A scratch on a car’s paint job is an annoyance everyone will probably have to deal with at some point in their lives. It may have happened when your car accidently rubbed up against something while you were making a tight turn. It may have even happened due to the carelessness of another driver who was parked next to you.
Whatever the case, car scratches are very common. They can also be very expensive to have professionally repaired. In a recession in which many people are short on spare cash, paying for such a minor repair may seem like a luxury you cannot afford. Thankfully, there is a way to make repairs to scratches on your vehicle’s exterior yourself. You can also make these repairs very cheaply and save lots of money compared to what you would have to spend to have them repaired in an auto shop. Just follow these very simple instructions.
First, you will need to make a determination of whether or not you will actually be able to repair the scratch yourself. Unfortunately, you can only repair certain kinds of scratches on your own. It usually depends on the depth of the scratch. A scratch that you can fix yourself will not go deeper than the top coat of paint. If the scratch goes deeper than that to completely remove the paint from that area of your car’s exterior, you unfortunately will probably have to pay for a professional repair job. If not, you can probably do a good job easily repairing it yourself.
If you can repair the scratch, you should next gather the things you will need to make the repair. In this case, all you will need is some car wax, a black magic marker, a cloth, and some paper towels. The magic marker should have a rather thin tip. It should also be the same shade as your car’s paint. The color may not need to be exact, but try to find a marker that is as close as possible to the color of your car. As for the car wax, any reliable brand should do.
Next, you will need to thoroughly wash the area where your car was scratched. Make sure to remove any dirt or grime on this area of the car. You must be especially careful to remove any dirt in or on the actual scratch. If you don’t clean it properly, your repair may fail. Once you have finished cleaning the area, wipe it dry with a soft cloth.
The next step is to apply the marker to the scratch. Take the marker and run it along every part of the scratch very carefully. Move the marker in a single line. Also make sure to apply the marker evenly throughout the scratch. Don’t use the marker where there is no scratch. Only use it to fill in the scratch and leave the surrounding undisturbed paint alone. When you finish, use the paper towel to pat the scratch dry.
Now you need to use your car wax. First, simply take some of the car wax and apply it in and around the scratch. Do not rub the wax in too much or use it to polish the car at this point. Just apply it on the scratch and then let it settle into the scratch for at least fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes have passed, it’s time to polish in the wax. Just polish it in normally. You can find the instructions to do so on your can of wax.
After you have done a rather thorough job of polishing the wax into the scratch, you can stop. View the area where the scratch once was. There is a very good chance it has disappeared or lightened to the point where it is barely noticeable. This is because the car wax does a good job of filling up the scratch and smoothing out the texture of your vehicle’s exterior. This wax job should be good for at least a year.