Slightly brushed against the garage wall or drove too close to a branch – and there’s a scratch in the car’s paint. The best tips on how to repair such damage.
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Smart Repair: Helps especially with smaller scratches
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Which paint scratches you can treat yourself
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Old home remedies: helpful or not?
Whether the car has to go straight to the workshop depends on the Depth of scratch smaller ones can possibly be treated yourself. If the color of the scratch differs from the original paintwork, the damage is up to the point primerif not even to the point of shimmering metal sheet penetrated. To avoid rust, the car should be taken to the workshop as soon as possible.
With a professional: eliminate paint scratches with Smart Repair
If the scratch is deep, it is advisable to have the damage treated by professionals – either in a workshop that offers Smart Repair or in a corresponding specialist company. With this service, minor cosmetic damage such as scratches can be repaired quickly and inexpensively Spot painting or remove additional paint with an airbrush gun.
However, with very large scratches, especially on horizontal surfaces, the repair process reaches its limits. For example, repaired areas on the hood could come through Light reflections become visible. Repainting the entire hood may be a better solution here.
Tips for the workshop: Compare the smart repair offers from different workshops in advance, as the price differences can be significant. Take photos of the damage before repairs so that you can file a complaint if necessary. Clarify in detail directly at the car what will be done and what it will cost. You can read more information and tips for the workshop here.
Do it yourself for superficial scratches
For fine scratches, polishing with a commercially available car polish could be sufficient. It contains microscopically small abrasive particles, which smooth the scratch, fill in small depressions and thereby conceal the scratch so that it is hardly or no longer visible. It’s best to do this:
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Carefully clean the area to be treated with warm water or foamed car shampoo to avoid any Dirt particles to rub into the varnish; Coarser dirt may need to be soaked first and then sprayed off with a hose
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Scratches afterwards Cleaning benzine and clean cotton swabs to remove even the smallest particles of dirt
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Allow to air dry or with a soft, clean cloth (terrycloth, microfiber) rub dry
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Polish paste and if necessary apply the finish in small segments (note: polish dries quickly!) using circular movements
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Remove any residue with a soft, clean cloth
This is how repairs with a repair kit work
If you are afraid of the workshop costs, for example because the vehicle is older, you could try to repair paint scratches yourself with a repair kit. It is important to remember that a selective repair may result in color deviations from the rest of the vehicle part in question.
Repair kits are available from car accessories stores. They usually contain two different polishes, emery cloth and polishing cloths. After thorough cleaning (see above), the two agents are applied one after the other and polished thoroughly as described in the instructions.
For deep scratches: When a touch-up pen makes sense
A touch-up pen is recommended if the damage to the paint is larger and cannot be repaired with polish or a repair kit.
Many car manufacturers offer Touch-up pens that match the color code of the car. The three-digit numerical code is usually located on a metal plate or sticker, for example under the hood, on the inside narrow side of the driver’s door, under the trunk cover or in the operating instructions.
After the thorough cleaning Apply a few drops of the touch-up pen to the damaged area (see above). Rubber spatula and carefully pulls it over the scratch. Once the paint is dry, excess paint can be removed using liquid paint repair and a polishing cloth.
Then the place in small segments treat with car polish and finally a sealing Instruct. The latter usually consists of wax-like substances and protects the paint from environmental influences.
Home remedies: Do toothpaste or nail polish help?
Toothpaste: The trick of using conventional white toothpaste instead of the usually expensive polishes is popular, but should still be viewed critically. If the abrasive particles are not fine enough, they will damage the paint even more. In addition, the finish that usually complements the polish and permanently seals the treated area is missing.
Nail polish: A no-go is using nail polish. In addition to the fact that it is extremely difficult to match the exact shade, this correction is not permanent: in summer, the nail polish bubbles or crumbles in the heat.
What happens if you don’t treat scratches?
Deeper scratches that have damaged the primer should not be treated just for cosmetic reasons. If you don’t repair it, the area will start to rust over time. And that then results in a much more complex repair.
