Scratch Repair & Removal in Denver, CO
Polished out where the clearcoat allows it, properly refinished where it does not.
Assessing the damage.
Run a fingernail across the scratch. If it glides, the damage is clearcoat only and can almost always be polished out completely. If it catches, it has gone into the base coat and needs paint. To confirm our findings, we use a depth gauge to gauge the paint and clearcoat.
Every scratch gets the same start. Where it ends is up to the paint.
A mark is either in the clearcoat or through it. The first gets polished out, the second gets refinished, and the walk-around is where we find out which one you have.
Assessment under light
Examined under LED bars with a paint depth reading, so clearcoat damage and deeper damage are told apart before anything starts.
Clearcoat repair
Polish and wet sanding
Clearcoat damage wet sanded level with fine grades where needed, then compounded and refined through every polishing stage until the mark is gone.
Paint repair
In-depth paint repair
The damaged area is cleaned out and prepped back to sound material, then primed and built level so the new color has a flat base.
Color matching and finishing
Color matched off your actual panel in daylight, then applied in thin layers, cleared, cured and blended into the surrounding finish.
Polish and wet sanding
The cured repair is hand sanded flat with fine grades and lubricant, then polished back through every stage so no edge catches a fingernail.
Scratch repair done the right way. By people who care about cars.
Scratches that can be polished out are usually done in a day. Deeper ones need paint, and that takes a few days to build, cure and level.
No touch-up pens and no raised blobs. Any paint we add is leveled flat and polished until you can't find it.
Winter grit and tight garages. Most of it happens where you are not looking.
Two local causes turn up constantly. Mag chloride and sand thrown onto lower panels act like fine abrasive every time a wash mitt drags across them, and that is where most lower-panel scratching starts.
The second is Denver parking, particularly older structures and tight garages, where door edges and concrete pillars do quiet damage. There is value in fixing it too. A car carrying a few obvious scratches gets marked down at appraisal far more than the repair costs, because a buyer reads visible damage as neglect rather than one bad afternoon in a parking lot.
People who wanted the straight answer. Here is what they got.
“They photographed every stage and walked me through the paint depth readings before they touched it. No upsell, no guessing. Just straight answers.”David K. — '68 Mustang · Fort Collins
“Two other shops turned my Corvette away after last summer's hail. These guys took one look and said no problem. You can't tell it was ever touched.”Marcus L. — C7 Corvette · Denver
Common questions. Scratch repair.
Not covered here? Call (720) 770-7063 or bring the car by our shop on Dahlia Street.
How do I know if mine can be polished out?
The fingernail test. If your nail glides over it, very likely yes, and if it catches it needs paint. Send a photo for a rough idea, but we confirm in person because photos flatten depth.
Can you do a single panel?
Yes, and most of this work is exactly that. There is no minimum and no requirement to do the whole car.
Will I be able to see the repair?
On clearcoat work, no. On refinished repairs we blend into the surrounding panels so there is no edge, and on tricky metallics and pearls we tell you upfront how close a match is achievable.
How long does it take?
A day for most polishable scratches. Refinishing takes a few days, because thin layers have to cure properly before they can be leveled and blended.
Is it cheaper than a body shop?
Where it can be polished, dramatically. Where it needs paint, we are doing the same work a good body shop would, and we say so rather than pretend there is a shortcut.
Bring the car by.
We will test the scratch with you standing there and tell you whether it polishes out or needs paint, before you commit to anything.