Auto body repair & detailing: ding repair, uv resistance, color match

Question
My ding is slightly dented and the clear coat is chipped.  I have been told that I should have the whole section painted because blending does not hold up long in the Florida sun.  What is your opinion on this? I caught the person who did it and, of course, they want the cheap fixer. This is a fairly new high end vehicle and I plan to have many more years.

Answer
Hi Debbie,

Spot blending the color is totally different than spot blending the clear. Spot blending the paint is a very acceptable repair that will hold up fine because the UV resistance is built in the clear-coat. However, spot blending the clear-coat is a practice that should be used in very limited cases. A clear-coat blend will fail in time due to UV exposure. I would only blend clear-coat if it was in a spot on the vehicle where it would not be getting much exposure (i.e. rocker panels or interior parts). And even then I wouldn't expect it to last more than say 3 years no matter where you are in the country. To sum it up, Do not allow the clear-coat to be blended on your car. Encourage the base-coat color to be blended because of color match. I hope this helps.

Gary