How to Repair Scratched Vehicle Paint With a Crayon

by Josh Baum

For fine little scratches in the finish of your car, touch-up paint usually provides an effective fix. But if you don't have any on hand, you can often do a passable repair job with an ordinary wax crayon. A benefit of using this method is that there is a more diverse range of crayon colors than there are touch-up paint colors, so you're more apt to be able to find your car's shade. Just follow these steps to give it a try on your car; you might be impressed with the results.

Step 1

Start with the biggest box of crayons that you can find, and make sure that they're wax crayons. Take the crayons that are likely matches for your paint color and hold them up to the car, one by one, until you find the best match.

Step 2

Wash the sections of the car that you plan to touch up. Use car washing soap in a bucket of water and apply it to the car body with a sponge, scrubbing thoroughly. When the scratched areas are clean, rinse away all of the suds.

Step 3

Dry the area thoroughly with a towel, then leave it to air dry for several more minutes. The car body needs to be as dry as possible to ensure that the wax adheres.

Step 4

Color in the scratched areas with your selected crayon. Make the wax layers thick enough to cover all of the visible scratches. Don't worry about excess wax buildup at this stage.