What is a deep scratch on car paint?
Also calledRids
A scratch your fingernail drops into is deep. It may still be in the clear coat, or it may just reach the colour. A shallow one can be removed, and a deep one can only be improved.
What kind of repair does it need?
A machine polish to improve it. The sharp edges of the scratch are rounded off, so it catches much less light. The scratch itself usually stays. Removing it fully means cutting the clear coat down to the bottom of the scratch, and there may not be enough clear coat for that. Fully gone means painting the panel.
Polishing rounds off the edges of the scratch so it catches less light. The scratch stays in the paint. Taking it out completely means cutting down to the bottom of it, and there may not be enough paint for that. Fully gone means a panel refinish.
What to do next
See a detailer, and ask before any money changes hands: will they remove it or improve it? Ask them to measure the paint depth first. Be wary of a promise that a scratch you can feel will vanish. If you want it fully gone, that is a panel shop job.
Sources
- OCD Car Careproduct seller
Depending on the severity of the scratch's depth, RIDS may either be fully removed or improved.
- Sherwin-Williams Automotivepaint maker
a minimum film thickness of the clearcoat (2 mils) is required to maintain adequate ultraviolet protection
- Chemical Guysproduct seller
If you catch the scratch with your fingernail, it likely extends into the paint layer.
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