Minor body damage — repair (Transit 2)

Removal minor scratches

If the scratch is very superficial and does not penetrate to the metal, then the repair is very simple. Lightly rub the scratch area with paint restorer such as Turtle Wax Color Back or a very fine rubbing compound such as Holts Body + Plus Rubbing Compound to lift excess paint from the scratch and clean the body of the wax polish. Rinse the area with clean water.

Touch up the scratch with car paint using a thin paintbrush; continue applying layers of paint until the surface of the paint inside the scratch is level with the surface of the surrounding paint. Allow the new paint to cure for at least two weeks, then sand the transition surface with Turtle Wax Color Back paint restorer or Hotts Body + Plus Rubbing Compound, a very fine sanding compound. Finally, seal the newly painted surface with a wax of your choice from the Turtle Wax range.

If the scratch has penetrated the paint, exposing the metal body and causing corrosion, then a different repair technique is required. Using a pocket knife, scrape away any rust powder from the scratch, then coat the rusted surface with a rust inhibitor paint like Turtle Wax Rust Master to prevent future corrosion. Using a rubber or nylon applicator, fill the scratch with a high-gloss putty, such as Holts Body + Plus Knifing Putty. If needed, this putty can be mixed with a cellulose solvent like Holts Body + Plus Cellulose Thinners to create a very thin paste, ideal for filling narrow scratches. Before the glossy filler hardens inside the scratch, wrap your fingertip in a smooth cotton rag and, after wetting it with solvent, quickly run your finger along the surface of the scratch. In this case, the putty surface will be slightly concave. The filled surface can now be painted as described earlier in this section.

Car body dent removal

When repairing dents, the first task is to stretch the damaged surface until it is shaped as close to the original as possible. You should not try to restore the original shape completely, since upon impact the body metal is subject to stretching, which makes its complete restoration impossible. The optimal amount of dent removal is to pull the dent out to a level approximately 3 mm below the level of the surrounding undamaged metal. If the dent is not very deep, then there is no point in trying to pull it out. If there is access to the concave surface from the back, the dent can be gently knocked out from the inside with a mallet with a wooden or plastic head. When tapping out a dent, press a wooden block firmly against its front surface to dampen the force of the hammer blow and avoid causing an even larger portion of the body surface to be bent outward.

If the dent has formed on a two-layer body panel or a surface that is otherwise inaccessible from the reverse side, then a different technique should be used. Drill several small holes into the metal, making sure the holes are in the deepest areas of the dent. Then screw several long screws into the holes so that their protruding part provides a good grip. Now, by grasping the heads of the screws with pliers, you can pull the dent out.

The next stage of repair is removing paint from the damaged surface and approximately 2-3 cm around it. This work is best done with a wire bit or sandpaper disc attached to the chuck of an electric drill, but can be done just as effectively by hand with sandpaper. The final step in preparing for sanding is to scratch the exposed metal surface with a screwdriver or file, or to drill small holes in it. This will ensure maximum adhesion of the putty material to the metal surface. To complete the repair, perform puttying and painting, which are described below.

Elimination of corrosion and deep damage to the body

Using a sanding disc or wire brush inserted into the chuck of an electric drill, remove all traces of paint from the damaged area and a 2-3 cm area around it. If it is not possible to use an electric drill, the work can be done just as effectively by hand using sandpaper. Once the paint has been removed, you will be able to assess the severity of the corrosion and decide for yourself whether to repair the damaged area or whether it is easier to replace the entire panel (if possible). New body panels are not as expensive as most people think and are often much quicker to fix (and, most importantly, more efficiently) install a new panel rather than repair extensive damage to the body.

Remove all trim from the damaged area except for those that can serve as guides to help re-shape damaged body parts such as headlight housings and the like. Using metal snips or a hacksaw blade, remove any loose pieces of metal or heavily rusted metal. Bend the edges of the hole inward with a hammer to create recesses for the filler material.

Wire brush the damaged area to remove powdery rust from the surface of the remaining metal. Paint the damaged area with a rust inhibitor paint such as Turtle Wax Rust Mastoi; if the back of the rusted area is accessible, do the same with it.

Before you start filling, you need to cover the hole in some way, for example with aluminum tape or an aluminum or plastic mesh.

Aluminum or plastic mesh, or fiberglass covering is the best material for sealing a large hole. Cut a piece close in size and shape to the hole that will be filled. then place it in the hole so that its edges are below the level of the surrounding metal. It can be fixed with a few drops of primer around the edges.

Aluminum tape should be used in case of small or very narrow hole. Cut a slightly longer piece from the roll, then trim it to the required size and shape, remove the paper backing (if any) and stick the tape over the hole. The tapes can be overlapped if the width of one tape is not enough. Run the back of a screwdriver handle along the edge of the tape to ensure the tape is firmly pressed against the metal.

Puttying and painting

Before using this section, please read the sections on repairing dents, scratches, rust holes, and body damage.

There are many different types of body fillers available, but proprietary systems such as Holts Body +Plus, which include a can of body filler paste and a tube of hardener, are the best filler for this type of repair. For sealing small holes, Holts No Mix can be used, which requires no mixing and is applied directly from the tube. To create a smooth and well-defined outline, the filler should be applied with a wide, flexible plastic or nylon spatula.

Mix a small amount of spackling compound with hardener on a clean piece of cardboard or plastic, adding the hardener slowly, following the manufacturer's instructions exactly, otherwise the spackling compound will harden too quickly or too slowly. You can also use Holts No Mix filler, which requires no mixing and is applied directly from the tube, but remember that it requires daylight to harden. Using a spatula, apply the filler to the pre-treated area; run a spatula along the surface of the putty to achieve the correct contour and level the surface. As soon as the outline is close to the correct one, stop working - if you smooth the putty for too long, the paste will become too sticky and will start to stick to the spatula. Add thin layers of filler every 20 minutes until the filler level is slightly raised above the surrounding metal.

After the putty has hardened, excess can be removed with a file. The surface is then sanded progressively, starting with standard #40 sandpaper and finishing with #400 water-resistant sandpaper. When sanding the surface, wrap it around a rubber or wooden block; otherwise, it will be impossible to achieve a smooth surface. During the processing, the sandpaper should be periodically moistened with water. The use of this technology ensures that an absolutely smooth surface is achieved at the final stage.

When finished, the "dent" should be surrounded by a ring of bare metal, which in turn should be surrounded by good paint. Rinse the repair area with clean water to remove any sandpaper dust.

Spray the filler area with a light coat of grey or red Holts Body + Plus Oxide Primer - this will reveal any imperfections on the filler surface. Repair any imperfections with fresh filler paste or glossy filler. And again smooth the surface with sandpaper.When using a high-gloss type of putty, you can mix it with a cellulose solvent, thus forming a fine paste that is ideal for filling small holes. Repeat the spray and repair procedure until you are satisfied with the surface quality. Rinse the repair area with clean water and allow it to dry completely.

Now the treated surface is ready for painting. Aerosol painting of a car should be carried out in a warm, dry, windless and dust-free atmosphere. This atmosphere can be created artificially if you have the opportunity to work in a large, enclosed space, but if you are forced to work outdoors, choose a day for work with special care. When working indoors, it is necessary to flood the floor with water - water helps settle dust that will float in the air. If only a single body panel requires repair, cover the surrounding panels to minimize the effect of minor differences in paint tone. Body trim elements (such as chrome strips, door handles, etc.) must also be covered or removed. You can cover the panels with tape and several layers of old newspapers.

Before using aerosols, shake the can thoroughly and then apply the paint to a test surface such as an old tin can, practicing the painting technique. Cover the surface to be restored with a thick layer of primer, the thickness should be achieved by applying several thin layers of primer rather than one thick layer. Using 400 grit water-resistant sandpaper, sand the primer surfaces until they are completely smooth. While doing this, thoroughly wet the sandpaper with water. Allow the primer to dry completely before proceeding with further painting.

Spray the top coat of paint using Holts Dupli-Color Autospray, again achieving the desired thickness by applying several thin coats of paint. Begin painting from the center of the surface being repaired, moving in an expanding spiral until the entire damaged surface and a 5 cm wide area of surrounding paint are covered. After 10-15 minutes of applying the final coat of paint, remove the newspapers covering the surrounding panels.

Allow the new paint to cure for at least two weeks, then use a paint restorer like Turtle Wax Color Back or Holts Body + Plus Rubbing compound to smooth the transition from the freshly painted surface to the old paint. Finally, apply a layer of wax.

Plastic parts

The increasing use of plastic parts in the manufacture of car bodies (such as bumpers, spoilers, and in some cases main body panels), requires that work on their repair or restoration be entrusted to a specialist in this field or their replacement with new ones. Repairing serious damage to plastic parts is impossible for an amateur owner due to the high cost of the necessary equipment and materials. The basic technique involves creating a groove along the crack line in the plastic using a rotating sharpening stone in a drill. The crack is then welded with hot air, which heats and fuses a plastic filler rod into the groove. The excess plastic is then removed and sanded to the required smoothness. It is important to maintain consistency between the types of plastic used in the filler rod and the component being repaired, as body components can be made from a variety of different types of plastic: polycarbonate, polypropylene, and many others.

Damage of a less serious nature, such as scratches, minor cracks or dents, can be repaired directly by the owner using a two-part epoxy filler such as Holts Body+Plus, or Holts No Mix, which can be used directly from the tube. Once mixed in equal parts, Holts Body+Pius or the no-mix Holts No Mix can also be used on metal panels. The filler usually takes between twenty and thirty minutes to be ready for use.

An owner who replaces a plastic body component without refinishing it, or who refinishes it with epoxy filler, will face the challenge of finding a suitable finish paint that is compatible with the type of plastic used. Some time ago, the use of universal paint was not possible due to the wide range of plastics used. Standard paints do not provide satisfactory adhesion to plastic or rubber, but Holts Professional Spraymatch paints, suitable for finishing any plastic or rubber, can overcome this problem. However, recently it has become possible to purchase a finishing kit for plastic components, which consists of a pre-primer treatment, a primer, and a top coat of special paint. The kit usually comes with comprehensive instructions, but the following method is generally used. Apply a coat of pre-primer to the component in question and let it dry for at least 30 minutes. Then apply the primer and let it dry for at least an hour before applying the top coat of the special paint. The result should be a uniformly colored component, and the paint should bend with the plastic or rubber, which is generally not possible with standard paint.