Car Scratch Repair - What you need to know

Let’s face it — scratches happen. Whether it’s a rogue trolley in a supermarket car park, your kid's bike past the bumper, or overgrown bushes in your driveway … sooner or later, your car’s going to get scratched.

And while most people shrug and ignore it, that’s not always the smartest move. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the ins and outs of car scratch repair — what can be fixed, what can’t, and what you should do about it (and why putting it off might cost you more in the long run).

A Scratch Is Never Just a Scratch

Most modern cars have four layers of paint — primer, base coat, colour coat, and then clear coat on top. A light scuff might only graze the clear coat, but a deeper scratch can cut straight through to bare metal. And when that happens, that's when rust sets in.

Leave it long enough and you’ll not only have a tatty-looking car… you’ll also have paint flaking off, corrosion underneath, and a nasty repair bill later.

Types of Car Scratches (And How We Deal With Them)

Here’s a breakdown of the usual suspects, from the “that’ll buff out” to the “you’re gonna need a proper job” type of damage.

1. Light Clear Coat Scratches

• Usually light grey or chalky-looking. Shallow and less than half the depth of the clear coat. They can be wide. [more]
• Caused by hedges, placing bags or boxes on your car.
• Fix: Machine polishing will usually sort it. Low cost - Easy win.
  If they are slightly deeper, we can get them out with wet-sanding.

2. Wash Marks / Swirl Marks

• Very light scratches can be seen when sunlight is shining on the car. [more]
• Caused by washing as dirt and grit rubbed against the paintwork while washing,
• Fix: These can be fixed with a few passes with a machine polisher.

3. Buffer Trails / Holograms

• Individually, these scratches are so light that they can't be seen with the naked eye, but in sunlight they look like smudges. [more]
• Caused by incorrect machine polishing, usually with rotary polishers and coarse compound.
• Fix: Can be fixed with correct polishing with random-orbital polishing and fine pad and polish.

4. Deep Clear Coat Scratches

• Usually light grey or chalky-looking.
• Caused by studs and buckles on clothing, placing bags or boxes on your car.
• Fix: Machine polishing can occasionally remove them, but it will leave the clear coat thin.
  They can be fixed by touching in with clear paint and then polishing.

5. Colour Coat Scratches

• Slightly deeper – you can see the paint’s been cut.
• Things like keys, bike handlebars, rogue cats.
• Fix: As a compromise, it can touched-in, or a SMART repair if it’s on a corner.
  It's unlikely to be an invisible repair unless repainted at a bodyshop.

6. Down to the Primer or Metal

• Deep gouges, often with sharp edges.
• Accidents, keying, dragging something heavy across a panel, scuffing walls and bollards.
• Fix: You’re into bodywork territory here. Needs filling, repainting, and a proper blend, that's if you want it done properly.

Location and Compromise

The truth is, with any scratch or scuff beyond the clear coat, in the vast majority of cases, if you want an invisible repair, then you are going to need repainting. But there can be some compromise. If a scratch is on a bonnet or top of the driver's door, then it's in an obvious position which can be clearly seen. But if it's low down on the car, especially on the underside of a bumper or sill, then you have to stand back from the car to see it, then a touch-in may be enough. You can get the repair to a "You have to be looking for it to notice it" condition that you can live with.

Sometimes we can't tell if we will be able to buff a scratch out or what kind of result we will get. If you absolutely need it repaired, for example, if it's a lease car, then you might as well let us try. We will do our best, and if you decide it's not good enough, and you later get it done at a bodyshop, we'll give you a full refund.

DIY vs Professional: What Actually Works?

There’s a place for DIY – I’ll be the first to say it. Buying a touch-in kit from a company like Chipex is highly recommended. We suggest you use this kit liberally for every chip and blemish. Don't worry if you are no good with a brush, it is better to slop it on and protect the area than not have it at all. Touch-in paint isn't baked on, so it can be removed later with thinners if it looks a mess, so don't be afraid of it.

With that said, there are a lot of adverts on social media from Chinese companies, with videos promising magical results. I'm sure we don't need to tell you that these are snake-oil and the results they get are a result of camera trickery!

In general, scratch removal kits are not really worth it. The expensive ones (£30-£45) contain all the gear such as wet-and-dry paper, compounds, polishes and buffing pads you can fit to a drill, but they don't give you the skills to use them. We have the skills, but we doubt even we couldn't get the desired results with them.

Most just contain a cutting compound and a cloth or sponge. The cutting compound is likely to be so weak that you will be there for days, or so harsh that you could damage your paintwork with it.

My opinion is this: there are millions of potential customers which a scratch on their car, and most want a cheap, quick fix. The kits rarely work, but people keep buying them. As long as this is the case, manufacturers will keep selling them. If they worked, we'd buy them at trade prices and spend all day polishing out scratches for half the price we currently charge to buff out a scratch. 

Save your time, save your money. Drop in and see a professional.

But How Much Does It Cost?

Ah, the big question. Here’s the short version:

• Polishing out light marks – from about £60
• SMART repairs – typically £100–£250, depending on size and location
• Panel respray – expect £200+, more for metallic or pearl paint

DIY kits start around a tenner, but your results may vary (a lot).

What We Do (And Why It’s Better)

At New Again, we specialise in paintwork correction. Our team is trained, and highly experienced, and we don’t cut corners. We can touch in deeper scratches, polish everything back to a consistent finish without the holograms, and if it needs more than that, we’ll tell you straight.

We can:

• Machine polish swirl marks and surface scratches
• Touch in small chips and grazes
• Carry out SMART repairs (including bumper scuffs and mirror caps)
• Arrange full panel resprays through our trusted partners

And we’ll give you a free assessment — no pressure, no waffle.

Bonus: How to Avoid Scratches in the First Place

Okay, prevention tips. Nothing groundbreaking here, but you’d be amazed how often people ignore the basics:

• Wash by hand with decent gear — two buckets and a soft mitt, not the brush at the jet wash.
• Avoid automatic car washes. Yes, they scratch. Yes, all of them.
• Don’t park next to trolleys. Ever.
• Apply a wax or ceramic coating — gives a bit of sacrificial protection.

Final Word

Most scratches can be fixed, and they’re usually cheaper to sort than people think. The trick is not to leave them too long. Once rust or peeling paint gets involved, the job’s bigger and more expensive.

So, if you’re looking at a scratch and wondering, “Is that worth sorting?” — the answer is probably yes. And we’re here to help.

Give us a call or pop in for a free quote. We’ll take a look, give you the options, and let you decide what works for you.