Nobody likes a dent or scratch on their vehicle. By knowing how to remove scratches and blemishes from your car, you can maintain its resale value and aesthetics.
It’s always disappointing to find scratches on your car, especially if you’ve recently purchased it. Knowing how to remove scratches will help most car owners get rid of blemishes easily.
While some car owners go the extra mile in protecting their rides with a wax coat, it’s not always enough. Some scratches go deep, affecting the primer of your vehicle.
Whether you can take care of your car’s scratches on your own or need expert assistance to remove the scratch, here’s a guide on removing scratches from your automobiles.
Is it a Deep Scratch or a Shallow one?
Before we move on to how to remove a scratch, you must figure out how deep the scratch is.
Your car’s paint consists of several layers – the primer, base coat, and top coat. How deep a scratch is depends on how many layers it has penetrated through.
So how do you find out the depth of the scratch?
You can determine the severity of the scratch with a simple DIY fingernail test. Run your fingernail over the paint and judge the amount of paint caught up in your fingernails.
If your fingernails don’t catch any paint, the scratch is shallow and has only damaged your car’s top coat. But if you find some paint particles stuck on your fingernails, then the scratch is likely deeper than the topcoat.
If you find rust in the area where you ran your fingernails, the primer of your car’s paintwork is damaged. This prompts immediate action as your car becomes more susceptible to rust.
How to Remove a Shallow Scratch from Your Car?
As common as shallow marks are, they’re also easily removed. Most light marks result from dirt and dust particles that come into contact with the car.
Before moving on to the tips, you need to get a few things to fix those shallow scratches. Firstly, you need a mild scratch remover to remove scuffs and swirl marks on your car. Secondly, you need two clean towels. Now you’re all set to restore your car’s shine once again.
Scratch removal products can be easily found in automotive stores. These compounds polish the scratch marks and blend them with the top coat.
To remove light paint jobs easily, follow the tips below:
- Wash your car thoroughly and let it dry;
- Apply the scratch removal product on a fresh towel;
- Spread the product in a circular motion around the scratch for a minute;
- Don’t use too much hand pressure;
- Let the product dry;
- Remove the product with the other dry towel;
- Repeat this process till the mark fades away.
We recommend using Meguiar’s scratch eraser kit to remove fine scratches and blemishes.
How to Fix a Deep Car Scratch?
Deep scratches peel away the top coat and penetrate into the base coat of your car’s paint job. Deep scratches are caused by minor accidents, scraping, or hail stones.
Unfortunately, unlike shallow ones, deep scratches can only be repaired by painting the panel altogether. If you’re unsure how much paint you need, best consult a professional mechanic to fix it for you.
Let’s get to the equipment you need for removing deep scratches. All you need is the following:
- A 2,000 sandpaper
- Masking tape
- A paint container
- Primer
- A top coat
- A polishing agent and cloth.
The paint container should match your car’s exact color. If you can’t determine the specific paint color of your vehicle, ask your dealer or manufacturer for the same.
Follow the tips below to remove deep scratches from your car:
- Wash and dry your vehicle;
- Put the masking tape around the scratch area to protect the paint surrounding the scratch;
- Sand the area thoroughly until you see the underlying metal;
- Apply a layer of primer;
- Once the primer is dry, paint the base coat on the area;
- Apply the top coat once the base coat is dry;
- Polish the area until the color matches the rest of your car.
If the scratch is deep enough to reveal the metal body of your car, it means that it has also penetrated the primer. If you don’t act quickly, the bare metal will be exposed to environmental factors like air and dirt and will soon start rusting.
Rusting is a serious issue. To prevent any structural damage to your car, consult a certified car repair and maintenance dealer as soon as possible.
Conclusion
There you go. Now you know how to fix shallow and deep scratches on your car. With these simple DIY methods, you can keep your ride as good as new and save a trip to the mechanic and the bills.
However, if you cannot buff out scratches on your own, or if it has penetrated the primer layer of your car, head to Auto Imports of Denver as soon as possible.
We specialize in repairing and maintaining European automobiles like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, and Volkswagen.
Just let us know how we can assist and leave your car in expert hands. We’ll give it back to you just the way you bought it brand new.
