What is a scratch on single stage paint?
Your paint has no clear coat, so any scratch goes straight into the colour. A light scratch that would polish out on a modern car is already a mark in the colour here. It is not worse damage. There is just no clear layer above it.
What kind of repair does it need?
Polishing can soften it and sometimes remove it. Either way it takes colour off, so how much colour is left decides how far anyone can go. If it is too deep, a small mark is touched in and a larger one means painting the panel.
This paint has no clear coat on top. Any polishing cuts into the colour itself. How much colour is left decides the job, so ask for the paint depth to be measured first.
What to do next
Say single stage when you call, because it changes the quote. A detailer can show you what a test spot does. Be wary of anyone promising the scratch will vanish without looking. Be just as wary of a full respray for one mark. Single stage solid colours are one of the easier finishes to spot repair.
Sources
- DetailingWikiwiki
Surface without a clear coat, have paint particles that carry the color of the surface in them.
- Malco Automotiveproduct seller
Single-stage paint is made of a combination of color and clear coat, lacking the additional protection offered by a separate layer of clear coat.
Not sure what your car damage is?
Point your phone at it, or describe it. The answer in seconds, $8 AUD.
Check it