| Description and Operation General In general, partial surface painting at a point is called a spot repair. Using this technique, minor paint damage can be resolved economically and to time. Advantage of this method Because this application remains confined to the area of the damage, it is often unnecessary to remove components or color match against neighboring components. The material used is very much reduced because only a part of the repair area is coated. Practical application areas Only occasionally can satisfactory results be achieved in the centre of larger surfaces and/or on difficult colors. In addition, unprofessional application may cause tear-off edges to appear in clear lacquer. Only certain application areas are recommended. NOTE:The final decision on whether to spot repair or paint the component must be made by an expert. Application areas: - 2-layer paint.
- Depending on the damage zone, paint damage up to a diameter of 3.5 cm or a length of 10 cm.
- Scratches.
- Clear lacquer application up to an area of DIN A4 max.
- Smaller areas which are optically broken up by other components such as trim strip, tail lights, swage lines and edges.
- Boundary zones and edge areas of larger components.
The best application areas have proven to be optical break lines such as corners, narrow surfaces, fenders and wheel arches. Because of their locations, the violet colored areas are the most suitable for spot repair painting. The turquoise areas are only marginally suitable and the rest of the areas are not suitable for spot repairs. Repair process Perfect preparation of the subsurface is the precondition for a brilliant paintwork result. Faults in the preliminary stages delay completion and cause unnecessary extra work. The working steps described here demonstrate how important it is to follow these instructions step by step. Illustration of damage A typical case for spot repair is a small stone chip on the fender. Cleaning First of all the component is thoroughly cleaned using silicone remover and refurbished using abrading and polishing paste. This re-creates the original degree of shine and ensures exact color matching on the touch-up surface. Sand out Sand out the damaged location using P180 - P320. Only small sanding blocks and small sanding machines must be used, so that the area of the repair remains as small as possible. Sanding is completed by rubbing down the surrounding surface with a fine sanding pad or P1000 paper. Remove sanding residues and clean the repair area with silicone remover. The peripheral zone must then be masked for application of the filler. NOTE:The size of the repair area must be kept as small as possible (maximum size DIN A4). Filling The filler layer is applied in stages. First of all, filler is only applied to the location which has been sanded away. After a wait time for flashing off, the second coat is applied so that it spreads over onto the existing paintwork. The filler must be dried according to the instructions of the material supplier. Rubbing down The repair location is now rubbed down with P400 - P500 and the bordering surface with P2000 - P4000. Remove sanding residues and clean the repair area with silicone remover. Paint Before painting, clean the area for the final time using a dust-bonding cloth. Then apply the basic paint in thin layers using a spray gun until enough coverage is achieved. After drying, apply clear lacquer in 1 or 2 coats (depending on product). In doing so, spray so that only the newly applied basic paint is completely covered. Finally a touch-up thinners is sprayed over the edge of the clear lacquer to dissolve the clear lacquer spray mist. Dry Now dry the clear lacquer according to the manufacturer's instructions using an infrared gun. Polish Polish the component using a polisher and polish and check the polished area for any swirl marks which may be present. Polish away any swirl marks which are present. Dirt inclusions Sand out Minor damage can be removed with a small sanding machine or preferably with an eccentric sander with P1500 - P2000. Very fine spray mist can be removed using P2000 - P4000 paper and a larger eccentric sander. | 
