katrin berghofer 05.07.2021
Damage to the car’s paintwork, such as minor scratches, is annoying, not only to the private car but also to the rental car. However, high costs can certainly be avoided with a bit of craftsmanship if you do the repair paint damage on the car.
Here we show different methods to removing car scratches.
In case of an accident, the car insurance usually covers the repair costs, even if the damage is to the paintwork. However, if the car’s paint is damaged by grit, road salt or stone chips, the car owner has to pay the costs, which can be very high depending on the extent of the damage.
A scratch in the paint can happen quickly, and if you have rented a car, it can quickly become unpleasant. With a little craftsmanship, minor paint damage can be quickly repaired. The cost of this is removing paint damage from the car at about 30 euro. It is important that the damage is repaired immediately after it has occurred, so that no rust can accumulate. In the following article, helpful tips are given on how to remove the damage on your own.
Remove car scratches with polish
- Sandpaper
- Polish
- Hand drill with polishing wheel
- Paint cleaner
- Touch-up stick
- Paint sealant
First, the affected area should be thoroughly cleaned with a paint cleaner. Then the scratch is carefully sanded with sandpaper (z. B. 2000) and treated again with a sanding polish. Repeat these procedures until the scratch is removed. Finally, the affected area is polished to a high gloss and the paint sealant is applied.
You can also repair a small stone chip in the windshield yourself
For somewhat deeper scratches, a different procedure is recommended. After the affected area has been properly cleaned, it should be masked off. This is important because plastic or rubber may be stained by the products used. Again, the damaged area is then treated with sandpaper and polish but this time down to the colored paint. When the scratch is no longer visible, the area can be touched up with a touch-up pen. After that the surface only needs to be sealed. In the video you can see how to remove a scratch without a polishing machine.
Touch up with paint pen
If it is a really small scratch, it can be treated with a so-called paint stick.
Of course, it is especially important that the paint contains the correct color. Every vehicle has a color code, which is usually listed in the service booklet. Alternatively, the color code can also be determined. For this, only the information about the vehicle manufacturer and year of manufacture is required. However, you can also contact a branch of the vehicle manufacturer in question (e.g. B. BMW, mercedes, VW etc.) should be visited and asked for there.
The paint pens are equipped with a small brush to facilitate application. Before this is used, however, the area in question should be cleaned. As a rule, the applied paint dries very quickly and has a high covering power. Depending on the manufacturer, the cost of such a paint stick is between five and 20 euros.
We explain how to clean car seats – with purchased products and home remedies
Touch-up with putty and paint spray
Basically, a car paint job consists of the following layers:
- Primer
- Paint
- Clear lacquer
If the scratch goes through all the layers of paint, i.e. down to the bare metal, then the only thing that can usually be done is to prime the area with sandpaper, filler and spray paint. After the damaged area has been cleaned, it should be sanded down generously until a flat surface is obtained. For this, it is necessary to sand first coarsely and then finely. After that, the area must be cleaned, for example, with acrylic thinner. Then the surrounding area should be masked off. A thin layer is then applied with the paint spray. If the paint cover is not closed afterwards, a second coat must be applied. When the paint has hardened, the affected area should be polished to restore a beautiful shine.