As an automotive franchise owner, you have to be an expert in the various areas of your business. One of the services that require expertise is car scratch repair. You need to start learning the ins and outs of car scratches. Read on and learn more about the types, causes and simple solutions to car scratches.

The automotive franchise owner who knows has an edge

Credibility

An automotive franchise owner who knows the various types and solutions to scratches is considered a detailing expert. His tips are valued by peers and readers, thus increasing his credibility.

Advantage when hiring staff and personnel

As someone who has adequate knowledge in scratches and caring for car paint, an automotive franchise owner will be able to hire the most appropriate and most skilled auto detailing applicants. According to careereducationaladvisor.com, a car detailer’s job includes extensive knowledge and skills in polishing and buffering to remove spots, paint blemishes and car scratches. Your knowledge in car scratches and their solutions will help you in assessing your staff’s skills.

Lower production costs

Knowing the various solutions and options in fixing car scratches will be favorable for you when doing inventory and choosing the best supplies for your auto detailing business.  As an automotive franchise owner, you can personally check which products work best for your customer’s needs. You can bring down production costs to a minimum without compromising quality by doing away with fancy products that don’t work effectively.

More opportunities for customer interaction and relationship building

With your vast knowledge on car scratches, you can randomly move around the detailing area anytime and answer customer’s queries. You can also resolve your staff’s issues. In terms of marketing, you can from time to time check on your brand’s social media page and personally answer customers’ queries and complaints. You do not need to redirect them to another staff because you have adequate knowledge and the expertise in car scratches.

The Basics: Car Scratches

According to bestautodetailing tips.com, “Not all scratches are created equal!” There are various types of scratches and there are also various ways of dealing with these types of scratches. Thus, it is best to understand them so that you would know how to handle scratches best. Here are the most common ones and their corresponding solutions:

Clear Coat Scratch

Car paint is made up of various layers of paint coat. Most commonly, there are 3 layers.  Clear coat layer, primer coat layer and paint layer. The top coat is a clear one that protects the layers underneath. This clear coat is the one giving cars a shiny look. Clear coat scratches or “paint swirls” as what some people call them,  are the most minor of all the scratches. Clear coat scratches are not actual ‘swirls’. They are fine scratches on the topmost layer of paint coating which look like circular marks when viewed under sunlight. Thus, the name.  Normally, you just need a polishing compound, full washing and drying to have this type fixed. Your indication that a scratch is only a clear coat scratch is when you cannot see metal underneath the area. Although this type of scratch is minor, it may take patience for the application of the polishing and buffing compound before you can see effective results.

Primer Scratch

This type of scratch is also known as “base coat” scratch. When a scratch goes through the clear coat layer, the primer layer gets exposed. A primer scratch is then created. These are most commonly caused by keys, rocks, etc. Your indication is when a portion of the paint is missing. Aesthetically, this type of scratch can already be damaging. A good detailer can still have the paint restored and mask the scratch without much fuss. Fixing a primer scratch involves cleaning the area, the area is then filled with paint of the same color. Some paints would require a bit more time to settle in before sanding away the damaged area. Most detailers recommend to use another paint of a contrasting color to serve as  guide that sanding is complete. After this step is finished, you may need to apply various clear coating so the dent is not obvious.

Since this type of scratch requires more skills to repair, most car owners would opt to have their cars with primer scratch  be brought to their trusted car detailing shop for repair. Improper fixing or a DIY technique may cause more damage to the car. Note that in most cases, you would not know what type of scratch you are dealing with unless you clean and examine the area thoroughly.

Paint Scratch

A paint scratch can be the most devastating of all the scratches. This type of scratch has passed through the clear coat layer, the primer layer and also the paint layer. This scratch exposes the metal underneath all these layers. What is more troubling about this type of scratch is that it can be the cause of rust formation most especially when left over a long period of time.  More steps are involved in having this scratch fixed. More supplies may be required too. Definitely, more expertise is necessary. The best thing to do is bring your car to your trusted auto detailing center.

Conclusion

Scratches can be really annoying to a car owner. Fortunately, there are ways to fix these scratches. Some experts suggest home remedies and DIY steps to fix minor scratches. However, they also warn car owners that not all scratches can be fixed at home.  Always call and get your trusted auto detailers’ advice for best results.

Automotive franchise owners should always be ahead of their game and should be updated with the various ways to prevent and fix these car scratches. Subscribe to our blog to keep you in the loop. You are on your way to becoming a car scratch expert in no time!

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