During operation, the paintwork of the car acquires microscopic damage (scratches, chips, cracks, pores, etc.)
Ingress of aggressive substances onto a damaged surface leads to the destruction of the car coating
To maintain the paintwork in perfect condition throughout the entire service life, not only timely and delicate washing is necessary, but also regular polishing with polishes appropriate for the state of the paintwork (new, weathered or old coating).
When choosing polishes, you should take into account the condition of the coating and follow the recommendations for their use.
Polyroles give the paintwork a gloss and, penetrating into microcracks, prevent its destruction.
The microabrasives contained in the polishing compounds gently smooth out the edges of scratches, and the filler components (wax or polymers) mask the risks.
Polyroles form a protective film with different properties depending on the brand: tinting, anticorrosive, hydrophobic, UV filters.
The durability of the protective film, depending on the type of polish (wax, synthetic, polymer), ranges from two to three washes to six months.
The use of polishes to restore the protective layer of the coating is required when, during the washing process, small drops of water do not collect into large ones and do not roll off the body.
Recommendations on the use of paint protection materials during vehicle operation
First of all, for the first time three months of operation, while the paintwork is finally formed, to care for it, use only washing with water with a soft cloth using car shampoo, then rinse the car body with clean water and wipe the surface dry.
It is not recommended to wash with hot water above 80°C, in bright sun or frost.
After the specified time, use polishes for new coatings (a coating that has lost no more than 20% gloss is considered new).
Such a decrease in gloss is achieved in 1 - 1.5 years of intensive use with garageless storage.
The use of polishes is a preventive measure, protecting the coating from external influences.
A paintwork with a 40% loss of gloss is considered weathered. This state is achieved in 2.5 - 3 years of intensive operation with garageless storage.
In this state, there is a significant discoloration, whitishness.
To care for such a coating, polishes for weathered coatings, which contain a large amount of abrasive substances, are recommended.
After approximately 3-4 years of operation, the coating is considered old. To update such coatings, polishes for old coatings are used.
Polishing
Wash the body with water to remove dirt from the surface.
After inspecting the surface of the body, determine the area that needs to be polished.
Prepare the polishing area by covering adjacent parts of the body with a masking film.
To prevent the polish from drying out, polish the body in small areas by hand with a clean flannel.
It is possible to use a polishing machine using woolen and foam rubber wheels.
To eliminate minor defects in the paintwork, medium-grained and fine-grained polishing pastes from various manufacturers can be used.
After polishing, wipe the surface with a clean flannel.
Repair painting of bodies and body parts
Obtaining the working mixture of the product, the methods and conditions for its application to the surface, select according to the technological recommendations of the supplier of the paints and varnishes used for painting.
The following describes the general provisions for the preparation and application of paints and varnishes.
General principles for the preparation and painting of the body and body parts
In the preparation area for painting, wash the body (part) with water and remove the old peeled coating from defective surface areas with a spatula or brush.
Sand (dry or wet) the surfaces to be painted, initially with sandpapers with grit P80-P120, then P180-P220.
When repainting a coating that does not have mechanical damage, sand the surface to a factory-painted polyester primer.
If there is metal corrosion, chips or cracks in the paintwork, remove the old coating to the metal by grinding or washing.
If you need to remove the old complex coating, use the SP-7 remover.
Apply it with a brush 2-3 times depending on the thickness of the paintwork.
The time of softening the coating with a wash is 30-40 minutes. Remove the softened coating with a brush or spatula.
Wipe surfaces with mineral spirits to remove any remaining wash, rinse with plenty of water and dry.
Wash the body (part) with water, blow with compressed air and dry naturally.
Process Thaw hard-to-reach places of the body, from which it is impossible to remove corrosion mechanically, with a rust converter.
Use the rust converter according to the instructions for its use.
Fix, if necessary, defective areas of the body surface (details). The viscosity of the putty should be convenient for application.
Dry the body (part) for 30 minutes in natural conditions, sand (dry or wet sanding) the putty surfaces with sandpaper, grit P220-P320.
Wash the body (part) with water (when using wet sanding), blow with compressed air and dry naturally.
Isolate surfaces not to be painted with thick paper and adhesive tape and install the body in the spray booth.
Clean the painted surfaces of the body (parts) with a degreaser and remove dust with special cleaning cloths.
On surface areas cleaned to metal and treated with a rust converter, apply one coat of adhesive primer with a paint sprayer and allow an exposure of 5-7 minutes.
Apply primer-surfacer with a paint sprayer on surfaces covered with adhesive primer, as well as on replaced body parts.
Make a second coat of primer-surfacer on all body surfaces to be painted.
Dry the primed surface at (60+5)°C for 30 minutes.
Use, if necessary, an infrared radiation unit of the type IF-06 for drying individual body panels.
Remove the body (part) from the spray booth and cool in natural conditions until completely cool.
In the area of surface preparation for painting, sand (dry or wet) the primed surface of the body (part).
For dry sanding, use grit P360-P400, then P500, for wet sanding, grit P800-P1000.
Rinse the body (part) with water (when sanding wet), blow with compressed air, dry in natural conditions.
Apply sealing mastic type D-5A to welds and joints at the joints of the replaced parts with the body, as well as in case of peeling of the old mastic along the drain grooves of the roof, engine compartment, tailgate.
Remove excess mastic with a rag soaked in white spirit.
Isolate surfaces not to be painted with thick paper and adhesive tape and install the body (part) in the spray booth.
Clean the surfaces to be painted with a degreaser and remove dust with special cleaning cloths.
Apply adhesive primer with a paint sprayer to the areas cleaned to metal, and allow an exposure of 5-7 minutes.
Prepare the color according to the technological recommendations of the supplier of paints and varnishes.
Attention: it is not allowed to mix components (primers, varnishes, enamels, thinners, etc.) of one paint and varnish repair system with products and substances of other repair systems.
It is necessary to follow all the technological recommendations prescribed by the supplier of paints and varnishes used in the selection of colors.
When choosing the color of a car's paintwork, the following factors should be taken into account: the age of the car; shine of the varnished surface; the quality of the surface itself; original color tone or color that has changed over time; plaque on the varnished surface, as a result of environmental influences and insufficient car care; the presence of scratches.
When determining the color of the car, it is necessary to wash and polish the repaired and adjacent surfaces.
Determine the color code from the color documentation provided by the paint supplier.
Check that the chosen color matches the color of the car in natural light. Then select the correct paint formula according to the color documentation.
Be sure to check the prepared paint with a spray test.
Prepare a working solution of enamel and varnish in accordance with the supplier's recommendations.
Apply acrylic or base enamel with an intermediate exposure of 5-7 minutes to the surface of the part to be painted.
When fully painting the body, apply acrylic or base enamel with an intermediate holding time of 5-7 minutes on the interior surfaces of the passenger compartment, doorways, end surfaces of the doors, engine compartment, luggage compartment.
Also, with an intermediate exposure of 5-7 minutes, apply enamel on the outer surfaces of the body.
When painting with the "base-lacquer" system on the outer surfaces covered with base enamel, apply the varnish in two layers using the "wet on wet" method with an exposure time between coats of 7-10 minutes.
When painting individual parts of the body, if it is difficult to select the color of the enamel, it is possible to use the technique of "painting by transition" to neighboring parts.
It is advisable to perform the “transition coloring” technique on a car body part that is in the same plane with an adjacent part.
This is a pose allows you to bring the color of the repaired part as close as possible to the color of other adjacent surfaces of the body.
When performing the “transition painting” technique, follow the technological recommendations of the supplier (manufacturer) of paints and varnishes.
Before drying, hold for 5-7 minutes, then dry the coating at a temperature recommended by the supplier of paints and varnishes.
Remove the body (part) from the spray booth and cool in natural conditions.
Repair painting of plastic parts
All plastic exterior elements (bumper with grille, rear bumper, arches, doors and sills, mirror covers, etc.), made of polypropylene with a high rubber content, have increased impact resistance, especially at low temperatures.
Plastic door linings protect the metal of the doors from light damage on a larger surface. In the "GLS" package, they are painted in body color, which improves the appearance of the car.
Plastic door sills, painted black in mass, with embossing are quite resistant to minor damage and scratches, protect the thresholds from mechanical influences.
The rear bumper is black on the L trim and body-coloured on the GLS trim, has an unpainted horizontal loading area at the top and is unpainted at the bottom.
The front bumper has an unpainted, coarsely embossed protective strip in the lower middle section to improve resistance to scratches and minor damage.
The bumper is not painted on the L package.
In the "GLS" configuration, the lower part of the bumper, which is most often subject to all kinds of damage in off-road conditions, is painted black in bulk, which prevents chips.
At the same time, all parameters that affect the geometric cross-country ability of the car are saved.
The painting of plastic parts with visible embossing for vehicles of the "GLS", "GLC" configuration is carried out using one adhesive primer, and the painting of plastic parts with an embossing cover for the "GLS", "GLC", "L", "LC" configurations – with the use of adhesive and pore-filling primers.
On the surface of products made of polymeric materials for painting, there should be no mechanical damage and defects that appear on the paintwork: scratches, scratches, delaminations and others. Silicone contamination is not allowed.
The part is thoroughly cleaned under running water inside and out. Heat treatment is carried out in a painting and drying chamber for an hour at a temperature of +60 ° C.
Do not start repairs without first evaporating.
All unpainted plastic parts are subjected to evaporation in order to remove many types of contaminants from the surface as completely as possible.
On a new part, they are special lubricants that are applied to the mold to correctly separate the product from it.
External lubricants based on wax, modified with silicone, do not dissolve in water, can be removed with a solvent and a sanding sponge.
When removing internal lubricants (self-releasing materials that are a component of plastics), it is necessary to warm up and only then clean with a sanding sponge moistened with solvent.
In addition to removing lubricants, heating also reduces internal stresses in the plastic, which can subsequently result in cracking of the paintwork.
With its help, shrinkage cavities are revealed - air inclusions, it becomes possible to eliminate them by puttying during work.
Another way to remove grease is by firing.
The detail is carefully, in compliance with safety regulations, subjected to flame treatment. At the same time, it is extremely important not to heat the part to its full depth in order to prevent its deformation.
After evaporation, degreasing and obligatory drying are carried out. Plastic products have the ability to accumulate a static electric charge during processing.
A part that has accumulated a charge begins to attract dust, which can lead to defects in the painting.
A significant proportion of static electricity from the part allows you to remove the degreaser.
This is very important, for example, if you apply primer on a "charged" plastic surface, then the torch will fall not on a dry, cleaned substrate, but on a dusty one, because untransferred dust will quickly stick to it.
After evaporation, the plastic part is ready for applying functional layers of paints and varnishes.
Even if a putty intended for direct application to a plastic surface is used, it is necessary to apply a thin layer of primer - adhesion will be an order of magnitude higher.
For a structural surface, it is necessary to use a thin primer (3-5 microns). If you take a highly viscous material, it will not penetrate into the pores.
On the surface, due to tension, it creates a film, and inside it is created by lost.
When heated, either solvent, cleaner, or air can escape from this cavity, causing vapor pressure. As a result, the material peels off the surface like a stocking.
Scratches and irregularities on the part must be filled with a special putty for plastic products.
Such a putty already contains plastic, therefore the applied material and the substrate react in the same way to grinding, to the temperature regime, they are erased in the same way, they have equal properties: hardness and plasticity, which leads to the erasure of the boundaries of the repair.
Universal putties (thin) for indirect use are applied to the primer in a very thin layer.
For putty, the plastic surface is prepared with a hard red scotchbrite or an eccentric dry sander, sequentially with an abrasive with a gradation of P180-P280-P320.
You need to work with a grinder carefully so as not to make "pits". Do not process plastic parts at high speeds - this entails overheating and subsequent deformation.
Sometimes putty, especially applied in a thin layer, can be pierced to a plastic surface during grinding. Then the surface must be isolated with adhesive primer.
Under the ground - filler, we prepare the surface successively with abrasives P220-P280 - P320-P360. You can even go up to P400.
The filler is a thick-layer material that evens out minor irregularities. Under it, the surface is ground either manually with abrasives P240-P400, or with an eccentric grinder P180-P280-P400.
It is necessary to degrease the surface after each operation.
The degreaser must be allowed to evaporate (5-7 minutes), as the plastic part can absorb certain fractions that can appear on the coating material.
After the surface of the part is prepared for painting, a base coat of enamel is applied, and then a clear varnish.
The paintwork is dried in a spray booth, and then the part is cooled in natural conditions.
Products made of polymer materials for the exterior of a Chevrolet NIVA car are painted black or body color, using paints and varnishes and recommendations from Peter Lacke or Reoflex.
If materials and technologies from other manufacturers are used, the quality of painting is not guaranteed by the factory.