Protecting a car’s paintwork from those dreaded scratches is one of the biggest challenges all car owners face. No matter how careful you are, scratches find their way into the paint and ruin that beautiful appearance you always strive to maintain. There are several methods to remove car scratches, ranging from home remedies to store bought car scratch removers.
Wet sanding is an effective scratch removal technique, especially when it comes to tackling deep scratches. Whether you decide to use this method by yourself or have a professional do it for you, understanding this method is important to all car owners.
What is wet sanding?
Sanding has various uses when it comes to perfecting the paintwork of a car, and removing scratches is one of its primary uses. Wet sanding a scratch means isolating a particular scratch and rubbing it using sandpaper and water. This will remove a minute layer of the clear coat of the paint, thus leveling the scratch or removing it. This is an aggressive approach, so make sure a scratch really needs it before using this technique.
Assessing a scratch
You might wonder why a car scratch needs wet sanding when there are many other easy and effective remedies available that do not sound as “dangerous” as sanding. These remedies are aimed at repairing surface scratches, so what about those that run deep? That’s where wet sanding comes in. There is a simple test to check if a scratch is deep enough to require sanding: run your finger along the scratch and if you feel the scratch and if your finger nail gets caught in the scratch, wet sanding is definitely the way to go.
DIY vs. professional help
As mentioned above, wet sanding is an aggressive approach, and even professional detailers will only use it as a last resort. The process is delicate and requires proper knowledge, experience and a lot of care and patience. If done wrong, it can cause a lot of damage to the car’s paintwork. “Going too far” is a common problem when it comes to DIY wet sanding that will unfortunately require you to abandon the job and make a visit to a paint booth. But, if you are well acquainted with this technique and believe you are up to the job, you can save a trip to the auto repair shop, saving time and money. However, letting professionals handle a delicate process like this with the correct products is the recommended method.
A car’s paintwork is exposed to damage more than any other part of a car. Whether it is from a tree branch or even vandalizing, scratches are major culprits that ruin the beauty of your car, and thereby your confidence. Wet sanding is the ideal method to tackle those deep and stubborn scratches that don’t respond to any other remedies. However, it is not to be treated lightly because this remedy can turn out to be a problem if not handled properly.
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