Car Paint Repair Articles Archives

What Sandpaper Grit to Use for Car Sanding

“What sandpaper grit should I use?” is one of the most popular questions on every auto forum. It is important to choosing the right sandpaper grit for each task to avoid paint damage. There are a lot of different contradictory information online that can be very confusing and overwhelming especially for beginners who have never done any repair projects before.

After reading some of the posts, I found out that a lot of car enthusiasts are using the wrong grit. I saw some people were saying that they’ve used 600 grit or even 400 grit sandpaper to repair clear coat scratches. Big mistake! Sandpaper lower than 1,500 grit is too rough for the clear coat and will leave small scratches.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix Car Paint?

The cost of the car paint repair mainly depends on the severity of the damage. It can cost anywhere from $10 – $9,000. For each type of damage there is a different repair method and as a result the price can differ. Although it is pretty difficult to give an estimate without seeing the damage, in this post I want to give you a rough idea of how much you can be in for.

Car finish has 4 layers: clear coat, paint, primer, and metal. Metal is covered with 2-3 coats of primer that protects it from rusting. Then you have 3-4 layers of paint and on top of the paint you have 2-3 layers of clear coat that protects paint from environmental contaminants and scratches. Typically, the cost will be determine by size, severity and the location of the scratch. If there is a deep scratch that goes across the door, the body shop might have to repaint the whole panel.

Of course you have the option of taking your car to the body shop or you fixing it yourself. Therefore, I am including body shop price and DIY price. You will also find a list of products needed and a short summary of the repair process.

What Is The Difference Between Car Wax & Paint Sealant

I’ve seen a lot of discussions about car wax vs paint sealant. Everybody wants to know what’s the difference between the two? Which product offers better protection? What should you use?

In this article, I want to answer all of the questions above and tell you how to apply wax and sealant the correct way. Let’s start by talking about how each of them works and what the pros and cons are.

7 Easy Ways to Remove Sap From Your Car

Parking under the trees might result in drops of sap all over your car. Tree sap, just like toxic bird poop, will eat through the layers of paint if left on the vehicle. The sun can make things even worse. It warms up the surface and expends paint allowing for the sap to get in. After the area around sap cools down, it is very hard to remove. The longer it sits, the more it hardens and adheres to the surface. Try to remove sap as soon as possible.

Since not every tree sap is the same, it might require a different method to remove. Pine tree sap is one of the hardest to get rid of. When using one of the methods below, make sure not to damage the paint.

How To Remove Bird Droppings and Bugs From Your Car

Although bird droppings and smashed highway bugs might not seam like a big deal, it can do a serious damage to the paint of the car costing hundreds of dollars in repairs. Because bugs and bird poop has a lot of acid in it, the longer it sits on the surface of the vehicle the deeper it eats through the finish.

Some birds and bugs (like gypsy moth, june bug, bees, aphids and etc.) are more damaging than others. Bird named “ka ka” is not only highly acidic, but also uses gravel to digest its food. As a result, there are tons of grit in its excrement that can easily scratch the paint when you try to wipe it off.

Why Microfiber Is The Best Material For Auto Detailing

Lately, there have been a lot of conversations about microfiber and you are probably wondering what the buzz is all about. When detailing a car, many materials leave lint and swirl marks that is hard to remove without scratching the surface. Microfiber material can help you get the shine you want without damaging the clear coat of your car.

In my scratch repair tutorials, I always use microfiber towels for all of the detailing steps. A lot of people will probably think that buying a microfiber towel is a waste of money since the same job can be easily done with old t-shirts or washclothes. What they don’t realize is that cotton fibers of these materials are too rough and will leave small scratches on the surface of the car. Microfiber material is specially designed to remove dust, dirt and wax residues without damaging the clear coat.

How to Apply Body Filler and Spot Putty

These days cars are made with thinner materials than in the past and as result, even a slight impact can cause a damage to the body. Auto body filler is used to fill holes, dents and deep scratches in the body of the vehicle. Very often body filler is referred to as Bondo, which is really a product brand name manufactured by 3M. But since 3M was one of the first companies to produce body filler, it became known as Bondo.

Quality of the product varies depending on the brand. Some are easier to sand, have better adhesion and last longer but might cost a little more. Other cheaper products are harder to apply and can take hours of sanding. But no matter how much we dislike dealing with body fillers, there is no way around them if you are trying to fix auto body.

Where to Find Car Paint Color Code

It is important to find car paint color code before ordering a touch up paint. Some people think they can just look at their car and guess the color. Big mistake! Even if the colors seam the same, they might be in fact different. To get the right paint, you need to know the color code which can be found on the label somewhere inside of your car.

Car Paint Touch-Up

Car paint touch-up is an inexpensive and easy way to fix paint scratches and chips. We all try to keep our car looking shiny and new as long as we can after driving it off the dealership lot. But over time, those ugly scratches just keep adding up. Unfortunately, car paint scratches are a fact of life. The only sure way to protect your car is to put it in a garage and never drive it again.

Car Touch-Up Paint Types

When it comes to car touch-up paint, there are multiple options available for every type of damage. Small chips and scratches can be easily fixed with touch-up pens. Long and medium size scratches can be brushed with paint. Large areas can be fixed by using spray cans. If you are planning on re-painting a whole car or one of the auto body parts, you will need to buy larger quantities of paint and a spray gun.

No matter what touch-up paint you choose, make sure it is good quality. Because even if you do everything right, a cheap low quality paint will not give you the professional result you are looking for. When I am buying paint, I want it to be high quality, but still affordable. One of the places I like is AutomotiveTouchUp site. They have best prices and a high quality paint that is custom mixed to perfectly match the original car color.