How to Maintain the Shine on Your Car Paint Job - Car Bodywork Tips

When buying a car one of the biggest choices you have is the color! Though there are many choices to make it's the main factor that you can decide on which suits you best and appeals to your sense of style. Black is a big seller yet silver can sometimes have more style. Red is hot and white can be conservative, it's all up to you.

The elements though can play havoc on keeping that original shine and luster to this important investment. Once a car loses its color, the value is reduced and it never looks the same. These are some tips and tricks on how to maintain that color and keep the environment from doing damage to your paint job as well as restoring any damage already done!

HOW TO RESIST ENVIROMENTAL DAMAGES: 

There are many different types of finishes on vehicles like enamel, matt coating, acrylic etc...unfortunately, no matter what the finish is, your car's paint is still susceptible to the environment. To help protect it always use a preventive maintenance program.

The sun puts out ultra violet rays that can damage the gloss of the finish and because metal holds heat it can cause permanent stains. The only way to deal with this is by using protective sealants and coatings.

Air pollutants are your next problem because they transform into nitric and sulfuric acids that eventually deposit onto your vehicle and eat up the paint. To combat this, keep your vehicle clean by washing it on a regular basis. This is very important because even in the winter with salt and dirt, pitting and rusting can occur. The undercarriage should be treated with a protective coating to help eliminate this problem.

When your car is clean moisture can't build up in the dirty areas and cause corrosion. I advise a car wash at least once to twice a month and sometimes have a gentle power wash to dislodge dirt that is embedded in hard to reach places like under the bumpers, the wheel wells and behind the moldings to name a few.

By pressure washing after or during winter you can dislodge the excess salt and dirt from the body of your vehicle and at the same time give it a shiny and clean appearance and reduce the chances of rust problems.

Another big tip is to keep you car or truck waxed on a regular basis. This will aid in a big way to keep the color from fading and minimize the harm that chemicals can do to your paint job and also give a great shine to your vehicle. Its should only take about 30 minutes to wax even a large vehicle and should last for 3-4 months.

ALWAYS REPAIR THE CHIPS AND SCRATCHES: 

Most times you can order matching spray paint from the manufacturer and buy using a toothpick as an aid you can fix most prominent scratches and chips. For some of the smaller ones a polishing compound will work. By investing, the time and utilizing these tips your vehicles paint job has a much better chance of remaining in new like condition!

Car Scratch Repair Tips - Do it Yourself!

Does your car have scratches in the paint or paint blemishes you'd like to get rid of without going through the expense and hassle of dealing with a body paint shop?
Have the scratches become more and more annoying to you ever since you first noticed them? Car paint repair is not difficult and time consuming once you get sound information and commit yourself to following a few easy-to- understand directions.

Thousands of car owners have discovered this mega-money-saving truth, and today have professional looking paint jobs they've completed successfully themselves.

Minor paint scratches and imperfections can easily be repaired by car owners who are willing to take the time to do the job right and carefully progress through the required steps for professional car paint repair.

The first thing to understand is that touch up paint provided by auto dealers is not the best solution to your problem if the scratch you are trying to repair is noticeable from a distance.
If you go to an auto dealer complaining about minor scratches and dings that you can see at a distance of six feet or more away from your car, they will want to sell you touch up paint immediately, promising it's all you need to repair the scratch. Don't fall for this sales pitch, because touch up paint never blends well with your car's paint and will only create another eyesore.

In effect, you will only be replacing a scratch on the car's paint surface with an uneven blob or gob of paint that will be just as annoying as the scratch was. Touch up paint is only useful for very small nicks and scratches and nothing more.

To fix scratches and nicks in your car's paint, you first must carefully sand the scratch down, using 240-grit sandpaper, initially, then going to 320-grit sandpaper, working slowly to assure you are producing an even and smooth surface where the scratch used to be. Deeper scratches should be sanded with 800-grit wet and dry sandpaper.

When you are satisfied the surface is sufficiently flattened and smoothed, clean the area to be painted thoroughly, removing all dust, debris, sand, etc., and then evenly apply the primer. Finally, you will next apply three coats of color over the primed area, and finish up the paint repair job by applying a coat of clear coat.

Be certain to allow enough time for each coat to dry thoroughly, fifteen minutes or so, before applying the next coat. And don't attempt your car paint repair project if the temperature is below 55 degrees, or you will get inferior results.

One final note:
Really deep scratches require a complete re-paint job of the entire car to achieve professional looking results, so you may want to consult a few paint shops to get their counsel on the severity of your car's paint scratches before beginning your project. You may also want to learn how to fix and paint your own car from home.