Should You Buff Your Car?

A vindictive ex just keyed your beloved sports car. A runaway grocery cart smashed into your vehicle. Or perhaps you misjudged that cement wall and scraped your bumper. Whatever the cause, the result is the same: An ugly eyesore of a scratch resides on an otherwise beautiful paint job.

The question becomes whether or not you should try to buff out the scratch yourself or to seek professional help. We've included the information below to help you make an informed decision on whether to rush to the store for the proper tools or to visit our highly skilled mechanics at Precision Collision.

Understanding Your Car's Exterior

Keep in mind that the surface of most modern cars can be broken down into the following sections: clear coat, base coat, primer, and the metal car frame. Closely examine the scratch and consider the source of the scratch and its depth.

If the material of the object that rubbed against the car body is softer, such as the rubber of a shopping cart or wooden post, then you probably are dealing with a mark on the clear coat, not an actual scratch. If this is the case, celebrate. Most marks can be removed by simply applying a soft rag coated with acetone or lacquer thinner to the affected area.

But if it is indeed a scratch that reaches the primer layer or covers a large area, you may want to let professionals handle the repair. Deep scratches can require wet sanding, a step that if done incorrectly can cause much more damage and expense than the original problem.

Despite whether your scratch is small or zigzags across the width of the driver-side door, the key is to fix it quickly. If left unattended, what is currently simply an eyesore will transform into a rust problem.