TikTok’s Viral Hack For Car Scratches: Why We’re Skeptical

Unfortunately, you can’t completely prevent your car’s paint from chipping away. Habits like placing your car’s metal keys on your car while you’re holding four cups of coffee and takeout can scratch and ruin your vehicle’s paint. Now, we aren’t going to say that wiping a scratch with a mixture of coconut oil and white vinegar is totally ineffective. However, this hack only works on clear coat scuffs, which are superficial scratches that don’t affect your car’s paint.

When you apply the coconut oil and white vinegar mixture, the coconut oil fills the scuff marks, making the scratches less visible. However, once the mixture begins to wear off and the coconut oil evaporates, the scratches will reappear. As such, we recommend steering clear of this TikTok hack. Otherwise, all you’ll be left with a greasy vehicle that needs cleaning. If you scrub too hard, you might even end up making the scratches worse.

While this hack will work temporarily for minor scratches, it won’t work on deeper scratches that have penetrated your car’s paint. While some DIY tricks for scratch removal can make a difference, we recommend seeking a long-term fix for anything that has permanently damaged your car’s exterior by taking it to a professional auto body shop.