Unsightly chips on auto body panels compromise the overall appearance of your car, but removal and refurbishment is easy with the use of professional or DIY repair techniques. Car park damage, flying stones and keys contribute to the most types of superficial damage, and the chips they cause are usually small enough to repair independently. However, vehicle owners should always get body panels with large-scale damage refurbished by a professional accident repair specialist
Total Repaint
For auto body panels with large areas of chipping, the best remedy is a full repaint, and this operation is best performed in a professional body shop. After cleaning the panel of grease and dirt, paint technicians sand down the chips using a random orbital sander. As the grit of the sanding discs cuts into the paintwork, the chips smooth out and integrate with the primer underneath. Technicians finally sand down the remainder of the panel before refinishing it with fresh layers of paint.
Single Color Touch-In
Vehicles refinished with acrylic paint of a single color can be touched up using matching paint. After cleaning the body panel thoroughly, immerse a small brush into a tin of colored paint and dab the material into the small crevices created by chips. The small blobs of paint must be built up gradually within each chip until they sit just above the flat surface of the panel. Once dry, sand the blobs of paint down with fine grade P1500-grit wet-and-dry paper until they are level with the panel surface. Buff the remaining paint to a shine with cutting compound to complete the repair.
Metallic Colors
Dip a small paint brush into a tin of matching metallic paint and dab the color into the chips using the end bristles of the brush. Leave to dry thoroughly. Once cured, dab in small quantities of acrylic lacquer with a clean paint brush to seal in the color, making sure a small amount of material sits above the panel surface. Rub down the lacquer with P1500-grit wet-and-dry paper the until it is level with the surface of the panel before restoring the shine with cutting compound and glazing polish.
Polyester Stopper
Polyester stopper fills small chips on auto body panels and is applied using a plastic spreader. Clean the damaged area thoroughly, and lightly etch the surface around each chip with P600-grit wet-and-dry paper. After application, leave the stopper to dry before sanding it down to a level finish with P800-grit wet-and-dry paper. Create an etched surface to a radius of 6 inches around the repaired chips and isolate the area carefully with masking tape and paper. Use an aerosol can of matching paint and blend in the color gently before leaving it to dry. Once the paint has cured, polish around the edges of the painted area gently to integrate the fresh color with the existing paintwork.
