Airbrushing Scratches on Car

Lfrugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 11:46

My car has accumulated quite a few scratches over the years and at this point it's quite an eyesore- after some research and quoted pricing from repairers I've decided to give the repair a go on my own, using an airbrush.

I'm seeking some advice on the appropriate equipment. Since I'm looking for lower cost, I'm wondering if something like this product with such a small compressor will actually work.

https://m.catch.com.au/product/yescom-mini-compressor-kit-du…

I know that in order to get professional results I'd need to spend a bit of money, but at this point I'm just looking to cover the damage however I can.

Any advice or guidance is appreciated!

Automotive Car Care

Comments

  • yoonibear on 05/11/2018 - 11:59

    Are the scratches deep and have you tried polish and/or cut and polish?

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 12:05

      They're too deep to buff out. The scratches have penetrated the paint and beneath that I see a black surface (the car is blue)

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 12:05

      and no, I haven't tried polish/cut and polish!

  • Ace Ventura on 05/11/2018 - 12:03
    +3

    I'm not a spray painter, but my understanding…

    I assume the scratches are too deep to buff out?

    If so,
    The problem you may find is that you are laying paint over the clear.
    To avoid this you would need to sand back a section of the panel.
    This then means you are painting a larger area not suitable for an airbrush.

    You will also find that matching colors is incredibly hard. Even if using the same paint codes.
    The old paint will have faded, the new won't. To counter this, a painter would feather in the edges. That process is possible with an airbrush, but it a skill acquired with experience.

    Lastly the basic equipment is not suitable, you will need moisture traps, paint filters, a compressor that maintains a constant output, not up and down. A compressor with a tank.

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 12:06

      Thank you- this is the kind of information I've been seeking. Looks like it may be best to save up for a professional job.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2018 - 15:29
        +1

        Pretty much everything this guy said is wrong so please don't take his advice. If you're using a touch up gun there is barely any water that's going to get through, and it doesn't matter about the compressor because you can regulate the touch up guns fan speed and it will have no trouble keeping up.

        Also you can absolutely paint over clear. The only thing correct is having to feather out the edges if you don't it won't blend in and will look terrible.

        Anywho since it sounds like it's your first time doing it what might be best is to get some P800 sandpaper and wet sand the area and try to smooth out the edges (i assume the scratches aren't to crazy otherwise use P400/P320.) Once that's done clean up the area, spray on some paint it'll look terrible and wont match, then spray on the clear and hopefully it'll shine and match then! Give her a quick buff the next day (nothing to crazy cause you're not putting on that much paint, mainly buffing out the overspray and it should look pretty okay hopefully.

        • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 19:27

          great info- thank you very much for this. I'll give it a go after an attempted cut and polish

  • altomic on 05/11/2018 - 12:45
    +2

    what year and make of car is it?

    • HighAndDry on 05/11/2018 - 13:02
      +2

      Seconded that this is important - professional paint jobs for cars can be so expensive that for an older car it's often not financially worth it. Depends on how much OP wants their car looking good though.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 05/11/2018 - 13:10
      +1

      Obviously not a Ford, otherwise there be rust underneath. ;-) (Sorry I have owned 3 Fords, and 1 in particular developed bad rust).

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 19:25

      it's a 2007 Subaru Impreza!

  • redvaldez on 05/11/2018 - 13:14
    +1

    You'd be crazy not to try a cut and polish first. You are right, if it's scratched all the way to the panel then you won't get rid of it 100%. But a scratch that's partially removed or made less noticeable by a cut and polish is probably going to be less noticeable than a DIY paintjob.

    Case in point: I had what appeared to be very deep bush pinstriping on my new 4WD. Went over it with Meguiars ScratchX and the scratches went from very noticeable (a friend said it looked as if someone had keyed my car) to barely noticeable. Not bad for 15 minutes of labour and a $20 tube of polish.

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 05/11/2018 - 19:26

      I'll give it a go! Hm that's surprising, great to hear that you got it out when it was initially thought to be too deep.

  • ihavok on 05/11/2018 - 13:37
    +1

    Depends on how picky you are about the end result.

    You could try something like Dr Colorchip which is easier to apply than a normal touch up paint product. There's a bit of skill and patience to get it right with touch up paint but it's no replacement for a full respray.

    With touch up paint products you might get it to the point that you can't tell it's three until you're X feet away from the car (X distance depending on the touch up paint match vs your car paint, your skill, etc).

    You could also consider a company that specialises in doing touch up work like Touch Up Guys (franchise) or etc. They are cheaper than going to a panel repair company.

    I've tried all three, and you do get what you pay for.

  • altomic on 05/11/2018 - 22:29
    +1

    why not get a closed door respray?

    • frugalmelbmillenial on 06/11/2018 - 09:51

      whats the average cost for that?

      • [Deactivated] on 14/11/2018 - 20:28

        Too much don't bother, and it will be a shit job

  • 203132 on 07/11/2018 - 17:24

    Show us some photos and we can tell you what your options are. Photos in sun light and close ups.

    Are you able to feel the scratches with your nail?

  • [Deactivated] on 14/11/2018 - 20:29
    +1

    Just get some touch up paint and use that. You should have a sticker with paint code on one of the front door jams

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