Car Scratch Repair Cost: Detailer, Touch-Up or Body Shop?

How much does car scratch repair cost?

Find your damage in the left column. Then see who fixes it and what sets the car scratch repair price.

Our detail prices are starting prices. The final quote depends on your car and the marks.

Is your scratch a detailer job or a body shop job?

Detailer vs body shop comes down to one thing: depth. Car paint is built in layers. On top is the clear coat. Under it is the color coat. Below that is primer (a gray or white layer that helps paint stick), and then metal or plastic.

A detailer fixes damage with polish. Polish shaves off a very thin layer of clear coat so the edges of a scratch sit level again. It can't add paint back, so it can't fill a groove that cuts through the color.

The quick check is the fingernail test. If your nail glides over the clean scratch, polish can often remove or fade it. If your nail catches, or you see white, gray or bare metal, it needs new paint.

Our guides below cover the test and touch-up paint in full. A few more clues:

• Detailer job: the mark almost vanishes when you wet it with water.
• Detailer job: the mark is a color that isn't yours, like white or gray from a garage wall.
• Paint job: you can see a different color deep inside the groove.

What does a detailer charge to remove scratches?

For one scratch or scuff, we do a spot polish. There is no single set price. A small mark on a bumper and a long line down a door are different jobs.

Text 2-3 clear daylight photos to (415) 483-5686. We reply with an honest answer. It will polish out, it will look much better but not perfect, or it needs a body shop. You get a price before you book anything.

If the whole car has swirls and light scratches, paint correction is the better fit. That means machine polishing every panel, not just one spot. 1-stage correction starts at $399 and clears light swirls. 2-stage starts at $799 and adds a heavier cut for deeper marks.

A spot polish is done right at your car during our visit. Multi-stage correction takes a full day, so we book it ahead.

When does a scratch need a body shop?

Go to a body shop when the damage goes through the paint or breaks the panel. Polish won't fix these, and trying can make the spot look worse.

• Your nail catches deep, and you see a new color, white primer or silver metal in the groove.
• Rock chips reach bare metal. Car paint chip repair means sealing that metal with primer and paint before rust starts.
• The clear coat is peeling, flaking or turning white in patches.
• A bumper is cracked, torn or gouged deep into the plastic.
• A deep scratch runs across more than one panel, like on a keyed car.

How does a body shop fix scratches, and what drives the price?

A body shop fixes deep scratches by adding paint back. The job can include sanding, filler, primer, color matching and fresh clear coat. The shop often blends the new paint into the panels next to it, so the color matches.

Touch-up paint sits in between. A pen or small bottle matched to your paint code can hide small chips and thin deep lines. It looks good from a few feet away, but it rarely looks perfect up close.

Because of that blending, body shops often price by the panel, not by the scratch. Getting two written estimates is normal. A clear estimate should list:

• Each panel to be fixed, plus any panel next to it that gets blended.
• Your paint code, so the color match starts from the factory color.
• Each step, such as sanding, filler, primer, color and clear coat.
• How long the car will stay in the shop.

Can a detailer fix deep scratches, dents or curb rash?

Not with polish alone. Some detailers offer touch-up or dent work, but we don't. We want you to pay for the right fix, so here is plainly what we send to other shops.

• Touch-up paint. We don't fill chips or deep scratches with paint.
• Dents. A paintless dent repair tech usually works the metal back out from behind. No new paint is needed if the paint isn't cracked.
• Scraped or curb-rashed wheels. A wheel repair shop can refinish the rim.
• Repainting a panel, or fixing a cracked bumper or broken trim. That is body shop work.

Is it worth fixing a small scratch?

Often, yes, but the reason depends on depth. A clear-coat scratch hasn't reached the metal, so it is mostly about looks. You can fix it when it suits you.

A chip or scratch down to bare metal is different. Seal it soon, before rust starts. Salt air near the bay or ocean can speed rust up. If rust has already begun, touch-up alone won't stop it.

Timing matters too:

• Before you sell. Clean, glossy paint shows better in listing photos.
• Before a lease turn-in. Read your lease papers on wear first, since each lease company sets its own rules.
• Before a ceramic coating. A coating seals in whatever is under it, so polish out scratches first. Our coating package includes one round of paint correction.

Should you fix a scratch yourself or call a pro?

Light marks your nail glides over can often be hand-polished with a scratch-remover polish. Our DIY guide, linked below, walks through it step by step.

Why do Bay Area cars pick up so many scratches?

City life is hard on paint. Parking on tight, steep blocks brings bumper taps and brushes from passing bikes. Apartment garages add scuffs from walls, poles and gates. Many of these marks are paint transfer or light scuffs, which polish well.

The weather does its part. Fog and the marine layer leave a damp, gritty film on paint. Wipe that film off dry, and you drag grit across the clear coat. Beach sand from Ocean Beach or Stinson does the same thing.

Mobile scratch repair fits city life. We come to your home, office, apartment garage or legal street spot, and we bring our own water and power. A few habits also help:

• Rinse before you wipe. Never dry-wipe fog film or dust.
• Skip brush tunnel washes, which can leave swirls and fine scratches.
• A ceramic coating helps resist light wash marks. It can still scratch, though.

Frequently Asked Questions