If I got some body work done on my car and drove it around with out getting it painted first(only primer), would it mess anything up? I've seen quite a few people drive around with primer before they get the real paint but is it bad?

 

Besides the fact that it looks bad and you may scratch it up easily, there's nothing wrong with driving around in primer. Any scratch or imperfection you put in the primer coat, which is not has hard as paint will come right through into the paint coat. Keep that in mind.

 

So if I get a scratch in the primer and don't have it sanded back down again (before I get it painted) it'll show up really bad when I DO get it painted.

 

YES! The primer coat must be perfectly smooth in order for you paint coat to be perfectly smooth.

 

Agree, the primer coat is not as durable as the color coat and clear.
Primer purpose is to provide proper adhesion between the metal and color coats. If you drive around an extended period of time and get your primer coat scatched up, you'll have to redo it before the final painting.

 

I don't know if it is true, but body shop people have told me that primer absorbs moisture. This is partly why paint sticks so well to it. If this is true, couldn't that cause some problems if there is excessive moisture in the primer and then paint is shot overtop, sealing it in? Again, I said I don't know this to be fact, so I'm asking.

ANY defect in primer will be easily seen once paint is applied over top.

Dave