Car Body Repair: How To Fix Minor Damages At Home

It is a hassle to take your car to the workshop every time it gets a scratch or dent. Many people would love to do their auto body repair at home, as it is a cost-effective solution for minor damages. Well, it just takes a few well-thought-out tricks and techniques to do your car body repair by yourself.

However, before trying to do the car body repair in your driveway, you should know that the first attempt will not deliver perfection. Nevertheless, a satisfactory result will be on the way if you are patient and determined.

Car Bodywork Repairs at Home

Before jumping into the auto body repair DIY wagon, you should know the type of damage: There are some problems you should not fix yourself, and some are possible to fix at home. You can repair all types of minor damages such as scratches, paint breaks, bumper scrapes, door dings, and more. It’s a great relief because minor body damage occurs all the time and now you can fix them all by yourself!

However, remember that fixing damages caused by serious accidents or major collisions with other vehicles requires professional skill. In those cases, you should find a good body shop to repair your vehicle.

Paint scratches

Repairing a paint scratch is easy but not as easy as just filling in the damaged spot with a coat of paint. Slight scratches on a car can appear accidentally when turning the car, moving on a congested road, or having a mild collision with another object. At this time, the exterior paint is scratched without affecting other parts of the car. The way to treat paint scratches, in this case, is also quite simple, the driver can do it himself by taking advantage of available things such as toothpaste, nail polish, car paint polish, or tool kits. Scratch treatment is available at auto parts stores.

Or fill in the scratch with either multiple coats of touch-up paint or some scratch filler if the damage is deep enough to expose the primer.

Sand the area with extreme care and patience, and then, wax the area until it looks smooth and shiny.

Dents

Suction cup dent pullers work if the dent is minor and pops out from behind. However, most dent marks require a filler and paint job. Car dents are easy to encounter due to many reasons such as collision or dropping objects. For small, shallow dents, 1-3cm deep with a dented surface that is not too large, car owners can fix it at home with simple solutions but need to be careful. You have to repair the affected area with body filler and then give it a coat of paint to have a brand-new look! In addition, you can fix dents with hot glue, wood, and screws or using hot water (This method sounds quite strange but is an effective way to fix car dents in the following positions: front bumper, rear bumper, underbody, especially parts made from plastic. )

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Gouges and scrapes

The plastic bumpers in modern vehicles catch gouge and scrape marks easily. The damages are minor, but they can look very ugly. However, you can do your car body repair at home with the help of fillers and paints through car care tips.

Broken tail lights

Over time, car taillights can become yellow, dusty, and opaque, reducing visibility when driving at night. Therefore, replacing the tail lights not only improves brightness and fixes damage but also saves costs and prevents traffic regulation violations. Fixing broken taillights sounds a bit more complicated than just dabbing filler and paint. However, you can still do it yourself with the help of a few tools. Removing the bolts that are attached to the lens is the first step. Now, carefully remove the clips and rubber sockets that are still holding the lens. Pull the broken or faulty bulb, replace it with a new one, and reassemble everything. You are done! 

Please note that: Depending on the severity, drivers will repair it themselves to save costs, but if you don’t have basic knowledge, you shouldn’t do it. With serious damage, car owners should not arbitrarily fix the problem but should take the car to a reputable maintenance center for timely repair.

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