At Volkswagen of Salem in Salem, OR, we do our best to teach customers how to care for their cars. Because there's too much to cover in one sitting, we share this info through these blog posts. Knowing how to apply touch-up paint helps you be an informed vehicle owner and can save you money. Three mistakes to avoid when applying touch-up paint are choosing a color that looks similar to your car's existing paint, painting dings and dents, and applying touch-up paint before cleaning the area.
When choosing the paint color, you should pick one with the color code for your vehicle. If you attempt to match the color using your eyes, you may end up with touch-up paint slightly different from the rest of your vehicle's finish. If the scratch on your car is actually a ding or a dent, then it's best to let a professional repair it. Deep scratches will also take more effort to fix, but you can still touch them up yourself. Thoroughly cleaning the area you plan on painting is important for a quality paint touch-up job. If rust has started growing inside the scratch, remove the rust too. Rust will continue spreading if you ignore it.
Follow the correct procedure for touching up your car's paint to ensure a quality result. You don't want to skip steps or else you may have to spend more time and money on fixing it.