How to Protect Car Paint from Scratches? 5 effective ways

How much do you prioritize a flawless car body? Of course, it has a lot to say about your maintenance culture and personality. A scratched car paint can make your car look ugly and reduce its book value ultimately.

So, understanding how to protect car paint from scratches is one of the best strategies to sell a used car for a good sum. Unfortunately, many car owners do not consider this. What about the embarrassment of driving a defaced car due to random scratches?

These and many more reasons are motivations that trigger people's interest in ensuring car protection from scratches. So, this post suggests a few proven tips for car paint protection.

How to Protect Car Paint from Scratches

Many car owners restrict their routine maintenance to the inspection, diagnosis, and fixing of every other components except their car's body dent paint. Vehicle maintenance is all-encompassing, including the internal and external components. Whereas tiny splatters or scratches are some of the culprits which spread across a vehicle's body. Using paint protection coat is one of the best ways to protect car paint from scratches.

The following recommendations will be helpful for protecting your car paint from scratches.

Practice defensive parking

Everyone thinks it's okay to park where fellow car owners park, except the guy who cannot deal with coming out to see an annoying scratch left on his car paint by a random individual.

The tendency is high for cars parked close to hit each other, especially when a door is opened carelessly. This can leave an unexpected scratch on the paint.

Also, people trying to pass through a tight space between two cars may subconsciously leave a scratch on the paint. This is relatively common with kids playing around the parking area. So, parking far from other cars will separate your car and protect its paint from scratches.

Use protective car covers

UV rays from direct sunlight are not only harmful to the skin, but they can also cause a defect in your car paint in the long run. UVA and UVB rays can bleach the paint over time as your car is continually being exposed to direct sunlight. That's why protecting car paint with a car cover is necessary.

Using a protective car cover does not only protect the car from direct sunlight; it also serves as a protection against rain, snow, bird poop, tree sap and pollen, etc.

However, if you're contemplating how to protect car paint from fading, a portable home car porch would be best to help cover your car always, especially if you don't have a garage.

Keep car key properly

Using a car key attached to other keys or a key holder can leave scratches on your car door due to the dangling keys and the holder, which are made of metals. So, a soft key wallet will help keep all the keys in place and enable you to use the only key needed per time.

Also, there's no point in attaching other keys to your car key. It will only make the key holder heavier and leave unnecessary scratches on the surfaces they come in contact with, including your phone. So, you may want to separate the keys or use a soft key wallet.

Wash car regularly

Road salt, sand, and other elements are most likely to find their way into some parts of your car, causing corrosion or scratches in some cases. A regular wash once a week in winter or once in two weeks in summer will help you get rid of the dirt that can leave scratches on your car's surface.

Meanwhile, avoid using sharp objects to remove mud, dirt, or debris from your car, as they can scratch the surface. Rather, a professional wash alongside a clay bar treatment and quality wax would do if you need sparkling car paint and general body outlook.

Use paint protection film

Everyone else can do without a paint protection film, but not one who drives a luxury car like Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mercedes Benz S–Class, etc.

Paint protection film (PPF) is one of the best paint treatments for cars because it provides all-encompassing protection both in winter and summer.

The plastic film is a scratch protector for a car designed to give your car another layer that will protect the paint from scuffs, rock chips, sand, road salt, bird dropping, bug, etc. Applying paint protection film is arguably the best way to protect car paint. Besides, always use the best paint gun while painting your car.

How Do I Fix Car Paint Scratches?

Car paint scratches come in different forms, from clear-coat scratch to primer scratch and paint scratch. However, most car paint scratches are mild since they aren't intentional by the culprit. So, if you have a minor scratch on your car's body, here's a quick fix approach.

Wash the scratched surface

Firstly, ensure to wash the scratched surface to get rid of any dirt or debris. If you don't mind, you might want to get a professional wash for the whole car before you go to the next step.

Get a scratch-removal kit

Buy a car paint scratch-removal kit from an auto parts shop across the street. It should contain the removal solution and a buffing pad.

Apply the solution to the pad

Apply a little quantity of the solution to the buffing pad, depending on the area you intend to cover with the scratch removal. You can take off some if you already have excess on the pad.

Work the solution into the scratch

Now, work the solution into the scratch by rubbing the solution with the buffing pad on the marked area. Ensure to rub it in a circular motion little by little. Also, rub it on the surrounding.

Wipe off the residue

Once you finish applying the solution with the buffing pad, get a microfiber cloth to wipe off the excess solution from the surface gently.

Repeat up to 2/3 times

Usually, applying the solution once may not do the job perfectly. So, ensure to repeat the process above up to two or three times, depending on the outcome of each application. However, avoid excessive application.

Is it Worth Fixing a Scratch on Your Car?

Of course! Fixing a scratch is worth it, depending on your priorities. If you value your car's appearance in public, fixing a scratched surface shouldn't be an issue. Besides, a new car paint protection will determine how much you get when selling it off as a used car later.

However, if the car is already old and the scratch is one that requires a costly remedy, you may want to manage it that way and save the money for something else. You can also paint the car to give a new look.

How Much Do Car Scratches Affect Selling Price of Used Cars?

Since the state of a car's body is a critical factor that buyers consider when offering a price, it is important to protect a car from scratches. However, minor scratches affect a used car's selling price by around 10% to 15%.

On the other hand, a severe scratch can cut into the selling price up to 70% – 80%. This is a whole lot! Therefore, protecting paint and maintaining other components in your car should be a priority if you need a reasonable price when selling it off later in the future.

Conclusion

Careless people don't bother about their car's appearance as long as it is mobile. However, if you think your car says a lot about your personality, ensure to implement the strategies above on how to protect car paint from scratches.

Remember, besides the spotless appearance that will boost your positive self-image, a well-maintained car will rake in some good money when sold later.