Get rid of minor car paint damage: Charlotte Toyota service tips

Do you have minor car paint damage? It happens - with daily wear and tear, loose shopping carts, and hurricane season, it's pretty much inevitable that your vehicle will sustain car paint damage over the course of your ownership. It may not seem like too big of a deal, but it can actually make your car's appearance a little less than ideal in addition to leaving the metal beneath open to moisture, which can ultimately lead to expensive rust repairs. Luckily, Toyota of N Charlotte is here to help! 

How to repair your car paint damage at home 

If you like to tackle auto repairs DIY style, this job is for you. In order to repair car paint damage, you should first gather supplies - you'll want microfiber cloths, fine grit sandpaper, shine polish, a clay bar wax, and soapy water. You'll also need to determine how deep the scratch is. Your car paint has four layers - the base panel coat, the primer coat, the body paint coat, and the clear coat. Here's how to detemine the depth of the damage: 

• If it's a clear coat scratch, you'll be able to see the scratch but it'll disappear when the car gets wet and then reappear when the car dries. 
• If it's a body paint coat scratch, it'll look white inside the scratch and won't disappear when the car gets wet. 
• If it's a primer or body panel coat scratch, the inside of the scratch will be gray or black. This is the deepest kind of scratch and MAY require professional help at Toyota of N Charlotte's body shop. 

Once you've figured out the extent of the scratch and whether or not you're comfortable fixing it, it's time to get to work. 

Toyota of N Charlotte tips for paint repair

Step 1: Clean things up. You should use the soapy water to clean the area you're going to be working on. This will get rid of any dirt or sand on the paint, which can lead to MORE scratches as you sand and polish. Dry the area with a microfiber cloth and then tape it off so you know exactly where you're working. 

Step 2: Sand. You'll need 3000 fine grit sandpaper for this part of the job, and here's a tip - wrap a dish sponge in the sandpaper before you get to work. This will prevent finger pressure marks when you sand. Get to work sanding the area around the scratch until the area looks hazy and the scratch disappears. Once that happens, it's time to move to the next step. 

Step 3: Polish and wax. Now you'll need 5000 fine grit sandpaper to add feathering around the sanded area (this helps it blend). Once that's done, put some polish on a microfiber cloth and shine the area where the car paint is hazy. Finally, use a clay bar wax to restore shine and get things looking like normal again. 

Have questions or have car paint damage that's not-so-minor? Call us! Toyota of N Charlotte is open seven days a week at (704) 659-2025 and we can get you on the books for Charlotte auto repairs in no time.