Vehicular accidents. Vehicular accidents can be as small as a simple swipe with another vehicle, or it can be as massive as a hundred-car collision on the freeway. In either case, it doesn’t bode well for your car. Vehicular accidents account for nearly 95% of all car scratches out there and usually, it’s not the small fries, either. Fortunately, most car insurance policies cover such accidents so repairs—including scratches—are all but covered.

Vandalism. If you happen to drive a hot and totally expensive vehicle like, say, a Porsche, consider yourself a fair target for vandals and malicious people. Beautiful and expensive vehicles usually cause envy from others and there are people out there who are not past themselves to show their envy by scratching your car.

Distinguish whether it’s a scratch or a mark. You don’t need any fancy equipment to distinguish one from the other. A fingernail drawn to the surface at a 90-degree angle to the defect will immediately tell you whether it’s gouged into the paint or sitting on top of it. If it’s just a mark, then an aerosol tar or an adhesive remover will take care of it with no problems at all. Stubborn marks can often be removed with lacquer thinner or a rage dipped in acetone . If it’s a scratch, then you will have to treat it using the following tips for scratches.

Paint over the scratch. If the scratch is just small enough, you can do the painting yourself and save money. First, wash the area with mild laundry detergent so you can remove any wax or coatings that may otherwise affect the paint you will apply. Then, carefully sand along the scratch using fine-grained sandpaper. The goal is to sand down to the level of the scratch without sanding through the next layer. Then, using a soft brush, blow away all the dust from the sanding.

Use masking tape or paper to isolate the scratch. Leave about an inch or so of working room.

For the touch-up paint, make sure that you get the exact paint color for your car. Otherwise, you will have an ugly spot of color that stands out from the rest of the car. In order to get the exact color, check your vehicle identification number, which is usually stamped into a small metal plate on the dashboard on the driver’s side. Using this number, go to an auto parts store or an online site that sells bottles of paint. The number will describe your car right down to the exact shade of color it uses so you shouldn’t have any problem matching it.

Use the touch-paint to spray over the car. Let dry overnight.

For deep scratches, apply body compound before painting. Use a putty knife to apply the compound to the scratches that are deep into the metal. In order to prevent more scratches, the knife should be made of plastic. Let the body compound harden and then sand it flat. After blowing away the dust, spray a small amount of primer paint to the scratch and then let it dry overnight. Paint as directed in step two above.

Sometimes, if the scratch is just minor, you don’t even have to resort to painting it. The rubbing compounds added with some polishings are usually enough to clear away those marks and scratches.

For serious scratches, have a professional take care of it. Sometimes, there are scratches that go the whole length of the side of your car. In such cases, it’s better to let a professional fix them. They will ensure that your car will be back to what it once was and you won’t have to spend an enormous amount of energy doing so.