How to apply touch up paint in 10 easy steps

One of the most annoying things that you ever face is a tiny scratch on your shiny cars paint. Could be a stone chip or a metal zipper/buckle scratch, or could be any other that ran across the paint to create an eye sore beloved car. The paint gets chipped by flying debris hits the car’s body while driving. And with the rising menace of bumper to bumper traffic, small accidents can happen.

But this is not the end of the world for you. You can somewhat cover up that scratch. And you need to do that because if it is a deep one chipping off the paint, it could get bigger in time or even start corroding the metal through rust formation. All you have to do is a buy a suitable touch up paint and apply carefully on the scratched surface. Here are a few steps which will guide you through the entire process.

Step 01: Choose the correct paint colour

First you have to buy the exact colour that is on the body of your car. The colour code can be found inside the engine bay where the bonnet is hinged. A small metal plate bears the colour code for your car. You also have to purchase a primer that will hold the paint with more strength on the scratch. You can buy the paint and primer from any automobile store that sells spares.

Step 02: Preparation

Before you start painting, find an apt location to park your car. Preferred locations would be inside a garage on a day with less humid weather conditions. Also remember no direct sunlight must fall on the affected area. You should also apply a tiny amount of paint on a separate metal piece to check if the colour is matching to the one on your car.

Step 03: Clean the affected area

Wash off the scratch first and the dry it with a clean cloth. Use a small piece of sand paper and rub the surface. This would help strengthen the primer. If the scratch is not deep enough to expose the metal body underneath, it is easier and you would not even need the primer.

Step 04: Apply primer

Use a small brush to apply a sparingly small amount of primer on the damaged surface. Do not let the reach the original paint. If you do get it on the paint, wipe the surface off quickly. Now let it dry for about 12 hours.

Step 05: Paint application

Now you must apply the touch up paint that you bought. Take a very small brush and apply several layer of the paint on the damaged surface till it evens out with the rest of the surrounding area. Let it dry of for a couple of days.

Step 06: Smoothen the affected area

After 3-4 days of the procedure, you may use a rubbing compound to smoothen the affected area. Just apply the compound and rub it till it becomes even. Finally, clean the entire car and apply polish to finish off with a shine.