Remove scratches in the car paint: ADAC advises against frequently used home remedies
Created: 05/24/2022, 10:37 am
By: Omer Kayali
Scratches in the car paint should be removed as quickly as possible, otherwise the areas will begin to rust.
© Antonio Gravante/Imago
Home remedies often promise a quick solution.
In the case of scratches in the paint, however, the ADAC warns against popular home remedies, as these can even worsen the damage.
Scratches in the paint can occur in a number of ways.
Dirt, rain, road salt, bugs and bird droppings leave their mark on the car.
All of this causes microscopic - sometimes larger - damage to the paintwork, causing the car to appear dull and less shiny over time.
Fortunately, after a thorough polish, the vehicle usually looks like new.
Many car owners want to lend a hand and after a quick internet search you will come across various tips that warmly recommend home remedies.
However, the ADAC urgently warns against this, as this can damage the paintwork even more.
Scratches in the paint: Toothpaste or nail polish are not recommended according to ADAC
A very popular home remedy, which is often recommended against scratches in the car paint, is
toothpaste
.
It contains small particles that can be used to sand the affected areas of the paint smooth again - at least for minor scratches.
But the ADAC generally advises against using toothpaste on car scratches.
Because if the grinding particles are not fine enough, they would
only damage the paintwork further
.
In addition, the finish that permanently seals the scratches is missing.
However, toothpaste is ideal for cleaning the headlights or wheel rims.
According to the ADAC, nail polish
is also not a good idea.
On the one hand, it is very difficult to find the exact color.
On the other hand, the scratches would only be sealed for a very short time and at higher temperatures the nail polish would crumble.
Eliminate scratches in the paintwork yourself: that's what the ADAC recommends
Car polish
: It is already sufficient for smaller scrapes and scratches.
Car polish also contains small particles to even out the bumps.
In contrast to toothpaste, it is also specially designed for this purpose.
Repair
kits: They usually contain two different polishes, abrasive cloth and polishing cloth, which are used one after the other.
Touch-up pen
: ADAC recommends a touch-up pen for larger scratches.
This can be matched directly to the paint color using a color code.
After thorough cleaning, apply a few drops from the touch-up stick to the rubber spatula supplied and use it to work on the affected areas of the paint.
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