Can a scratch be buffed out or does it need a full repaint?

[keithmarsden]

I had a bit of a nightmare situation this morning, I came out to my car and found this long scratch running along the driver's side door that looks like someone's bag or belt buckle scraped against it as they were walking past in the parking lot. It's not super deep, I can feel it slightly with my fingernail but it's not down to the metal or anything, just through the clear coat and maybe a bit into the base colour. I'm hoping it's something that can be fixed with a good machine polish rather than having to repaint the whole door, because that would obviously be way more expensive and I'm worried about colour matching issues. I've seen those mobile scratch repair guys around who claim they can fix anything with their magic touch-up pens, but I'm a bit skeptical about how well those actually work long term. I'd rather take it to a proper workshop where they can assess the damage properly and give me honest advice about what's actually possible versus what's just a temporary cover-up. I've been looking around for a place that offers trusted car paint and scratch removal in Abu Dhabi because I want to make sure whoever works on my car actually knows what they're doing and doesn't just slap some touch-up paint on it and call it a day. Has anyone had a similar scratch fixed successfully without a full respray? I'd love to know whether it actually looked good afterwards or if I'm just going to have to accept that this scratch is now part of my car's character.

[haydeewicking]

Fingernail catch usually means it's in the clear coat or just past it, and that's normally polishable. Cut it with a compound and a foam pad, then finish with a fine polish. Might take a couple of passes but you almost never need a respray for that.

[hayfawiddicombe]

Honestly the "magic pen" guys are hit and miss. Had one do a scratch on my bumper and it looked fine for about two months, then the fill shrank and you could see the line again. A proper polish beats that every time if the scratch isn't through the paint.

[hazelwightman]

Had almost the same thing on my rear door, someone's zipper I think. Workshop polished it in about an hour and I honestly can't find the spot now. Ask them to show you the paint depth reading before they start so you know what you're dealing with.

[hazelynwigfall]

Depends on the paint. If it's a metallic or pearl, aggressive compounding can leave haze around the area, so the tech needs to blend the polish out past the scratch. Also worth checking whether the clear coat is thick enough to take a cut, older cars sometimes aren't.

[hediawigfull]

Does the scratch look white or lighter than the surrounding paint, or is it the same colour just visible in the light? That tells you a lot about whether it's the clear coat only. Also how old is the car, and has it been polished before?