A scratch on your car in Dubai costs anywhere from AED 150 for a machine polish to AED 1,500 for a multi-panel respray. The price depends entirely on how deep the damage goes. Most scratches fall into one of three categories: clear coat only, through to the paint, or down to bare metal. Each requires a different repair method and costs a different amount.
This guide breaks down what you will pay for each type, what affects the price, and how to tell which category your scratch falls into before you get a quote. All prices reflect current rates at body shops in Al Quoz Industrial Area as of 2026.
Clear Coat Scratches: AED 150 to AED 300
Clear coat scratches are the most common type. They have caught the transparent protective layer on top of your paint but have not reached the colour underneath. Run your fingernail across the scratch. If your nail does not catch, it is a clear coat scratch.
These scratches look white or hazy in direct light and are most visible on dark-coloured cars. On a black or dark grey car, they appear as swirl marks and fine lines under showroom lighting or direct sunlight.
Repair method: machine polishing with a dual-action polisher and cutting compound. This removes a microscopic layer of clear coat to level the scratch. The process takes 30 to 60 minutes per panel.
Cost: AED 150 to AED 300 per panel depending on the extent of the damage. A single isolated scratch costs less than widespread swirl marks across an entire door. For a full exterior machine polish addressing swirl marks across the whole car, expect AED 500 to AED 800.
Paint Scratches: AED 300 to AED 800
Paint scratches go through the clear coat and into the colour layer. The scratch shows a different colour underneath, often lighter primer grey. Your fingernail will catch on these.
Common causes include shopping trolley contact, keys, belt buckles, and parking garage pillars. In Dubai, tight parking spots and narrow underground garage exits are responsible for a significant percentage of the paint scratches we repair.
Repair method: spot repair. The scratched area is sanded, primed, and repainted with VIN-matched basecoat and clearcoat, then blended into the surrounding panel. This is a localised repair that does not require repainting the entire panel.
Cost: AED 300 to AED 500 for a single scratch up to 15cm. Longer scratches or multiple scratches on the same panel: AED 500 to AED 800. If the scratch runs across two panels, each panel is quoted separately. Spot repairs are completed in 1 to 2 working days including a 24-hour paint cure.
Deep Scratches and Key Marks: AED 400 to AED 1,500
Deep scratches penetrate through the paint and primer to expose bare metal. These require immediate attention because exposed metal oxidises quickly in Dubai's humid coastal air. Left untreated for weeks, a deep scratch develops rust that spreads under the surrounding paint, turning a AED 500 repair into a AED 1,500 job.
Repair method: full panel respray. The panel is sanded to feather the edges of the damage, exposed metal is treated with rust inhibitor, any gouges are filled, and the entire panel is primed and repainted. According to PPG's automotive refinish division, proper surface preparation accounts for 80% of paint job quality.
Cost: AED 400 to AED 800 for a single panel on a sedan. AED 600 to AED 1,000 for SUV panels. Multi-panel key marks across two or three panels: AED 1,000 to AED 1,500. Turnaround: 2 to 3 working days per panel.
What Affects Scratch Repair Pricing
Car size and panel size are the biggest factors. A fender on a Honda Civic is roughly half the surface area of a fender on a Range Rover Vogue. More surface means more paint, masking, and blending work.
Paint type matters significantly. Solid colours (white, black, red) are straightforward to match. Metallic finishes cost AED 100 to AED 200 more per panel because metallic flake needs even application. Pearl and tri-coat finishes found on some Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW models require multiple colour layers. We use BASF Glasurit paint systems for exact VIN colour matching on even the most complex finishes.
Location on the car affects cost. Bumper scratches are cheaper to repair because bumpers can be removed and sprayed as standalone pieces. Scratches near door handles, mirrors, and trim require more masking. See our car painting cost guide for full panel respray pricing by vehicle type.
DIY vs Professional Scratch Repair
Touch-up pens from the dealer cost AED 50 to AED 100 and work on very small chips under 3mm. They do not work on scratches because the paint cannot be applied evenly along a line. The result is usually a visible raised line of paint that looks worse than the original scratch.
Scratch removal compounds from automotive shops can address very light clear coat marks. If the scratch disappears when you run water over it, a cutting compound and microfibre cloth may remove it without professional help.
For anything deeper than the clear coat, professional repair is the only option that produces an invisible result. The cost difference between a poor DIY attempt and a professional spot repair is AED 200 to AED 400, but the quality difference is visible from metres away.
For lease return preparation, professional repair is essential. Lease inspectors spot amateur touch-ups, and a poor repair may be penalised more heavily than the original scratch.
Getting an Accurate Quote
Send close-up photos on WhatsApp. Take one photo showing the scratch in context on the panel and two to three detail photos from different angles showing the depth. If you can see metal at the bottom of the scratch, mention that.
Include a photo of your car's paint code sticker (inside the driver's door jamb or under the bonnet) so we can verify the colour system before you arrive. Complex colours like BMW Individual or Mercedes Designo require specific mixing formulas.
At DentGuy, every quote is fixed and written. The price you see on WhatsApp is the price you pay at collection. No surprises, no add-ons for blending or clearcoat.