Having auto touch up paint on hand is usually a good idea, so that you can ensure your car’s outward appearance is never damaged by scratches, or chips in your paint job. This way you’ll always be prepared for the worst, and you’ll be able to ensure your car looks as pristine as the first day it rolled off the factory floor. But there are more supplies you’ll need besides just auto touch up paint, as doing the job properly requires a lot of preparation as well. Otherwise you’ll end up with a touched up portion of your car that doesn’t flow with the rest of the paint job, ruining the whole point of fixing the damage in the first place.
The first thing you’ll want to do, before applying any auto touch up paint, is going to be giving your car a very good wash. That means either scrubbing every inch yourself, or taking your car to a carwash. But make sure not to apply a wax coating, or anything else of the sort. In fact, if you’ve ever applied wax to your vehicle’s coat before, there’s another step you’ll need to take beyond just washing. Every car also needs to have grease or wax remover applied, to ensure that the surface becomes perfectly clean. This is necessary for your auto touch up paint to properly take hold, so don’t ignore this step.
Something else to consider is the quality of the surface after it’s been washed and a wax remover has been applied. Any little bumps, or grit that’s grafted onto the surface will need to be removed in order for you to get the best results. That means you’ll want to sand the area down if necessary, by using a soft metal sander. Only then will it be prepared for the primer coat that will be necessary to ensure the paint holds properly. You’ll want to be sure that the primer is fully intended for this type of use before applying however, otherwise you could have unwelcome results.
From there you’re ready to apply the auto touch up paint itself, but before you can do that you’ll need to buy some. You can buy paint by itself, or there are also touch up kits that come with brushes and other accessories that you may need. The main thing will be trying to match up the color with your car model, so that you can ensure the paint will flow as seamlessly as possible. You can find plenty of options for auto touch up paint by going to a local department store, or really any store that features an automotive section. On average a bottle will cost you around $10, with kits costing $5 to $10 more.
Remember to read the instructions to discern the proper amount of coats that you will need to apply, to ensure the best results. On average, auto touch up paint needs to be applied two to three times in order to replicate the original paint job as close as possible. Otherwise you could end up with a slightly discolored spot that still sticks out awkwardly.