How to Determine if a Car Scratch is New or an Old One?
2 Answers
If it's a new scratch, you can feel significant unevenness when touching the scratched area with your hand. For an old scratch, it won't feel the same. Below are methods to handle scratches of varying degrees: 1. Fine hairline scratches: Even dust and sand particles in the air can cause subtle hairline scratches on the car's paint surface when driving at high speeds. These can be observed as faint lines under reflected light but are usually not detectable by touch. Such hairline scratches can be easily removed with a wax containing fine-cut abrasives, such as mirror polish wax. Since the abrasives are as fine as the nanometer level, they won't damage the original protective layer of the paint. 2. Light scratches: Upon careful touching of the car body, you'll feel the scratch is very shallow with only slight indentation. This type only damages the transparent layer of the paint surface. Using fine abrasive wax, you can repair such light scratches yourself by rearranging the molecules of the surface paint, effectively filling the scratch with surrounding paint. 3. Moderate scratches: If the scratch is clearly visible and reaches the colored paint layer, the best approach is to take the car to a professional auto repair shop. Attempting to fix it yourself may result in more scratches during the polishing process.
I often wash my car myself and have discovered a trick to determine whether scratches are new or old. New scratches typically have sharp edges, feel slightly rough to the touch, and appear shiny without dust accumulation. Old scratches, on the other hand, have accumulated dust over time, appear dull with slight oxidation or minor rust. If you remember where you recently parked—for example, near stone posts in a residential parking spot—and suddenly notice a scratch, it’s likely new. If you don’t recall, it’s probably an old one. After cleaning, shine a flashlight on the scratch: new ones reflect light more noticeably, while old ones may show traces of previous touch-up paint. I recommend inspecting the car body carefully during weekly washes. Developing this habit helps identify scratches faster and reduces misunderstandings.
