The Best Car Scratch Removers (Review & Buying Guide) in 2020

There are countless products available that promise to eliminate scratches and remove them completely from your car’s exterior. But many of these products simply can’t live up to their promises. If you’re wondering how to tell quality car scratch removers from less-effective options, you just need to know what makes a product work well. And in order to do that, you’ll want to read our guide on choosing and buying the best car scratch removers.

Scratches and Dents on Car

Benefits of Using Scratch Removers

There are plenty of benefits that come with using a car scratch remover. You’ll reap so many more rewards than just a sleek and well-maintained exterior — you can actually get a fantastic return on your investment when you buy a scratch remover and put it to work. The following are just a few of the benefits.

• You’ll save money. Having scratches on your car’s paint job professionally repaired at a dealership or repair shop can cost hundreds of dollars. If you use a car scratch remover, you can do the work yourself for a small fraction of the price. A little time and effort, along with a small investment, will prevent you from paying significantly for a few light scratches.
• You’ll maintain your vehicle. Getting rid of scratches enhances your vehicle’s appearance, but it also helps you keep your car in its best possible shape. That’s an important kind of maintenance that can help you get more life and more miles out of it, even though it might seem like a small fix. Removing small scratches offers protection for your paint, which can help keep your car’s body strong and damage-free.
• You’ll increase your car’s value. If you ever want to sell your car, you’ll need to make sure it looks good. And ensuring scratches are removed or repaired is a great way to increase its worth so you get a fair sale price. Using a car scratch remover can help you maintain your car’s appearance so its value stays steady.

These benefits can really pay off in the long run, making a car scratch remover a worthwhile product to invest in.

Types of Car Scratch Removers

Car scratch removers come in many forms. And the type of remover you choose will ultimately determine whether or not you can effectively remove scratches from your car. You have options, but it’s important to understand what those options can do.

Bottled Scratch Removal Compounds

The most common kind of car scratch remover is a bottled compound. These products are individual bottles of specially created formulas designed to remove scratches and other blemishes. These include a wide array of ingredients. Some are all-natural without chemicals or other toxic ingredients, while others include compounds. Others feature microscopic abrasives that help sand away scratches. No matter what kind of bottled compound you choose, you’ll get a semi-solid or liquid product that’s made to tackle scratches.

Scratch Removal Kits

Car scratch remover kits are another popular option. These include both a bottle compound and other accessories intended to make removing scratches and marks easier. This can include microfiber towels or polishing mitts, cloths, buffing pads or sponges, and sandpaper. Kits aim to give you all of the tools you might need to complete a multi-step scratch removal process.

Scratch Removal Paint Pens

Although the name is a little misleading, scratch removal paint pens actually add paint rather than take scratches on your car away but that isn’t to say they aren’t effective. Paint pens are a very good solution when wishing to patch deep scratches where a car’s base metal has been exposed. They come in a range of different sizes and colors and do quite a good job when the color is matched well.

Scratch Removal Cloths

Polishes can also be used as car scratch removers. While these products aren’t really formulated to remove scratches and blemishes, they can help eliminate some car exterior surface issues. Applying a car polish helps restore shine, gloss, and luster to your vehicle’s paint. It may smooth over scratches and be able to reduce the appearance of some marks. Polish isn’t ideal for deeper damage, however.

What Types of Scratches Can Be Fixed?

The paint on your car’s exterior might seem like one simple coat, but it’s actually composed of three layers that all work together to keep your vehicle looking great. So, when your car develops scratches, they can affect your paint in different ways, and that means some scratches are more problematic than others.

Scratch removers are designed to tackle lighter scratches. They can typically handle any scratch that occurs within the top two layers of paint. A remover compound will be able to gently scrub down the edges of the scratch, blending paint in to make it less visible and helping it seamlessly become one with the rest of your car’s exterior.

Car scratch removers do have limitations, however, and they aren’t able to remove deep scratches that go beyond the top two layers of paint. A good rule of thumb is to run your fingernails gently over your car’s surface. If a scratch can be felt with your fingernails, it’s likely too deep to be removed with one of these DIY products. If you can see metal within the scratch, that’s also a sign it needs professional attention.

Related Post: Best Car Body Fillers

Car Scratch Remover

How to Remove Scratches From a Car

• Make sure your car’s exterior is clean. Give it a quick wash and dry to ensure dirt, dust, and other grime doesn’t affect your repair work or, even worse, potentially cause more damage and scratching. You can give the area that’s scratched a bit of extra TLC to ensure it’s perfectly clean.
• Next, read the instructions on the product you’ve chosen. Every product will have a different method of application, different amounts needed to be effective, and different guidelines. Assess how you need to apply the product to get your desired result. Determine if you need to have any special equipment or supplies nearby like a microfiber cloth, sandpaper, or electric drill. If you’ve purchased a scratch remover kit, you’ll likely have everything you need already together in one place.
• Take a close look at the scratch or scratches you want to remove. If the scratch is shallow and light, you can apply the remover on its own. Based on the instructions, apply the product to a microfiber cloth, sponge, or pad. Work it into the surface of your car using the recommended motion, which is typically back-and-forth or in small circles.
• Working with a deeper scratch? Make sure to gently buff it first to smooth out the edges. This will dull the paint a bit too. Wipe away any dust or residue from the sanding, and you can then apply the scratch remover according to its instructions.
• Once you’re finished using the scratch remover, you may need to apply polish or wax. You can apply these products to get a protective coating over your newly repaired scratches. You can polish by hand or with an electric buffer or polisher.
• Finally, you’ll be ready to enjoy a scratch-free car exterior and a flawless paint job.

Top Brands

There is a whole heap of different car scratch removal products currently on the market. Here are the best car care products that we use and trust.

3M

Hailing out of St. Paul, Minnesota, 3M is one of the most respected DIY and commercial chemical product producers in the world. 3M manufactures a massive range of car care products, including some of the best car scratch removers, touch-up paint, and dual action polisher on the market. A particularly good product that you will want to keep an eye for when removing nasty scratches from your car’s surface is their 3M scratch remover.

Turtle Wax

You’ll find the headquarters of Turtle Wax in Illinois. Their team makes some of the best all-in-one products and kits you’re likely to find. Whether it’s scratch and swirl remover, dual action polisher, or any other easy to use scratch repair, you can bet your bottom dollar Turtle Wax makes it.

Meguiar’s

Meguiar is another one of the best car scratch product manufacturers out there. Their easy and safe to use ultimate compound color and clarity restorer and polishes are sure to keep your car’s paint and clear coat safe and looking its best. And really when it comes to cut and polish work a good ultimate compound is your best friend.

Trinova

Another very well-respected car care company hailing out of Illinois is Trinova. Trinova manufactures a wide range of products to combat even the worst scuff marks, surface scratches, and those pesky scratches and swirl marks.

Pricing

Under $10

• Mothers 08408 California Gold Scratch Remover

Between $10 to $20

• Carfidant Scratch and Swirl Remover
• Carfidant Black Car Scratch Remover
• Shine Armor Revive Scratch Repair
• Turtle Wax Polishing Compound & Scratch Remover
• 3m 39071 Scratch Removal System
• TriNova Scratch Swirl Remover
• 3m 39044 Scratch Remover
• Meguiar’s Quik Scratch Eraser Kit
• Gliston Scratch Remover

Over $20

• Meguiar's G17216 Ultimate Compound
• Chemical Guys V36 Optical Grade Cutting Polish
• Chemical Guys Com_129_16 Scratch & Swirl Remover
• Quixx 00070-Us Paint Scratch Remover Kit
• The Ultimate Car Scratch Remover System

Best Car Scratch Remover FAQ:

Q:  Do scratch removers work on cars?

A:  It all depends on the type of scratch that is present on your car. If you’re talking about scratches that cut well into the metal part of the body of your car – beyond the clear top coat – then no scratch removers will ever save your car. Only a professional repaint job will do the trick, although some touch-up paints should do the trick for less obvious deep scratches.

Scratch removers are considered mildly abrasive compounds. Scratches leave a groove on the surface of your car’s top paint. When light strikes the surface of your car, the groove cast shadows making them highly noticeable. The idea in using scratch removers is by ‘scraping’ off a very thin layer of your car’s topcoat so that it will be ‘flush’ with the groove. It won’t cast shadows onto the surface of the car and you’ve got an almost-invisible scratch.

Q:  What is the best scratch remover for a black car?

A:  Black cars or any other color of the vehicle doesn’t necessarily mean that the different layers of paint on the car are of the same color. The primer will usually be a different color. Depending on the vehicle manufacturer, several layers of paint finish may be applied one on top of the other with each one carrying an entirely different hue.

If scratches are made on a black car and it so happens that the paint layers underneath are actually light-colored, your best bet at "masking" the scratch is to use a restorative black car remover with wax. It will be quite tricky as you cannot use just any other kind of scratch remover. Remember that scratch removers are actually abrasive, too. Using the wrong product can make the problem worse.

Q:  How to fix my car paint fade after using the scratch remover?

A:  As already mentioned, scratch removers are mildly abrasive substances that can also cause very fine marks on your car’s paint. Over time, this can be heightened by continued exposure to the elements. Fading paint requires removing the almost-microscopic scratches that scratch removers have left behind. Car detailers often use an appropriate rubbing compound to help remove the dull outer surface of your vehicle’s paint. This requires a lot of prep work which typically includes washing and cleaning your car’s surfaces and removing any surface contaminants.

The application of a rubbing compound requires very precise steps, whether you’re using an orbital sander or applying it by hand. The key here is to apply even pressure on the applicator so that you don’t necessarily create more damage than your car already has. For instance, keeping the wool pad of an orbital sander fluffy is one of the most important elements to ensuring more effective treatment of scratch remover-induced car paint fade. Firm, even pressure is a requirement when applying the rubbing compound by hand.

Once you’re done with the application of the rubbing compound, you’ll need to buff the area immediately. This should be followed with an appropriate car polish to give your car the shine that it needs. Most car detailers don’t stop with car polish, however. They also apply paint sealant to make sure that your car’s re-paint will look really crisp.

Q:  What is the use of a rubbing compound?

A:  The principal indication of a rubbing compound is in the smoothening of a car’s surface paint. In many cases, it can also be used in the management of heavily-oxidized paint essentially by removing the vehicle’s topmost layer of paint. Many car detailers also use rubbing compounds to help repair scratch marks left by sandpaper or sanding machine as well as other surface contaminants. Rubbing compounds also work to help provide a remedy to deeper and heavier scratches on your vehicle. It is also used in the removal or management of stubborn spotting. Technically, what it does is that a rubbing compound removes part or all of the topcoat so a new one can be applied.

Q:  Will I be able to match the paint color with a car scratch remover?

A:  A scratch remover only works on superficial scratches such as those that do not penetrate deep and beyond the topcoat. They work by removing a layer of the surface so that it becomes "one" or flush with the groove created by the scratch marks. Technically, you don’t really need to worry about matching the color of your car’s paint with that of a scratch remover. However, if you’ve got a much deeper cut into the paint layers, don’t expect a scratch remover to help you. Touch-up paints usually do a fine job for less extensive damage. But for really severe ones, your best recourse is to have a professional repair it for you.

Q: Does toothpaste really remove scratches?

A: Yes. For small applications, toothpaste can actually be quite effective at removing abrasions and swirl marks from a car’s surface. Using a clean cloth, gently rub a small amount of toothpaste on the affected area and wipe it clean. The toothpaste will remove some of those ugly marks straight off.

Q: Can WD 40 remove scratches on a car?

A: Yes. A healthy spray of WD-40 onto small scratches, abrasions, or swirl marks coupled with a bit of elbow grease should help do the trick. It may take a little bit but the scuff should slowly start to fade away with time.

Q: How do I remove deep scratches from my car?

A: Small scratches and swirls are a piece of cake but deep scratches can really be a pain to be rid of. Your best bet, aside from sanding the area back and repainting, is to try a quality car scratch remover on the affected area.

Q: What scratches can be buffed out?

A: Swirl marks and small abrasions are one thing but scratches can be a little trickier. Although, they are not impossible to remove. A good polishing compound will usually do the trick. As long as the scratch isn’t super deep, a generous buff will certainly help to restore your car.

Our Top Pick

Meguiar’s G17216 Ultimate Compound remains the top when it comes to the best car scratch remover. Its advanced formulation and less abrasive action compared to other products make it the perfect choice not only by avid car owners but also by professional automotive detailers. Its fast application capabilities can also reduce the time needed for effective car scratch management.

Sources:

1. 2 Ways to Repair a Scratch - Business Insider
2. How to Paint a Car - Popular Mechanics