Dents Scratches on your car's paintwork are naturally very annoying. Whether you've just got a new car and this is the very first damage, or it happens to your five-year-old car that you keep in tip-top condition. Fortunately, it's often easy to remove scratches yourself at home. There are a number of nonsense products on the market that are of little use in making the scratch less visible or even removing it entirely. This is especially true for items from a budget shop: cheap is expensive. But there are also a number of tried-and-tested products to get started with at home, which can polish away any damage with minimal effort. It's helpful to have a bit of knowledge about how a layer of car paint is constructed, and what type of products can ensure a neat repair for a particular scratch. Here you can read the best tips and tricks for removing car scratches.
How do scratches get on your car
Car paint is made up of several layers, which are designed to protect your car's metal from weathering, rust, and other harmful influences. And of course, a beautiful paint finish also ensures that your car looks fantastic. A car's paint is of high quality, and composed in layers to withstand most damage. Nevertheless, it is easy to get scratches on your car. Especially in the Netherlands, where space is limited and so your car quickly comes into contact with things. Scratches can occur if you drive your car too close to a wall or barrier (for example, from a Car park) driving. Or by playing children, inattentive supermarket shoppers with a trolley, and by cyclists who pass too close to your car. And then there are also a fair number of natural events that can violently remove your car's paint. Falling branches, splashing stones, and there are even certain birds that for some reason like to work on your beautiful gleaming paintwork with their sharp beaks.
Autolak is opgebouwd uit meerdere lagen, die elk hun eigen specifieke functie hebben. Van onder naar boven zijn dit de lagen:1. **Katoferende primer (e-coat):** Dit is de eerste beschermende laag die op het kale metaal van de auto wordt aangebracht. Het is een corrosiewerende laag die ervoor zorgt dat het staal niet gaat roesten. De e-coat wordt aangebracht via een elektrodepositieproces, waarbij het voertuig in een bad met primer wordt ondergedompeld en een elektrische lading wordt gebruikt om de primer gelijkmatig aan te brengen.2. **Primer/Surfacer:** Dit is een laag die oneffenheden op het metaal opvult en helpt bij het creëren van een glad oppervlak. Het verbetert de hechting van de volgende lagen en kan ook enige extra bescherming tegen steenslag bieden. De kleur van de primer kan variëren, afhankelijk van de uiteindelijke lakkleur, om de dekking te optimaliseren.3. **Base coat (kleurlaag):** Dit is de laag die de daadwerkelijke kleur van de auto bepaalt. Het bevat pigmenten die de gewenste kleur geven. Bij metallic- en parelmoerlakken bevat deze laag ook aluminiumdeeltjes of mica-vlokken die de glans en het kleurspel creëren.4. **Clear coat (blanke lak):** Dit is de bovenste transparante laag van de autolak. De clear coat biedt de echte bescherming tegen weersinvloeden, UV-straling, strooizout, krassen en citroenzuur. Het geeft de lak ook zijn glans en diepte. Moderne clear coats zijn vaak krasbestendig en zelfherstellend tot op zekere hoogte.Elke laag wordt met specifieke applicatiemethoden aangebracht en gedroogd of uitgehard, wat resulteert in een duurzame en esthetisch aantrekkelijke afwerking.
It is important to know how car paint is built. That way, you can diagnose for yourself what kind of scratch is on your bike, pardon, car. And which product will help in your situation. You should know that car paint consists of multiple layers, each with its own function.
- A layer of primer is first applied to the metal of the car body. The colour of this primer is light grey to white. The purpose of the primer is to ensure that the topcoat layers adhere better to the metal of your car.
- Once the primer coat is dry, the desired shade of colour lacquer is applied in the factory. This is the lacquer that determines the colour of your car. However, it is not yet the top layer.
- The colour layer is sprayed with a layer of clear coat, which makes the colour layer shine. This top coat is also formulated to harden extremely hard on curing. The clear coat is therefore the most important protective layer on your car.
Various types of car scratches and their repair
Now that you know what each layer of car paint looks like, you can examine each scratch to determine how deep the damage is. This will give you a starting point for applying a suitable product to the damage.
Deep scratches
Do you see any silver metal in the scratch? This is a very deep scratch that has reached the metal of your car and could only have been caused by significant force. Unfortunately, you cannot repair this type of scratch yourself. Take your car to a garage to have the scratch repainted. Don't wait too long: paint not only looks good, but it also protects the metal of your car body from rust. If the metal starts to rust, it can cause structural damage to the car and also lead to the paint around the damage quickly flaking off further.
Is the scratch white or light grey in colour? This is a deep scratch: the scratch goes all the way to the primer. You'll probably have to look closely and from multiple angles before you see the white of this layer – a magnifying glass can help you with this. The DIY solution for a deep scratch down to the primer is a touch-up paint pen. With this pen, you can use the small brush to touch up the chipped paint. For this, you'll choose a paint colour with the correct shade. You can find the colour shade of your paint layer as a colour code, which is often printed on a sticker in the car door frame. This way, you ensure you use the exact right colour of paint, and the scratch becomes as invisible as possible.
Apply the lacquer carefully as instructed with the brush. Or, if it is a very narrow scratch, use a toothpick, a pin, or the edge of a piece of paper. The more carefully you apply each new layer of coloured lacquer to the scratch, the less visible it will become.
Once the new colour lacquer has dried, you can use a so-called scratch filler on top of it. These agents fill the clear lacquer layer, which has also been scratched away, and ensure that the colour lacquer layer is protected again. Alternatively, you can use a scratch remover, which carefully polishes the lacquer around the scratch and makes the deeper scratch less visible. By using one of these two treatment methods, you will achieve the best result, and you can ensure that the scratch is no longer visible to the naked eye.
Superficial scratches
If there is a scratch on your car, but you can't see a white layer within it, then the paint has been damaged down to the coloured layer. You don't need to use a touch-up paint pen for this, but you can fill the scratch and make it practically invisible using a scratch filler. A scratch remover also helps to take off the sharp edges of the scratch, thus making the opening smoother. If you do this carefully, there's a good chance the scratch will no longer be visible after treatment.
Is there a very shallow scratch that is only visible from certain angles? This is a minor scratch where only the clear coat has been worn away, and often not even completely. These are scratches that typically occur on car parts that are used intensively. For example, from keys sliding along the door frame or the rear hatch keyhole. And on the front and bonnet, where flying debris often bounces off while driving. You can treat these scratches in several ways. If the scratch is deep enough, you can use a scratch filler. It is also a great option to use a scratch remover, which levels out the scratch so it is no longer noticeable in relation to the surrounding paintwork.
