Scratch That Scratch Away

Jason Moore
April 20, 2006

Scratches are one of the nuisances that you could have when it comes to keeping your car looking like new. Of course, scratches may not even be very much visible, however for car owners who are very conscious about how their machine looks could find these little lines something to worry about. After all, a scratch when put together with other scratches could make a vehicle owner look like a very careless person.

Of course there are various types of scratches on your car’s paint. There are small scratches that are barely seen. There are even deeper ones that look like they have been carved to make you feel very guilty. However, for most scratches which are small, these can be fixed and repaired by just using touch up paint. On the other hand, the larger ones need more attention and may actually require you to use paint sprayers or even assistance from those trained professionals.

Before you start anything, determine first if your car’s exterior is painted with enamel. If it is enameled, the color may not mix well with lacquer-based primer paint. On the other hand, if your car’s paint is not enameled, you can then proceed to find the right kind of paint that would match your vehicle’s exterior color. You would also be needed primer paint. It is recommended that you use a light primer color so that your touch-up paint will be easily applied.

Time to turn to the scratch itself. Wash it as well as the surrounding area with a mild laundry detergent. Make sure that you remove any wax or other coatings that could affect the new paint that you will be applying later one. Then, you can now sand along the scratch. Use a fine-grained sandpaper to do this part. If there is any rust accumulation, sand them away as well. Make sure, also, that you blow away all the dust. Or you can also use a soft brush to remove the dust.

Put masking tape and newspaper around the scratch. But make sure that you leave around half an inch of working room around the area. This would be to isolate the scratch when you start doing the removal. Use a plastic knife to apply the body compound to the scratch. Make sure that it is applied not only on the surface but within the scratch itself. Wait until the compound hardens and when it does, start sanding away to make sure that the compound is flat. You would not want to have any bulks or bumps on your exterior. Then, blow or brush away all the dust.

Spray a small amount of primer paint to the scratch and let it dry overnight. Then, in the morning, you can then use a tough-up’s applicator brush to paint the area. Let it dry overnight again. Come morning, your vehicle would be ready to strut its stuff on the roads without any signs that it suffered from a scratch.

To preserve the amazing performance of your car, there is a one-of-a-kind online store to provide you with durable Ford parts especially made for this brand. Ford Parts and Ford Auto Parts has been providing Ford owners with these parts and include Ford Escape parts in their line up of products.