How much does paint scratch repair cost?

AUTO-REPAIR: scratch and paint touch ups? Atlanta, GA?

• Recently I had an unfortunate event with a sibling cleaning tree sap off the hood of my car with an ice scraper. Needless to say the hood of my car is covered in scratches now. Two are relatively deep and all the others are minor scratches. I have a silver 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I live in Atlanta and was wondering what people's thoughts were on spot painting, scratch repair, regular paint job etc. What should I do to fix this and where should I go? Thankss

• Answer:

  If they are just scratches in the clear coat then a polishing compound will get them out. Most auto stores will sell a scratch remover product. Wax it afterwards and it will look brand new. If they are really deep and paint has been removed but the scratches are pretty small, you could use a touch up paint pen, but it won't look very good. You'll see the blotch of paint up close, but silver is pretty forgiving. A touch up pen will cost less than $10. A professional will do the best job but it will cost you quite a bit. I guess in the end you have to consider if a 12 year old vehicle is worth it. Most likely it's book value is not too high.