Can you sand out scratches in car paint?

Run your fingernail across the scratch. If the nail does not catch, the scratch usually sits in the clear coat and can be sanded and polished. If the nail catches, or primer or bare metal shows through, the clear coat is gone – then only repainting will help.

Clean the area, mask it off and wet sand with P1500 only until the scratch just disappears. Then even out the marks from the previous grade with P2000. Keep it small: every extra centimetre is clear coat you lose.

By hand with a sanding block, or with a random orbital sander on a soft interface pad – never with your finger alone, or you will sand dips.

After P2000 the area is evenly matt. Bring it back to a gloss with cutting compound and a machine polisher, then refine with a finishing polish and seal. Avoid edges and swage lines – that is where the paint is thinnest.

Clear coat is only a few hundredths of a millimetre thick – about half the thickness of a hair. If you have a paint thickness gauge, measure first; without one, the rule is: sand as little as possible and wipe dry and check after every pass.

Resprayed panels often have more clear coat than factory paint, older or frequently polished cars considerably less. If in doubt, start in an inconspicuous spot.

Dry sanding: P1500 and P2000 clog instantly when dry and then drag scratches. Always work with plenty of water and a drop of washing-up liquid.

Too large an area: sanding the whole wing to remove one scratch uses up clear coat you will be short of later when polishing.

Polishing on edges: that is where the paint is thinnest, and the machine heats it quickly. Mask off edges and work away from them.