Small dents, chips and scratches on your car are surprisingly easy to repair. Just grab your Preval v Fan Airbrush and follow our easy instructions below!
If you’re driving every day, small dings and scratches to your car come with the territory. Repairing them may seem tricky, but taking your car to the body shop isn’t your only option. Spruce up and repair your car on your own terms with your Preval vFan Airbrush.
Tips and Warnings:
- Don’t wait too long to get to work! Chips and dents in your car’s paint expose the metal body to oxidation (rust). The sooner you can fix them the better.
- Remember you’ll be spraying paint! Take the proper safety precautions, including wearing hand and eye protection. Make sure your lungs are protected too; wear a mask! Keep the entire area well-ventilated and stay away from open flames, sparks and heat sources – you don’t want to ignite the fumes!
- Keep it cool, but not too cool. You and the paint are at your respective best when painting in moderate temps. (Too hot isn’t good either.)
- Metallic paints are fickle – make sure you keep the material well-shaken so that the metal paint flakes evenly. Don’t you want the best paint-match possible?
- Prepare and clean your surfaces. It’s your first step to ensuring your scratch repair is durable and painted-to-last.
Materials:
Solvent-resistant gloves
Eye protection
Respirator or paint mask
Preval V-Fan Airbrush
Dent puller (if needed)
Solvent-resistant masking tape + paper
Assortment of sandpaper or sanding pads with grits #400 to #800, and wet/dry #1500 & #4000
Body filler (if needed)
Mineral spirits and/or dish soap
Matching paint color (the color code is usually listed inside a door jamb or under the trunk or hood)
Polisher and polishing compound
Prep
- Put some elbow grease in! Wipe the repair area with dish-soap solution or mineral spirits to remove wax, dirt and oils. This ensures the paint sticks.
- Sometimes dents are deep! If this applies to one of your car dents, use a dent puller to make the dent as small as possible.
- And what about a deep paint scratch? In this case, lightly sand with fine grit sandpaper to smooth edges and remove rust.
- Time for a second go-round! Wipe the area with mineral spirits to remove any remaining dirt, oils and sanding dust.
- It’s filler-putty time! Apply the putty to dents and deep scratches, letting it dry for two minutes. Sand evenly. Take a sponge, rag or paint leveler to wipe away the excess when you’re done.
- Another cleaning pass, then mask off a few inches on each side of the scratch. The actual scratch and all sanded areas should be exposed.
Application and Completing the Repair
- Start by filling your Preval V fan Airbrush with the matching paint color.
- Use smooth, even passes to lightly spray the sanded area. (Check for good coverage.)
- Be careful! If you build up too much paint, the excess will leave edges at the tape.
- Remove masking tape and paper.
- Time to take a break!Allow paint to dry for at least 24 hours.
- Now that you’ve had a break, it’s time to fine-tune – lightly wet-sand the new paint and the surrounding existing paint to eliminate paint ridges and overspray.
- You’re almost there - polish the area by hand or with a polisher & polishing compound to remove sanding scratches. Watch your car’s luster return!
- Apply some auto wax to protect the finish. Your car is as good as new!
Disclaimer: The Preval How-To Articles like this one are for informational purposes only and are intended to provide general guidance.Because products, materials, techniques and building codes vary, and federal, state, municipal laws and ordinances are continuously changing, C.A Acquisitions LLC, Chicago Aerosol and Preval assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein and disclaim any liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project.It is the responsibility of the reader (you) to comply with all appropriate laws, manufacturers’ guidelines and rules and regulations for any project or product used. Take all safety precautions and exercise caution. Follow the MSDS warning for every product or paint you use to complete the project.If you HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR DOUBTS IN REGARD TO ANY ELEMENT OF A PROJECT, PLEASE CONSULT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL.