How Can I Fix Scratches on My Car?

If you drive your car to the mall, grocery store, or any local bar, chances are your car is going to get dinged by the car door next to it or hit by a shopping cart. Do you drive on the highway or gravel roads? Rocks can get kicked up from the road and chip the paint. Colorado driving can be hazardous, but it’s the regular everyday driving that can result in little scratches and chips in your paint job.
If you want to get it taken care of by real professionals, Fisher Auto in Boulder, Colorado is experienced in all aspects of body work and detailing. Or, if the damage is minimal enough, you can take care of it yourself. Follow these simple steps to repair minor paint damage on your vehicle.

Do-it-Yourself Chip/Scratch Repair

Wash your car first – Dirt and debris on the car before you try to repair the paint can lead to more scratches.
Contrast – When fixing a scratch, use a contrasting material like white out or black shoe polish to fill it in before you sand it down. This will act as a guide as to how much you need to sand down.
Tape Off Area – Protect the part of your car that you’re not working on with tape and butcher paper or plastic.
Sand – This is required if the chip in the paint is already rusted. At this point you might want to bring it in to the professionals since the damage has gone all the way through the clear coat and the paint right down to the metal. Or if you’re still feeling ambitious, sand down the area that has the contrast filling with sand paper until you no longer see the white out you’ve used. Remove excess dust from sanding.
Polish & Prime – Apply a scratch removing rubbing compound to smooth out the sanded area, and follow with a polishing compound. Apply a primer and let dry for about 30 minutes.
Paint – Luckily, touch-up paint comes in small containers and is fairly inexpensive. You can look up the exact color of your vehicle by looking up your make and model and you’ll find a list of factory colors, or you can get it from the dealer.  Apply paint and let dry.
Seal – Spray clear coat and cover with wax to protect the area.
You don’t want your car looking like a beat-up clunker before its time. You can take care of the small surface scratches yourself and keep your vehicle looking good.  When the job gets to be more than you can handle, bring it in to Fisher Auto in Boulder. Our experienced service team knows the ins and outs of body detailing to keep your car looking like new for as long as possible. Give us a call or stop by for any body work, mechanical repairs, routine maintenance, or even a great detail cleaning!