Color isn't the only thing your car paint is good for. It's a fundamental component in protecting the body from rust. And, only like any other component, it can be damaged, even from something like a automobile wash or bug splatter. But scratches and chips can be repaired. In fact, a lot of car pigment repair tin can be washed without getting a torso shop involved.

Pocket-size automobile scratch repair

Mazda Soul Red Crystal car paint structure
Mazda Soul Cherry Crystal car pigment construction | Mazda

Car paint repair starts with knowing how deep the impairment goes. Your car'southward paint isn't a singular homogenous mass. It starts with a primer on top of the rust-preventing electro-coat, followed by the base and mid coats, which add together the color. Then the clear coat, which provides the reflective smooth as well equally physical and UV protection, goes on top.

Some damage stops at the clear coat, which simplifies the auto paint and scratch repair. Much similar with headlight restoration, the basic procedure involves smoothing out and filling in the imperfections, Popular Mechanics explains. And, for safety, it'southward best done in an open and ventilated area.

RELATED: Avoid Matte Paint If You lot Like Your Car – Exercise This Instead

Subsequently washing and masking off the area, use 800-grit sandpaper to sand down the crude area, Accelerate Machine Parts explains. And then wipe it clean with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber towel. Later on that, spray clear coat—which can be purchased in droplets spray cans—over it repeatedly. And then, once it's dried completely, employ 2000-grit sandpaper to wet-sand the area.

Some car paint repair is less about fixing scratches and more about restoration and correction. Removing very small-scale scratches, swirl marks, orange peel, and then on. For that, The Bulldoze recommends using polishing kits, which usually come up with several buffing pads and compounds. 3M, Chemical Guys, Meguiars, and Automotive Touchup are some of the best-known brands.

 These are basically specially-formulated abrasives, which remove the surface imperfections. And after using them, just similar with the articulate glaze repair, information technology's best to utilise wax for maximum future protection.

RELATED: Is the Tesla Model Y Having Paint Bug?

Toothpaste is sometimes cited as an inexpensive alternative DIY method of car paint repair, Autoblog reports. However, although it is technically an abrasive, as Donut Media shows above, it'southward not really very effective.

Car paint repair with touch on-up paint

Deeper scratches, ones that go by the clear coat, crave boosted repair steps. If the flake or scratch is fairly pocket-sized, you tin use touch on-up paint pens or castor kits, The Drive reports.

RELATED: A Few Simple Changes Tin can Salvage Your Motorcar's Pigment

To start, you'll accept to cheque what your machine'due south paint colour lawmaking is. This is usually plant on a sticker in one of your door jambs, Pop Mechanics reports. Once you have your bear upon-up pen or castor kit, the next stride is thoroughly cleaning and de-greasing the damaged area. Then, just employ the pigment every bit directed, and let information technology dry.

There are some downsides to using impact-upwardly paint pens for car paint repair, though. For one, many don't come up with a sprayable articulate coat. You'll have to purchase that separately to brand sure your car paint repair is protected. Secondly, as Badell's Collision explains, it'southward really best-suited for temporary repairs, especially if you lot don't clear-coat it.

And, as stated previously, touch-up paint simply works on relatively small scratches. What happens if, say, y'all striking your bumper on a brick wall accidentally?

Deep and wide scratches

RELATED: 5 Car Maintenance Costs That Are Worth The Extra Money

That was the question I asked myself when I did just that behind the wheel of my NB Miata. Luckily, in that location are car paint repair methods for deep and spread-out scratches.

Blue 1999 Mazda Miata shown before and after the car paint and scratched bumper were repaired
1999 Mazda Miata car paint repair later on (pinnacle) and before | Matthew Skwarczek

If you lot're repairing plastic bodywork on meridian of the paint, yous'll need a kit with putty to fill in the gouges. I used Robert'due south Paint Care. But the rest of the repair is basically the same. Wash and mask off the expanse, then sand down the rough edges. After that, wipe downwards the area, apply the putty, wait for it to dry, and then sand it polish.

If you lot're doing car pigment repair that extends downwardly to the bodywork, you'll need to have a primer in addition to the base of operations and clear coats. For all-encompassing damage, as on my NB, aerosol works better than pens or brush kits. As with the bear on-up pigment, you'll demand to know your car's paint code for accurate colour-matching. And the repair procedure will likely require spraying multiple layers of pigment.

This aforementioned basic automobile pigment repair process besides works if y'all need to remove and paint-over rust, The Bulldoze reports. Merely sand the rust away, clean the surface area, then add putty and the requisite paint layers. If y'all find you tin can't remove all the rust, The Drive recommends rust converters or reformers. These turn the rust into a paintable surface and preclude information technology from spreading.

Follow more updates from MotorBiscuit on our Facebook page.