How to Remove Scratches from Your Car Paintwork

Scratches are inevitable no matter how much you baby your car. You just can't prevent people from brushing past it, stones kicking up from traffic, or the swirl marks that come from rubbing dirt into the paint when washing it.

The good news is you can remove most scratches from car paintwork without additional paint because most are superficial, barely penetrating the first 2 microns of clearcoat – this gives us room to manoeuvre with polishing.

Removing light scratches and swirls can be as simple as polishing them out by hand or machine polishing them out with a one-stage polish.

Heavier swirls and scratches that have marred the clearcoat are usually resolvable with a heavier two or three-stage machine polish. The latter is known as a correction detail, which can return even the mankiest cars into gleaming heroes.

Scratches that run through the clearcoat need new paint, meaning it’s time to call your local body shop and bite the bullet on a repair.

We provide more information on removing scratches from car paintwork below.

Knowing when you need to paint

There's a marked difference between light scratches from people's coat zippers and keying damage showing metal.

Whether you need car body paint and repairs depends on whether the scratch shows metal and how big it is. A good rule of thumb is if you rub your fingernail across the scratch and it doesn't catch, it's only superficial.

Scratches that expose metal need paint for a flawless finish, but clearcoat scratches are purely cosmetic – and you can resolve those without paint in most cases.

Touch-up paint – suitable for small scratches touching metal

You can buy touch-up paint pens from dealerships and retailers like Halfords – these have a nib and a brush. You can work this paint into minor scratches to make them disappear from 2-3ft, but it won't give you a professional result.

But you may be happy with the scratch disappearing unless you're looking for it. In this case, a touch-up paint pen is perfect.

Here are the steps to properly apply touch-up paint:

• Clean the area - Wash a 30cm radius around the scratch and dry it with clean microfibre towels to remove dirt and debris.
• Clear out the scratch - Use the pen's or grit paper's abrasive tip to clean out the scratch/chip so you have a clean surface to work on.
• Apply the paint starting at the top of the scratch - Carefully apply the paint to the scratch, starting at the top so it drips down into the scratch with gravity. If you have a horizontal scratch, work from one direction.
• Let the paint dry - Allow time for the first coat of paint to dry according to the instructions.
• Apply a second coat to fill the scratch – A second coat is required when the scratch doesn't sit flush with the surrounding paint.
• Apply a thin clearcoat layer to protect the area from sun and weather damage.

Polishing out superficial scratches

If the scratches in your car paintwork are superficial, you can polish them out because the clearcoat offers a fair amount of leeway.

Clearcoat thicknesses range between 35–50 microns in most modern cars, and one-stage machine polishing removes 2-3 microns at best. A heavier compound will cut into it more but still only remove 5-8 microns at most.

Depending on the scratch size and severity, you can polish it out by hand or machine. Hand polishing works for minor scratches and scuffs in one area, while machine polishing is the only option for polishing an entire panel or car.

Hand polishing – suitable for superficial scratches

Hand polishing out scratches from your car paintwork works best for minor clearcoat scratches rather than scratches that expose paint. Still, you can get excellent results with something like Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound - this removes surface scratches while also polishing the surface to a mirror finish.

Here's how you can polish out scratches by hand:

• Wash and thoroughly dry the area to remove any dirt or debris that could cause further scratching. Use a microfiber cloth to dry gently.
• Inspect the scratch closely to determine depth - if your fingernail catches, it may be too deep for a DIY repair.
• Apply a small amount of the compound to a microfiber cloth. Rub gently in circular motions over the scratch to break down the abrasives.
• Check the scratch after buffing - if it is still visible, apply more of the compound and buff again, using slightly more pressure. Repeat as needed.
• Once the scratch appears minimised, use a separate clean microfiber cloth to buff the area to a shine and blend it.
• Avoid applying too much pressure or rubbing too aggressively. Otherwise, you might worsen the scratch or cause hazing.
• If the scratch remains after multiple polish and buff attempts, it may be too deep for a DIY fix. Consider professional paintwork repair.

Remember that hand polishing requires physical effort, and the results depend on your technique and how much pressure you apply.

Machine polishing – suitable for deeper scratches

We recommend machine polishing for paint correction purposes where there are visible swirls and superficial scratches across panels. The beauty of paint correction is it returns the whole car to showroom condition.

Note that machine polishing is an art form and a professional job when doing a whole car, although you can try it yourself in smaller areas.

The key is using the right combination of polish and pad for the severity of the scratches. A fine finishing polish with a soft pad is often enough for light scratches. Work the polish thoroughly with your dual-action polisher, moving slowly across the area.

Step up to a more abrasive cutting compound and pad for deeper scratches. Start gently, testing small areas first. Work up to a heavier polish/pad only if needed, and control heat and friction by adding new polish to avoid burning through clearcoat.

A stage 1 paint correction with polish is only suitable for paintwork in good condition with light scratches and swirls. You can do this at home. A heavier stage 2 correction is better for removing moderate paint defects and requires a pro.

Don't let car scratches ruin your day!

Got a scratch that's annoying you? Contact our team who can advise on the best course of action for paint scratch and dent repair, or even accident body repair.