How To Tell If A Vehicle Scratch Can Be Removed?
One of the worst feelings any of us car owners can experience is noticing a scratch on our car. Whether it’s new or old, a scratch just isn’t something those of us who have a vehicle ever want to see.
There are a ton of TV commercials out there that advertise people being able to remove a scratch from their car using one of those pen removers, but can that be real? Do those really work?
The answer to that question depends heavily on what type of scratch you are needing to fix. In short, they can work, but not in every circumstance.
To understand how to go about treating the scratch on your car, it’s important to understand the different types of scratches that can occur.
Clear Coat Scratch
The first type of scratch is the least severe of the different scratches that can occur on the surface of the car. As we’ve touched on in previous blog posts, the clear coat is a thin layer of protection that protects the paint of the vehicle from dirt, mud, and other debris.
A scratch to the clear coat can most likely be removed without too much elbow grease being required. This is typically a quick fix that can be done with a light polishing of the clear coat to level the scratch and eliminate it fully.
Base Coat Scratches
Beneath the layer of clear coat is the base coat. Base coat is the layer beneath the clear coat that actually gives your vehicle its color!
If the scratch in your vehicle goes down to the base coat, it is almost always something that will require more attention than a light polish.
A base coat scratch is a scratch that will require some time and effort to ensure the scratch is taken care of properly either with careful touch up paint application or repainting.
Primer Scratches
Primer scratches are without a doubt the deepest and hardest to remove scratches that your car can experience. If your car has a primer scratch, the scratch is deep enough to go through the layers of protection that are in place to keep debris from getting down to primer level.
Primer scratches, or in some cases all the way to the metal scratches, need to be corrected immediately to avoid any further damage. With the metal being exposed, allowing it to go untreated will lead to rust at a rapid rate. To fix a paint scratch, it is always recommended to have a professional handle the restoration process.
How To Tell How Severe A Scratch Is
The fingernail test!
The best way to tell if the scratch on your car can be fixed at home and you can do it yourself, you can run your fingernail perpendicular to the scratch.
If your nail doesn’t catch in the scratch, that means that the scratch is shallow enough to be fixed without too much effort such as with polishing or paint correction. After running your fingernail over the scratch, if it does catch, the scratch is too deep for most home remedies or even removal by polishing. These scratches require some attention from a professional to help get your car back to looking like new and although they may not be able to be fully removed from the vehicle that doesn't mean the appearance of them can't be reduced significantly with paint correction.
How Can We Be Of Assistance?
At Keystone Detail, we’ve seen all different kinds of scratches, from the most minor clear coat scratches to highly severe paint scratches. Whatever your need may be, we’d love to help in any way you can. Bring your car by the shop to get looked at or give us a call to answer any questions you may have.
If you have any scratch on your car, severe or minor, it is always best to get them taken care of quickly to avoid letting the damage progress further. Give us a call if we can be of assistance in any way.
