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How To Buff Scratches On Car

By: Cynthia Neatherlin

Break Studios Contributing Writer

To your utter horror, a quick trip to the store ends up with you needing to know how to buff scratches on car. Whether some idiot did not appreciate the fact that you purposefully parked halfway to Egypt to avoid careless shoppers crashing into your beautiful car; or worse, some psychopath who was in a particularly nasty mood decided to take it out on you, makes you now need to equip yourself with the knowledge of how to buff scratches on car. However, not all scratches are the same. Here is some vital advice to help you restore your car to its former glory. 

Items Needed:

  • Soft Rags
  • Adhesive Remover
  • Lacquer Thinner
  • Rubbing Compound
  • Car Wax
  •  
  1. Determine what type of scratch it is. It’s a simple fix if the damage is merely on top of the paint, or is gouged into it. For example, if it is a rubber bumper, another paint color or plastic, it may not have penetrated through the paint. You can easily buff scratches on car with an adhesive remover. Simply run your fingernail down the surface of the scratch. 
  2. Try to rub the mark out. Most new cars have a fresh coat of wax, so hopefully it is only a mark and the metal underneath is unscathed. Thoroughly clean the area by taking your rag and clean it with plain water and soap. Dry it completely. Try rubbing the mark out with your rag and lacquer in a circular motion. If the offending mark is still there, try a rubbing compound. Be careful not to rub too hard with the buffer, it may burn the paint. Switch back and forth to get rid of the buffing marks with your rag. 
  3. Repair and buff scratches. If it is a scratch, rather than a simple mark, repeat the washing process. As you may have guessed, you will be sanding down the surrounding damaged perimeter until it is at an even level. Take care not to go too far. Work slowly until you completely buff the scratch on your car out. 
  4. Paint over the scratch. After all the polishing, sanding and buffing the scratches on car, inspect the previously damaged area. Finally, it’s time to paint over it with your vehicle’s matching paint color. Wait until it is dry, and then seal in the new paint with a car wax. 

It takes a little time and a little elbow grease, but you can do it. Nevertheless, no matter how careful you try to be, as you well know, stuff happens; but now that you know how to buff scratches on car, you never again have to panic if the inevitable occurs.

Posted on: Oct. 29, 2010