A tip to share... Emergency sctatch removal

DaGonz

Autopia fire/rescue.
Emergency scratch removal... a tip to share

Mrs. Gonzo and I just spent a week in lovely Sedona, Arizona. We had a rental car (a white 2004 Dodge Stratus) and before we left the rental car company at Sky Harbor Airport to head to Sedona, I had to do a quick check for any damage to the vehicle. Since the sun had set and the light was fading quickly, I did a quick walk around, signed off on the form and away we went.



The next morning, I did a through walk around and found no damage other than a lot of insect carcasses all over the grille and front bumper fascia (driving through the desert at night is bug city!). A quick trip to a self serve car wash, a towel from the fitness room and a few dollars worth of change got the Stratus nice and clean again.



On Friday, we went out to breakfast and when we got to our car, there was a blue "scuff" on the right rear passenger door.. the type that occurs when someone parks too close to and opens the car door without consideration for the other driver. I had to remove the scuff prior to returning the car at Sky Harbor.



When we got back to our resort condo, I took a damp face cloth and a small dab of Crest toothpaste and gently went over the scuff. After a few minutes of gentle rubbing and wiping, the scuff was gone!



I thought I would share this with my fellow Autopians...
 
Very good tip :up. I've gotten so bad I even park rental cars real far away. I'm glad the companies Ive used don't have decals on the cars because I'd get even more/stranger stares from the public :D
 
Was it the gel, or the white type of toothpaste? I've found the white toothpaste to also be effective at cleaning white painted interior walls of ink, crayon, etc...



Dave
 
Dave Holmes said:
Was it the gel, or the white type of toothpaste? I've found the white toothpaste to also be effective at cleaning white painted interior walls of ink, crayon, etc...



Dave



The toothpase we had oin out travel kit was regular Crest, but I am sure that any type of toothpaste would work... and it leaves the car with a fresh, minty taste... :D
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
you might be autopian if....



If you think that's bad, try growing up with my Dad who is a custom painter! He would let me use a touch-up gun to paint my models cars. For anything that got in the paint, he showed me how to use toothpaste to rub out the imperfections! Those model cars had better finishes on them than most cars on the road did! Not to mention how it was a requirement that the John Deere riding mower was waxed about twice a year!
 
You made ANOTHER trip to Arizona and didn't let me know........

Missed a dinner on me...

Weather was nice wasn't it??

See you next time.
 
I was on vacation in Fla a few weeks back, when I was parking at the mall I was making my usual mile trek to my parking spot with my girlfriend when she said you know its not your car..... Old habits I guess.



I will keep your toothpaste idea in my mind, I returned this last rental car with a suitcase paint transfer that I bet this would have fixed.
 
Off car topic but on toothpaste topic.



White toothpaste is also a quick fix for nail or tack holes on white walls. Moving and want your damage deposit back.
 
An old detailer told me the other day that he used to use corn starch wrapped in a cheese cloth and it did wonders to remove scratches.
 
AutoNova said:
An old detailer told me the other day that he used to use corn starch wrapped in a cheese cloth and it did wonders to remove scratches. [/QTE] Many years ago corn starch was used to remove swirl marks after componding. Corn Starch was also used to take off the old Simonize Paste Wax, it left a super shine. Baking Soda will remove bugs from the front of your car.
 
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