Does polish remove scratches?
Quick answer: Retail “polish” and scratch-remover bottles do little to remove scratches. Professionals can remove some marks using machine polishers with the right pads, compounds and polishes, but scratches that cut too deep will require repainting.
The kind of polish that the retail public can buy do little to remove scratches. In fact, even the products that are called scratch removers are ineffective.
However, a professional using machine polishers and the correct combination of pads, compounds and polishes can remove some scratches. Some scratches however are too deep to remove, and the panel will need to be repainted.
Even for professionals, scratch removal is a balancing act. What defines whether a scratch is removable is how far it penetrates: if it only affects the clear coat layer, then yes -- with measured polishing, that damage can be levelled out so it practically vanishes. But once a scratch cuts into the colour coat (or primer beneath), polishing won’t get you back to unblemished paint, all you’ll do is risk thinning the surrounding area and making the damage more obvious.
Also, not all “scratch removal” is total removal. Many times what an expert does is mask or blend the edges of shallow scratches so they become nearly invisible, rather than erasing them entirely. That’s where the experience, pad choice, machine technique and polish aggressiveness meet. You want enough cut to flatten the imperfection, but also finesse to preserve clarity, avoid new micro-marriage, and keep the overall finish consistent.
So in short: polish can remove scratches, but only the ones that haven’t breached your paint’s depth. Deep gouges, kerb scuffs, stone chips or badly alloy damage often demand repainting or panel repair. And that’s okay, polishing is one tool in the armoury, not a magic wand.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 25/09/2025 16:11