Are Damaged Records
Repairable?

A scratch is missing material. You cannot put vinyl back into the groove. While a deep wet cleaning might reduce the surface noise slightly by removing debris trapped in the gouge, a physical scratch is a permanent scar. The stylus will hit that gap and pop every time it passes.

Mild to moderate warps can be fixed. Professional record flatteners use highly controlled heat and pressure over several hours to press the vinyl flat again. (There are DIY oven methods involving heavy glass plates, but they are highly risky and can easily melt the grooves entirely).

This is often called "groove burn." When a heavy or damaged needle drags through the microscopic grooves, it literally shaves away the high frequencies. The record might look perfectly fine to the naked eye, but it will sound distorted, fuzzy, and harsh. Once the physical waveform in the groove is worn flat, the music is permanently gone.

This is the one issue you have total control over. A record that sounds heavily degraded and poppy might just be filthy. Wet cleaning with a specialized vinyl solution, using a vacuum-based record cleaning machine, or running the record through an ultrasonic cleaner can make an old thrift store find sound brand new.