CAR PAINT SCRATCH REMOVAL/REduction
For information on WHAT a scratch is and HOW they form, visit the "information" tab or click "Scratch Repair." Because of the subjective nature of car paint scratches, there is no one size fits all solution, and there is no one size fits all price. However, here are some fairly standard guidelines to help you understand your car's scratches and how to go about fixing them.
CAN MY CAR'S SCRATCHES BE FIXED WITHOUT REPAINTING?
While we consider ourselves very skilled in the world of scratch removal, the answer to this question is simply: "It depends." As a rule, we do not do any touch-up painting or repainting of any kind, so the nature of the scratch will tell us if it can be removed. We hope to improve/reduce the scratches, with the goal being to reduce them to a level that is satisfactory to our customers and hopefully avoid the exorbitant cost of a repaint.
Here are a few things to look for that will help you see how easy or difficult a scratch will be to remove:
1. Can you catch your fingernail? When you run your fingernail across the gradient of the scratch, does your fingernail catch? If yes, then the scratch is below the clear coat and will require "wet sanding" at some level in order for it to be removed completely. This also means that this scratch will take more time and effort to reduce or remove completely. For more info on wet sanding, click the "information" tab or click "wet sanding." If not, this scratch may just be a topcoat scratch, in which case you are in luck! These are usually very simple to remove.
2. Can you see metal? If yes, the scratch is extremely deep. In fact, if you can see the metal body of the car, the scratch has gone through both the clear coat and the colored paint. These situations are beyond our scope of practice simply because they require paint touch-ups in order to perfect, which is a service that we do not provide.
3. Does the scratch contain paint or "scuffing" that is not your car's paint color? If the "scratch" contains a scuff or mark that is colored differently than your own car's paint, you may be dealing with something called "transfer," which is when the thing that scratched your car "transfers" its own material onto your car's paint. This is very common when one car rubs against another car's paint. For example, A white car that is rear-ended by a black car may have black paint in and around the scratches from the accident, this is very easy to remove, and though it does require a process to remove it correctly, it is nothing to worry about.
HOW EXPENSIVE IS SCRATCH REMOVAL/reduction?
Because car paint scratch removal is so different with every situation (quantity, length/depth, affected surface area, substrate material, etc. there is no one price fits all. However, here are some general guidelines that may help you process through:
1. Scratch removal is (generally speaking) a more expensive service because it takes time and a lot of skill to do well.
2. We will not be able to explain the EXACT measures that will be taken over the phone simply because we will not know exactly what we will have to do until we’re standing in front of your car.
3. If wet sanding is required, the price will go up.
4. A minimum of $50 should be expected if we’re not already detailing your car, this accounts for the SIMPLEST of scratch repairs.
5. We have (in the past) removed/reduced scratches for as little as $150 to over $1000, so again, there is no one-size-fits-all in the scratch removal world.
We know this probably does not narrow the price as much as you may want, so if you need scratch removal, prices will be much more narrow after we have had an email correspondence or phone appointment where we can assess the general condition of the specific scratches you are dealing with. To contact us, simply click the button below.