If you’re someone who likes to modify your car yourself and is a more self-sufficient mechanic but you don’t know where to begin, the best place in terms of upgrading your car is to focus on the body. DIY car repair is a very common pastime for many, but when it comes to fixing up your own vehicle, you’ve got to be very careful. Pick the wrong cleaning materials or paint and you may have damaged your car forever. What are the best tools and tricks to ensure that you can make your body perfect?
GET A FINISHING GLAZE
While you may very get the wax treatment when you go through an automated car wash, if you are looking to increase the shine of that vehicle, finishing glaze can help in a couple of different ways. If you have minimal scratches in your paint, you could use finishing glaze to fix the problem. Finishing glaze can also help when you are painting a damaged surface. Putting finishing glaze on before you apply the final coats of paint can bring out the shine.
USE A HIGH-QUALITY FILLER
We will all get dents and scratches at some point, but the most important thing when it comes to filling in these scratches yourself is to get a mixing board and good quality body filler. When it comes to applying filler properly the key is down to proper preparation. Many people choose to purchase a cheap body filler, but you may not find the repairs last too long!
GET A SANDING TOOL
When you are repairing dents and scratches, a sanding block or sanding tool is far better than using your hands. If you use your hands to sand a car you may result in a few little errors. Purchasing a sanding tool means that you will go with the groove of the vehicle and not make any extra indentations or compromise the grooves on the surface.
PURCHASE A PAINT SPRAYER AND COMPRESSOR
When you are undertaking bodywork, you need a good quality paint sprayer that has a light touch. When it comes to respraying a car, it’s not something that can take a couple of goes. You need to apply a few coats over a matter of days. This is why it’s important to get a good quality piece of kit that doesn’t “cake” on the paint, which could result in a very dull look.
DONT’ FORGET THE LIGHTING!
When you are working on any repair you need proper lighting. If you’re working in your garage, ensure that it is brightly lit, so each crack is properly illuminated before you begin. This is one of the most important things to remember before you get to work. You need to ensure that every groove of the vehicle is crystal clear.
Many people look at fixing their car bodies themselves but don’t have the right tools. If you are intent on doing serious bodywork you need to purchase a high-quality set of tools. Good luck!
Photo Credit: Lexus
