The appearance of chips on the car is a frequent phenomenon. No driver is immune from this. You may be the best on the road, but the carelessness of another person behind the wheel may cause visible damage to your car. High-speed trips and flying rubble, insects and chips form, and because of them, serious damage occurs. Corrosion processes, as a rule, are not visible to the naked eye and originate deep under the paint layer. With the active use of the machine, it is simply impossible to avoid damage. In the event of various defects, it is better to immediately contact professionals for help. Don't put this off for too long. Remember: the faster you apply, the easier it will be for the master to make the damage less noticeable.
Chips are small scratches or breaks on the surface of a car. They can be different in depth, length and width. The paintwork of any car consists of several layers. Depending on how damaged each layer is, you need to choose the right repair option. One of the most common mistakes motorists make is to leave subtle chips to their fate. This is an extremely reckless act, since the main function of the paint coating is to protect the car from rust. Even the smallest scratch under the influence of external factors of nature will be characterized by the appearance of corrosion or rust.
Often, the front of the car is most damaged by chips. In the event of an emergency, it is the hood that gets hit first. It is on him that the flight of flying stones from under the wheels of oncoming cars falls. Therefore, in order to warn yourself in such cases, experienced craftsmen advise covering the hood with a special anti-gravel film. Such protection is made of thin vinyl or polyurethane, and it absolutely does not spoil the visual appeal of the car. It is able to create a magnificent "shield" and enhance the degree of protection of the coating for a long time.
What to do with deep chips on the surface
There is a difference between a normal scratch and a chip - this is how deep the damage to the coating is. Before starting to repair the defect, evaluate the nature of the damage. They may affect:
- Only the top coat of varnish.
- Damage the varnish layer and even the metal of the structure.
If you decide to deal with this problem yourself, for this you will need:
- grinder with abrasive wheels;
- automotive primer and spatula;
- degreasers, varnish, paint and a special pencil;
- polishing pastes.
Then do all the following step by step. To begin with, clean the affected area of dirt by washing it well with soapy water. Then sand the damaged area with an abrasive machine. Apply a coat of primer. To make the surface as smooth as possible, cover it with a thin layer of polishing paste. After that, degrease the area, and only then paint over the chipped paint.
How to get rid of shallow chips
In order not to lose the overall holistic appearance of the body and not reduce the cost of the car, if you suddenly want to sell it, you should learn how to properly get rid of even the smallest damage - shallow chips and scratches. It is much more expedient to deal with minor defects than to eliminate rotten parts of the body. With a large number of minor damage, it makes no sense to paint over each chip separately. In this case, it would be more appropriate to paint over the entire body part. The process is painstaking, but not difficult.
If you can dismantle the body part yourself, separating it from the car, great, if not, use tape and film, pasting over the rest of the car.
- Wash and dry the damaged surface.
- Using a constant supply of water, sand the paint with fine sandpaper.
- Dry the surface with a degreaser.
- Apply a new layer of primer and sand it with fine sandpaper.
- Degrease the surface again and apply a coat of paint.
- If desired or necessary, cover the paint layer with a special varnish.
After some time, it is better to go through the procedure of polishing the painted part, as well as polishing the entire car. Thus, you will be able to completely align the color, making it solid. Experts advise choosing paint in companies that use computer technology and select the tone and shade with absolute accuracy. In the case of the selection of low-quality paint, you can encounter a whole abundance of problems that will lead to a complete painting of the body. Approach the moment of choosing a paint with responsibility. If all the points are completed with high quality, your car will regain its former attractiveness.
If there is no need to eliminate many chips, the procedure will be much simpler and easier. In this case, it is very important to choose the color of the paint so that the stain from the chip does not differ after painting against the general background of the coating. When you're dealing with a very small chip, use a match or a small brush to apply paint after you've cleaned the surface. Remember that it is not worth applying varnish on top of the paint - this is fraught with the fact that the chipped area will become more noticeable against the general background. To get rid of shallow damage-chips, you will need at hand:
- varnish and degreaser;
- special polishing paste;
- sanding paper for grinding;
- scratch pencil.
When the damage is minimal, the return of the former attractiveness is not difficult.
If the chip affected the metal and caused corrosion
If a chip has affected the metal coating and caused corrosion, the process of eliminating such a defect will take a long time and will require a responsible approach. Initially, for this, it is necessary to repair the body and then deal with the chips themselves.
- Clean the affected area, clean the rust down to the metal.
- Rinse and degrease the surface. If necessary, use sandpaper to clean up the chipped area.
- Apply primer and sand down with 1000 grit sandpaper. Paint the area. If necessary, you can cover the chipped area with varnish.
Remember that the body painting process requires special attention and preparation. It is better to fix the problem at an early stage than to allow a more serious one to appear, postponing the process for a long time. If you notice a chip on the surface of the car, it is better to take the necessary measures immediately. There is nothing complicated about this problem, and with a strong desire, you can successfully fix the problem yourself. If you are afraid to spoil the attractive appearance of the car, then it would be better to turn to professionals for help.
