How To Repair Scratch Down To Metal

Vehicle scratches can occur more frequently than you may think, whether it'southward from a careless driver, loose pebbles chipping abroad at your paint or even a rogue keying here and there. If not dealt with chop-chop, deep scratches and chips exposing your auto'southward bare metallic can rust within a few days and cause serious headaches. Thankfully, Holts has the solution.

Pace past stride guide:

Make clean and repare
Apply the color glaze
Utilise the clear coat
Flatten the surface area
Finish up

Whatever the shade or hue, Holts Paint Match Pro matches to your car paint, just use our handy tool to selection the correct color. It's elementary to employ and repairs can be done there and so on your driveway. A lot of people worry nigh the expense of fixing scratches like this, but Paint Friction match Pro means avoiding plush trips to the body shop. Follow these steps to repair the scratch, and get your auto looking spot on once more.

Step one:Clean and Fix

Wash your motor

Start by washing your automobile with a car shampoo and sponge or microfibre cloth. And so make sure information technology's completely dry and clean earlier you start.

Assess the scratch

Yous can now properly assess the depth of the scratch. If you're lucky the damage will just expose the primer. If bare metal is exposed and it has already rusted, check out department 5, our DIY Guide to Painting Metal.

Fix the area

Start past using masking tape and newspaper to embrace the surrounding surface area to avoid over spray to the undamaged paintwork. The expanse yous need to mask will depend on the size of the damaged area, but better to be safe than sorry. If in doubt, always mask off a much larger area every bit the spray paint tin travel in the air and settle on undamaged paintwork.

Y'all'll now need to use a paint rubbing or cutting compound on and around the scratch. Use a circular move to remove a very thin layer of the surrounding paint – a couple of centimetres either side of the scratch will do. This will help subsequently on when you're blending the new coats. If at that place's whatever excess compound or mess, clean information technology up and then the area is clear for painting.

Stride 2: Use the Colour Glaze

painting-car-metal

Choosing the right colour

You lot'll need to buy bear on-up paint that perfectly matches your machine's paintwork — and that's where Holts Pigment Match Pro comes in. Using our simple online color match checker, you tin quickly find the correct paint for your automobile based on its manufacturer, color and year. The Paint Match Pro range features over 8,000 car colours, and the simple-to-use can is perfect for DIY repair and renovations.

Apply your chosen paint

Either spray the color coat or use a fine paint brush or cocktail stick to build up thin layers. The key is to build the paint to just below the level of the surrounding articulate coat. Go out between 10 and xxx minutes between paint applications – the paint will dry at different speeds depending on the temperature.

Step 3: Utilise the Clear Coat

Once y'all're happy with the level of the color glaze and it has completely dried, apply the articulate coat in thin layers then information technology sits just higher up the surrounding paint. Once again, allow betwixt ten and 30 minutes betwixt applications depending on temperature.

You lot might need to exit the paint to harden for a 24-hour interval or two earlier moving on to the adjacent step.

Stride 4: Flatten the Surface area

car repairing

Finally, you need to smoothen the surface area so it's flat and can't exist noticed next to the original paint.

You'll either need to use a very fine grit wet and dry sandpaper (2,500 grit, for example) or an abrasive rubbing/cut compound depending on the size of the scratch. Merely as y'all did in the training stage, piece of work the compound in a round motion a couple of centimetres either side of the repair. If yous're sanding it, utilise a fibroid sandpaper at beginning, changing the paper for a finer grit to work up to the 2,500 grit sandpaper in stages.

Stride 5: Finishing Up

Utilize a polish, not a smooth compound, to give your car that professional quality finish. Follow the instructions on the smooth. Desire it to radiate shine? Requite information technology a wax and buff for that added gleam.

At Holts, we're committed to solving your car issues. To detect out more, and view our complete product range, visit the homepage .