Minor body damage — restoration (Mercedes-Benz C-Class W201)

Restoration of minor car body scratches

If only the paintwork is scratched and the metal is not affected, it is very easy to remove the scratch. Lightly rub the scratch area with paint restorer or very fine sanding paste to remove a thin layer of paint and wax coating around the scratch. Rinse the treated area with clean water. Apply a thin layer of liquid paint to the scratch with a soft brush; repeat this operation several times until the paint surface is leveled. Let the new paint dry for at least two weeks, then polish the area with polishing paste, then apply a protective wax coating.

If the scratch reaches the metal of the body, it may cause corrosion of the metal. Remove rust from the metal with a pocket knife, then apply an anti-corrosion coating to prevent corrosion in the future. Using a rubber or nylon spatula, fill the scratch with putty paste. If necessary, the paste can be diluted with solvent, which makes it possible to fill narrow scratches. Before the putty paste hardens, wrap your finger in a cotton cloth, moisten it with solvent, then quickly draw it across the scratch. This will slightly press the surface of the putty paste. Then the scratch can be painted over as described above.

Restoration of car body dents

In case of deep dents in the car body, the first task is to pull out the dent until the body has regained its original shape. Since it is unlikely that the dent will be completely straightened out, it is advisable to straighten the dent to a level that is approximately 3 mm below the level of the undamaged part of the part. In case the dent is small, it is not worth trying to pull it out at all. If the dent can be accessed from the inside, it can be carefully straightened out using a hammer with a wooden or plastic head. During the straightening process, a suitable wooden block should be pressed from the outside to absorb the impact of the hammer blows, and thus prevent the metal from bulging outward.



If the dent is in a part of the body that has a double layer of metal or if access from the inside is impossible for some other reason, use a different technique. Drill several small-diameter holes in the damaged area, preferably in the deepest places. Then screw long self-tapping screws into the holes so that they hold firmly in the metal. Straighten the dent by pulling the screws out with pliers.

The next stage of restoration is to remove the paint from and around the damaged area. About an inch. This can be done with a wire brush inserted into a drill or by hand with sandpaper. To finish preparing for filling, make grooves in the metal surface with a screwdriver or drill small holes in the damaged area. This will ensure that the filler paste will adhere well to the metal.

For final repair operations, see the section "Puttying and painting".

Restoration of corrosion holes or deep damage to the body

Remove all paint from the surface to be restored and for two centimeters around it using a wire brush inserted into a drill. If such tools are not available, this can be done manually using sandpaper. After removing the paint, it is necessary to assess the severity of the corrosion and decide whether to replace the entire part (if possible) or repair the damaged area. New body parts are not as expensive as most car enthusiasts think, and replacing parts is often a quicker and easier solution than trying to repair a large area of rust.

Remove all parts installed in the damaged area except those that will be needed to form the original surface. Then, using metal shears or a hacksaw blade, cut away any metal that is heavily corroded. Bend the edges of the hole inward with a hammer to provide support when filling with putty.



Use a wire brush to remove the powdery rust from the remaining metal. Apply a rust converter to the damaged area; if the inside of the rusty area is accessible, treat that as well.

Before you start filling the damaged area with putty, you need to cover the hole in some way. This can be done with an aluminum or plastic mesh or aluminum foil.

For larger holes, it is best to use aluminum or plastic mesh or fiberglass. Cut a piece of material to approximately the size and shape of the hole, then place it in the hole so that the edges of the patch are below the level of the surrounding metal. Fix this position with a few drops of putty.

For small or very narrow holes, you can use aluminum foil. Unroll a piece of foil from a roll, cut it to roughly the shape of the hole, and glue it to the edges of the hole. If one layer is not thick enough, fold the foil into several layers. Rub the edges of the patch with a screwdriver handle to help them adhere to the metal.

Body repair - puttying and painting

Before you begin the work described in this section, please read the sections describing dent, scratch, and corrosion repair.

There are many types of putty pastes, but the best are polymerizing compounds, which are sold in kits containing a jar of paste and a tube of hardener. You will also need a wide, flexible plastic or nylon spatula with smooth, well-processed edges for the final finishing of the putty surface.

Mix up a small amount of filler on a clean piece of cardboard or plywood, carefully following the proportions of paste and hardener according to the manufacturer's instructions, otherwise the filler will harden too quickly or not at all. Using a spatula, apply the filler to the area to be repaired and smooth it out to obtain the desired surface. When the contour of the filled surface is close to the desired one, take a break from working, otherwise the filler will begin to stick to the spatula. Continue adding thin layers of filler every twenty minutes until the filler level is level with the surrounding metal.



After the filler has hardened, its excess can be removed with a metal plate or a file. Further processing is carried out using sandpaper with a gradually decreasing grain size: starting with class 40 paper and ending with waterproof class 400 paper. Always wrap the sandpaper around a piece of flat rubber, cork, or a wooden block - otherwise the surface of the filler will not be smooth. In the process of smoothing the surface of the filler, the sandpaper should be periodically moistened with water. The operation is complete when a ring of clean metal is formed around the "dent", which, in turn, is surrounded by good paint. Rinse the restored area with clean water to remove all sanding products.

Spray a thin layer of primer on the repaired area - it will show all the places where the putty surface has defects. Remove these defects with freshly prepared putty and sand again with sandpaper. Repeat this procedure until you are satisfied with the quality of the repaired surface. Rinse the surface with water and let it dry completely.

Now the area to be restored is ready for the final operation - painting. Spraying of paint should be done in a warm, windless, but ventilated room. These conditions can be created artificially if you have a large closed room, but if you are forced to work outdoors. You will have to choose the day for work very carefully. If you are working in a closed room, wet the floor in the area of painting. This will help settle the dust that is in the atmosphere. If you are going to paint only one part of the body, cover the rest of the parts; this will help reduce the contrast from slight differences in paint colors (chrome strips, door handles, etc.) should also be covered. For this, use adhesive tape and several layers of newspapers.



Before you start painting, shake the can well and try painting something away from the car until you get the hang of it. Cover the area to be repaired with a thick coat of primer; however, the thickness should be created by using several thin coats of paint rather than one thick coat. Using 400-grade waterproof sandpaper, sand down any uneven areas of the primer. Keep the work area well wet while doing this, and rinse the sandpaper periodically. Allow the primer to dry before applying paint.

Apply a thin layer of paint with a spray gun, starting from the middle of the surface to be painted, then smoothly moving the stream from one edge to the other so as to capture approximately 50 mm of the surface with the old paint. After some time, apply the next layer. Create the required thickness of the paint layer by applying thin layers multiple times. Open the covered parts of the body approximately 10-15 minutes after applying the last layer.

Allow the new paint to dry for at least two weeks, then smooth the painted area with sanding paste. Then apply a protective wax coating.

Plastic parts

The use of more and more plastic body parts by car manufacturers (for example, bumpers, spoilers, and in some cases, main body panels), leads to the fact that in case of serious damage to such parts, either it is necessary to entrust their repair to a specialist in this field, or to replace the parts. Repair of such damage at a service station is impossible due to the high cost of equipment and materials required to carry out such repairs. The basic technique of such repairs consists in cutting a groove along the crack line using an abrasive wheel inserted into an electric drill. Then this groove is welded with a plastic rod melted by hot air.



The excess plastic is then removed and the surface is leveled. It is important that the plastic rod used is of the same composition as the body part, as different types of plastic are used in the car (e.g. polycarbonate, ABS, polypropylene).

Restoration of less serious damage (scratches, minor cracks, etc.) can be done at a service station, using epoxy putty. This putty is used in a similar way for body repair. The putty usually hardens within twenty to thirty minutes and is ready for painting.

If the part is being replaced entirely or if it is being repaired using epoxy filler, it may be difficult to find a suitable paint that is compatible with the type of plastic used. Until now, the use of a universal paint has not been possible due to the wide range of plastics used in the manufacture of body components. Standard paints generally do not adhere well to plastic or rubber.

However, it is now possible to purchase plastic body parts complete with primer and paint in a variety of colours. The kit usually comes with full instructions, but the general method of use is to apply the primer first, let it dry for 30 minutes and then apply the paint. The result is a properly painted component, with the paint having good adhesion to the plastic or rubber.