How To Patch Holes In Your Car

Many people are intimidated by auto body work because they don't think that tools and are familiar with working on metal. However, the basic ideas and techniques are the same as most woodworking. So, if you do have a small hole on your car surface, you can probably repaired quite easily with a few basic tools. This article explains the best way to fix holes in metal car surfaces.

What You Need

For this simple job you will need auto body filler, painters tape, auto body sandpaper, and touch up paint. You can get most of the supplies from a auto body or home improvement store. However, you might need to go directly to the dealership to get the touchup paint for your make and model of car.

Patching the Hole

Before you apply the patch to the hole, you just need to quickly and delicately sand down the area around it. This light sanding will just rough up the surface a little bit. This enables the body filler to stick better to it. If you don't do this, the surface will be so smooth that the body filler will struggle to bond with the metal. You don't need to sand so much that the actual paint comes off the car, you just want to remove the glossy finish.

Tape Off and Patch the Hole

It is a good idea to tape off the printer of the hole before patching. The best way to apply the patch depends on how big it is. If it is smaller than a penny,  you can probably just spread it on with your finger. If it is any bigger, you want to use a putty knife to spread it. Before you use the potty you will need to add the recommended amount of liquid hardener into the mixture. A small tube of liquid hardener should come with your can of body filler.

Once the body filler is dry, you will need to sand it down. This is your chance to shape it and make it blend in with the car contours. Finally, you can finish off the job by applying the touch-up paint. The touch up paint comes in small cans with a tiny brush built into the lid, so it is very easy to use.

Once you learn to properly patch holding your car body, you can avoid having to pay costly auto body repair fees.