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Many car owners treat their vehicles like their babies. Many take good care of them, both in tune-up and aesthetic value. This is why small scratches on cars can be a frustrating thing.
Research keeps trying to test ways to protect cars from scratches. With how expensive it is to repair your car’s body, you need to know how to do car scratch repair.
Can you remove scratches from car DIY or would you need to hire a professional?
In this guide, we give you everything you need to know about handling paint scratch. From the DIY to the pros, this is what you need.
Understanding Your Repair Options
When repairing scratches, you have two options that you can choose from. These options are Do-it-yourself, also known as DIY or body and paintwork with professionals. Each of these processes has its own ups and downs.
As we know, the cost of repairs for paint scratch can cost you a bit of money. This can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on the work.
1. Do It Yourself
Do it yourself or DIY are steps that you do on your own. This can happen in your garage or where you park your car. DIY repair includes the use of a scratch remover, home remedies or old fashioned car fillers.
Why remove scratches from car DIY?
Consider the cost. Bodywork, repair, replacement, and even detailing can cost a ton of money. If you’re not ready to shell out a few hundred dollars to take out car scratches, DIY is right for you.
DIY removal also means you get to take care of your car better. You know your vehicle, so you can learn and customize your entire car as you want to.
DIY also teaches you new, usable skills. From doing your research, adapting as the need arises to work on the challenge itself, these are valuable skills. Knowing how to repair your car changes your perspective on work, giving you personal satisfaction.
There are a few issues with DIY, however. Do it yourself can take a good amount of skill. Trying to remove scratches from car beyond a scratch remover need good knowledge with shop tools.
If you’re not good at doing this kind of work at all, you’re risking your car to bigger damage. If you have anything bigger than a surface level paint scratch, you are creating a risk.
2. Professional Body Work
So, why go to a professional? If you need car scratch repair that is deeper than the gel coating, it’s best to go to a professional to remove it for you.
Any car will have four different layers of car coating. From shallowest to deepest, these are:
- Clearcoat - providing transparent damage resistance
- Basecoat - providing proper color and visuals
- Primer - providing UV resistance, smoothing
- E-coating with substrate – corrosion resistance
If you have scratches that are beyond clearcoat, there’s no scratch remover you can use to remedy this. On the contrary, using a scratch remover on a deep paint scratch can make the scratch more obvious. This is why you give it to professionals.
Removing Scratch From Car With DIY
So, how do you do DIY paint scratch repairs? There are three ways to do it: toothpaste, scratch remover, or repainting. Each has its own advantages.
1. Use Toothpaste For Superficial Scratches
You would want to use toothpaste when the scratch is superficial enough to not penetrate the gel coat. To do so, you would want to first wash and clean the area you will treat to remove any dirt and debris. Apply the toothpaste to a microfiber cloth, up to around a coin-sized amount.
You would want to use white toothpaste, but any toothpaste type will work. Scrub the toothpaste on the car on a circular motion to buff out the scratches. You would want to apply some pressure to help the crystals in the toothpaste buff, but only enough.
Once you finish, spray the area and remove as much of the toothpaste as possible. Wipe the general area with a microfiber cloth. See if the scratch is still there.
If you still have a scratch, you may want to do the same process up to three times. Don’t go over three times, however, as this may damage the clearcoat. If the problem is still not going away, you would need to use a car scratch remover.
2. Using a Scratch Remover
Using a scratch remover uses the same procedures as using toothpaste to remove scratches from the car. Wash the affected area first and remove any debris. Once the car is clean, apply a coin-sized amount on a microfiber cloth.
Once you’re ready, buff the scratch remover in circular motions to help distribute the product. Make sure to do a consistent motion to prevent removing the clear coat. Apply some medium pressure to help the anti-scratch product to seep into the car’s surface.
Wipe any remaining residue with a clean microfiber cloth. Check for any scratches remaining and repeat the process two to three times as needed.
If a scratch is deep enough to damage the primer, you would need to do some repainting.
3. Sanding and Repainting Deep Scratches
To repaint a paint scratch, you would need to wash it first and remove any dirt or debris. Next, you would need to sand the general area first with 2000-grit sandpaper. If the damage is deep, start with 1500-grit sandpaper and finish with 2000-grit.
Sand in the direction of the scratch for 15 seconds at a time, checking if you made the surface deep enough. Rinse the debris from the sanding and wipe dry.
Cover the area around the scratch and spray a primer near your car’s color. Spray a thin layer back and forth, waiting 10 minutes to dry the primer. Redo the primer another two to three times.
Once the primer is dry, spray on the same color car paint. Apply as many times as needed, waiting 10 minutes between applications to dry layers. Wait for it to dry.
The last part is to seal the area with car wax. When you remove scratches from car, make sure to seal the affected area with wax once you finish. Put a coin-sized amount on a microfiber cloth and buff in circular motions, then wipe dry.
Car Scratch Repair: Which One Is Right?
When it comes to car scratch repair, knowing what to do is the best thing you can do for your car. If you’re confident with your DIY skills, go for it. If you’re not sure of your DIY skills, go to the professionals and let them do the job.
Looking for other car guides? We have different automobile tips and tricks you can use to spruce up your car. From improvements to repair, we have it here for you.