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Scratches are a common part of owning a vehicle, as are the painstaking tasks of trying to repair or conceal them. There are several methods to deal with a scratch on your vehicle, and for many, investing in a scratch remover kit is the first option. However, these products can be a bit of a question mark, as some of them can be work-intensive with no guaranteed results.
If you’ve been on the fence about using a scratch remover on your own vehicle, or are instead considering a cheaper DIY method like using toothpaste or baking soda, you might be interested to know that Car and Driver (C&D) has tested removers from some of the market’s biggest brands. According to C&D, Meguiar’s Scratch Eraser Kit is the best option for quickly handling light scratches.
This Meguiar’s kit includes a microfiber cloth, one drill-mounted buffer pad, and a bottle of Meguiar’s ScratchX liquid blemish remover. Per C&D’s testing, the kit is as effective as it is easy to employ, requiring users to apply scratch remover evenly to the affected area via the buffer pad, then wiping it away with the cloth. C&D notes that the need for a good power drill is the only drawback of the Meguiar’s Scratch Eraser Kit.
How other scratch removers fared in the Car & Driver testing
If you don’t already own a drill for the buffer pad, you can still purchase a larger bottle of Meguiar’s ScratchX compound separately. While C&D explains that applying the compound with a microfiber towel produces similar results, it notes the solution alone still costs about the same as the full kit.
Apart from the Meguiar’s options, C&D singles out Turtle Wax Scratch Repair & Renew and Formula 1’s Scratch Out as solid performers in its scratch removal testing. The former option performed well enough during testing, though the publication is not a fan of the compound’s grainy feel and claims it’s difficult to wipe clean. Meanwhile, the Formula 1 compound performed better than any of the tested one-step options, doing so without needing a drill to apply. It was thus deemed worth a look for budget-minded consumers despite the fact that it reportedly produces an undesirable smell compared to Meguiar’s ScratchX.
Nu Finish Scratch Doctor was also tested during the C&D study, and price-point is the only positive listed by the outlet, which also found it runny and ineffective. The same was said of Quixx Paint Scratch Remover. C&D believes you should take a hard pass on Quixx, as its testing found that the brand is overpriced and overly complicated to use, with the results being “underwhelming.”
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
