a deep scratch(showing white) has appeared on my passenger door.What's the best but cheapest way to sort it ?

thanks

ps I've just tried original T-cut but it didn't do a lot.

depends on how deep the scratch is. can you tell if the damage goes past the clear coat, colour, primer, bare metal?

White sounds like the primer. May be touch up-able, depending on how long and deep it is. Polishing almost certainly wont work if it is that deep, hence the T-Cut failing.

A mobile repair service or body shop should be able to give you a quote, hopefully won't be bad enough to require a full spray.

Any pics would probably help as well.

Whatever you do do, I would strongly suggest not attempting anything (further) yourself since it will look rubbish and cost more to fix properly later.

White lines can be laquer damage (polishable) but from what has been said it does sound more like the undercoat.

Paint shop prices vary enormously so shop around.

Yes, as Pearce says....and some body shops can airbrush scratches out quite effectively so as you won't ever notice it. Just depends where is it, how big, how bad. Get some quotes. But if you are strapped for cash, but fairly handy with experience of these things you can often do a good touch up yourself. Don't use the brush in the touch-up cap though. Go to an artists shop and buy a fine hair artists brush. These work much better, and make sure you warm up the paint stick for some time beforehand to make the paint flow better.

Edit: is it metallic or solid colour? I think original T cut is for solid colours. You are probably switched on to this so please don't take offence, but in any case be careful to use the right stuff as you don't want to damage your clear coat if it is metallic paint. Get the T cut for metallic or the one that does both.

For the record...and this is completely true, I once cleaned and polished my wifes brand new metallic painted Punto with the wrong polish. It was a summer evening near dusk when I was finishing off the job with a nice coat of polish. I knew she would be pleased when she saw it the next day. However, the next day came and I heard screams! On going out into the garden to see what was going on it was clear the Punto was sick. It had come out in a rash all over. It was then I realised that I had gone into the garage and without putting the light on grabbed the wrong bottle of polish (yeah, I know I'm a d**h**d for doing that). The one I grabbed and used (Turtle wax non-metallic) had reacted with the clear coat and made one hell of a mess! Thoughts of instant death, de-capitation, dis-embowelment etc etc etc came to mind. But no...she took it rather well! Living in the garage wasn't too bad for 6 months (she thought is was a punishment but to me it wasn't. I could fiddle with the motorcycles, lathes and make things, that's heaven to me. I added a few beers to the fridge in the garage too!!!). And now she's let me back in the house, everything is fine again. Just as well my nephew runs his own bodyshop. Amazingly, my insurers picked up the bill as it was a genuine accident. No-one would be trying to swindle them for a respray on a brand new car so it was fine.

Edited 31 December, 201114 yr by Estate Man