How To Reseal Your Car Body Before It Gets Painted

Small dings and chips in your car paint are inevitable. Of course, you always have the possibility of repainting your car to cover up these blemishes and make it look much newer. However, many customers cannot immediately afford to invest in a full paint job. At the same time, neglecting to fix some paint chips is a bad idea. Even small chips can lead to rusting that can deteriorate the car body. This article will explain how you can fix small rock chips and reseal your car body.  

A Temporary but Smart Solution

This is a temporary solution, but it is a good way to preserve your paint and prevent more serious problems. And when the money becomes available, you can invest in a full paint job and not have to worry about paying for auto body repairs. All you have to pay for is the actual paint job since you already did the body work.

Patching the Holes

The first step in patching small holes is sanding. To sand an auto body surface you need to invest in wet sandpaper. This is just like normal sandpaper except it has much higher grit (usually about 4000) and it needs to be wet during the sanding. Moisture is essential because it prevents the paper from scratching the car body. Sand just a small perimeter around the area that needs to be patched. Also, if the hole is big enough, try to sand within it to smooth out the surface. You want the surface to be smooth so the patch will be able to create a strong bond with it.

Use a standard auto body putty to fill in the holes. Spread it onto your car using a plastic putty knife that won't scratch it. After the patch has dried (wait 24 hours) you need to get the wet sandpaper out again. Lightly sand down the patch and remove any lumps. Try to sculpt the patch so it matches the original surface of the car. This is the part of the job that you want to do very carefully, so be patient. The more accurately you match the cars original contours, the more invisible the patch will be when the car is eventually painted.    

At this point, your car will be protected from further rusting. And when you already to invest in the paint job, the surface will be ready to go. Contact a local paint repair shop, such as Franks Auto Body Inc, for further assistance.