Here's a step-by-step guide to fixing a scratch on your car

Matthew DeBord/Business InsiderWhen it was new — before scratches.

You can live with scratches on your car — but you shouldn’t.

Scratches are like the old torture of death by a thousand cuts. Eventually, they will destroy your car’s finish by allowing rust to develop on metal parts. And like the great Canadian poet said, rust never sleeps.

Neil Young references aside, I recently suggested two ways to repair scratches. While I was dispensing this basic advice, it occurred to me that I had some scratches on my own car, a 2011 Toyota Prius, that needed attending to, certainly as winter arrived in the Northeast, where I live.

I took care of them, but now I can see some new damage. Time to break out the scratch-fixing kit for another run.

Read on for a basic how-to:

I've had my Prius for a couple of years -- lots of time to acquire a few dings and scratches.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Here's the one I decided to repair first: a narrow scribbled scrape. Ugly! Mind you, this scrape was in my plastic bumper. But I had others in the metal body panels.

Matthew DeBord/BI

A company called TouchUpDirect sells repair kits. For about $30, I got a paint pen to match my car's colour, as well as a clear coat pen. Clearcoat is the transparent layer that protects the finish.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Here's a link to the company's site. I don't recommend or endorse the product, but in my case, it worked well.

TouchUpDirect includes a test card and provides instructions on its website to use the products.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 1: Clean the scratched surface.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 2: Shake up the paint inside the pen.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 3: Double check that you got the right colour and ...

Matthew DeBord/BI

... STEP 4: Compare to your car's finish. In my case, it was a perfect match. TouchUpDirect has a database of auto manufacturers, makes, and model years so you can get the correct colour.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 5: Apply the paint to the scratch. I found that I had to use several coats for this step.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Voila! The scratch is now filled in with paint. I allowed about five minutes between coats.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 6: Let the paint dry. I gave it around 30 minutes.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 7: Apply the clearcoat.

Matthew DeBord/BI

Nothing to it. But I needed three coats to get what I thought was acceptable coverage.

Matthew DeBord/BI

STEP 8: Let the clearcoat dry and pat yourself on the back for another automotive repair well done. I could have sanded, buffed, and waxed the area for a more pristine fix, but honestly the bumper will never look new again, so I was happy to seal the damage.

Matthew DeBord/BI

More from Matthew DeBord:

• Spring has arrived, so here’s a step-by-step guide to fixing a scratch on your car
• Take a closer look at Ford’s $US400,000 GT supercar (F)
• Tesla’s future is completely inhuman — and we shouldn’t be surprised (TSLA)
• Wall Street won’t stop beating up on Ford — but the automaker could actually have a huge advantage when the next downturn hits (F)
• An extremely rare 1967 Corvette is up for auction — and it could fetch $US500,000 (GM)

NOW WATCH: Executive Life videos

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.