Someone left a long scratch on my car door in a parking lot and I still cannot tell if it needs real refinishing or just polishing. How do you usually decide when a scratch has gone past the point where buffing helps?

Sharing what I learned after dealing with a similar mark on my rear quarter panel. At first I assumed anything like that could be buffed out, but once the clear coat is broken the bare spot starts collecting moisture and the edges slowly turn into rust. What pushed me toward proper refinishing was seeing the process described in detail, including digital color matching, blending into the surrounding panel and resealing with fresh clear coat. While comparing shops I kept this link as a reference for what a complete scratch repair should actually cover. My takeaway is that the result is judged by how invisible the transition looks in daylight and by whether the area stays protected from UV afterwards, not by how cheap the quote was.