has dried. The final coat should be slightly higher than the undamaged paint.
> Wet-sand the scratch patch smooth with the adjacent areas.
> Allow the paint to cure for several days.
> Gently rub the area with a fine-grade rubbing compound, being careful not to damage the new paint. When finished, the repair should match the surrounding car finish.
> Wash and wax the area, if not the entire car!
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