While examining your car's body, you may have found a few small scratches in the paint. If they are not very noticeable, you may decide that you can simply ignore them. However,  there are a couple of ways that small scratches can lead to big issues with your car's body if something is not done about them.

1.  Paint Around the Scratches May Bubble and/or Peel

One way that small scratches in your car's paint can lead to problems is that they will not stay small for very long. Eventually, the damage to the paint will start to grow, leading to bubbling and peeling.

Whenever your car's paint is scratched, the clear, protective coating that seals the paint and wards off moisture and the UV rays of the sun becomes compromised. As a result, moisture from rain, snow, and ice can creep underneath, leading to a buildup that will start pushing up on the paint and its coating.

As a result, the paint will start to peel and bubble up. This not only makes your car appear unsightly, but it also exposes the body underneath.

2.  Metal Body Underneath the Paint May Start to Rust

Another potential problem to which small scratches can lead ties in with the issue discussed in the previous section. If the scratch is deep enough to expose the body's metal or if peeling and bubbling of the paint have occurred, the metal will be exposed to moisture.

Because the body's metal is exposed to moisture that it normally would not have been if the paint and coating were intact, it will start to oxidize. As the exposure to water, ice, snow, and road salt continues, the body will start to rust.

This rusting can occur not only where you see the exposed metal, but it can also happen underneath the paint. You may not even realize that oxidation is taking place until the paint starts peeling off in the affected areas. Or, you may notice that the affected part of the body has started to bow inward if it is pressed upon.

Although the scratches in your car's paint may appear minor, they can lead to further damage to the surrounding paint and underlying body if not dealt with sooner or later. Take your car to a car body repair service to have them assess the damage and discuss your options for fixing and covering the scratches before they lead to bigger problems.

To learn more, contact a car body repair shop.