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The process of car detailing is designed to enhance and sometimes restore a vehicle’s prime appearance. One of the biggest challenges in car restoration is dealing with paint chips and major scratches. These imperfections are often referred to as the "evils" in the world of auto care. While a detailing session can take longer and may involve various techniques to address these issues, it’s essential to note that Can Car Detailing Fix Paint Chips depends on the extent and severity of the damage. Detailing can significantly improve a car’s aesthetic, but deeper paint issues may require additional treatment.

What Are Paint Chips?

When condiments like rocks, debris, gravel, etc. hit the car and flake the paint right off, it leaves small spots or gaps in the paint. This is called paint chips. It flakes off the paint job of the car, leaving it with an unaesthetic look. But, it’s not just about visuals. When these chips are left untreated, they can expose the inner metal of the car, which could potentially lead to rusting. Even the smallest paint chip can lead to major problems in your car.

Can car detailers fix paint chips?

The short answer is ‘not really’. Car detailing can help improve the overall appearance of the car, and visually might even be able to conceal minor paint damage. But, it doesn’t fix paint chips in the complete sense.

Detailing can help in:

Buffing / Polishing- Car detailers in Portland can reduce the visibility of small paint chips or scratched surfaces. This can be achieved through processes like polishing or buffing. This process can only be effective if the damage hasn’t penetrated through the clear coat layer of the car.

Can car detailers touch up paint?

This is a quick fix. Not a permanent solution. For larger paint chips, car detailers can apply touch-up paints to cover the spots and conceal the damaged area.

The process is quite simple-

Matching the color of the car’s original paint job.
Using fine applicators to apply paint in the damaged areas.
A layer of clear coat is applied to provide a glossy and protected finish.
Slight polishing to blend the newly applied paint with its surroundings.

This is not a substitute for a professional paint repair job. Although it can be useful right before selling your old car to make it look more presentable.

Do car detailers fix paint scratches?

At Car Detox, our professional team can fix many types of paint scratches.

There are three types of car scratches-

Clear coat scratches that affect only the topmost layer of the paint.
Base coat scratches that are able to penetrate the clear coat and reach the base of the color.
Primer or metal scratches that can expose the metal beneath all the layers.

Clear Coat Scratches

For light surface scratches, car detailers can completely fix them using buffing or polishing. If they are affecting the clear coat layer only, these scratches are easily dealt with.

After multiple stages of polishing and adding a wax sealant, clear coat scratches can often be buffed out completely, making them invisible to the naked eye.

Deeper Scratches

The scratches that extend to the bare metal of the car are where the major issues like rust happen. These can be fatal for a car in the long run. Detailing can minimize their appearance, but may not fully repair the damage.

For such car wounds, the best option is to go for a combination of paint correction and touch-up paint. At Car Detox, we take care of these major injuries to your car and leave it sparkly and as good as new.

Professional Paint Chips- How to Repair Them?

For serious and deep paint chips, it’s always good to seek the help of a professional, like Car Detox. With our specialized tools, products, and expert team, we can turn back every car wound.

In some cases, paint chip repair kits are used. These have the necessary elements to fill in chips, sand the area, and blend the new paint with the existing finish.

We can also employ paint blending. If the damage is extensive, this technique is used to seamlessly match the repaired area with the surrounding paint.

Limitations of Car Detailing for Paint Damage

We need to understand that car detailing is primarily a cosmetic service that focuses solely on cleaning and preserving the car’s existing paint. The limitations of car detailing are:

Detaling services will not be able to restore the damage that has penetrated through the layers of protection and exposed the metal underneath.
If the rust has seeped in, additional measures must be taken to stop it from spreading
Even with touch-up paint, achieving an exact color match is challenging.