How to Remove Scratches from a Black Car (3 Easy Steps)
If you’ve ever owned a black car, you may have noticed how difficult it is to keep clean and how easily it scratches. Every time you look at your car, it can feel as though you’ve discovered a new scratch.
Why are black cars so susceptible to scratches?
Car paint is made up of a primer (on the bare metal), a paint color, and then a clear coat on top of that. The clear coat protects the paint color underneath and gives the paint a beautiful, glossy shine. Depending on the car manufacturer, the clear coat may be very soft. If you touch the paint with anything but the best car care products, you may leave scratches. This is especially true for manufacturers that use a very soft clear coat, such as Subaru.
If the clear coat is scratched, the light reflection will be disrupted. Instead of seeing a perfect reflection, some of the light will be scattered in different directions. From some angles this is more obvious than from others. Sometimes scratches are only noticeable when exposed to direct sunlight.
How do I remove scratches from my car?
Many scratches can be easily repaired with a little knowledge and effort. These chips can be applied to swirls and scratches on vehicles of any color. When you look at a cross section of paint, scratches look like tiny grooves or ravines. Scratches are noticeable because the uneven surface reflects light differently. An undamaged clear coat allows light to pass directly through the paint color, resulting in a clean, shiny look with uniform reflection.
Light swirl marks are usually only visible from a few angles, and perhaps only in well-lit areas. They are often caused by subtle mistakes in washing technique, badge wear, or light contact with a rough surface. If you notice slight swirl marks on your car, you may be able to fix them by polishing the fine details.
1) Clean the surface
First, it is important to make sure the painted surface is completely clean. Wash the car and remove any other dirt with cleaning putty.
Before using the cleaning putty, soak the car in cleaning spray. The cleaning spray acts as a lubricant. Without these, more scratches will occur during clay machining.
2) Polish the Clearcoat
Next, apply polish to a microfiber applicator and buff it onto the vehicle’s surface using firm but moderate pressure. Then wipe the surface with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
2a) Use an Orbital Polisher
This is an optional step, but it makes the job a lot easier. Using a dual action or forced rotation polisher will help remove deep scratches in the clearcoat faster. Orbital polishers also allow you to apply more even pressure to the painted surface. This tool is also useful for repairing headlights faster than manual.
3) Wax your car
Once you’re done polishing, you’ll need to apply a layer of wax to the paint. Wax protects the paint from UV damage and other contamination.
Once you wax your car, you’ll notice it repels water. This will make cleaning easier the next time you wash your car.
Tips for Black Car Owners
If you really want to make your black car look good or restore its condition, keep these things in mind:
Tip #1: Don’t overuse the orbital polisher
Orbital polishers can be tricky to use. They can easily remove more clear coat than you intended, and you could end up polishing right through the paint if you’re not careful. When polishing, you want to remove as little clear coat as possible. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If there are deep scratches, it may not be possible to get the paint to a perfect finish without compromising the integrity of the clear coat and the paint underneath.
When in doubt, it’s best to take your car to a professional painter to have the paint touched up.
Tip #2: Apply a Ceramic Coating
A ceramic coating is a very hard coating that is applied over your paint. This coating repels water and other contaminants such as insects and bird droppings. Ceramic coatings are very effective at preventing minor scratches.
If you scratch a car with a ceramic coating, it is likely that the ceramic coating will be damaged, not the clear coat. In this case, lightly polishing the ceramic may be enough to restore the paint’s original shine.
You don’t need to rely on a professional painter to apply a ceramic coating. There are products on the market that will allow you to easily perform this task in your own garage. In some cases, you may need to remove and reapply the ceramic coating. However, it’s still better than attacking the clear coat to repair scratches.
Tip #3: Get Paint Protection Film
Paint protection film (also known as clear bra or PPF) is a clear plastic urethane film that is applied to your paint like a vinyl film. This film is designed to absorb impacts and reduce the chance of scratches being introduced to the paint of the car underneath.
Nothing works as effectively as paint protection film to prevent scratches. To save on costs, you can choose to only wrap the front of your car, or some people wrap the entire car in PPF and then apply a ceramic coating over the PPF for maximum protection.
