Wondering if your car's scratches can be removed? We hate to start this on a negative, but if the scratches in your paint are deep, so deep that primer or even metal is exposed, there is no quick fix available. That kind of damage is the remit of a body shop and a man with a spray gun. However, for lighter scratches, there are things you can do.
The reality is cars lead hard lives and in the process, they get a bit battered. What scratches car paint? The bush on the side of your driveway, an overzealous local car wash, your kids clambering in and out of it. It can all take its toll on the bodywork, but it doesn’t mean the end.
How much could I save by repairing my own scratches?
As mentioned, a body shop can sort out more major bodywork damage, but they'll be more than happy to work on minor scratches for you – and you're probably looking at having to fork out at least £100 for a small area and double that for more extensive work, per panel.
There are several methods to get rid of scratches:
Wash and polish
Not an automated car wash, not the local £5 place that sprays your car with all manner of stuff. No, you, some decent car shampoo and some decent polish. Nobody will do a better job than you, it’s your car after all. Give it a good wash, dry it off and then apply the polish.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a sunny day is best, it’s not. You want a dry, overcast day so the sun can’t bake the polish on. Apply the polish, leave it for a few moments, then buff it off with a decent microfibre cloth. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes when it’s done with genuine care and attention.
Clay bar and lubricant
It’s an arduous undertaking, because you only work on a very small area at a time, but the results can be spectacular. Clay bars are made of a special compound that, when lubricated and worked over a panel, will pick off near-microscopic amounts of dirt and grime that has become embedded into the paint.
The trick to using a clay bar is to keep it well lubricated and fold it often. Don’t work it too much without re-moulding it in your hands, otherwise you just end up working the dirt back into the paint.
Machine polish
If there are still swirls and scratches, another idea would be to machine polish the car. You’ll need the car to be washed, dry and free of other polish products. Then, once you’ve acquired a machine polished from your local car place, you can start polishing.
Start with a fine grade cutting compound, put a few dabs on the pad, then set the machine to its lowest setting and work the compound in. When it’s evenly dispersed, up the speed and work the compound in further.
You DO NOT need to press the machine into the paint; it just needs to be the lightest touch - the weight of the machine itself, if that.
And when the compound starts to ball up, that’s enough. Buff it off and then apply final polish.
Abrasive polish
Ceramic coating
Finally, you should give your car a ceramic coating. There is a lot of speculation around this, but that mainly relates to expectation. Nothing you can do to a car, other than paint it, is permanent.Ceramic coating isn’t a miracle fix. Instead, think of it as premium wax, and with it, a way of offering a period of protection for your car. Once your car is cleaned and you’ve done your machine polishing, a ceramic coating will bond to the paint and lock in the clean and shiny surface.
