General Process of Body Repairs & Painting
The Automobile Body Shop is where cars are sent for when they need body damage repairs and painting.
Have you ever wondered what it takes, after your car has been damaged, to make it look so good again? There’s a fair amount of skill and craftsmanship that is required to carry out bodywork repairs and painting on cars so that they end up looking as good as new.
In this article, I’ve highlighted the important steps involved in the process of dent removal and painting. But first, what is a dent? And what is a scratch?
A dent is a damage caused to the body panel where the shape of the panel has been changed or disfigured. Even the slightest irregularity in the shape of the panel warrants dent removal. If the panel is not shaped properly, the paint will reflect light oddly off the surface, thereby taking away the finish and aesthetics of the car’s body surface. In most cases where two vehicles make contact or a vehicle makes contact with an object (wall, pillar etc) the end result is a dented car body panel. Dents require more effort and great skill to be rectified as its trying to reproduce the same effect of a panel stamping process in the factory.
A scratch, on the other hand, is a much less severe damage to the car’s body but, like dent removal, it requires a fair amount of skill to cover up and paint over such that the newly painted surface blends in with the rest of the car. Scratches, in most cases, are accompanied by dents. Unless your a victim children scribbling on your beloved ride with stones and keys. When scratches are formed without much damage to the surface of the car’s body, dent removal is not required.
Here’s a step by step breakdown of the dent removal and painting process -
Step #1: Inspection — Once the car is in the workshop, the technician inspects the car thoroughly and confirms the scope of damage and repair work. In the case of excessive damages, the technician needs to inspect the panel carefully to confirm whether the panel can be repaired or not and what is the procedure necessary to repair said panel. He also confirms whether the inner panels require repairs. Inner panels aren’t visible without dismantling other panels so it’s crucial for the technician to carry out a thorough inspection
Step #2: Dent Removal — dents are removed by employing a variety of methods. The most commonly used tool to remove dents is a dent puller. The technician uses the dent puller by welding its tip to the body of the car and pulling on the dented portion of metal such that it retracts, as close as possible, to its original shape. Once the majority of the shape is restored, the technician employs other methods of tinkering such as tapping, grinding and hammering to restore the shape as much as possible to the original. Grinding is done to remove the welds caused as a result of using the dent puller.
Step #3: Body filler application — the technician applies metal body filler to the tinkered portions of the car. This process requires patience and precision. Its by this process that the technician restores maximum shape to the panel. He smoothens the surface multiple times to bring it as close to the original shape as possible. Afterwards, the technician allows the body filler to cure for a couple of hours. This is by far one of the most critical phases of dent removal since the finish of the paintwork is dependant on the surface finish of the body filler. If there is any irregularity or inconsistency in the surface preparation, it could result in blistering or pinholes occuring after painting.
Step #4: Surfacer application — the technician inspects the tinkered surface one last time to ensure that the body filler is cured and there aren’t any pinholes or irregularities in the surface finish. He then sprays surfacer which forms the base layer upon which the paint will be applied. The execution of this stage is crucial to the overall paint appearance once the panel has been completely painted. The surfacer requires additional time to cure after which the technician inspects it before the next step, i.e painting.
Step #5: Painting — Once he’s convinced with the inspection, the technician drives the car into the paint booth. To get the desired color shade of the car, the technician first looks up the paint code of the said car. Each shade of car has its own unique paint code. The deduction of this code tells the technician exactly in what proportions different colors and other compounds like thinner etc need to be mixed to obtain the desired shade. Once the paint is prepared, the technician pours it into the spray gun bottle, connects it to the spray gun and sprays paint on the respective body panels. Painting is an extremely skilled process, as you must be well aware of. Holding the spray gun at a safe distance from the panel, the technician moves his hands steadily across the surface of the panel, spraying paint. 2 layers of paint is applied to the surface. The car is then left in the paint booth and the heaters in the booth are turned on so that the paint can bake and cure properly. Once the paint is cured, the technician applies a final layer called the Clear Coat to the surface of the panel. This coat is what gives the panel a good glossy finish
Step #6: Dulling and Polishing — Once the car is out of the paint booth, it is parked in the polishing/detailing bay. Here, the technicians use wet sandpaper and gently rub on the surface of the panel until the paint is dulled. After the paint is “dulled” the technician uses a rotary polishing machine and polishes the “dulled” surface until the brightness of the painted panel matches the rest of the car. This ensures continuity in the finish and the customer will never know that his/her car was painted.
Its apparent from the steps explained above that painting is not only a complicated process but also one that requires a fair amount of skill. It is for this reason that body repairs and painting is a slightly expensive service albeit a necessary one that restores your car to its original beauty. Let’s face it, a dent free car is virtually non-existent.
I’m sure you’ll agree that the most crucial part of this process, for you, the end user, is how you get accurate estimates for the repairs. Normally you would have to take the car to a workshop to get an estimate. And if you are not happy with the price, you would have to get your car to the next one. That’s a real waste of time. So we came up with a solution, employing the latest technology to make this instantaneous for you! All you need to do is upload a picture of the damaged part of your car and get the best estimate instantly, powered by what we call ClearQuote technology.
