Before you spend money on a paint job for a minor scrape or scratch, have a shop look at it to see if they can wet sand and buff out the scratch on the paint. Don’t be afraid to try wet sanding and buffing before paying for that new paint that someone is trying to sell you. You have nothing to loose.
When I used to work in a body shop, I did wet sanding and buffing all the time to get rid of scrapes and scratches. Plus, I usually did it for free. I was honest about it if I thought I could get out the scrape or scratch without burning through the clear coat. This was a great future sales technique, because a satisfied customer would always come back when they done F’d up their vehicle good in an accident. It was an almost guaranteed comeback to have their collision work done at the shop.
Try a detail shop if you don’t trust the body shop to be honest. The detail shop has nothing to gain by burning through the clear, as you would not have to pay for the job, or shouldn’t anyway if they did burn through your clear coat, where as the body shop does have something to gain, a paint job. However, I know lots of body shop guys who do the same thing I did when I was in the shops still. They too solicit free work on small jobs to gain a bigger future sale. Sometimes the small scratch wet sand and buff job isn’t even worth their paperwork, as it can take only a few minutes to get them out. You just have to feel the shop out, and go with your instincts to see if they are going to really try to help you, and not try to get a sale for paint by burning through the clear coat deliberately. Just like anything, there are honest shops, and not so honest shops.
Sometimes the scratches are just too deep, and that can’t always be found out without trying to wet sand and buff out the scratch. So if you find an honest shop and they try, they’ll be up front with you and let you know it is a 50/50 shot.
When I used to work in a body shop, I did wet sanding and buffing all the time to get rid of scrapes and scratches. Plus, I usually did it for free. I was honest about it if I thought I could get out the scrape or scratch without burning through the clear coat. This was a great future sales technique, because a satisfied customer would always come back when they done F’d up their vehicle good in an accident. It was an almost guaranteed comeback to have their collision work done at the shop.
Try a detail shop if you don’t trust the body shop to be honest. The detail shop has nothing to gain by burning through the clear, as you would not have to pay for the job, or shouldn’t anyway if they did burn through your clear coat, where as the body shop does have something to gain, a paint job. However, I know lots of body shop guys who do the same thing I did when I was in the shops still. They too solicit free work on small jobs to gain a bigger future sale. Sometimes the small scratch wet sand and buff job isn’t even worth their paperwork, as it can take only a few minutes to get them out. You just have to feel the shop out, and go with your instincts to see if they are going to really try to help you, and not try to get a sale for paint by burning through the clear coat deliberately. Just like anything, there are honest shops, and not so honest shops.
Sometimes the scratches are just too deep, and that can’t always be found out without trying to wet sand and buff out the scratch. So if you find an honest shop and they try, they’ll be up front with you and let you know it is a 50/50 shot.
