Clear coat
A fine, light line in the top lacquer layer that often looks whitish. Even light marks can need more than a polish, so Jamie will check from your photos.
Car scratch repair in Derby
Scratched paint from a tight car park, a hedge, a bin or the garage door, repaired on your driveway. Send Jamie photos and he’ll tell you whether yours is a repair he can do at home.
Know your scratch
How deep does it go?
Car paint is built up in layers. How far a scratch reaches through them decides how it has to be repaired.
Colour coat
The scratch has gone into the coloured paint and your fingernail catches in it. This needs the area preparing and repainting.
Primer or bare panel
Grey or white primer, bare metal or plastic is showing. The layers have to be built back up before the colour and lacquer go on.
Quick check: run a fingernail gently across the scratch. If it catches, it has gone deeper than the clear coat and will need paint.
Is it suitable?
Scratches that suit a mobile repair
BlendX Auto focuses on smaller, localised paint repairs that can be done properly on a driveway. If a job is too big for that, Jamie will tell you before you book.
- Scratches on a door, wing, bumper or other painted panel
- Car park scrapes and brushes against walls, posts or hedges
- Scratches into the colour coat or down to primer, over a limited area
Better suited to a bodyshop: scratches where the panel is also dented, damage running along much of the car, or rust coming through.
The repair
How a scratch is repaired
The damaged area is repaired and refinished, then blended into the paint around it. A typical driveway repair runs like this.
Clean and check
The panel is cleaned so the full length and depth of the scratch can be seen.
Prepare and mask
The scratch is flatted back and the surrounding paintwork masked off.
Rebuild and paint
Primer where needed, then colour and lacquer to suit your car.
Blend and finish
The new paint is blended into the original so the repair sits in with the panel.
Getting a quote
Photographing a scratch
Scratches can be hard to see in photos. These tips help Jamie judge the depth and size first time.
- Take photos in daylight, not under a streetlight
- Shoot one close-up straight on and one at an angle; scratches show up better at an angle
- Add a wider photo with the whole panel in view
What to send
Jamie confirms whether it’s suitable, the price and how long it should take once he has assessed the damage. Travel is included in the quote.
Get a quote on WhatsApp
FAQs
Scratch repair questions
Also repairing scuffed bumper paint? See bumper scuff repairs, or go back to mobile car paint repairs in Derby.
Will the scratch be completely gone?
The aim is a repair that blends in with the paint around it. How close it gets depends on the depth of the scratch, the colour and the paint finish. Jamie will be straight with you about what to expect before you book.
Can every scratch be polished out?
No. Once a scratch has gone through the clear coat it needs paint, not polish. Jamie will tell you from your photos what yours needs.
Can you repair a scratch down to the metal?
It depends on the size of the area and whether the panel is dented as well. Send clear close-up and wider photos and Jamie will let you know.
How long does a scratch repair take?
It varies with the size and depth of the scratch. Jamie will tell you how long yours should take when he quotes.
Get a quote
Get your scratch looked at
Send a close-up and a wider photo of the scratch with your vehicle and postcode.
Suitability, price and timing are confirmed once Jamie has assessed the damage.