Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to return my lease car and noticed that I had a "scuff/scratch" on the wheel well that probably will need to be fixed before the car inspection..

Perhaps wheel well is the wrong term, but literally, its the molding around the tire that is typically made of plastic. I have a 1" tall scratch that goes about 3" wide. It's not too deep, but deep enough not to hide easily - my guess, the gouges are like 1/32 to 1/16" deep...

Is there any way that a DIY-er can buff out the scratch and cover it so that it's not too noticeable....

I know that you can use rubbing compound on the paint and then wax it to hide scratches... I was hoping to do something similar, but I would also envision that I need to "paint" the area to match it as best as possible to the existing color....

do automotive stores sell any products that would help me out?

Please let me know what's the best course of action for me here... even if it means not to do it myself and take to a body shop.

Thanks

 

By your description it sounds a little too much for rubbing compound. You would have to apply some touch up paint to fill the scratch and when it's completely dry wet sand it with very fine paper to dry to blend it in. Getting it good enough to pass a visual inspection may not be DIY. How much do you expect to be docked for the scratch as is?