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What to Do If You Scratch Your Car

The Panel Beating Process Explained in Six Steps

27 March 2019

Anne Burke

In the world of auto repair service, panel beaters are the experts skilled in making the damaged parts of your vehicle's body look like new again. Want to know how they get the job done?

Learn about the various steps involved in the panel beating process here. 

Step #1: Shrinking/Stretching 

The first thing that panel beaters do is to re-shape your auto body. For them to do this effectively, they'll need to apply heat to the surface of the metal using a heat gun or special heat torch. The heat will help to shrink and bring the stretched out areas back to their initial shape using a special shaping hammer.

Once the panel beater has restored the original dimensions of the metal, they'll let the surface cool slowly or use a wet cloth to accelerate the cooling process. 

Step #2: Planishing

While the shrinking or stretching process helps to bring your vehicle body back to its original shape and dimensions, it does not deliver a smooth finish required for paint application. For this reason, the panel beater uses a planishing panel hammer for finely shaping and smoothing the metal. This is an exercise that requires a lot of skill and patience. 

If the panel beater applies too much force while hitting the panel surface back to normal shape, they may mar the metal.

Step #3: Welding

The welding process also involves applying a certain amount of heat to join metal parts together. This is essential for reinforcing the body of the vehicle and strengthening the entire vehicle.

Step #4: Filling

This involves applying putty filler to the scratches or dents on the panel surface. The aim is to restore the initial contours of the auto body. The vehicle putty is applied as a paste, which hardens after some time. 

Step #5: Sanding

Here, the hardened surface is sanded to deliver a smooth finish. Sanding is the secondary contouring and smoothing technique used to prep the car body for paint application.

Step #6: Paint Application

This is the final step in the panel beating process. It involves painting the panel surface with a paint spray gun or other paint spraying equipment. To ensure the vehicle maintains a uniform look and repairs remain undetected, the fresh coat of paint should match the colour and quality of the original one.

The best way to ensure your panel beating job is done correctly is to seek out a panel beating specialist. They have experience working on different vehicle makes and models, so they'll know the best way to fix your damaged auto body.

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