How To Repair Small Paint Chips
No matter how closely you care for your car, it is bound to pick up a few dents and dings over the years. Most often, your car will pick up small paint chips. Initially, these paint chips are hardly noticeable and you might not think that you need to do anything to them. However, if you leave them as they are, there is a good chance that they will grow and rust might even form underneath them. It is definitely worth fixing even the smallest paint chips. This article explains how to quickly fix paint chips without using any sort of auto body filler or putty.
Prepping the Paint Chip
First, you need to prepare the paint chips. All you need is a little bit of autobody sandpaper and water. This is wet sandpaper, so you need to dip it in the water before using it on your car. This helps lubricate it and prevents it from scratching your paint off. Of course, you want to be very gentle when sanding your car surface. You don't want to actually sand off any paint or make the chip any bigger. You just want to lightly rough up the perimeter around the chip. For instance, if the paint chip is just about the size of a nail head, just sand about 1/2" on each side. This creates a surface that the new paint will stick better to. You are essentially going to sand off the shiny clearcoat on top of the paint, so the new paint will bond with the existing paint.
Painting the Chip
Painting the chip is very easy if you have the right product. For the best results, go to your dealership and get a factory replacement paint. These are much more consistent and reliable than the third party products that you might find at auto stores. They come in very small cans with convenient brushes built into the actual lid. Also, they have built in sealant so you only need to buy one product.
When applying the paint, you want to use it very sparingly. Apply several thin layers instead of one thicker layer. Obviously, you need to wait for the paint to dry completely before each layer. You can also use the sandpaper to flatten the paint in between each layer.
Fixing small paint chips is obviously very easy, but also very important. If you neglect even small paint chips, rust can form that eventually leads to corrosion on your car body. This is much more expensive and time-consuming to fix later on.
For professional help, contact a service like A.O.K Auto Body & Glass.