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How to remove scratches from your car?

While driving around in sticky rush hour traffic, the last thing you would want after a stressful day at the workplace is brushing your car against a coarse surface. The result is an ugly-looking scratch on your car’s surface. Still, however careful you may be, you won’t believe how easy it might be to end up with tacky scratches on your car’s paint.

Nevertheless, every problem has a solution, likewise, light scratches or swirls can be easily gotten rid of without requiring any expensive assistance from a repair shop. In this article, we present a simple guide that covers all types of scratches and offers you easy hacks to make them disappear within no time. This way you can preserve the pride and prestige of your expensive Volvo XC90 premium SUV or any other car that you might own and never have to fret about tacky scratches ever again.

Types of car scratches

Scratches are segregated into 3 types based on their intensity:

  • Clearcoat scratch

As you may know, your car has a very thin layer of clear coat that safeguards your car against the impact of environmental elements like rain, dust, acid rain, and others. A scratch that is only visible on the car’s clear coat area can be easily removed.

  • Primer scratch

The primer is an inner level of protection to the car’s exterior paint. Manufacturers apply this to the car to give it a more stunning and polished surface. If the car scratch cuts through the clear coat area and exposes the primer area, these scratches are more difficult to fix. There is a slight chance that the exposed area can get ruined by rust. Thus, you should take protective measures on time if you encounter this type of scratch.

  • Paint scratch

This is the most severe type of scratch, exposing the whole metal sheet under the layers. These types of scratches occur if you scratch your car with any sharp object like stone or keys or get involved in an accident. It is important to eliminate these scratches as soon as possible to avoid degrading your car’s stature.

How to remove light scratches (clear coat scratches)?

To check if your scratch qualifies as just a very light scratch, run your fingernail across the scratch. If your fingernail runs smoothly without getting stuck once, you can follow the next measures to get rid of the scratch for good. What you will need is 3,000-grit sandpaper, rubbing and polishing compound, and polishing pads.

Also, pick up a portable drill or dual action (DA) polisher unit. You can get all this equipment from an auto parts store. If you can’t find sandpaper anywhere, toothpaste is also a great option. The abrasive power of toothpaste works great as a polishing compound and can be used to fix light scratches.

Process:

  • Step 1: Wet the scratch and sandpaper with water. Then gently rub the area until the area looks dull and the scratch is no longer visible. Finish by cleaning the surface with a microfiber towel.
  • Step 2: Apply buffing compound onto the polishing pad and spread it evenly. Then run the drill at about 1,200 rpm until a light haze is visible on the car surface. Follow up with a polishing compound to restore the shine on your car’s surface.

How to remove small scratches (primer scratches)?

If your fingernail stops while running it across the scratch, it can be classified as a small scratch. These scratches invade the primer area of your car’s surface and expose it to environmental damage.

However, there is no reason to fret, as these types of scratches can still be removed with the basic equipment. You will mostly need the same materials that we used earlier, only with the inclusion of scratch removal products and the exclusion of sandpaper.

Process:

  • Step 1: Wash the car thoroughly before making any attempt to remove the scratch.
  • Step 2: Apply a quarter-sized bead of scratch removal product onto a scrubbing pad and apply it directly to the affected area. Apply the product evenly on the scratched area, as well as the surrounding area.
  • Step 4: Repeat the above process about 2 or 3 times. The scratch may highlight a slight difference in intensity when you do this process the first time. However, to completely remove the scratch, you need to give the process a couple more tries.

How to remove deep scratches (paint scratches)?

Removing deep scratches certainly requires a greater level of expertise and dedication from your side. Deep scratches infiltrate the crucial paint area of your car’s exterior layers, hence they need to be eradicated immediately to prevent any further damage. You will need sandpaper, polishing pad, microfiber towel, car wax, paper, and masking tape for this process.

Follow these steps to remove deep scratches from your car’s surface:

  • Step 1: As usual, wash your car before you begin the scratch removal process.
  • Step 2: Use sandpaper of 2,000 grit and rub it until you can see your car’s metal panel. Be careful to only rub in the direction of the scratched area and not the surroundings, as the last thing you need is more scratches.
  • Step 3: Cover the surrounding areas with paper and masking tape to prevent the paint primer from spreading to any other surface. Spray automotive primer on the sanded area and then let it dry for a while. Use spray paint with the matching color as your car’s paint and then spray it on the area. Use a heavy amount of paint on the surface and then let it dry again. If you are finding it difficult to find the exact paint shade, refer to your manufacturer to get the correct color code that matches the car’s exterior paint.

Step 4: Polish the area thoroughly to let the color of the newly-painted area match with the rest of your car. For this, dab a quarter of the polishing formula on a polishing pad or microfiber towel. Rub the freshly painted area in a circular motion until the surface looks even and polished.