Repair Minor Car Paint Scratches and Chips With Touch Up Pen

minor scratches

Minor car paint scratches and chips are very easy to repair. These scratches damage the paint layer leaving primer layer intact.  Usually, these damages are caused by road debris, branches, or little stones from the driveway.

Compared to small chips and scratches that can be easily fixed with some touch-up paint, long scratches require more work. If you try to brush a long scratch with paint, the surface will look uneven. The best way to repair it is to carefully sand the area and then spray it with touch-up paint.

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How to Repair Deep Car Scratches For Only $50

deep bumper scratch

Taking your car to a body shop to repair deep paint scratches can cost anywhere from $500 – $1,000. Many people don’t know that this expensive repair can be done at home with very little time and money. With the right tools and a good amount of patience, your car will look like nothing ever happened.

Learn exact repair techniques professionals at the body shop use to repair deep scratches. There is no good reason to pay someone hundreds of dollars of your hard-earned money to repair these scratches when you can do it yourself for a fraction of the cost.

In this post, I will tell you how to fix deep car scratches for only $50. First, determine how deep the scratch is. The scratch on the photo damaged the clear coat, paint layers and some primer, but didn’t damage the metal. This scratch can be easily fixed in just a few hours and for only $50. No experience needed. I recommend fixing all the scratches as soon as you can to avoid rust development.

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Video Tutorial: Do-It-Yourself Car Paint Repair – Part 2

This is a second video of the 2 part video tutorial on how to repair car paint yourself.

This tutorial was made by professionals at the body shop revealing the exact steps they take to repair car paint. In case you missed it – Video Tutorial: Do-It-Yourself Car Paint Repair – Part 1.

Usually body shops will charge hundreds of dollars for a simple repair. But after watching these videos and reading my comments, you will be able to do it yourself for under $100.  I will also tell you what materials and tools you should use to save money and time.

In this part you will learn how to prepare an area for paint, mask properly, apply paint and clear coat.

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Video Tutorial: Do-It-Yourself Car Paint Repair – Part 1

Today, I wanted to share with you a two part car paint repair video tutorial.  It will show you how professionals at the body shop repair major car paint damage.

The car had a deep scratch and a small dent. In part 1 you will learn how to prepare the area for primer and how to prime (be ready for a lot of sanding). Video Tutorial Part 2 demonstrates how to apply spray paint and clear coat. Some of the tools used in the video are expensive, but there are cheaper options you  can use.

Body shops can charge hundreds of dollars for a simple repair like this. But you can do this repair yourself for under $100. Watch the video and read my comments below.

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How to Repair Bumper Crack on Volkwagen Passat

This article is part of my car scratch repair tutorials. Today, I will tell you how to repair a big bumper crack. As you can see from the picture above, the damage to this Volkswagen Passat was very extensive. The crack in the front bumper was about 2 inches long.

It will take you a few days to finish the project. Avoid working in direct sun, high wind and high humidity as these conditions might compromise the repair.  The best temperature for spray painting is 72F with 50% humidity. If you are doing it during winter, find a heated garage.

To fix this damage you will need to:  clean the surface, apply body filler, spot putty, apply primer, touch-up paint and clear coat.

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How to Fix Bumper Holes and Peeling Paint on Toyota Camry

Here is a step-by-step process of repairing bumper holes and peeling paint on Toyota Camry. It had a few very deep scratches on the front bumper below the right light, two holes from a license plate and a chipped paint on the back bumper. It would cost around $500 – $1,200 to get it fixed at the body shop. Fortunately, this kind of damage can be repaired at home for a fraction of the cost.

Make sure you have at least two days for this project. Pick a weekend when the weather is nice. The best temperature is 72F with a 50% humidity. Avoid painting in direct sun, windy conditions and high humidity. If you are doing it during cold winter, use heated garage. Since you’ll be doing a lot of spraying, make sure you have a good ventilation.

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How to Repair Deep Car Scratches on Toyota RAV4

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to repair deep scratches on the front bumper of Toyota RAV4. As you can see from the picture, the damage was on the right side of the bumper and on the panel above the right front tire. These scratches went through the clear coat, paint layer and primer.

Because the metal is exposed, you need to fix it as soon as possible before the rust starts to develop. Some people try to repair this type of scratch with a scratch remover. There is no remover in the world that can fix these scratches. When paint is missing, you have to sand the area, apply the primer and spray paint. That simple.

First, lets get all the products and tools. I buy all of my products online to save time and money.

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How to Repair Deep Car Scratches on Toyota Prius

Taking your car to the body shop to repair a few scratches can be very costly. Usually, to fix a medium size scratch will run anywhere from $400 – $1,000. In this economy, not many people have extra cash laying around.

The good news is you can save hundreds of dollars by fixing it yourself. If you are afraid to make it worse, don’t be. Professionals at the body shop will follow the same steps I am describing below. The key to successful scratch repair job is patience.

This is a weekend project. You can probably do everything in just a couple of hours, but for the best result it is better to stretch it over 2 days.

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Step-by-Step Tutorials on How to Repair Deep Car Scratches

In this car paint repair tutorial I will tell you how to fix deep car paint scratches and chips. Most deep scratches are the result of some sort of accident with another car or an object.

Usually, its a combination of scuff marks, chipped paint and log scratches. The photo on the right has a great example of a large damaged area. The best painting technique to repair this kind of damage would be a spray painting. Applying paint by brush will make it look uneven. Don’t worry, it is very easy. Just follow these steps.

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Car Paint Repair: How to Repair Clear Coat Scratch

clear coat scratch

Most car scratches only go into the clear coat, but don’t gouge into the paint layer.  These kind pf scratches can be caused by bushes, tree branches, keys and fingernails around the door handle, by drive-through car wash and etc. Light clear coat scratches can be easy fixed with some good quality rubbing compound. Medium to deep clear coat scratches require some sanding.

This blue-gray Pontiac had a medium clear coat scratched. To remove it, body shop would take the same steps I am outlining below. The whole repair should take you about 15 min.

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