The everyday damage
- Bumper scuffs and corner damage — car park rash, filled, sanded and repainted.
- Dents and creases — pulled or filled depending on where and how deep.
- Scratches — from light lacquer marks to keyed panels down to primer.
- Kerbed sills and arches — tidied up and refinished.
- Faded or lifting paint — roofs, bonnets and bumpers that have gone flat in the sun.
- Panel resprays — single panels through to a full colour change.
Not everything needs a full panel respray. If the damage is small and localised, a SMART repair puts it right for a lot less.
Matching it properly
Paint fades. A panel mixed exactly to the factory code can still sit slightly off against ten-year-old paint next to it, which is why we blend into the surrounding panels rather than stopping dead at the join.
Your paint code is usually on a sticker inside the driver's door shut, under the bonnet or in the boot. Send us a photo of it with your enquiry and we can be more accurate from the start.
Insurance work, lease returns and pre-sale tidy-ups: tell us what the car needs to pass and we'll quote to that standard.
SMART repairs — quick fixes, less money
SMART stands for Small to Medium Area Repair Technique. Instead of stripping and respraying a whole panel, we repair just the damaged patch and blend it in — so a scuffed bumper corner costs a fraction of a full bumper respray, and you often get the car back the same day.
What a SMART repair covers
- Bumper scuffs — the classic car park or parallel-parking corner graze.
- Scratches — trolley marks, key lines and door-edge scrapes that haven't gone deep.
- Stone chips — bonnet and front-end chipping tidied up before it starts to rust.
- Small dents and dinks — door dings and light knocks in a localised area.
- Kerbed sills and arch edges — the low-down scuffs you only see up close.
- Scuffed mirror caps and trim — refinished rather than replaced.
Less to pay, because you're paying for a patch and not a panel. Back sooner, because most are a same-day or next-day job. And the rest of your factory paint stays exactly as it is.
SMART repair or full respray?
Go SMART when the damage sits in one area smaller than roughly an A4 sheet, the panel underneath is straight, and you want it gone without paying panel money. Ideal for lease returns, part-exchanges, tidying a car before you sell, or just not wanting to look at it every morning.
Go full panel when the damage runs across the panel, the metal is creased, there's rust underneath, or the paint has faded so far that a localised blend would stand out. We'll always tell you which camp your car falls into — including when the cheaper option is genuinely the right one.
Not sure? Send a photo. It takes us thirty seconds to tell you, and it costs you nothing.
How a panel repair runs
Assess
We look at depth, not just size. A long scratch through lacquer only is a quicker job than a small dent that has creased the metal.
Repair
Dents worked out, damage filled and shaped back to the panel's original line.
Prep & mask
Flatted, primed and everything else masked off. Most of the labour on a good repair happens here.
Colour & blend
Mixed to your code and faded into the neighbouring panels so there's no hard edge to spot.
Lacquer & polish
Sealed, cured and polished back so the gloss matches the rest of the car.
Common questions
What is a SMART repair?
A localised repair. Rather than stripping and respraying a whole panel, we prep and refinish only the damaged area and blend the paint into what surrounds it. Less material, less labour, less to pay.
How much cheaper is a SMART repair?
It depends on the damage, but it is typically a fraction of what a full panel respray costs, because you are paying for a patch rather than a panel. Send a photo and we will price the actual job.
Will a SMART repair be noticeable?
Done properly, no. The limit is size and depth — small, shallow, localised damage blends invisibly, while damage spread across a panel is better done as a full respray. We will tell you honestly which one yours is.
Can you match my car's paint?
Yes. We mix to your paint code and blend into the surrounding panels so the repair doesn't sit as a patch of slightly newer colour.
Where do I find my paint code?
Usually on a sticker in the driver's door shut, under the bonnet, or in the boot near the spare wheel. Send us a photo of it with your enquiry.
Do you handle insurance work?
Get in touch with the details and we'll talk you through it.
Is it worth repairing before I sell?
Often, yes — scuffed bumpers and kerbed wheels knock more off an offer than the repair costs. We'll give you a straight opinion on whether it's worth it for your car.
Front and rear panels
Mercedes C220Scratched corners and kerbed panels: filled, primed, colour matched to the car's code and blended into what surrounds them.
Send a photo, get a quote
Message a couple of pictures of the damage with your wheel size or reg, and we'll come back with a price and a date. Based on Bar Lane Industrial Estate, NG6 0JA.