Scratch & Dent Motors repairs car scratches at our College Park, GA shop, from light scuffs and clear-coat marks to deep key scratches down to bare metal. Light scratches can often be polished out. Deeper scratches are sanded, filled, primed, painted and clear-coated, then blended into the surrounding paint so the repair does not show.
How deep is your scratch?
Car paint is built in layers: a clear coat on top, the color coat under it, then primer, then the metal or plastic. The depth of the scratch decides the repair.
Clear coat scratches
Light scuffs, swirl marks and scratches you cannot feel with a fingernail usually sit in the clear coat. These can often be wet-sanded and polished out without repainting.
Color coat scratches
If your fingernail catches and you can see a lighter or duller line, the scratch has reached the color coat. It needs touch-up or refinishing of the affected area, blended into the panel.
Scratches to primer or metal
Gray, white or bare-metal lines mean the scratch went through the paint. That area needs to be filled, primed and painted, and it should be done soon: bare steel starts to rust once it is exposed to moisture.
Scratches we fix every week
- Key scratches along doors and quarter panels
- Bumper scuffs from parking, garages and posts
- Scratches from shopping carts, branches and car washes
- Scrapes along the side from a minor sideswipe
Getting the color right
A scratch repair is only as good as the color match. We match the paint to your vehicle and blend it into the surrounding area rather than painting a hard-edged patch, so the repaired spot does not stand out in sunlight. If the scratch came with a dent, we fix both together. See dent repair and bumper repair.
Questions about scratch repair
Can a scratch be buffed out?
Scratches that are only in the clear coat can often be polished out. If your fingernail catches in the scratch, it usually needs paint.
Should I fix a scratch that goes to bare metal?
Yes, and soon. Exposed steel can start to rust, and rust spreads under the surrounding paint.
Will I have to repaint the whole panel?
Not always. We refinish only what the repair needs and blend it into the surrounding paint.
Where we do scratch repair
All work is done at our shop at 502 85th Cir, College Park, GA 30349. Drivers bring their vehicles to us from Forest Park, Hapeville, Riverdale, College Park, Morrow, East Point, Jonesboro, Union City, Fairburn, Southwest Atlanta, South Fulton and Palmetto.