Here are the steps we take to fix your car in our Auto Body Shop.
1. The preparation
First of all, we provide the most right condition and place to paint your car. Avoid places that look like normal garages. Normal garages often do not offer the qualified space required. The heating air in most small garages can also ignite paint fumes, so be particularly careful here when you choose an Auto Body Shop. The place must be clean, well ventilated, and dry, and it must remain so until the paint on the car has completely dried.
In addition, state of the art equipments are required for best painting results. These include grinding and polishing equipment, a spray gun or spray bottle, and safety clothing, including a breathing mask and shoes. If we need only to touch up parts of the paint, we pay highest attention to the manufacturer’s original paint name to get exactly the right color.
2. Remove rust
First, we start by removing any rusty spots from your car. For this, we use sandpaper in different thicknesses. Start with 80 or 150 grit and finish with 240 grit. Once the rust has been removed, we apply a rust converter to protect against re-corrosion. Depending on the product, it requires a different drying time, which can take up to 2 days.
If there are already holes in the rust, we seal them with repair resin and a hardener. To do this, fiberglass repair mats are placed on both sides of the hole, and then the repair resin is spread on them. The process is repeated until the hole is filled. Once the resin has hardened, it can be sanded with coarse sandpaper to create a smooth surface.
3. Repair dents
Once the rust has been removed, any dents will be repaired. To do this, the affected area must first be sanded down. Afterwards, a filling compound can be used for repairs. These are available as sprays and are therefore particularly easy to apply. Depending on the depth of the dent, 3 to 5 coats are necessary. Each layer should dry sufficiently before a new one is sprayed.
Once all layers have hardened, we sand down until a smooth surface is created.
4. Remove the paneling
All chrome and plastic parts that can be removed without much effort should be removed. This saves time-consuming masking and allows to paint more easily later.
5. Sand off the old paint.
Now the old paint can be removed from the car. Either a high-quality hand sanding block or a sander can be used for this. The paint should be removed until the primer appears. If a fresh primer is to be applied in addition to the new paint, this must also be sanded down to the bare metal.
6. Cleaning the body
Finally, the entire body must be thoroughly cleaned with silicone remover* and freed of all oils, waxes, tree resins, and silicones. Even if the vehicle appears clean, many of these substances are not immediately visible.
We spray the silicone remover onto the paint and let it take effect briefly.
7. Tape off
Last but not least, any areas that cannot be removed must be taped off. This is a very laborious job, but it has to be done so as not to paint the wheels, rubber, windows, and other components. It must be able to be removed without leaving any residue after painting.
Color application
8. Primer
Once you have sanded the old paint down to the metal, you can now begin priming. First, we use a suitable anti-rust primer and treat all sanded areas with it. The primer must dry sufficiently to continue. The primer can then be sanded smooth and cleaned with a degreaser or wax. Fine sandpaper (600 grit) should be used for sanding so as not to sand down to the metal.
Depending on the primer, it must be applied in several layers.
9. Painting
After the primer has dried, the new paint can now be applied. There are various options for applying the varnish. Either a spray bottle or a paint gun can be used. The correct dilution is just as important as the setting of the spray gun.
While the paint is drying, we make sure to avoid dust, etc., that can settle on the car. Depending on the paint, complete drying can take up to 7 days.
After the paint has dried, we sand the finished car again with very fine paper (1200 or 1500) so that the surface is flat and even. For a perfect result, we clean the car of the sanding residue and then let it dry.
To create even more shine, we polish the paint.
