Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

A car body can get scratched for a variety of reasons. Traffic accidents, vandalism, careless parking, or problems in parking lots are common causes of paint scratches. Scratches really affect the aesthetics of the car, but repainting the car or even painting over a small area costs a lot of money. You can polish the scratches with toothpaste, use a scratch treatment for minor scratches, or sharpen and repaint if the scratch is deep.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Use toothpaste for surface abrasions

1. 

   Use your fingernail to gently glide over the scratch to assess its depth. If the nail doesn't get on the scratch, the surface is only slightly scratched, and toothpaste is the right solution. If the nail has gotten into the cut, this is likely to be quite deep, and you need to use a specialized abrasive treatment product.

2. 

   
   
   Wash and dry the area. Before you put toothpaste on the scratch, you need to make sure the area is clean. Rubbing dirt on the scratches will make the condition worse.
   • You can take the car to the car wash or wash it yourself.
   • To wash your car, you will use a water hose to wet the entire car and remove most of the dirt. After that, you use a large sponge or brush to apply the special soap to the car. Rub soap all over the car and spray with water. Dry the car with a clean towel.

3. 

   
   
   Squeeze a coin-sized amount of toothpaste into the damp, soft cloth. Wet a fine cloth just enough to moisten. Then, squeeze a coin-sized amount of toothpaste into a towel, or less or more depending on the area to be scratched.
   • Whitening toothpaste is most effective, but you can try any of the available toothpaste.
   • You will need to apply toothpaste with a clean, soft, soft cloth to make sure it does not cause further scratches.

4. 

   
   
   Rub toothpaste into the affected area in a circular motion. Rub the towel in small circles to polish the scratches. Polish until the toothpaste is evenly dispersed on the surface.
   • You have to apply the toothpaste a bit harshly, but don't rub it too hard.

5. 

   Flush excess toothpaste with water. After polishing, rinse the area with water to remove excess toothpaste. Spray the car with a hose and dry with a soft cloth.
   • You can also wipe excess toothpaste with a wet washcloth.

6. 

   Repeat this process 2 more times. You may need to apply toothpaste more than once to get rid of scratches. Check the area to see if the scratch is still visible and repeat 1 or 2 times as needed.
   • Do not polish with toothpaste more than 3 times to avoid damaging the inner coating of the paint.
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Method 2 of 3: Use a scratch treatment product for small abrasions

1. 

   Car wash to remove dirt inside scratches. It is important to ensure the scratch is completely clean before applying any product or polishing the area. If you polish while dirt is still on the surface, more scratches will arise.
   • Use a hose to spray on the car before applying soap. Then, use a sponge or a car wash brush to apply the soap to the scratch. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth. Be sure to use special soap to wash your car.

2. 

   Buy products that treat scratches. You can buy scratch treatment products at an auto supply store or online. These products are usually sold in sets, which include a stain remover and a polishing pad to apply the solution.
   • If you don't know what scratch treatment product to buy, ask the seller for guidance. Employees at auto supply stores are usually knowledgeable about their products.
   • A fine cloth is often a good choice to apply a product that has a scratch treatment because it creates gentle friction on the body of a car.
   • There are a number of products that come with polishing tools that you can use to remove scratches.

   

   Chad Zani

   Automotive specialist Chad Zani is the franchise business director of Detail Garage, a car care company with headquarters in the United States and Sweden. Chad lives in Los Angeles, California and uses his passion for car care to teach others how to take care of cars, while growing the company nationwide.

   

   Chad Zani
   Car care specialist

   A scratch pen is the best choice for treating slight scratches on the interior coatings of a car. However, if the scratch is too deep or gets through the paint, you must take the car to the repair garage.

3. 

   Squeeze the stain remover into the polishing pad in a coin-sized amount. You may need to use less or more depending on the area of ​​the scratch. Squeeze the solution onto a polishing pad or cloth and fold in half so that the product is evenly absorbed into the towel.
   • Make sure the solution is evenly distributed onto a towel or polishing pad before starting.

4. 

   Apply product to the scratches and the surrounding area. You can apply the product in circles or in back and forth motion. Do it whichever is easy and can best cover the scratch, but don't change direction! Just push back and forth or in a circle. Continue to apply product to the scratch for a few minutes to allow the solution to disperse evenly.
   • When applying the solution, be sure to use gentle to moderate force.

5. 

   Wipe off excess product. After polishing the scratched area, wipe off excess product with a fine cloth. Polish the place where the product is applied in a circular motion.
   • Do not let excess product dry on the vehicle body.
   • See the manufacturer's instructions for how to remove excess product.

6. 

   Repeat 2 to 3 times as needed. Check to see if the scratch is still visible. If you still see scratches, you can repeat this procedure 2-3 times. Be careful not to repeat it too many times to avoid damaging the inner coating on the car body.
   • See the manufacturer's instructions before applying another layer.
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Method 3 of 3: Paint to cover deep scratches

1. 

   Wash and dry the car completely. If the car remains dirty during the repair process, the dirt may cause other scratches. Wash the car completely to remove all dirt and sand. Rinse the area with water several times to make sure it is completely clean.
   • Pay close attention to the area in need of repair. Spray the area with water to blow the dirt away from the scratch. After that, clean the scratch with car soap and rinse off the soap.

2. 

   Sharpen the scratched area to peel off the exterior paint. Wrap wet / dry sandpaper of 2000-grit roughness around the grinding tool (sandpaper attachment tool and handle) and start sharpening the scratch. Every 10-15 seconds, then check if more grinding is needed.
   • Always sharpen in the direction of the scratch. You don't want to create more scratches and expand the area to repair, right?
   • Rinse the scratch with water to see how well the grinding is progressing. You will need to rinse it to see if you have scratched the bottom of the scratch.
   • If the scratch is a bit deeper than the inner coating, smooth the surface with 1500-grit sandpaper, then remove the scratch caused by the coarse sandpaper.
   • Avoid getting dust or sand between the sandpaper and the vehicle. It will cause additional scratches.

3. 

   Rinse with water and dry the area. Spraying water to wash fine particles produced by grinding. Then, dry the surface with a fine cloth.
   • Avoid using an old or dirty rag as this will create additional scratches on the surface.

4. 

   Spray some primer on the abraded area. Pour primer (abrasive type) into the spray bottle. Spray primer on the area you have just finished. Spray paint according to the motion to me. Then wait 5-10 minutes for the paint to dry and spray a second coat. In total you will spray 3 coats.
   • Choose a primer that closely matches the color of your car's paint, if possible. Primer does not need to have the exact same color, but the main paint must be the same.

5. 

   Spray several coats of paint with the same color as car paint. Next, spray the main paint with the same color as the car's paint over the newly primed area. Wait 5-10 minutes between coats for the paint to dry completely.
   • To make sure your new paint is the same color as your car's paint, ask your vehicle manufacturer for the paint number. You can buy paint from an auto supplies store, or have to order paint from the car's manufacturer.

6. 

   Wax the area to block any new spraying. Apply high-quality carnauba wax to the surface of the vehicle, then polish with a polishing pad or a fine cloth. You can buy waxing kits, which include everything you need to wax your car, like wax boxes and polishing pads or fine cloth.
   • Apply a coin-sized amount of wax to a polishing pad or towel, or more if necessary.
   • Rub the cloth or polishing pad in circular motion with moderate force.
   • Continue rubbing until the wax is evenly covered and the surface of the car looks shiny.
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Advice

• People can use polishing powder to treat scratches on car paint. Find more information online on how to use this powder.

Warning

• If the scratch on your vehicle is too deep or has a large area, consider taking the car to a repair garage. Car repair shops have their own know-how to give your car a nice glossy finish.

What you need

Use toothpaste for surface abrasions

• Soap
• Water tap
• Sponge
• Cloth towels
• Toothpaste

Use a scratch treatment product for small scratches

• Soap
• Water tap
• Sponge
• Fine cloth (to dry the car)
• Scratch treatment kit
• Smooth polish or cloth

Paint to cover deep scratches

• Soap
• Water tap
• Sponge
• Fine cloth (to dry the car)
• 1500- and 2000-grit sandpaper
• Grinding tools
• Grinding machine
• Primer can be sharpened
• The main paint has the same color as the old paint of the car
• Car polish wax