How does mantis scratch remover work

To make matters worse, the back of the van was particularly dirty and the dirt had been pushed into the scratches, meaning that they were still highly visible even after a wash. I had recently received a tube of Mantis Scratch Remover to review, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. I could also try it on some of the smaller, very light scuffs and scratches elsewhere on the van. This has the effect of sanding it down — removing scuff marks or discolouration and blending in very fine scratches.

In use, it achieved similar results to abrasive products I have used previously and it seemed to work like a mildly abrasive product. I have used scratch remover products from other companies before and my experience is that they usually help to reduce or improve the appearance of light scratches, but they cannot perform miracles.

If the scratch is deep enough for you to feel with a fingernail, scratch remover will not really help. However, minor scuffs and abrasions that can be seen but not felt can easily be removed without professional help. Mantis Scratch Remover is a white cream that you apply to a cloth and then rub into a scratch, before buffing the paintwork back to a shine. To understand the different types of scratches you also need to know about the layers that make up a car panel on most cars:.

Most shallow and medium scratches can be quite hard to tell apart. If you spot a scratch on your car but can't tell how deep it is there is an easy method to test this. Pass your fingernail over the mark. If your fingernail gets caught, this is a medium scratch at the very least. With most deep scratches you'll see a line which is a different colour to your car.

That is the primer or metal itself showing through, depending on the depth of the scratch. Looking for a nice, shiny new car? Our lab and road tests have done the hard work for you - see our expert pick of the best cars. If you've identified a shallow scratch on your car and want to use one one of our recommended car scratch removers. Here's what you need to do:. Protect your hands with rubber gloves Many of these products contain strong chemicals which can be an irritant to bare skin.

If any of the car scratch remover does get on your bare skin, wash it off with soap and rigorous scrubbing. Prep the area Make sure you've cleaned the area you are going to apply the car scratch remover to with a decent car shampoo. Bear in mind, some of these products need to be applied out of direct sunlight or in a cool place, so check the instructions.

Grab a clean cloth or pad We used a fresh microfibre cloth for each of the car scratch removers we tested. Some kits come with a foam applicator pad or you can buy these yourself separately. While not essential, they do make application easier. Prepare for more than one application Even on shallow scratches we tested on we found that many car scratch removers needed more than one application to get rid of the scratch.

Polish the whole body Once you've finished and the scratch is invisible you might notice the area you worked on has a slightly different finish to the rest of the car. It could be shinier, duller or just have a bit of haze across it. At this point, we recommend you give your car some TLC and polish the whole body.

Even the most careful and responsible drivers can end up with deep scratches on their car from time to time. Our Best Buy car scratch remover was the only product of those we tested which made any difference to medium and deep scratches, though it didn't completely remove them. If you identify a deep scratch on your car it may be time to turn to the professionals.

Depending on the depth of the scratch, a bodywork repair shop will either be able to smooth it out or if need be replace the car panel. Check out our Which? Trusted Traders for recommended professionals. We used masking tape to divide an unmarked car door into zones: one zone for each car scratch remover we were testing. Using a utility knife at the shortest setting and applying very light pressure, we dragged the knife across each zone four times twice in one direction and twice in the other to make our shallow scratches.

We tested the depth of these by applying blue tac to the scratch. Each car scratch remover was given four chances to remove the four shallow scratches in its zone. The car scratch remover was applied with a microfibre cloth following the manufacturer's instructions.

After each application, the zone was examined to see what difference, if any, had been made to the scratches. The fewer applications needed, the higher the car scratch remover scored. We also applied a medium and deep scratch to each section to see if each car scratch remover made a difference to these.

However, as most of the products we tested don't claim to remove these types of scratches, they didn't lose marks if they couldn't, but we have pointed out the ones which did the best job on these types of scratches. We also judged on how the overall zone looked after the final application.

The best products left us with a glossy, clean finish which uplifted the overall appearance of the car panel. The worst left our car panel with hazy smudges, which took a bit of effort to get rid of. For our final test, we washed each zone with car shampoo and warm water the day after we'd applied the car scratch removers. Hi, I bought 1 from Marketplace and have yet to try it out.

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