How to Fix Paintwork Chips and Scratches | Halfords UK скачать в хорошем качестве

How to Fix Paintwork Chips and Scratches | Halfords UK

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/pai... A scratch or dent to a cars paintwork is always an unhappy ight. With this handy guide we look at how to fix anything from a hairline scratch to a larger dent [Halfords. We Fit. We Service. We Repair.] When it comes to chips and scratches in your car’s paintwork, there are plenty of products that will allow you to make minor repairs at home. Before you carry out any repair, you should be confident that you have the time, patience and skill to do it yourself, otherwise a small scratch could end up costing you much more than it needs to. As always with this kind of job, preparation is key. This starts with wearing the right protective kit. You’ll want some nitrile single use gloves to protect your hands, safety glasses and a dust mask to guard against the potentially hazardous particles these kinds of tasks produce. Shallow scratches can sometimes be polished out using mild abrasive liquids like T-Cut. It removes a small amount of the surface paint to make the scratch level with the surrounding area. This will normally work on a scratch that you can’t feel when you run your fingers over it. Deeper scratches which have gone through the paint to the primer, or even down to the metal, can sometimes be repaired by using a touch up pen. These are available in most colours to exactly match your paintwork. Once the scratch has been filled with paint, allow it to dry for 48 hrs. Then a light rubbing over using a block and 1500grit wet and dry paper will level the surface. When doing this, use plenty of water for the best results. When you’re happy with the final finish you can polish the shine back into the surface using an abrasive liquid like T-Cut again. This type of repair is most effective on paint finishes that are not metallic as the shine is within the base colour paint. Any repair that is more severe than a light scratch will require filling. Fillers are polyester-based pastes that will set hard when mixed with an activating hardener. They can be used on minor dents in most types of metal bodywork - you’ll need a different product if you’re making repairs to plastic. It’s worth being aware that some car panels are painted to look like the metalwork but are made of plastic. The first step is to prepare the surface that you’re working on. Rough up the area with 1200grit abrasive paper to create a good surface for the filler and paint to adhere to. Most fillers are 2 part, meaning the filler must be mixed with a hardener for it to set. A typical mixing ratio is a golf ball size of filler to a pea size ball of hardener. Once mixed you have about 10 minutes before it sets hard. This will vary on the weather and it will set much quicker on warmer days so always consider this when using. You apply the filler to the dent with a spatula. Ideally the surface should be slightly proud of the surrounding area as this will eventually be rubbed down to the same level afterwards. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right first time as you can repeat this process until you do. When it’s dry, smooth it down with abrasive paper so that it’s flush with the surrounding metalwork. As before, use a block to ensure a flat even finish. Start with a course grade sandpaper like 120grit or 240grit and then gradually work down to the finer wet and dry grades finishing with a 1200grit. The next step is to remove any dust and debris from the panel and mask off the area you’re working on so that the materials you’re using don’t spread any further than you want. Then you can apply the primer. Do this in several thin coats, rather than one thick one. Doing so will minimise issues with solvent taking too long to dry or popping through the paint surface. Filler primers and high-build primers work well here as they will hide any minor scratches or imperfections in the final finish. When dry, a light rub with 1200grit wet and dry paper will have the surface ready to paint. Now we’re ready to apply the paint. When it comes to application, it’s once again a case of several light coats. You can sand between coats. Metallic finish paints normally need a coating of 2/3 thin coats of lacquer afterwards to give them a shine. Allow this to harden for 10-14 days, then you can polish it to a high shine. Follow these steps and your car should look good as new. If you need any more help or advice with car paintwork repairs, feel free to ask a colleague in store.