How to Touch Up Auto Paint

People enjoy keeping their cars looking great. Inevitably the paint job on our vehicles develops scratches or missing paint larger than a dime, which require professional attention. Most everyday scratches, however, only require some touch up auto paint and some patience to repair. Purchase touch up auto paint at automotive dealers along with some of the special tools necessary to give your car a clean professional finish.

Things You'll Need

• Touch up paint
• Nick sander
• Cloth
• Bottle cap
• Fine tip paint brush
• 1000 grit sandpaper
• Automotive wax
• Automotive polish

Instructions

1. Purchase touch up paint to match your vehicle color at a dealership. Purchase the paint in touch up bottles or applicators. Using touch up bottles is more common because applicators tend to drip more easily.

2. Wash the car thoroughly and allow the car to dry completely. Sand the scratch area with the nick sander. A nick sander looks like a long pencil with sandpaper on the end. Wipe the area clean with a soft damp cloth.

3. Pour some of the touch up paint into a bottle cap. Apply the paint to the scratch with a fine tip paint brush. Apply the paint in layers, building the paint until it is above the original paint surrounding the scratch. Allow the paint to dry completely.

4. Soak a piece of 1,000 grit sandpaper in water while waiting for the paint to dry. Sand the area slowly with the sandpaper until the touch up paint is even with the original paint.

5. Wax and polish your car as normal, and buff out the scratch area to blend it into the rest of the paint.

Tips & Warnings

• Test the paint in an inconspicuous area to ensure it matches the original paint closely.

References

• Web-Cars: Auto Detailing
• Paint Scratch: How To Apply Touch Up Paint