Your car is going to pick up some scrapes down the road. Small scrapes and rock chips in the paint are annoying. If they aren't big enough to get professionally fixed, you should try to repair them on your own. If you leave small paint chips unattended, they could become larger and start to rust. Once rusting begins, the job becomes much more complicated. If you catch and repair your chips as soon as you notice them, you can save yourself a headache. This article explains how to use touch up paint for small repairs.
Get the Right Paint and Supplies
First of all, you should try to use factory paint. Usually, this means you need to get it directly from the dealership. You can also find most colors on the internet. Try to avoid third-party brands because you might end up with mismatching issues. In addition to the paint, you will also need tape. You can find expensive auto body masking tape, but generic masking tape will probably work just fine. Since you probably already have masking tape around the house, it might not be worth buying an entire roll of auto tape. You will also need some fine grit auto sandpaper. This sandpaper usually comes in sponge form and needs to be moist when sanding to avoid scratching too much of the paint off. Finally, you will need a wool buffer to polish off the paint at the end.
Prepping the Chip
The first step is to prepare the chip by lightly sanding around it. Sand very lightly so you only remove the clear coat over the paint. You don't want to sand off too much of the existing paint. In fact, the point is to lightly rough up the surface so the new paint can stick to it.
Applying the Paint
Touch up comes in small cans with a small brush built into the lid. This makes the application very easy. You should apply the paint on thinly, even if it is see through at first. After 2 or 3 coats, the paint will fill in.
After painting, the texture and sheen will not match the car body. To fix this you need to buff it out with a wool buffer. The cheapest and quickest option is to use a buffing attachment for a cordless power drill. Polish until the painted area blends in with the original surface.
Repairing small paint chips is easy. If you do it early, you can prevent serious damage to your car body.
