To remedy your paint problem, first you need to find out how deep the scratches are. Typically, a car’s exterior has four layers – clear coat, base coat (paint), primer, and metal.
If the damage looks like this, it's better to get a body/paint shop to fix
If the scratch is deep, you’ll see a grey colour underneath, which is the primer. Often times, a deep scratch that reveals the car’s metal body or primer is better off remedied by a body shop.
Otherwise, what you’ll see is a lighter scratch that has affected the paint and clear coat. Normally, lighter scratches like these can be fixed at home. You can also spray some water on the scratch to see if it disappears. Scratches that disappear with water often times can be polished off.
The first thing you want to do is to wash the affected area thoroughly, as fixing the scratch while the car is dirty can potentially result in more scratches. Once the affected is clean, dry it with a microfibre cloth.
Next, you’ll need to lightly sand the affected area with a 2000-grit sandpaper (higher the grit, the finer the sandpaper). Keep in mind that you’ll need to rub in the direction of the scratch, just so you don’t introduce more scratches in the process.
After you’re done with the sanding part, take another microfibre cloth and apply some rubbing compound in small, but vigorous circles. By this stage, the scratch will start to disappear.
Photo credit: Auto Warehouse
Once the scratch has been removed, the final step of the process is to wax the area. Wax can restore the clear coat that was worn down earlier. High-quality carnauba wax should do the job just fine.
And that’s it, simple steps to remove light scratches from the comforts of your home, without sending to a paint shop.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.
