A scenario like this can ruin your day.
You need something from the store. You park your car and run in to get what you need. You’ve been inside for no more than 10 minutes. When you go to unlock the door, you discover the driver’s side door has been dented and scratched. Ugh!
A small scratch and dent repair like one that might occur in a parking lot is an easy fix. A small scratch can happen when a car door opens into yours. Or a runaway cart or bike slams into your car. Typically, you can’t assign blame for the event because you usually can’t prove which car owner opened their door into yours (unless you witness it while it is happening). When this happens your door paint might be chipped. There could be a slight gouge in the door or a scratch down the side of the car. Either way, through no fault of your own, your car is not as perfect as it was an hour ago. We know this is frustrating.
Customers can bring the car with scratch and dent damage to our shop. You can expect us to either treat the scratch with Paintless Dent Repair or depending on the depth of the scratch, repair the area with sanding and refinishing to take care of the chipped paint.
Scratches can also be the result of a car key scratch. A scratch may have happened when a package was dragged over the surface of your car. Maybe your dog’s nails scratched the car when the dog attempted to jump into it. A scratch that needs special attention is one that goes through the surface coat into the base color.
Scratch and Dent Repair Process
Sanding is the first step of fixing the scratch. If the scratch is deep Barbosa’s Kustom Kolor will also prime the panel and block the area to make sure it is straight. The next step is sealing the scratch (to avoid rust in the future) paint, polish, and get the car ready to deliver to the customer. The process for tackling the repair of a scratch depends on the size of the scratch.
Small Scratches
A small scratch that is not too deep may only need to be buffed or polished to repair it. Any time you polish a scratch to remove it you are also removing the clear coat. Removing a clear coat leaves a slight dish in the clear coat. If you remove too much of the clear coat, you also remove the UV protection. The final step in repairing a small scratch is reapplying the clear coat. If this step is missed, the car color will be affected in different ways.
Scratch and Dent Repair with OTC kits
Barbosa’s does not advocate the use of an over the counter (OTC) kit to fix any scratches on cars. OTC kits may stop the rusting temporarily. Please note using an Over the Counter kit to repair a scratch in the paint will not look as good as it could be by taking it to an expert to have your scratch repaired. However, if the scratch is down low on a quarter panel, underneath the car, someone may choose to use this kit. But if the scratch is in a place on your car that is more visible, then a professional repair is always warranted. An OTC Kit repair may affect the resale value of the car.
How to avoid getting your car door scratched?
Have Barbosa’s Kustom Kolor apply door guards to the door panel.
Although not used as much, there are moldings that can also be applied to help avoid scratches. There are different kinds and color options.
Although a small scratch on the underside of a low quarter panel might seem like a do it yourself scratch and dent repair, any scratches on your car that are visible to you every day should be repaired by a professional scratch and dent auto body repair shop. A scratch in your car can be fixed. Bring it by the shop. We can look at it and give you an estimate about how to best protect your clear coat and avoid any rust in the future. Call or contact us today.