Will using car polish to remove scratches work? What kind of scratches can be removed?

Scratches come in different shapes and sizes, and sometimes even colours. With scratches it is important to distinguish whether the scratch is on the surface of the clear coat, or below the surface. Only then we can find out if we can use car polish to remove the scratches.

Remove Swirls and Holograms

Surface scratches can include light swirls, holograms, deep swirls, marring and individual light scratches. These types of surface scratches can be removed with car detailing as the machine polisher removes a very small layer of the clear coat using abrasion. This would usually mean the light scratches disappear or will appear very minimal and less noticeable if they are quite deep in the clear coat.

Remove stone chips and deeper scratches

Deeper scratches include primer scratches which may be brown or dark, stone chips and general deep scratches where metal can be seen. These types of deeper scratches cannot be removed with cutting compounds or polishes and will usually need to be cleaned, filled, sanded and re-painted.

Can a scratch be “buffed out’?

To identify which type of scratch is on your paint and whether it can be polished or ‘buffed out’, glide your fingernail against the scratch. If your fingernail catches the scratch it is unlikely any car polish can be used to remove the scratch. If it does not catch against the scratch, it is likely the scratch can be removed or minimised.

Please get in touch with us if you would like a free paint inspection for your car. Our inspection can help you to choose the best car detailing option for your vehicle.