Do you have a scratch on a black car and you are looking for ways to remove this scratch from your paint? If that is the case, then you are at the right place because this article will be all about this topic where we are going to cover the best ways to remove paint scratches.
- Paint Scratch?
- Scratch Types
- Why Black Cars Are Bad?
- How To Remove Scratches?
- Paint Protection
- Conclusion
- F.A.Q
Paint scratches are something that no owner wants on their car. They can basically ruin the looks of the car and would most easily ruin your day. Especially if someone with evil intentions keyed your car during the night or you scuffed the bumper while you tried to park the vehicle.
Both of these situations are something that nobody wants. But they can occur quite often if you are asking me. Especially if you have a black car. Black cars are like a magnet for this situation. When I had a black car, I couldn’t have a day of rest from all these situations when the car got dirty or scratched. So, having this color can be rather a pain to deal with. But you shouldn’t worry because we are going to help you out.
First, we are going to learn what is scratch on a black car is, and then we will cover the different types of car scratches. We will share some tips on how to avoid them and then we will cover the ways to remove scratches based on the type of scratch that you have. Then we will learn how to protect your car from scratching. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
What Is A Paint Scratch On A Black Car
Now before we dive into the scratch on a black car, let’s cover some of the basics and learn what is a paint scratch in general. Why is this necessary? Well, because a lot of people confuse scratches with paint swirls. Even though they technically are both scratches, they are actually not the same. So, in this chapter, we will further elaborate on scratches and after that, we will dive into the types of car scratches. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
So, what is a paint scratch? Well, a paint scratch in our book is paint damage that was done on purpose or by accident by you or by a different person.
Let’s take an example, you live in a neighborhood and you park your car on the street. There is a high chance in this case, that some neighbor from whom you steal your parking spot keyed your vehicle.
In these situations, people can get really angry and will do anything to damage your property. And the saddest thing of all is that you will never find out who was unless you spot the person or you have a camera installed inside of the car to record this guy.
A second situation is, for example, you go outside to have a few drinks and suddenly you are too relaxed. But you sit behind the wheel and on the way out you scratch the car from a different car without knowing. And in the morning you see a big scratch on a black car with paint transferred on your bumper. But what is a paint transfer? More on that we are going to cover in a bit.
Types Of Car Scratches
Now before we dive into how to fix a scratch on a black car, let’s cover the different types of car scratches that are out there.
There are a couple of different types and this is why we think that it is crucial to cover them all in order to further understand the problem and then be able to solve the issues accordingly. Why is this the case?
Well, this is the case because different scratches will require different approaches. Not all scratches are the same and you should definitely have to be aware of this before you start tackling the problem. So, let’s cover the different types of scratch on a black car.
1. Paint Transfer
The first type of scratch on a black car that we are going to cover is paint transfer. So, what is paint transfer, in the first place?
Well, we mentioned this problem briefly in the introduction. Paint transfer in simple terms is a situation when you rub your car from another car.
This type of paint damage often happens when you try to park or you are parked in a parking lot. And you are really unaware when you park your car or leave the parking space.
So, there are situations where you could accidentally rub the bumper from another bumper and get some paint transferred from the other car.
This is actually the smallest type of damage that you can get on your car. Mainly because this is paint from another car. Which can be removed with a few simple tricks.
Later on in the article, we are going to further understand how you can remove paint transfer from a bumper or any painted surface on your car. Still, below the paint transfer, there could be a scratch on a black car. But we will cover how to sort out this problem as well.
2. Clear Coat Damage
The second most common type of scratch on a black paint car is clear coat damage. So, what is clear coat damage in the first place?
Well, as you probably know, modern paint jobs include two-stage paint. The first layer is the actual paint and on top of the paint, there is another layer that is see-through.
This layer is known as the clear coat. The clear coat gives that nice and glossy finish to the car. Without a clear coat. The paint of the cars would start to look dull like the one on cars from the 60s or 70s era.
The clear coat protects the paint from damage and oxidation. So, when the first signs of oxidation appear, they actually damage the clear coat.
Also, scratches can easily damage the clear coat and create lines. And in this case, when you see a scratch on a car, it’s actually the sunlight that reflects inside of the scratch and creates this line. This is on a microscopic level.
Later on, we are going to learn how you can easily fix this type of scratch on a black car. Now let’s move on to the next type.
3. Base Coat Damage
The next type of scratch on a black car that we are going to cover is base coat paint damage. So, what is base coat damage?
Well, we mentioned previously that there are two layers of paint. The clear coat which is at the top and the actual paint of the car.
This means that the scratch was so deep that it destroyed the clear coat and went into the paint layer. And this is not good since these are the scratches that will not buff out. Since they are so deep and the paint underneath is very damaged.
In order for you to tackle paint damage like this, you will need to get some heavy-duty stuff. But more on that, we are going to cover later on in the article after we cover the last type of scratch on a black car.
4. Primer Damage
And the last type of scratch on a black car that we are going to cover is the type of damage that is known as primer damage.
This is actually something that you don’t want on your car since the scratch went through the clear coat and paint and entered the primer. So, what is primer?
Well, primer is the layer on the car body that sits below the actual paint. Primer simply is a layer that protects the car paint from rust and it is basically a protective layer.
So, if the scratch went too deep into the primer, there could also be some metal exposure. And when you have metal exposure to the atmosphere, you actually have rust issues.
And if you leave this type of damage that went through all the paint layers, you could face some problems with rust. The paint underneath could start bubbling and big problems will appear.
So, it is important that you act quickly and sort out this problem as soon as possible if you want to avoid spending loads of money on expensive rust repair instead of repairing a simple scratch on a black car. But how you can do that, we are going to elaborate on later in the article.
Why Are Black Car Paint Scratches The Worst
Now before we dive into how to remove scratch on a black car, let’s take a look at why scratches on a black car are the worst. What makes these scratches something that you don’t really want?
Well, the paint itself is the main problem. You can see everything on a black painted car. Much more than on silver, or on white for example.
The black color is very deep and any imperfection that is created is visible to the naked eye. Silver cars tend to be full of swirls and scratches, but you cannot see anything. So, why is this the case? Let’s dive deeper into the science and understand the problem in-depth.
When you scratch a car and damage the clear coat, you basically allow the sunlight to reflect in weird ways.
For example, if you spray the scratched car with water, the scratches will likely disappear. But when it dries out, they will reappear once again.
Inside the scratch, at a microscopic level, there are a lot of imperfections, that reflect the sunlight between themselves. So, this creates a line of light, and this makes the scratch visible to the naked eye.
But fortunately, you can do a car scratch repair from the black car paint. By using a couple of methods, buff out scratches on car, deep scratch repair by doing a respray, or using simple touch-up paint. But more on the methods that you can try, we are going to cover in the following chapter where we are going to learn how to remove scratch from a black car.
How To Remove Scratches From A Black Car
Now let’s get to business and start learning more about how to remove scratch on a black car. In the following chapters, we are going to share the most common ways that you can remove a scratch from the car paint.
What is worth noting is that we are going to cover each of these types of paint damage that we mentioned previously. And for each of them, we will cover the best methods of getting rid of the scratches. So, you definitely don’t want to miss that because there will be a lot of interesting information to share.
Scratch On A Black Car Fixes #1: Paint Transfer Removal
The first type of removal of a scratch on a black car is paint transfer removal. And honestly, this is probably one of the easiest types of scratch removal. Why so?
Well, this is the case because there is very little damage to the paint itself. Most of the paint is actually paint from the other car that came in contact with your car.
And for this purpose, you don’t need a buffer or a similar tool to get rid of the scratch from the car. The only thing you actually need will be Goof Off or Goo Gone.
These solutions actually are adhesive removers (which can certainly help with how to remove bumper stickers). But they will remove almost anything from the paint. You just apply the solution to the paint and leave it for a couple of minutes.
Then get a microfiber towel and gently rub off the paint transfer on your bumper. It is that easy. In the video above, you can check how they professionally do this work and removes scratch on a black car. Now let’s move on to the next type of scratch.
Scratch On A Black Car Fixes #2: Clear Coat Scratches
The next type of scratch on a black car that we are going to cover is the clear coat scratch. So, we learned that a clear coat scratch is often a light scratch that is done at the clear coat. Which is the top layer of the paint of your vehicle.
When it comes to clear coat scratches, removing them is rather difficult because these scratches are inside of the clear coat.
And in these situations, you can try a few simple methods. You can try using turtle wax to polish the surface and fill up these uneven surfaces with the wax. Or use WD-40.
The WD-40 trick is also fairly widely known. Just spray the WD-40 on the paint and rub it well inside the scratches. This solution will not remove the scratches. But it will reduce the reflections created by them by 90% or more in some cases. The downside is that you will have to repeat this process every few weeks.
And the last method that you can try is to use a buffing tool to buff out the scratches. Especially if they are light scratches, they should be able to remove in a few passes with the buffing tool.
Scratch On A Black Car Fixes #3: Base Coat Scratches
Now let’s move to the next type of scratch on a black car and that is the paint scratches. And this is the case when the paint scratches are really too big for them to be buffed out. What you can do in this situation?
Well, there are touch-up markers sold out there that you can use to touch up the paint and fill up the line.
Then once the touch-up paint dries. You can buff out scratches on car with a buffing tool. It will not look good as new but it will look 60% better.
The last resort is to respray the panel. Something that can be rather expensive and a very tedious process. So, try to touch up first, and then if the result is not good, you can do a respray on the panel to remove the scratch on a black car.
Scratch On A Black Car Fixes #4: Primer Scratches
And now let’s cover how to fix the last type of scratch on a black car and that is the primer scratches.
Let’s say that the scratch is so deep that it went through the primer and directly on the metal. What you can do in this situation?
Well, if you have bare metal exposure, you can’t wait anymore. Get a touch-up marker first and before you apply it, make sure that there is no rust appearing because if there is rust, you will have to remove it first. A touch-up marker will easily resolve this problem in 99% of the cases.
But if there is too much damage, then you will highly likely need to respray the whole panel with fresh paint.
Also, before spraying, the damage has to be repaired with Bondo and the surface should be nice and even. So, no scratches will be visible once you are done painting the panel. It can be expensive. But in some cases, this could be the only way around this issue. But how you can protect your car in the future from possible scratch on a black car? Let’s elaborate more on this in the following chapter.
How To Protect The Car Paint From Scratches
Now let’s dive into how to protect the paint from the problem of scratch on a black car. What are the two methods that you can try to avoid this problem ever occurring on your vehicle ever again?
The first method that you can try will be to use a paint protection film. Paint protection film can be costly. But if applied correctly on the bumper and hood it will save you thousands of dollars on potential issues with rock chips and light scratches.
And the second way to protect the paint is by using ceramic coating. A lot of people are using this solution. But it is not comparable to PPF.
Ceramic coating is a good way to protect the car paint when it comes to road rash and other contaminants that usually stick to the paint while you drive and will for sure going to make the paint a lot easier to wash. Ceramic coating can be applied in a few minutes.
But when it comes to scratching, it will help, but not as well as in the case with PPF. So, if you want some permanent protection that will last for a couple of years, going for a PPF might be your best investment if we are talking about an expensive vehicle that cost a ton of money and you will definitely avoid learning how to remove scratches from car.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to scratch on a black car. First, we learned more about what is a scratch on car paint.
Then we have covered the types of scratches that you can find on a car’s paint and why scratch on a black car is so annoying and difficult to remove. After that, we discussed the ways to remove a scratch depending on the depth of the scratch. Lastly, we learned how to protect the car paint.
F.A.Qs
Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
What Does Car Buffing Do
Car buffing is a method used by car detail guys to buff out the paint. In other words, polish the swirls with a buffing machine and return that glossy look to the paint.
How To Buff Out Scratches On Car
Buffing out scratches really depend on the extent of the scratch. If the scratch is too deep, unfortunately, you will not be able to buff it out. For light or medium scratches, buffing is highly recommended.
How To Fix Scratches On Car
The fix really depends on the size of the scratch. Light scratches buff out easily. Deeper scratches have to be touched out with some touch-up paint or even the whole panel resprayed if the scratches are too deep.
How To Remove Swirls From Car Paint
You can remove swirls with a buffing tool. Also, this process can be done manually, but it is a rather tedious process and will take forever to complete the whole car.
How To Make Car Shine Like Glass
The only way to make the car shine like glass is to use a buffer to buff out the paint and then protect it with ceramic coating.
How To Remove Scratches From Plastic Car Interior
Removing scratches from plastic is rather difficult. First, you will need to remove them with sandpaper, and then you will have to respray the surface with paint that will stick to the plastic material.
