Repair of minor body damage (Opel Omega B)

Repair of small scratches

If the scratch is superficial and does not affect the body metal, repair is very simple.

1. Lightly buff the scratched surface with a fine polish to remove loose paint and wax.

2. Rinse the surface with clean water.

3. Apply touch-up paint to the scratch using a small brush.

4. Continue applying thin layers of paint until the paint completely fills the scratch.

5. Allow the new paint to dry for at least two weeks, then blend it with the surrounding paint by buffing the painted area with a fine buffing compound.

6. Finally, apply a top coat of wax to the scratched surface.

If the scratch has penetrated the paint and damaged the metal body, causing rust to appear, a different repair procedure must be used.

1. Remove the rust from the base of the scratch with a pocket knife, then apply rust-preventing paint to prevent future rust.

2. Using a rubber or nylon applicator, cover the scratched area with glaze (glaze is a translucent layer of paint).

3. Before the glaze in the scratch hardens, place a piece of smooth cotton cloth around the tip of your finger.

4. Dip the cloth into the thinner and then quickly run it around the scratch surface. This will help you to ensure that the glaze surface is slightly sunken.

5. Now you can paint over the scratch.

Warning: If necessary, the glaze can be mixed with thinner to make a very thin putty that is ideal for filling narrow scratches.

Dent repair

1. When performing dent repair, the first thing to do is to straighten the dent so that the damaged area is as close to the original shape as possible. There is no point in trying to completely restore the original shape, since the metal in the damaged area is stretched and cannot be restored to the original contour. It is better to level the dent so that its level is approximately 3 mm below the level of the surrounding metal.

2. If the dent is very small, there is no point in straightening it out at all.

Warning: Hold a block of wood firmly against the back of the metal to absorb the hammer blows and prevent stretching of the metal.

3. If the dent is in a part of the body that has a double layer, or something else makes it impossible to access from the inside, a different procedure must be used.

4. Drill several small holes into the metal inside the damaged surface, especially in the deepest parts.

5. Screw long self-tapping screws into the holes until they engage firmly with the metal.

6. Now you can straighten out the dent by pulling on the protruding screw heads with pliers.

7. The next step in the repair is to remove paint from the damaged surface and from the surrounding metal by about 2.5 cm. This is done with a wire brush or a sanding disc attached to a drill, but it can be done just as effectively by hand with sandpaper.

8. To complete the preparation for the filler, use a screwdriver or file to smooth out the exposed metal surface or drill small holes in the damaged area. This will ensure good adhesion of the metal and the glaze.



9. The renovation must be completed by filling and painting.

Repairing rust holes or cracks

1. Remove all paint from the damaged area and from the surrounding metal within a radius of approximately 2.5 cm using sandpaper or a wire brush attached to a drill. If these are not available, this job can be done by hand using several sheets of sandpaper.

2. Once the paint is removed, you can determine the extent of the corrosion and decide whether to replace the entire panel or, if possible, repair the damaged area. New body panels are not as expensive as many people think, and it is often much quicker to install a new panel than to repair a large area damaged by rust.

3. Remove all trim pieces from the damaged area except those that act as a guide to the original shape of the damaged vehicle body, such as the headlight housing, etc.

4. Using metal shears or a hacksaw blade, remove all damaged metal, as well as any other metal that shows signs of rust.

5. Use a hammer to bend the edges of the hole inward to create a small indentation for the filling material.

6. Use a wire brush to scrub the damaged area to remove powdery rust from the metal surface. If the back of the rusted surface is accessible, coat it with rust-preventing paint.

7. Before final sealing, plug the hole in some way. This can be done with sheet metal riveted or screwed into the hole, or by installing wire mesh in the hole.

8. Once the hole is plugged, the damaged area can be filled and painted over.

Filling and painting

There are many body repair fillers available today, but honestly, a body repair kit that contains a filler paste and a tube of polymer hardener is best for repair work. You will need a wide flexible plastic or nylon applicator to smooth out the surface of the filler.



1. Mix a small amount of the putty mixture on a clean piece of wood or cardboard (using hardener sparingly). Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package, otherwise the putty will not harden correctly.

2. Using the applicator, apply the filling paste to the prepared surface.

3. Run the applicator over the filler surface to achieve the desired contour and even out the filler surface.

4. When the initial level and contour are reached, stop working with the paste. If you continue, the paste will stick to the applicator.

5. Continue applying thin coats of paste at 20 minute intervals until the filler level exactly matches the surrounding metal.

6. Once the filler has hardened, you can remove any excess with a file. Next, use sandpaper, gradually increasing its grain size, starting with 180 grit paper and ending with 600 grit waterproof paper. Always wrap the sandpaper around a rubber or wooden block, otherwise the filler surface will not be completely flat. When sanding the filler surface, the 600 grit waterproof sandpaper should be periodically moistened with water. This will help achieve a very smooth surface.

7. The repair area should now be surrounded by a ring of bare metal, which in turn should be surrounded by good, undamaged paint. Rinse the repair area with water until all the dust remaining from sanding is removed.

8. Apply a thin layer of primer to the entire cleaned surface. This will help to reveal any defects on the surface of the filler.

9. Correct any defects found with fresh putty or glaze and sand the surface again.



10. Repeat the primer and filler application process until you are satisfied with the quality of the filler surface and paint edge.

11. Rinse the surface with clean water and let it dry completely.

12. Now the repair area is ready for painting.

13. Spray painting should be done in warm, dry, windless weather, when there is no dust in the air. These conditions can be achieved if you have access to a large production area. However, if you are going to work outdoors, you need to choose the day of painting very carefully.

14. If you are working indoors, spray the floor with water. This will help you to knock down dust that might otherwise become airborne.

15. If the repair area is on one body panel, cover all surrounding panels. This will help you minimize minor mismatches in paint color.

(Material was taken from a resource www.opelbook.ru)

16. Decorative trim pieces such as chrome trim, door handles, etc. also need to be masked or removed. Use masking tape and several layers of paper to mask them off.

17. Shake the paint thoroughly before spraying, then practice spraying it to learn how to do it correctly.

18. Apply a thick coat of primer to the surface to be repaired. It is better to apply several thin coats than one thick one.

19. Using 600 grit sandpaper, sand the primer surface until it is very smooth. During this operation, the surface being treated should be thoroughly wetted with water. The sandpaper should also be dipped in water periodically.

20. Allow the primer to dry before applying additional coats.



21. Spray the paint onto the top layer, increasing its thickness by applying several layers. Start spraying the paint from the center of the repair area, and then using circular motions, spray the entire repair surface, as well as approximately 5 cm of surrounding paint.

22. Remove all masking material 10-15 minutes after applying the last coat of paint.

23. Allow the new paint to dry for at least two weeks, then use a very fine sanding compound to blend the new paint into the original paint.

24. Finally, apply a coat of wax.