"Have it your way." "Made to order." These are phrases our culture has come to embrace. When it comes to buying a new car, I'm often asked about special ordering. People want a certain color, feature, or option that will make their car unique or better for them. Unfortunately, when it comes to cars, it's just not that simple. Here'... Read more
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You've just exited the store and are striding confidently towards your new car when you notice something isn't right -- the paint is SCRATCHED! You look around, hoping to see the culprit, vainly wishing they were still around so you could vent your rage. Then, you walk up to the scratch hoping it will "rub-off". Alas, that doesn't work either. What do you do next -- get out the touch-up paint?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Touch-up paint is one of the worst things you can do. Don't get me wrong - if you have a big, deep scratch, touch-up paint is probably appropriate. But I don't recommend that an average person uses it. First of all, it's very hard to apply correctly unless you're experienced. Second of all, it's usually overkill. There are other methods of reducing the appearance of a scratch that are easy and relatively cheap. For a light scratch, a wet sand is the preferred method. Basically, the paint is sanded with rubbing compound and the surface molecules of the paint are reorganized to fill the scratch and make it disappear. Provided your scratch isn't deep, this is the way to fix it. 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 answer to both of the questions above is "no", then you've got a light scratch in your new car and fixing it is easy. Go to a local body shop, preferable one with a written guarantee, and ask them for an estimate. Expect to pay around $40. 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.
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