Touching up minor paintwork damage

Updated 08/06/2023

Paint is an important part of the car's rustproofing and should therefore be checked regularly. The most common types of paintwork damage are stone chips, scratches, and marks on the edges of wings, doors and bumpers.

When repairing paint damage, the car must be clean, dry and have a temperature of over 15 °C.

Touching up minor paintwork damage

To avoid the onset of rust, damaged paintwork should be rectified immediately.

Note

When repairing the paintwork, it must be clean and dry and at a temperature of at least 15°C.

Materials that may be needed

Primer1 - a special adhesive primer in a spray can is available for e.g. plastic-coated bumpers.
Basecoat and clearcoat - available in spray cans or as touch-up pens/sticks2.
Masking tape.
fine sand paper1.

If the damage has not reached down to the metal, the touch-up paint can be applied directly after the surface has been cleaned.

Note

When paint is repaired the surface must be clean and dry. The temperature of the surface should be at least 15 °C (60 °F).

Apply a piece of masking tape over the damaged surface. Then remove the tape to remove any loose paint.

If the damage is down to the metal, use of a primer is appropriate. In the event of damage to a plastic surface, an adhesive primer should be used to give better results - spray into the lid of the spray can and brush on thinly.

Before painting, gentle polishing using a very fine polishing agent may be carried out locally if required (e.g. if there are any uneven edges). The surface is cleaned thoroughly and left to dry.

Stir the primer well and apply using a fine brush, a matchstick or similar. Finish off with a basecoat and clearcoat once the primer has dried.

For scratches, proceed as described above, but mask around the damaged area to protect the undamaged paintwork.

Touch-up pens and spray paints are available from Volvo retailers.

Note

If the stone chip has not penetrated down to the meal and an undamaged layer of paint remains in place, fill in with base coat and clear coat as soon as the surface has been cleaned.