Did You Know That You Can Repair Car Scratches Yourself?


Over time, one's car paint will inevitably get scratched. These unsightly marks can depreciate value and weaken the car's finish. Left unattended, some deeper scratches can even lead to rust. No one wants rust on their car as this can be costly to repair.

Luckily, the DIY auto painter can easily repair car most minor scratches and nicks in his or her home garage. You can sometimes polish these out as long as they are not deep and paint is still visible under the blemish. If this is the case, you are in luck as no further reading is necessary.

Unfortunately, if you see primer or bare metal under the scratch, a new paint application will be necessary. The first thing you will need is a brush from a touch-up bottle to apply the paint to these scratches and other small nicks. In times past, the DIY auto painter would use dabs of clear nail polish to cover these minor scratches after.

Both of these can generally be found in your local auto body paint and parts store. It would be wise to ask for help when selecting the correct touch-up bottle as they can match up the car's color code with what you are in need of. In addition, they will have invaluable information on how to repair car scratches yourself.

Remember there is nothing wrong with asking questions. When deciding whether or not to repair car scratches yourself, make sure you do not let too much time pass. Many scratches will allow oxidation to wreak havoc with your paint job. This is also why nail polish was used as it would protect the finish from peeling.

If too much time passes, the paint will eventually start peeling off. This would be an unfortunate result of something that can easily be repaired in one's own garage and much more expensive. If the nick or scratch is quite long, touch up paint will not work. This is because it is not effective in long strokes.

To recap, those small car scratches and minor blemishes are simple to fix. Gauging the scratches severity will also help decide whether or not the project can be done at home. The deep scratches that many of us see on cars that are long and often made by keys belonging to angry people will usually require quite a bit more work and possibly a paint booth rental.