Most bodywork damage is small stuff. Trolley dings, scuffed bumper corners, keyed doors and scrapes from a tight gatepost are far more common, and they're just as annoying. Our bodyshop on Windsor Road in Bray handles these smaller cosmetic and paintwork repairs for customers from Maidenhead and the local area.
Because this kind of damage is usually easy to photograph, the online enquiry works well. Enter your registration, upload a few pictures and tell us how it happened. We'll get back to you by phone or email with an initial estimate and our advice on the best way to repair it.
To see the standard of finish, have a look at recent bodyshop work in our gallery.
What we can help with
- Scratch and scuff repairs
- Dent repairs to doors, wings and other panels
- Bumper scuffs, cracks and splits
- Paintwork repairs and colour matching
- Stone chip and key damage repairs
- Initial estimates from uploaded photos
What we can look at
- Scuffed or scraped bumper corners
- Car park dents and door dings
- Key scratches along doors and wings
- Cracked, split or pushed-in bumpers
- Stone chips on the bonnet and front end
- Scrapes from walls, posts and garage doors
- Faded, flaking or poorly matched paint from a previous repair
Scratches and scuffs
How a scratch is repaired depends on how deep it goes. A light mark that sits only in the clear top coat can sometimes be polished out. If you can catch a fingernail in it, it has usually gone through to the colour coat or primer, and the area needs to be prepared and repainted. Scratches down to bare metal should be dealt with before rust takes hold.
Dents and bumper damage
Dents vary enormously. A shallow dent in the middle of a panel with the paint intact is a very different job from a sharp crease on a body line or a dent that has cracked the paint. We'll look at where it is, how deep it is and the condition of the paint, and recommend the repair that makes sense for that panel.
Modern bumpers are plastic covers, and many scuffs, cracks and splits in them can be repaired and refinished rather than replacing the whole bumper. Whether that's the right call depends on the extent of the damage and on what's behind it, including mounting brackets and parking sensors. We'll advise once we've seen it.
Paintwork and colour matching
Any repair that involves paint is only as good as the match. Your car's colour will have shifted slightly with age and sunlight, so we match to the paint as it is now and blend into the surrounding area where that gives a better result. Good preparation underneath, sanding, priming and careful masking, is what makes a repair last and keeps its edges from showing.
Dent, Scratch & Bumper Repairs: common questions
How much does a car scratch repair cost?
It depends on three things: how deep the scratch is (through the lacquer, the colour, or down to bare metal or plastic), how many panels it crosses, and the paint finish, as metallic and pearlescent colours take more work to blend. A light scuff on one bumper corner is a small job; a key scratch along two doors is a bigger one. Send us photos with your registration and we'll come back with an estimate rather than a guess.
Can you repair scratches, dents or damaged bumpers?
Yes, that's exactly what this service covers. Scratches, scuffs, dents and bumper damage all come through our bodyshop regularly. The right method depends on the depth and position of the damage, so send us photos through the enquiry form and we'll advise on what's involved for your particular car.
Do you need to see the car, or are photos enough?
Photos are usually enough for an initial estimate on small repairs. We may still want to see the vehicle before confirming, particularly if the paint is cracked, the damage crosses onto a second panel, or there could be damage behind a bumper. We'll let you know either way when we reply.
Does a damaged bumper always need replacing?
No. Plenty of scuffed, cracked or split bumpers can be repaired and repainted. Replacement tends to make more sense when the bumper is badly torn, when its mounting points have broken, or when the repair would be more involved than fitting a new one. We'll recommend whichever is the sensible option.
Should I repair a small scratch or leave it?
If it's purely cosmetic and hasn't gone through the paint, that's your call. If it has reached bare metal, it's worth sorting sooner rather than later, because exposed steel will start to rust and the repair becomes larger. Send us a close-up photo and we'll tell you what we think.
What photos should I send for a scratch or dent?
Three or four is plenty: one showing the whole panel so we can see where the damage sits, one or two close-ups, and one taken at an angle so the depth of any dent shows up. Take them in daylight and avoid reflections if you can.