Nissan claims car paint repairs scratches

Nissan’s new car paint repairs its own scratches and scrapes, the company has claimed.

Minor scruffs disappear in about a week if your car has Scratch Guard Coat, a newly developed clear paint that the Japanese car manufacturer developed with Nippon Paint Co, a company spokesman said today.

The coating, which Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Co says is the first of its kind in the world, contains elastic resin, similar to a rubbery surface, and can bounce back to repair slight scratches caused by car washing, off-road driving and fingernails.

Carwash machines account for most car surface scratches, according to Nissan, which showed before and after photos of a car with scratches on the hood and one with no scratches a week later.

The coating lasts about three years, Nissan said.

The scratch-proof paint job will be offered only in some Japanese models of the X-Trail sport utility vehicle, planned for sale soon, and overseas plans are still undecided, the spokesman said. It may be offered in other models, but no decision has been made.

In terms of costs, Nissan would only say Scratch Guard Coat costs “a few tens of thousands of yen” (about €150).