How to Repair Chipped Car Paint in 4 Unproblematic Steps

Repair your motorcar's pigment chip now earlier it mushrooms into a much bigger expense.

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Time

A full 24-hour interval

Complexity

Beginner

Price

Less than $20

Introduction

Here's how to take care of chips and dings in your car or truck before it's likewise late. Quick action volition mean paint fries only require a simple fix, but allow information technology go and they'll turn to rust before your eyes.

Tools Required

Project stride-by-step (7)

Step one

Prepare Small Chips

This is a typical rock chip that yous can fix with this procedure. In fact, even if the automobile paint chip is about one-fourth the size of a dime, you tin still repair information technology.

Fix small car paint chips

Footstep two

Too Far Gone

This is a car paint flake that should have been repaired long ago.

  • The metal within the chip has rusted and started to elevator the paint at the edges. The fix we testify here is for fresh chips that oasis't started to rust all the same.
  • If you encounter a rust spot, or have a dent along with your chip, you'll demand to practice a more challenging set than nosotros testify here.

rusted metal

Step three

Clean the Paint Fries

  • Clean the paint chip with lather and water and so dry information technology with a soft cotton fiber cloth.
  • Rub a dab of automotive polishing chemical compound over the pigment flake to gently soften any ragged edges.
    • Pro tip: Just a dozen swirls or so will practice the job. Besides much rubbing could damage the clearcoat over the paint and brand a cloudy mess.

Clean the car paint chips

Pace 4

Make clean the Finish

Clean the cease with denatured alcohol.

  • The alcohol will remove any wax or remaining grime.
    • Pro tip: Don't alluvion the surface with alcohol. Just a few wipes with a soft, clammy cloth will do.

Clean car paint with alcohol

Step 5

Apply the Primer

Utilize a spot of primer with the butt stop of a paper friction match.

  • Make full the area within the car paint chip, just touching the edges of the surrounding paint.
  • Let the primer dry for at least a half 60 minutes.

Apply primer to car paint diagram

Step half dozen

Get Your Touch on-Up Pigment and Primer

If you don't know the color number for your automobile, you'll have to find it on your vehicle identification plate.

  • Once yous discover the number, buy a small bottle of touch-up pigment. If you lot can't find the correct color online, cheque with the dealer. Dealers ofttimes behave colors for the cars they sell.
    • Pro tip: If y'all can merely detect spray paint with the right color number, you can use it by spraying a bit of paint into the cap and applying it with a fine artist's brush.
  • Besides buy a small tin of car primer.

Step 7

Pigment the Chip

Put a small amount of pigment over the primer coat.

  • Always test the colour on a piece of newspaper to make sure information technology matches. The test will also give you a feel for how much paint to load onto the applicator brush.
  • Apply a 2nd coat virtually ane hour after. Let the paint cure for several days and rub it out again gently with polishing compound to feather the edges of the repair.
    • Pro tip: Don't do this repair in the direct dominicus or if the temperature is below 50 degrees F.

Paint the chip on car

Originally Published: October 15, 2019