Repair of minor body damage (Opel Vectra B)

Treatment of car body scratches

If the scratch is superficial and does not reach the metal, rub the area around the scratch with paint renewer or fine-grained abrasive paste. Rinse the surface with clean water. Apply a thin layer of paint to the scratch with a brush and allow it to dry. Continue applying paint until the scratch is level with the surrounding surface. Allow the paint to harden for 2 weeks, then sand the applied layer of paint to the level of the surrounding paint. Finally, polish the area of the body surface with wax paste.

If the scratch has damaged the paint and penetrated the metal of the car body, then using the tip of a sharp knife, remove the rust from the scratch. Apply a rust converter according to its instructions. Then, using a spatula, apply the putty paste to the scratch. After it has completely dried, paint over and polish the damaged area.

Repair of dents in the body structure

When deeply pressing in body structure elements, first try to bend the dent back as close as possible to the normal shape of the body. The body metal at the point of impact is subject to stretching, as a result of which complete restoration of the original shape is impossible. It is considered optimal to level the dent approximately 3 mm below the level of the surrounding surface. If there is access to the inner side of the dent, you should carefully tap it with a soft hammer with a wooden or plastic head. During this operation, you should tightly press the appropriate wooden block to the outer side of the area being tapped. This is necessary to cushion the hammer blows and to prevent bending of a larger area. If the dent is located in an area of the body where access from the back is difficult or impossible, then drill several small holes in the deepest points of the dent, screw self-tapping screws into the holes and pull out the dent using pliers by the protruding screw heads.



Remove paint from the damaged area and a 20mm radius around it. This is most easily done using a wire brush or sandpaper on a disc mounted in an electric drill. Once the dent is levelled, apply a coat of filler, paint and polish.

Repair of rusted holes or punctures in the body structure

Remove paint from the damaged area and approximately 20 mm around it. Using a wire brush, clean loose rust from the surface of the exposed metal in the damaged area. Treat the damaged area with a rust converter according to its instructions. Cover the rust hole or puncture with a wire mesh or strip of aluminum foil. Cut a piece of mesh roughly corresponding to the shape of the hole, insert it into the hole so that its edges do not protrude above the level of the panel surrounding the hole. Secure it with a few lumps of putty paste around the perimeter. Using a screwdriver handle, align the ends of the mesh so that it fits tightly to the metal of the body. Then fill, paint and polish the damaged area of the body.

Body putty and painting

When performing putty work, it is necessary to have a wide flexible plastic or nylon spatula to smooth the putty surface. Level the putty on the damaged area of the body so as to give it the required shape and smoothness. As soon as you have managed to achieve approximately the required contour, stop smoothing the putty with a spatula, since if you smooth it for too long, it will begin to harden, stick to the spatula and roll off, as a result of which the surface will be damaged. Apply the next, thinner layer of putty after the previous layer has dried and so on until the putty level begins to protrude slightly above the level of the treated area. After the putty has hardened, its excess must be removed with a metal scraper or file. Perform further processing using a set of sandpaper. Start processing with coarse-grained sandpaper and then move on to fine-grained. Place the sandpaper on a flat wooden block, otherwise it is impossible to achieve a smooth surface. At the final stage of sanding, waterproof sandpaper should be periodically moistened with water. This gives the treated putty surface a special smoothness. The putty dent should be surrounded by a layer of clean metal along the perimeter. To remove dust and grease from the treated area, wash the treated area with water and wipe with a degreasing solution. Spray a thin layer of light primer on the area. This will help to reveal all the defects in the putty made during processing. Level out the detected defects with a new layer of putty and sand the surface again. Continue this procedure until you get an ideal surface.

The repair area is now ready for final painting. Aerosol application of paint should be done in a warm, dry, windless and dust-free environment. When painting indoors, wet the floor of the work area with water to prevent dust from getting into the air. When painting only one panel, the remaining parts of the body should be covered with newspaper attached with adhesive tape to prevent paint from getting on them. Before applying the primer, shake the container with it, apply the primer to the test surface and ensure that it lies evenly. Apply a thick layer of primer by applying several thin layers. Sand the primed surface with waterproof sandpaper. Do not forget to spray the sanded area with water and periodically wet the sandpaper in water. Dry the treated area before further painting. The paint layer is applied with a sprayer. The thickness of the paint layer is achieved by applying several thin layers. Start painting from the center of the area to be painted and move to the edges with back and forth movements until the entire surface to be painted and about 20 mm around it are painted. Remove the protective film and newspapers 10-15 minutes after applying the last coat of paint. Allow the fresh paint to harden for at least 2 weeks, then use a paint refresher or fine abrasive polishing paste to smooth the edges of the painted area to the level of the old paint. Polish the surface.