When a vehicle is manufactured, primer, colored paint, and a final clear coat are applied to the vehicle. The 3M Scratch Removal System is designed to remove defects to the clear coat. Examples include fine scratches from automatic car wash brushes. Common areas in need of repair are the area around the door handle or the trunk.  Scratches that can be removed are in the surface of the clear coat.

When removing a defect in the paint surface, you are actually removing a very thin layer of the clear coat paint. This procedure is commonly performed by professional technicians in automotive collision shops, car dealerships, detail shops, and assembly plants.

The 3M Scratch Removal System improves a vehicle's appearance by sanding, compounding and polishing the clear coat. After using the 3M Scratch Removal System the defect may still be visible. Often, the best way to make a repair completely invisible is to have the entire panel repaired by a professional.

The 3M Scratch Removal System will not eliminate deep or wide scratches or scratches that go through the clear coat. Some deep scratches, acid rain pits, or other types of paint defects may not be able to be removed without repainting a portion of the vehicle.

Scratches that cannot be completely removed go deeper than the surface of the clear coat.

Excessive sanding and/or compounding can remove or cut through the clear coat layer and into the color coat layer. If the clear coat layer is removed, it requires repainting by a professional to properly repair.