Professional Car Painting and Patching Process in HCM

Car painting and patching process includes a series of preparation and implementation steps, requiring meticulousness, precision and experience from painting experts. The process begins with determining the location and extent of damage to the car's paint, including scratches, broken paint, or areas of peeling paint. Next, technicians will prepare the paint surface by cleaning, sanding and completely removing the old paint layer in the damaged area.

Ms. Catherine Long (Professor of Materials Department - University of Michigan): "My team's research in 2021 shows that the average lifespan of a well-maintained car paint layer can be up to 10-15 years, helping prolongs the life and maintains the value of the vehicle.”

A thorough car painting and repair process will help restore the beauty of your "beloved car", while also extending the life and value of the car. Below are the important steps in the car painting process that leading experts recommend:

Vehicle reception and general inspection

When the customer brings the car to the garage, the first step is to receive and check the general condition of the car. Technicians will:

• Record customer requests and wishes
• Carefully check the painted surface, mark the areas that need to be treated
• Take photos of the vehicle's current condition before repair
• Prepare receipt forms and quote painting and repair prices for customers

According to statistics, up to 90% of customers are satisfied with the service when given detailed advice and quotes from the beginning.

Prepare the surface before painting

In order for the new paint layer to adhere well and beautifully, the surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned and treated. Surface preparation steps include:

• Wash the car, clean dirt and grease from the surface
• Sand with sandpaper to create adhesion
• Use solvents to clean and de-oil
• Fill in concave and uneven areas
• Dry the surface with infrared light or heat

This is a very important step that determines up to 50% of the quality of the finished paint layer.

Anti-rust primer and increased shine

Primer is an intermediate layer of paint between the metal surface and the finished paint layer. Primer helps:

• Prevents corrosion and rust for steel surfaces
• Increases adhesion and coverage of the coating
• As a background so that the paint layer has a more standard color
• Creates a smooth, beautiful shiny surface for the product

Primer is usually sprayed in 2-3 layers, each layer 5-10 minutes apart and dried at a temperature of 60-80 degrees Celsius.

Make Matit bait

Matit filler to fill in missing areas and create appropriate contours for the surface. The mattit covers the following stages:

• Mixing putty: Before use, we need to mix putty with hardener. You need to mix the exact ratio as specified by the supplier.
• Putty: Make putty usually from 3 to 4 layers. The first layer needs to be applied in a thin layer and pressed firmly to create adhesion. Then add more bait to fill in the damaged area. Note: do not apply on unsanded areas.
• Check the filling of the putty: use a ruler or your hand to carefully check the filling level of the putty. You need to check in a well-lit place, you can use a lamp or sunlight.
• Matit drying: use an infrared light to dry for 15 - 20 minutes at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
• Apply coating ink: use a sponge with coating ink to rub evenly on the surface of the mat residue.
• Sanding the mat (scrubbing bar): sand P80-P240 on the surface of the mat, the next sanding gradually expands, rubbing in many different directions. Note: it is necessary to avoid leaving scratches.
• Re-check the surface: mark defective areas for treatment, repaint with anti-rust paint if the steel is exposed.
• Mat sanding (orbital machine): needs to rub in many different directions, the machine surface is always perpendicular to the part.
• Clean the surface of the details: use an air gun to blow clean the surface of the details, spray gasoline, and use a clean rag to wipe the surface of the details evenly.

Paint color as required

Choosing and mixing paint color is the most important step that determines the aesthetics of the paint layer. Painting professionals need:

• Accurately identify the vehicle's color code
• Mix colors according to standard formula and ratio
• Check and compare paint color with sample before construction
• Adjust the paint spray gun to appropriate pressure, flow, and spread
• Spray paint evenly, overlapping layers 2-3 times with a distance of 20-30cm

A beautiful paint layer needs to be glossy, smooth, and free of paint leaks, protrusions, or air bubbles.

Gloss coating protects the paint layer

A clear coat is a transparent layer of paint applied over a colored paint layer to:

• Protects the paint layer from fading and discoloration
• Anti-scratch, waterproof
• Increases the gloss and sharpness of paint colors
• Helps the paint layer last longer and stay beautiful longer

Clear coat is usually sprayed in 2 layers, about 40-50 micrometers thick and dried at a temperature of 60-80 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

Completing and quality checking

After painting is completed, the car's surface will be:

• Polish by machine for high gloss and even color
• Cover with wax or nano protective layer
• Clean and sanitize the inside and outside of the vehicle
• Check the quality again under strong light
• Hand over the vehicle and advise customers on maintenance

Note: All questions from people and customers about the steps of the car painting and patching process at Thanh Phong Auto, or wanting to learn about other repair services for cars and vehicles If you have any questions, click here to get in touch.

Questions related to the topic of car paint and patching

1. What are the popular types of car paint today?

Currently there are 3 main types of car paint:

• Solid paint (monochrome paint): gives a hard, glossy paint layer, high coverage, suitable for repainting the entire car.
• Metallic paint (metallic paint): contains aluminum particles to create sparkle, is popular but more difficult to paint.
• Pearl paint (mirror paint): gives a color-changing effect under light, luxurious but most expensive and difficult to paint.

2. What type of paint spray gun should I use to achieve the best results?

The most effective paint spray gun is the HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) high pressure gun. HVLP guns have the following advantages:

• Spray paint smoothly and evenly with low pressure of 0.7 bar
• Prevents paint from dusting, running, and smudging
• Saves paint due to high conversion efficiency (65%)
• Environmentally friendly due to low paint vapor dispersion

3. What is the ideal temperature and drying time for each layer of paint?

Optimal temperature and drying time for paint layers:

• Primer: drying at 60-70 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes
• Color paint: drying at 60-65 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes
• Glossy paint: dry at 60 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes. Note that you need to check the temperature regularly to avoid overheating, which can cause blisters and swelling of the paint.

4. How long does it take for the car paint layer to completely dry and be able to use in the rain or wash the car?

Normally after painting is completed, the paint layer will:

• Surface dries after 1-2 days, can be lightly touched
• Completely dry after 7-10 days, hardness reaches 90%

The paint layer cures and adheres to maximum after 1 month. Therefore, after painting, you should leave the car indoors, avoid rain and sun, and do not wash the car in the first month.

5. What are the signs that car paint has degraded and needs repainting?

Signs that old car paint is damaged:

• The paint is blurred, faded, and yellow stains appear
• Rust and peeling appear in some spots
• There are many scratches and deep scratches on the paint surface
• The gloss layer is lost, the surface is rough and unsightly
• The paint is chalky and can be wiped off by hand. When the above signs appear, you should take the car to the garage for inspection and repaint if necessary.

6. Is it necessary to apply epoxy primer to car parts?

Epoxy primer is a 2-component paint with very good adhesion and corrosion resistance. Epoxy primer helps:

• Increases adhesion between color paint layer and metal surface
• Prevents corrosion and rust for car parts
• Waterproof, chemical resistant
• Increases gloss and highlights the paint color. Therefore, epoxy primer is recommended for important details such as hoods, doors, hoods, etc.

7. How long does new car paint last if well maintained?

According to manufacturers, new car paint can last:

• 3-5 years if regularly exposed to direct sunlight and rain
• 5-7 years if kept indoors, with regular maintenance
• 7-10 years or more with ceramic paint, nano protective paint and careful care. However, the actual durability of the paint layer also depends on vehicle usage and storage conditions.

8. Common mistakes when painting cars and how to completely fix them?

Common car paint errors include:

• Error of paint bleeding: due to paint being too thin, spraying too wet => let dry and rub again
• Error of cracked or cracked paint: due to poor surface, paint dries too quickly => rub the paint and repaint with a new layer
• Error of blistering paint: due to dirt, moisture, drying too hot => scrub clean and repaint
• Error of paint losing gloss: due to poor quality paint, wrong mixing ratio => sanding and polishing again
• Error of uneven paint color: due to wrong color mixing, uneven painting => mix the color and repaint evenly

9. Should I use cheap car paint kits to save repair costs?

Do not use cheap, poor quality paint to paint cars because:

• Cheap paint is often counterfeit, of unknown origin, and contains a lot of lead and toxic substances
• Poor adhesion and waterproofing, easy to peel off after a short time of use
• The gloss and color are poor, not as sharp and even as genuine paint
• Short lifespan, only about 1-2 years before it is seriously degraded
• Save a little initially but it will cost a lot to repaint later

Therefore, you should choose genuine, reputable paint that is suitable for your economic conditions. Watch now Price list of car parts painting service in HCM Most professional and reputable.

10. After painting, how should you maintain and care for the new paint layer?

To keep the new paint layer always shiny and durable, you need:

• Do not wash your car within the first month to avoid scratching the new paint layer
• Avoid leaving your car directly under hot sun, acid rain, bird droppings...
• Wash your car every 2 weeks with clean water and specialized car wash soap
• Regularly polish and wax to protect the paint surface, making it shiny and brighter
• Check and promptly handle small scratches and peeling paint
• Maintain and polish the paint layer every 6 months at a reputable garage

11. Address for reputable, cheap car painting?

Thanh Phong Auto Proud to be one of the leading reputable garages specializing in providing high quality car painting services in Vietnam. With a team of skilled painters, modern equipment and paint from famous brands, we are committed to providing customers with the most beautiful, durable and weather-resistant paint.

The car painting process at Thanh Phong Auto includes the following steps:

• Wash and clean car surfaces
• Sanding, treating scratches and protrusions
• Anti-rust primer
• Paint according to customer requirements with modern paint spraying technology
• Apply a protective layer of varnish
• Completing and quality checking

In addition, we also provide painting, car repair and accident restoration services, ensuring to restore the beauty of your "beloved car". With Formula "Customer satisfaction is the top priority“, Thanh Phong Auto always strives to provide the best car painting service, meeting all customer needs.