Article Advise

submitted: Apr 8th 2008 | by: JasonLancaster | Total views: 7 | Word Count: 428 | |

You just walked out of the local mega-mart, bags in hand, and noticed that something was wrong with your car. It looks scratched! After close inspection, you see that the mark isn't rubbing off and that your new car is now scratched. What to do - get out the touch-up paint?

Often times, your dealer will give you a bottle of touch-up paint with your new car, but this is NOT the time to use it. Touch-up paint is a bad idea 90% of the time.

Unless the scratch is HUGE, touch-up paint in the bottle is a bad idea. It's hard to apply (unless you've got experience) and it's usually overkill. The good news is that there are some methods that will remove or greatly reduce the appearance of the scratch on your new car, and they're surprisingly inexpensive.

Most scratches can be fixed with a process called "wet-sanding". Wet sanding is done by a professional, and it involves moving paint and clear coat molecules around to reduce the appearance of a scratch. It works on light scratches, but deep scratches are another matter.

How do you know if it's too big? Are we talking about a scratch you can easily feel with a fingernail? Is it the length of a whole body panel? Can you see metal in the scratch? If any of the above is true, you have what is considered a deep scratch and the solution is to take it to your local body shop. If your car has been keyed and/or an entire panel is scratched, you may need to call your insurance company. The cost of repairing deep scratches can range, from $40 to thousands -- make sure you get a few quotes if it's much more than $100.

If the scratch is light, your local body shop should be able to fix it up for less than $40. Make sure the shop you're going to us has a written guarantee and that you understand it. Usually the person repairing your car will tell you what it's going to look like when they're done.

One last thing - these are only methods to reduce or diminish a scratch, not to truly repair it. A true repair would involve a new paint job for the scratched panel and paint blending for the nearby panels, and I think that's a terrible idea to fix a light or even heavy scratch. It's better to fix these things inexpensively - they're just going to happen again. Just remember, the scratch isn't going to miraculously disappear. It will look a LOT better though.

About the Author

Author Jason Lancaster, an auto industry veteran, created AccurateAutoAdvice.com. You'll find accurate advice on new car warranties and touch up paint.

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