The car shimmers in the parking lot as you walk up, metal reflecting the sun, hubcaps gleaming, the paint smooth and gorgeous. But when you walk around to the driver’s side to get in, you see something new: a deep, nasty key scratch. Someone has keyed your vehicle.
A “keyed” scratch – most often made when someone digs a key into the paint and drags it across the surface – is an ugly thing, different from most parking lot scratches. It’s deeper, penetrating the car’s clear coat and color, sometimes reaching all the way down through the primer.
You don’t have to pay the $1,500 cost to repair the scratches at a shop.
DIFFERENT DEGREES OF KEY SCRATCHES
To know what you’ll have to do to repair a key scratch, you have to identify its depth and the extent of its damage. There are actually five classifications:
- Level 1A: A minor clear-coat scratch or scuff. These don’t even penetrate the clear coat; in fact, they can be hard to see.
- Level 1B: A deeper clear-coat scratch. They can be caused by small road debris, auto washes, or dirty/textured wax applicators. The scratches have penetrated the clear coating, but not all of it.
- Level 2: A clear-coat and paint scratch: The scratch is deeper than the above two, but it’s still the same color as the rest of your car, so it didn’t reach the primer layer.
- Level 3: A clear-coat, paint and primer scratch: The scratch is a different color than the rest of your car, meaning it’s gone into the primer layer.
- Level 4: A scratch that reaches the metal: This scratch has penetrated all the layers of paint and protection down to the metal of the car.
The most common type of key scratch is a combination or all of the levels above, which makes repair more complex. For levels 1A through 2, for instance, you won’t need touch-up paint, but for levels 3 and 4, you will.
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO FIX A DEEP KEY SCRATCH
There are multiple methods to remove deep scratches, and they don’t all include the same materials or steps. This combination of techniques covers scratches 1A through 4. Read through all the steps and be sure you’re confident about your abilities before you attempt this yourself; sanding down a car is not for wimps.
- Black shoe polish
- A bucket and water
- Prep solvent
- Wet/dry 2,000 grit sandpaper
- Clean rags
- Rubbing compound
- Clean, dry soft cloths to apply compound
- Touch-up paint
- Fine paintbrush
- Touch-up clear coat
- Polishing compound
- Rubber sanding block (optional)
HOW TO FIX KEY SCRATCH ON YOUR CAR
The first thing you need to do is wash and dry your car, or at least the entire area that contains the scratch. Then follow these steps:
- Work on your car in a shady area, not in direct sunlight. The compounds can dry too quickly in direct sunlight.
- If areas of the scratch are difficult to see clearly, rub some black shoe polish into it and then wipe off the excess with a rag. The polish will stay in the scratch and you’ll be able to see it in its entirety.
- Spray prep solvent over the entire scratch area, and wipe it off with a clean rag. This helps remove grease and wax, and makes paint stick better.
- Soak the sandpaper in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes before you use it. Wrap the sandpaper around a rubber block, or just use it by itself. Then you can begin to sand the scratch. To keep the scratch moist, keep a spray can close at your side. Continue to feel the scratch with you fingers. The goal is to remove any clear paint from the surface and smoothen it.
- When you are finished sanding, use a microfiber rag to clean the area off. If the clear coat was removed, the surface should appear dull. Don’t be alarmed that the sanding left tiny scratches of its own; a later step will take care of that.
- Using the fine brush, dab touch-up paint into the scratch wherever needed. You can also use a toothpick for this step if that’s easier. This can take some time so be patient. Don’t paint too thickly; rather, use more coats if you need to, with 12 hours of drying time between coats.
- Once you’re finished with the touch-up paint, let it dry for 12 hours and then apply touch-up clear-coat over the paint. This should also be allowed to dry completely.
- Using the cheesecloth or soft application pad, apply the rubbing compound to the entire area. It can be buffed by hand (some experts recommend this), or with a buffing machine. Set it at 18 rpm. To remove excess paint, you may need to repeat the process several times. Once you are done with this step, remove any remaining residue using a microfiber cloth. This should take out any sanding marks.
- Apply polishing compound: Just as with the rubbing compound, you can do this step by hand or machine. Use a polishing machine to set the speed at 1,000 RPM. Use a towel to remove any residue.
- Apply wax, by hand or polishing machine set at 1,000 rpm. The wax will seal the clear coat and paint. Your scratch should not be noticeable.
KEEPING YOUR CAR’S PAINT JOB LIKE NEW
Whether you’ve had to repair a deep scratch or are simply worried about the possibility, there is more you can do than just parking your car off by itself in the far corner of the parking lot. You can protect the factory paint of your car with a Paint Protection Film. This self-healing film protects against scratches, chips, fading, bugs and road debris.
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