Q&A for How to Touch Up Car Paint

Yes, you can. Touch-up paint for cars is available in a wide variety of colors to match many car colors. The paint will either be in the form of a paint pen or comes in a small container or jar. It’s a good idea to find the right name given to your car’s paint color, to get an exact color match. If you have difficulty matching the paint colors, speak to an auto paint specialist, who may be able to advise or even mix a suitable touch-up paint for you.

Deep scratches may be able to be fixed by painting them. The basic steps involve sanding the affected area to remove the top layers of paint, rinsing after sanding, then spraying on primer. Once the primer has dried, spray on the right color auto paint. Once dried, wax the repaired area. For detailed instructions on doing this, see: How to Remove Scratches from a Car by Painting . If this is not successful, seek advice from an auto paint repair specialist.

Be sure it is rust first--rust is usually brown or dark red in color, often flaking and may include tiny holes. The rust must be removed before applying paint otherwise the paint won’t adhere properly and the rust may simply return even if you do manage to paint the surface. You'll find more detailed help here: How to Remove Rust from a Car . Sandpaper off the rust before painting, then use rust-proof primer before adding the appropriate color of auto paint. Severe rust (big holes, pieces of car falling away, etc.) should be attended to by an auto body specialist; painting over it won’t solve the rusting problem.

You’ll need the right color of touch-up paint, primer for under the paint and a clear top coat, available from auto supplies stores or paint stores stocking car paints. You’ll also need a ground sheet in case of drips if using canned paint (a paint pen is not likely to leak). As well, cleaning supplies (car wash, rag, wax remover, car polish/wax, etc.), sandpaper if you need to smooth the area and old clothes just in case of paint splashes or grease stains. If you're looking to paint the whole car, see: How to Paint a Car .

It depends what the clear liquid is. If it is a sealant, then that goes on second and the color goes first.

An auto shop.

You can do it that way if you want to, as wet sandpaper is more of a personal choice.