How To Fix Paint Chips On Your Own

Your car will inevitably obtain a few paint chips here and there. Over the years, even small chips in your car paint can result in deterioration off your car body. This is why it is so important to fix paint chips right when you first notice them. You can fix small chips by yourself with the right tools and a little bit of patience. Here is the best way to fix paint chips on your own.

Sanding

The first step is sanding the car body. Get auto body sandpaper from a home improvement or an auto store. Auto body sandpaper is just like wood sandpaper, except it is wet sandpaper: meaning it must be moist when sanding. You just need to buff out a small perimeter around the chip. For small chips, you probably only need to sand a square 1" area. When sanding you just want to lightly push down. The point is not to remove the paint from the car body. Instead, you just want to remove the shiny coat of the body. Lightly roughing up the surface will create a grippier surface for the patch to adhere to.

Patching

Once you are done sanding, you can wipe down the area with a wet rag. At this point, you can apply the car patch. Using auto body patch is easy, but it dries very quickly. So you should practice by applying it to a spare piece of metal or plastic. For small chips, you should just apply the patch with your finger (but be sure to wear a rubber glove to protect your skin). Don't bother using a putty knife; that could scratch the paint. Wipe away the extra putty before it dries and try to smooth it out with your finger.

The dried patch will not perfectly match the car texture or sheen. To smooth out the patch to match the sheen of the original surface, you will need a power buffer. You can rent one with all the necessary attachments. Another great alternative is to find a buffer attachment for your power drill. These are cheap and useful for all sorts of projects (so it is a helpful tool to have around the house).

Painting

The final step is to do the touch-up painting. Touch-up paint can be acquired from most dealerships. It comes in small cans that are designed for small chip repairs. They even have a tiny brush attached to the lid for easy application. Try to only paint the actual area that you patched. You just want to hide the patch and make it blend in.

This project will take a little bit of patience during the more detailed aspects of the work. However, you will surely be able to make efficient repairs that will protect your car and hide your paint chips.

For big scrapes, dents, and paint damage, contact an auto collision repair shop.