The majority of people use their cars every day, so there is a high probability that it’s going to get a few scratches. If you are a person who takes pride in their vehicle, you don’t want these unsightly marks covering your mode of transportation, so here are some tips on how you can get your road runner looking brand spanking new again.
1. Fingernail Test: To start, use your fingernail to run over the scratches, if it doesn’t catch, you are dealing with a surface scratch and you can use toothpaste to get rid of it. However, if your fingernail does catch on the scratch, it is slightly deeper than surface and you will need to use a store-bought professional product to get rid of them.
2. Toothpaste Method: Before applying the toothpaste to your car, you will need to wash and dry it properly. This is because rubbing debris and dirt into the car will make it worse.
- To apply the toothpaste, you will need a damp microfiber towel, it is important that you use the right material to apply the toothpaste because anything too harsh will cause further damage.
- Whitening toothpaste is most effective; however, you can use whatever you have available.
- Apply a small amount about the size of a dime to the towel.
- In a circular motion, apply the toothpaste to the scratches. The toothpaste should be thoroughly distributed on the area, apply a bit of pressure, but not a lot.
- Give the area a good rinse to get rid of any left-over toothpaste. You can do this by spraying the car with a hose, and then dry it with a towel.
- You may need to do this more than once, but don’t do it more than three times or you might strip the paint on your car.
3. Scratch Removal Product Application: You can purchase scratch removal products from your local auto supply store, or from a store such as Walmart from their auto-supply section. If you are not sure what type of product to buy, ask a sales assistant and they should be able to help you.
- Give your car a good wash making sure that there is no more dirt on the scratches. Dry the vehicle using a microfiber towel.
- The kit should come with a towel for application and there will be instructions to follow; but in general, these are the steps you will need to take.
- Apply a small amount of the product onto the towel, a quarter sized amount will do. Evenly distribute the product on the towel by folding it in half and rubbing.
- Work the product into the scratch using a back and forth or circular motion.
- As you are working in the product, make sure you apply a small amount of pressure.
- Once you have completed the buffing process, wipe any remaining product using a clean microfiber towel. In a circular motion, buff the area where the scratch used to be.
- You will need to do this quickly so that the product does not dry on the vehicle.
- Repeat the process two to three times if required; but make sure that you don’t do it more than three times, or you will damage the paint on your car.
4. Painting Deep Scratches: Some scratches are going to be a bit more difficult to get rid of than others. However, there is still hope because you can paint over the scratch to get remove it.
- Start by washing and drying the car to get rid of any dirt.
- Remove the top layer of paint by sanding down the scratched area. Sand for around 15 seconds and then check the area to see if it needs further sanding. Make sure that you only sand in the same direction as the scratch or you will cause additional scratches.
- Check your progress by rinsing the area.
- Once you have finished sanding, remove the debris from sanding by rinsing the area. Dry the surface using a clean microfiber cloth.
- Coat the sanded area with a primer, spray in a back and forth motion. Leave it to dry for 10 minutes and then spray another coat. It is important to make sure that the primer is as close to the color of your car as possible, or the paint will not match the rest of the car.
- Spray paint the area the exact same color as the rest of the car. It is a good idea to contact your car manufacturer to get the right color because the last thing you want is to have patches of color that don’t match! That will look worse than a scratch./li>
Once you have got rid of the scratches on your vehicle, its important to maintain the physical appearance of your car. Get it washed once a week, and if you get any more scratches, you will know what to do.
