Advice from experienced car owners on how to remove deep scratches on a car

Active use of the car will inevitably lead to scratches on it.

While minor defects are easy to deal with, deep damage requires a special approach.

Read the article about how to remove deep scratches on a car and return the car’s surface to its original smoothness and shine.

Is it possible to cope with improvised means?

You can try to get rid of scratches using improvised means. Sometimes they turn out to be effective. It’s better to at least temporarily repair the defect than to drive with exposed metal.

Means that can be used to restore a defect:

• WD-40,
• toothpaste,
• brake fluid,
• coloring pencil.

VD-40 grease is used as follows:

1. WD-40 is a first aid solution that can help get rid of scratches for a short period of time.

   The area needs to be treated, wiped dry, and the edges cleaned with sandpaper with the finest abrasive.

2. Apply WD-40 to a soft cloth and move it over the scratch in a circular motion. The product will soften the paint and clog the damaged surface with it.
3. Remaining lubricant is removed with a dry cloth.

You need to wear gloves to avoid damaging the skin of your hands. VD-40 allows you to quickly get rid of scratches, but the effect of its use is short-lived, so you cannot do without high-quality restoration.

• purchase a toothpaste with a whitening effect;
• degrease the surface of the car with a scratch;
• apply the paste to a soft cloth and polish the body with it;
• Leave the product for 15 minutes, remove any remaining residue with a paper napkin, and rub the car until it shines.

Brake fluid helps to quickly mask the defect. Its action is that it washes away the paint from the undamaged area and fills the scratch with it. It is recommended to resort to this method when a major restoration of a part is planned in the future.

Mode of application:

1. Wash the car so that there is no dust left on it. Allow the surface to dry.
2. Apply brake fluid to a clean cloth and buff the scratch with it.
3. After 10 minutes, evaluate the result. If it is satisfactory, the car is rinsed with water.

Only white cloth can be used to treat a car. If the rag is colored, the pigment from it may get into the scratch, which will only worsen the situation.

Colored grout pencils are sold in auto stores. Their average cost is 250 rubles. If the desired color is not available, you can order it in the online market. By choosing the right tone, you will be able to effectively disguise the scratch.

Mode of application:

• wash the car, degrease the treated area with white spirit;
• wait for the surface to dry completely;
• if there is dirt left inside the scratch or there are irregularities, it should be carefully cleaned with fine-grained sandpaper;
• fill the damage with a coloring composition using a pencil;
• when the paint has set, the surface of the car is polished with wax;
• Remove any remaining product with a soft cloth.

All of these methods allow you to get rid of deep scratches for a while, but then they will appear again. Therefore, it will not be possible to do without sanding, painting and polishing.

Car body restoration

Improvised means will not help cope with very deep scratches., since not only the varnish coating is damaged, but the paint composition with primer is damaged. Polishing or painting over the defect with varnish will not achieve the desired effect.

However, there is a way to deal with a scratch on your own and at the same time keep within a small amount. Do-it-yourself repairs will be cheaper than going to a workshop.

Materials and tools you will need:

• degreaser, such as acetone;
• paint in the color of the damaged part;
• acrylic based varnish;
• polish;
• sandpaper of different grits, ranging from P120 to P2500;
• two 5 cc syringes;
• masking tape;
• polishing wheel with two attachments: soft and medium hard.

When all the necessary tools have been collected, you can begin to work. Procedure:

1. To begin with, the scratch is sanded. The surface should be flat and smooth, without protrusions. Sanding is done with sandpaper with a grit of P2000. It must be moistened with a degreasing compound.
2. The nose of the syringe is cut off so that it becomes sharp. Paint is poured into a separate container and the syringe is filled with it.

   With its help, the coloring composition is squeezed onto the scratch. When the layer dries, the procedure is repeated.

3. After a day, a small bulge will form on the surface of the car. It is removed with sandpaper, which was used for initial processing. However, this time you will need a small piece that does not exceed 4 cm in length and 2 cm in width.For ease of use, it is glued to a wooden block.
4. Carefully and with little effort, sand the defect, removing any protruding paint. The surface of the car must be moistened, but this time you can already use water.
5. When polishing is complete, varnish is applied to the paint. It is also drawn into a syringe and squeezed out in a thin layer. It’s good if you can apply it in an even, single line, without breaks.
6. After the varnish has hardened, apply masking tape to the sides of the scratch. This is done to protect the old coating from being removed during sanding.
7. New sandpaper of P1000 grit is attached to the block. Use it to remove excess varnish. Be sure to moisten the surface with water.
8. Then the tape is changed and the area of ​​the former defect is treated with sandpaper of P2500 grit. The third polishing of the varnish is carried out with P3000 sandpaper. Water is used for cooling and to remove dust. Work continues until the transition between your own and the new paint coating ceases to be noticeable.

The attachment is installed on a drill or grinder. The speed should not be too high. Water must be used to cool the surface.

Contacting specialists

Auto repair shops engaged in the restoration of scratches include various types of damage as deep defects, ranging from damage to the car with a sharp object and ending with abrasions caused by light touches.

The undoubted advantage of turning to specialists is high-quality restoration of the damaged area. They offer two options:

• local coloring - the cost of the service starts from 2000 rubles;
• complete painting of the damaged element - the price of the work is about 7,000 rubles.

For numerous deep defects, the latter option is preferable, as it gives 100% results. If, in addition to removing the scratch, you need to straighten the part, then the price increases by 3,000 - 5,000 rubles.

Helpful information

Tips for removing deep scratches from a car's surface:

1. When initially treating a scratch with sandpaper, you cannot use ordinary water as a lubricant. Since deep defects reach the surface of the metal and are not covered with paint, water will lead to rust.
2. It is good if the paint used to cover scratches completely matches the color of the car. However, a slight discrepancy in tone during independent restoration is acceptable.

A lot of useful and important information about methods and means of removing scratches on a car can be found Here.

Video on the topic of the article

Removing a deep scratch without painting in 5 minutes, video instructions:

Conclusion

Deep scratches are difficult to treat. To begin with, you can try to cope with the help of improvised means. Sometimes they allow you to disguise a defect, so that it will no longer be noticeable.

If these methods do not help, you will have to restore the car yourself, or contact a workshop.