Does your car have huge paint scratches similar with the picture above? If yes, then this post is for you!
We often bump things on the road and most of the time, big scratches happen when your car comes in contact with other cars. Depending on the impact, a mild accident won’t result to dents but just big and deep scratches.
While incidents like this is stressful, you can actually fix and repair scratches yourself without using any special tools! Want to know how? Read on.
What Happened to My Car?
My car was hit by a motorcycle and as you see from the picture, the bike’s blue body color was transferred into my SUV’s tailgate.
Most mechanics call this as “paint transfer”.
Depending on the damage, you should assess whether you need filling due to dents, or you just need some buffing to hopefully remove and erase scratches.
However, if the scratches are deep, then you will need to use fillers and repaint that surface in order to fix the damage.
In my case, my tailgate wasn’t dented but got huge, deep scratches and that blue paint transfer issue. So how to fix deep scratches and paint transfer?
How to Fix Deep Paint Scratches?
If your car has scratches or even deep scratches, then you can easily fix that without the need of repainting the affected area.
But in all honesty, you cannot revert back your paint into its previous condition if the scratches are too deep, which of course needs filling and repainting job.
In my case, there was a paint transfer which is colored blue and a lot of scratches. Some are deep scratches which is not repairable using the method that I am about to share to you. So to fix paint transfer and paint scratches, you’ll need:
- Rubbing compound
- Buffing pad or cotton cloth
- WD-40
- Turtle Wax Scratch Remover
First is to use rubbing compound on the affected area. Apply small amounts of the compound evenly and use a buffing pad or cotton cloth and start buffing the scratched area. Put even amounts of pressure so you’ll get better results.
This is quite effective in removing light to heavy scratches as it evens out the top coat of your paint. However, this procedure won’t work with paint transfer.
You can use sandpaper to erase the transferred paint but you’ll need more than just rubbing compound to make your paint shine again – you’ll need to repaint the affected area.
In our case, we will not sand the paint but we will just use WD-40 lubricant. This chemical is perfect for lubricating metal surfaces and of course for cleaning purposes too.
But did you know that WD-40 can also make your paint shine?
Yes, WD-40 is a strong chemical that can actually peel off your top coat, which gives the impression that it can be used as a polishing product. However that is not the case.
Using WD-40 as a paint detailer in a regular basis will not do any good for your paint. It will actually ruin it as it will make your top coat thin or even disappear. So don’t ever use this product on your paint as a polisher.
But why am I going to use WD-40 on this job you ask? Well, as I said, WD-40 can remove the top coat of your paint and since I have paint transfer issue, it will be an effective product for removing paint transfer.
The paint is stuck inside your clear top coat so by using WD-40, you can erase that paint easily from your car. Simply spray the product on the affected area, buff using a cotton cloth or buffing pad and make sure to apply moderate to heavy pressure (depending on the severity of the paint transfer).
This part may require patients and hard work as paint transfer are commonly hard to remove, they are quite stubborn.
Once you are able to remove the excess paint, then you can either use Turtle Wax Scratch & Swirl Remover or rubbing compound as the final touch.
This product will make your paint shine more and prevents scratches from being visible to the naked eye.
Again, apply even amounts of the product on the affected area, buff with a buffing pad or cotton cloth. Apply moderate pressure for this part, and you are done!
Summary
If you are involved in a minor accident or you bumped on something and your car got scratched, then this procedure will be an effective fix especially if there’s paint transfer involved.
Of course, these procedures won’t fix deep scratches as it will need repainting job. But if you want a quick fix that can save you money, then this procedure is a perfect solution for you.
If your issue is about headlight yellowing, then I also have a solution for that in another post here.
Below is the full story and tutorial on how you fix scratches and paint transfer. It is in Tagalog language but has English subtitle. Enjoy watching!
