How to Fix Your Car’s Dents and Scratches

Leson Chevrolet Company, Inc. is your premier new & used Chevrolet dealership near New Orleans, but we’re much more than that. We also provide you a trustworthy automotive service center that you can rely on for all your vehicle maintenance & repair needs. We even offer full automotive detailing services. If you’d like to learn how to fix a dent in a car yourself, though, we’re happy to provide you with the following tips! If they don’t work, or you’re not comfortable performing them yourself, we invite you to schedule service online.

How to Fix Scratches on Your Car

If you have small scratches on your car (that you can’t feel with your fingernail), don’t despair. Here’s how to fix scratches on a car the easy way:

• Candle Wax – Looking to seal a scratch before heading for an important job interview or family dinner? Candle wax can help in a pinch but will fade over time. 
• Super Glue – Like candle wax, this solution is temporary.
• Paint Polish or Rubbing Compound – The most effective way to remove a scratch is to polish or compound it out. To use this method, we recommend using the least aggressive polishing pad and compound combination first. When you compound car paint, you’re abrading away the paint surrounding the scratch to even out the overall finish. You can work your way up to higher-grit compounds if the scratch doesn’t come out. Only if polishing doesn’t remove scratches do we recommend wet-sanding.
• Wet Sandpaper – Wet-sanding your car’s paint is not recommended unless you do your due diligence or have prior experience. If you do choose this method, though, you can remove shallow scratches by rubbing over them with 2000-grit wet sandpaper. Once your scratches are almost removed, you’ll have to use a rubbing compound followed by finer and finer polishes, and then a wax or paint sealant for protection. 
• Touch-Up Paint: Usually available at service centers near Metairie and Belle Chasse, touch-up paint is often an easier solution than wet sandpaper to fill deeper scratches you can feel with your fingernail.

How to Fix Dents on Your Car

Whether you want to learn how to fix a small dent in a car or how to fix a large dent in a car, here are some methods you can use to get the job done:

• Plunger – Car dent plungers work best here, but any plunger can do in a pinch. With this method, you’ll want to try to suction the dent out. Usually, this method works best with larger dents. 
• Hammer or Mallet – Dent removal with a hammer or mallet on the opposite side of the dent is a nearly foolproof way of getting the job done. That said, you may have to remove the vehicle underside trim. It’s best to use a hammer for smaller dents and a mallet for larger dents. 
• Dent Puller – Using a dent puller will require drilling a hole in the dent, lacing the wire through, and pulling the dent back to surface level. Then, you’ll need to fill the hole with Bondo or something similar, sand it, and re-paint. As such, if this method is required, we recommend scheduling service with our automotive detailing experts.

Schedule Automotive Detailing at Leson Chevrolet Company, Inc.

Here at Leson Chevrolet Company, Inc., we are proud to provide you with your next new Chevy or used car. But we also can help you get your current car into its best shape with our car detailing services. Or you can read our DIY car cleaning tips like how to clean your car floor mats. Whether it’s exterior dent and scratch removal that you require or a full interior clean with carpet shampooing and leather conditioning, we can help! Contact us today to learn more or learn more about how car brakes work with our team.