Large Scratches On Side Of Car While Parked At The Grocery Store? 3 Tips To Get Your Car Looking New Again
If your car is parked at the grocery store and has large scratches on the side when you come out, there are things you can do to get the scratches off. You may be able to repair the scratches yourself or you may have to take your car to a collision repair shop. Below is more information about this so you can get your car looking normal again.
Type of Scratches
The main thing to look for is how deep the scratches are. If they are not deep you can purchase a scratch repair kit at auto parts store to repair the scratches yourself.
While your car is in the sun look at the scratches closely. If you still see paint the scratches are on the surface. You may see the color of the paint, which means the scratches are barely on the surface. If you see white, this means the scratches have gotten below the clear coating.
Repair Scratches Yourself
If the scratches are barely beneath the surface, purchase a scratch repair kit at an auto body parts store. These kits will come with complete instructions on how to use them. Most of them work the same, however. First, clean the area where the scratches are with the included cleaner, and then make sure the area is completely dry.
The kit comes with a pen that you use to fill in the scratches. Shake the pen well and then carefully squeeze it along each scratch until it is filled in. Next, use the sanding pads that come with the kit to smooth the compound placed inside the scratches. You should now see no scratches on your car.
Take Your Car to a Professional
If you see white or metal, you should take your car to a professional. With white showing, the professional will need to use paint to fill in the scratches.
With deeper scratches, the auto body repair shop technician will use lacquer-based paint. This is because this type of paint shrinks after it dries. The technician will purchase paint that matches the VIN (vehicle identification number) of your car.
The technician may use airbrushing to repair the scratches if only white is exposed. This makes the process much quicker and will produce professional results.
If the scratch is showing metal this requires much more extensive work. This requires doing many layers of sanding and then filling in the scratches with a primer. The technician then does a process of wet sanding.
Talk with the auto body repair shop technician to lean more about repairing scratches.