Not all auto body repair involves repainting entire panels or sections of the car. There will be times when your prized possession will incur small chips in door edges, scuffs on the bumper or scratches on the fenders. When this happens, all one needs is relatively minor spot paint repair to get your car looking flawless once again.
In fact, getting these small nicks or scratches on the paint is fairly commonplace, as well as cracked paint that may have resulted from temperature extremes or localized impacts. Often, the owners themselves will want to do DIY work themselves, which accounts for the prevalence of these paint repair kits in car accessory shops and superstores. But unless your car is in a plain color or the damage is in an unobtrusive area, it would be better to have an auto body repair shop do the job. The skilled paint technicians in an auto body repair shop know that repairing a spot of chipped off paint takes more than just daubing any old paint with an approximate color match. Doing it this way, by yourself, only reveals the haphazard attitude an owner has about how his or her car looks.
An auto body repair shop professional expends effort in repairing the damage so that the repaired area remains small. Using fillers, primers, and color-matched paint, the repaired area will look like no damage had occurred. In doing the final stage of a spot paint repair job however, the technician will not spray clear coat on the repaired area but use instead a blending chemical which melts the edges of the clear coat so that the transition between the repaired area and the old paint is seamless. A lot of times, this process makes the repair imperceptible, and the owner can only be thankful that the decision was made to have the small repair done at an auto body repair shop rather than attempting a DIY repair. Some enterprising businesses have recognized this need for quick yet professional repairs and so now offer mobile paint repair, as well as paintless dent removal services. However, you should be aware that spot repairs are not recommended for top surfaces such as the hood, roof and trunklid. These areas oxidize more quickly and the edges of the spot repair can become visible in a short period. Additionally, make sure that the service you go to has a reputation for quality. Depending on the technician’s skill or method of repair, paint may peel, have color mismatches, or develop textures due to imperfections.
