Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint – Editor’s Note: This content was researched and prepared by a review team of experts. The links in this article may earn us a commission, but they do not influence our advice or recommendations. Explore more

Aidan Pounder is a product tester and has written a lot of reviews for everything from roof racks. If he’s not clutching his 2003 Ford Focus Zx3, you’ll find him keeping up with the latest happenings in European football.

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

Every car has a scratch or two when it slides into the parking lot or into the garage door. These scratches can enhance or detract from the look of your favorite ride. They can also trap water damage and rust, causing expensive repair bills. With car scratch remover, you can treat those spots and make your car look like new again.

Does Car Waxing Remove Scratches?

The car scratch remover in this article was tested in two stages. We started by looking at retailers like Amazon, RealTruck, and Advance Auto Parts for the best products, looking at factors like application method, type of remover, customer reviews, and price.

Our product testing team then ordered the car scratch remover that best met these standards. A team member tested each product in our test car, looking at ease of use, effectiveness and whether the car scratch remover left any residue.

One of our team members scraped his car into a cement pillar in a parking garage before testing. This gave us the perfect test car to simulate the breakdowns that daily driver vehicles often experience. There were scrapes on the corners of the doors and front bumper, which were large enough to test all five products.

Each car scratch remover is rated 5.0 stars based on ease of use, effectiveness, and residue.

Car Scratch Remover Car Paint Scratch Repair Auto Paint Maintenance Repair For Car Scratches, Water Spots

Our review team thoroughly researched the most popular car scratch removers on car enthusiast message boards and sites like Amazon. We looked for products with positive customer reviews that are known for easily and effectively removing minor vehicle scratches.

Next, we ordered a few of the best car scratch removers from different brands and at different price points to try out.

Before testing, we thoroughly washed the car’s scratches to remove dust and residue from the cement supports. Next, we tested each product using a cordless drill and a type of polishing pad (except for the 3M Scratch Removal System, which comes with a pad).

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

Many of the scratches on our test car were deep. Automotive scratch removal products are only intended to restore the top layer of clear coat and will not fill deep scratches. After the test, you will see that some lines are visible. But the product removed most, if not all, of the small scratches on the car.

How To Remove Paint Scratches From Your Car

After using each car scratch remover according to the included instructions, we evaluated ease of use, the overall effectiveness of each product, and how much residue was left after use.

Some car scratch removers are easier to use than others. For a specific product, can we easily understand how to use it and use the right technique? Did the product peel off a lot when you applied it or did you only need to press it on your wrist a few times? Simple and fast car scratch remover scores best in this category.

What scratches did the product remove from the car and how did the car look afterwards? We measured effectiveness by noting how well (or how poorly) each product concealed lines. We tested each remover on different depths of scratches on the car, hoping these products wouldn’t remove deeper scratches.

Car scratch products tend to leave a residue after polishing. How much product was left and was it difficult to clean the machine? The product with the least residue and trace left the best score in this category.

The Best Diy Methods For Removing Car Scratches

Every year, we test more than 350 automotive products in our vehicle and test labs. Our team of product testers carefully research the best products, disassemble each component, put their hands on it, and test it on a real vehicle before making recommendations to our readers.

We publish hundreds of product and service reviews and provide car enthusiasts with comprehensive guides to everything from car tools, kits, car seats, pet products and more. For more information on our testing methodology and how we rate each product, please see our methodology page here.

After testing several options for price, we determined that Meguiar’s Car Scratch Remover is one of the best options for cost and effectiveness. Our other recommendations are effective scratch removers, some of which are preferable depending on your time, budget, and vehicle.

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

* The prices in the table above are approximate values, which are regularly updated by our team, as cost data fluctuates.

Car Scratch Remover Repair Kit

For those interested in learning more, we have provided detailed reviews of each of the best car scratch removers in the sections below.

Meguiar’s car scratch remover ranks first for its versatility and affordability. It removes all kinds of paint defects, scratches and swirls. You can also apply it to any paint finish using your hands, polisher or buffer.

The price of the product is half of what other brands are charging. It even comes in an eight-ounce bottle, which means you’ll have enough product to cover several scratches.

We found the Meguiar to be easy to work with and it removed all the small scratches on this part of the car. We tested this in the center of the image above. You can see that the door scratches are significantly less and the rest of the scratches are significantly less. Again, many of the scratches on our test car were too deep for DIY car scratch treatment.

How To Remove Scratches From Your Car Bumper

Customers are pleased with how well Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze Ultra-Cut Compound removes shallow to medium scratches. Customers say it leaves the car looking polished, which means it contains enough wax to maintain the car’s other shine. However, some reviewers complain about how difficult this product is to remove after painting.

This is one of two car scratch remover kits in this review. It comes with a bottle of liquid and a buffer pad. The application process is easy, just apply a little liquid to the pad and paint the lines.

In addition to removing any paint chips and streaks, it also restores the paint and makes the paint job look shiny and new again.

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

We found Carfidant Ultimate Scratch & Swirl Remover to remove most scratches very well. The product also leaves a nice shine on the car’s surface. You can see that this product cannot remove every scratch. Many of these scratches penetrated the paint layer beneath the clear coat.

How To Remove Swirls From Car Paint

Consumers say Carfidant Ultimate Scratch & Swirl Remover removes light scratches and scuff marks. Some customers say it has exceeded their expectations and lightened or removed deeper lines that they felt required professional work. There are complaints that the polish only lasts until the car gets wet. After that, the dash will appear again.

This mini 4.0 oz bottle of Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair & Swirl Remover is perfect for car owners who only need to treat a few spots. It treats scratches, water spots, and oxidation along with other imperfections.

This product does not contain wax or fillers, so you can treat the stain once and not worry about the repair fading over time.

Oh. This part of the vehicle had some of the deepest scratches in the cement support and the Shine Armor scratch remover had its work cut out for it. You can see the peel going through all the layers of clear coat and paint and touching the metal underneath.

How To Remove, Touch Up And Buff Out Scratched Car Paint

Overall, Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair & Swirl Remover did a great job of removing small to medium scratches on the car. For some reason, the actual fluid was the easiest to work with and was squeezed onto the polishing pad. A smaller bottle might make it easier to handle.

Customers say that Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair & Swirl Remover removes minor scratches and deeper scratches that only show up on closer inspection. They report that it works best when used with Shine Armor’s Fortify Quick Coat. Some customers say it’s too expensive, especially when compared to other car scratch removers that are more effective.

This kit is a bit more complicated than the Carfidant, but it provides you with all the necessary tools and detailed instructions for the process. The 3M Scratch Removal System comes with scratch removal fluid, rubbing compound, two cleaners, sandpaper and a buffer attachment.

Removing Scratches From Vehicle Paint

This kit is suitable for light damage and will remove scratches, scuffs and other marks on the paint surface.

Ml Ultimate Paint Restorer & Scratch Remover Car Paint Scratches Repair Tool Polishing Wax Anti Scratch Car Accessories

Above you can see the 3M Scratch Removal System

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