There are many common causes for scratches on your car's paint, including vandalism, poor parking, car accidents, miss shaped parking's, and others. Does the question always remain how to remove scratches from a car?
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Nothing is more frustrating than having clear scratches on your car's paint that affect your car’s overall appearance. However, visiting a repair shop to get a full paint caught can be costly, and not everybody could afford it.
Many common, cost-effective methods seem to work for many people, and you could do them yourself.
This article highlights the three top methods for answering your question of removing scratches from a car. Each method is suitable for a different type of scratches. Some are good for shallower scratches, while others are more recommended for deeper scratches. Unfortunately, most deep scratches require professional mechanics to repair if you need the job to get done right.
Getting rid of surface scratches using toothpaste – How To Remove Scratches from A Car
The first method is useful when you have shallow surface scratches on the outer layer of your paint. You can use toothpaste to get rid of these scratches. Here are the steps you need to take turn move these shallow scratches:
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Check the deepness of your vehicles scratch
One of the easiest ways to determine whether the scratch is deep or not is using your fingernail. If you notice that your fingernail is touching a surface, this indicates that the scratch is shallow, and you can proceed with this method.
However, if your fingernail did not catch any surface, the scratch could be deep enough, requiring a professional mechanic who must fix it.
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Please clean up the scratch area by washing and drying it
Before you attempt to use the toothpaste to remove the scratches, it's important to apply it to a clean surface that doesn't have any debris or dirt on it. Having degrees of dirt can worsen the problem as they might enlarge the scratch or make it deeper.
One way to clean your car could be manually or by going to a simple car wash. You want to make sure that your vehicle is dry enough before applying the toothpaste.
If you decided to clean your vehicle, make sure to use a sponge that can deeply clean any scratches on your car's paint.
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Using a damp microfiber towel, apply a quarter-sized amount of any toothpaste you have
It's very important to use a damp microfiber towel that is not super wet, but it's wet enough so it doesn't absorb the toothpaste and make it dry.
Usually, it's recommended that you apply a quarter-sized amount of toothpaste to that microfiber towel. However, you might need to add a little depending on your vehicle scratch's amount or size.
While you can use any toothpaste to remove scratches from your car, it's recommended to use whitening toothpaste as they work best.
Make sure to select the right microfiber towel. You want it to be soft enough and clean enough, so it doesn't cause any damages to your vehicle's paint rather than fixing the problem.
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In a circular motion, Rob the toothpaste around the affected area
With a towel that has the toothpaste, go in circular motions to buff out all the scratches. You want to make sure that you applied the toothpaste with even distribution around the area.
In some cases, you might need to apply some pressure to ensure that the toothpaste is getting inside the scratches. But, don't over press on the scratch because it could get worse.
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Clean up any excess to space
Once you're done, you can use some water to rinse out any excess toothpaste. Use your home's and then dry the area with a dry microfiber towel.
Once you're done, you can repeat the process for any other scratches around your vehicle.
Getting rid of surface scratches using Scratch removal products – How To Remove Scratches From A Car
There are some products available on the market that are made specifically to remove any small scratches around your vehicle. There are very effective but, unfortunately, there not recommended for deeper scratches.
To get rid of surface scratches using scratch removal products, you need to follow these steps:
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Clean up your vehicle from any dirt or debris
Like the previous methods, you want to start an application on a dirty scratch. You need to make sure that the surface is completely clean and use the product to buff the area. As we mentioned earlier, dirt under toothpaste or any other product could expand and enlarge the scratch area, making it worse.
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Look for the right scratch removal product kit
The market is filled with a lot of scratch removal product kits, and you need to do good research before making your final decision.
A good way would be to reach out to sales associates in the repair shop for help. They can provide you with information about the pros and cons of each product along with their prices.
Evaluate the situation and compare the products to your budget. This way, you have a good understanding of what to expect from the product that you purchased.
You will also need microfiber towels; thus, you also need to purchase those at home if you don't have any at home.
Some kits might include microfiber towels, and others might also include a mechanical buffing tool, which is most likely more expensive.
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Using a specific pad, apply about 1/4 sized dollop of the scratch removal product that you purchased – Remove Scratches From A Car
Again, depending on your scratch size and deepness, you might need more or less than a quarter-sized Phillip of the scratch removal product.
You can squirt it on the microfiber cloth or the buffing pad. At some point, you might need to fold the buffing pad or the microfiber cloth in half so you can work around the product around the affected area.
Like the toothpaste application, you want to make sure that the scratch removal product is distributed evenly around the scratch and around the microfiber cloth itself at the beginning.
It's recommended for scratch removal products to apply slight pressure as you work it around the scratch and the surrounding area.
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Clean up any residue
Once you're done buffing the scratch area, you can use a clean microfiber cloth to remove any scratch removal product residue.
You never want to leave the residue on your vehicle surface until it dries because it will be hard to remove, and it might cause some damages to the underneath pings.
Usually, most scratch removal products will come with specific instructions, and depending on the product you chose, it's important to follow the available instructions in detail.
Getting rid of surface scratches using paint – How To Remove Scratches From A Car
If the scratch is relatively deep, you might need to try using paint to fix the scratch. To do so, you can follow these steps:
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Make sure to start in a clean area
Like all previously mentioned methods, you need to start on a clean surface. You could either clean up your vehicle yourself or do a quick car wash.
Once the vehicle is cleaned, you want to ensure that the area you are trying to fix is also dried. Keep a close eye on the scratch's locations and ensure no dirt inside the scratch. You can manually use formulated soap to clean up and rinse the area.
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Strip away the top paint layer using sand
The first step before applying any vehicle's paint is to strip away the top paint layer. You can use 2000 grit sandpaper.
You need to start with the scratch area for about 10 to 15 seconds. Once you're done, look and see if the top layer is removed.
A good tip in sanding your vehicle's paint is to go with the scratch's direction, not against it, so you don't add more complications to your vehicle's paint.
After sending the area, you need to rinse it with water and get rid of any dirt or pin parts.
If you realize that the scratches deep and beyond your vehicles' clear coat, you might need to use at 1500 sandpaper and then apply it to 2000 grit sandpaper.
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Spray primer and then coat
Once the area is ready, you need to rinse it and clean it, make sure there is no leftover sand or any other dirt.
After that, you can apply a couple of primer coats, followed by a couple of paint coats.
The last tip is to apply wax to the location you just painted. This car wax provides additional shine and evens the new paint along with other vehicles' paint.
Conclusion – How To Remove Scratches From A Car
Car paint scratches are very common; It could happen from a car accident, wrong parking, or any other reason.
Going to a repair shop to resolve paint problems can be costly, and many people leave scratches on the surface.
However, what they don't know is that there are several methods to help answer how to remove scratches from a car.
This article highlights three common methods that tend to work effectively for a lot of people. Unfortunately, most of these methods are recommended for shallow to medium car scratches, and deeper scratches might require a repair shop visit.