The Alternatives

Flat & Polish

The traditional way to remove minor scratches. First of all, “flat” the scratch with 2000 wet and dry. Then buff with an abrasive such as G3 polish.

It works, but exceptional care must be taken so as not to “cut through” the clear coat. If you do, then what was a £25 to £35 profit turns into a £150 loss as the panel will now require refinishing.

Using a touch up brush (DIY)

It’s cheap, but you simply cannot control the flow of paint and are often left with an ugly scar.

Alternatively you could apply the paint using a dart or pencil but the result is not much better.

Specialist Touch-Up

f you know what you are doing you can play around with custom mixtures of paint and lacquer, apply them to the scratch or chip, allow it to harden and flat polish.

This is a decent alternative if the scratch or chip is a not too large, but it can take 1 to 1 1/2 hours per chip and is only suitable for a small number of chips (2 or 3). Any more than that and you can end with a vehicle that looks like it has spots, then the only option is to refinish.

Special Spray-On Formulas

These techniques are generally referred to as SMART repairs, spraying anything onto vehicles requires great skill to obtain a satisfactory result.

Another downside is that it takes a lot longer and the paint needs to be colour matched exactly with the existing finish.

As with any spraying out with a spray booth, Health & Safety issues must be addressed, not to mention the elements such as wind and rain.