Paint Correction

No matter if your car is brand new or 30 years old, it would benefit from a paint correction. Paint correction refers to the process of removing the imperfections in a vehicle’s finish and restoring it to an, often times, better than new condition. These imperfections include, but are not limited to; swirl marks or “spider webbing” from circular washing, automated carwashes, fine scratches, water spots, bird dropping etching, holograming caused by inexperienced detailers and marring. Most detailers will fill fine scratches. In other words, your scratches are hidden and will only be revealed after you wash it several times. The only true way to remove scratches in your vehicle’s paint is with paint correction. Once the paint has been leveled, the scratches are removed, but it does require proper maintenance to keep your car looking great after the detail to avoid adding new scratches to your finish.

Have you ever looked at your car in the sun and thought that it looked like it was covered in a spider web? These are actually circular shaped scratches and are caused by improper washing techniques. Many people still wash their cars with the old, circular, “wax on, wax off” technique. This is where these marks come from. 

Whether you have a Ford or a Ferrari, the first thing anyone who sees your car will notice is the paint. What they are really seeing is the reflection of the rest of the world in your vehicles finish. While a car might look “clean” and well taken care of from afar, often times the finish will be muddled looking due to what is known as “orange peel.” This is when a paint’s finish takes on a texture similar to an orange due to machine spraying at the factory, lack of finishing procedures at the factory, resprays and or improper painting techniques. If your vehicle has orange peel (most commonly seen on newer BMW’s) it isn’t always bad, but rather could benefit by colorsanding/wetsanding to alleviate the surface texturing of your paint, which will result in a more crisp, clear, un-muddled reflection.

The first step in correcting the finish is removing all surface contaminants. This starts with a thorough wash process, drying of the vehicle and then moving to the clay bar step. For further information, please see Our Process for a more in depth explanation.

Sometimes buffing and polishing isn’t enough to remove an imperfection from a vehicle’s surface. For the things like especially deep scratches or orange peel, they must be removed with a technique known as wet sanding or color sanding. This is the process of using a moistened series of specially designed automotive sandpaper with very fine grit to remove a small amount of clear coat. The surface then has to go though extensive buffing and polishing processes to bring the shine back.

Step 3 and 4 (Sometimes more) of the paint correction process is the actual polishing of the vehicle. It isn’t as simple as grabbing a polisher and going to work though. Depending on a number of factors such as the amount and type of clear coat, if it is one stage paint or not, and the severity of the imperfections, the combination of machine, pad, and polish will differ from vehicle to vehicle. For instance, vehicles that have been wet sanded will required a multi-step polishing process including 3-4 different types of polishing pads and several different types of polishes.

Often times, several stages of compounding and polishing are required to achieve full correction. The first being the most abrasive and and the last being a very fine finishing polish. The large scratches are removed in the first stage of polish and then the smaller surface abrasions caused by this harsh polish are removed by the finer polish that comes after it. 

After all correction has taken place, it is time to seal up the vehicle’s paint to protect it from further scratching. This step however is where some shops try and cover their poor paint correction abilities by using what is known as a glaze. A glaze is a talcum and water based product that is applied to a vehicle’s finish that fills in scratches and gives the appearance of polished paint. Since this product is water based and doesn’t actually bond with the clear coat like wax, it just sits on the surface and after a couple washes or some harsh weather will be completely gone.

Unlike glaze, our coatings are engineered to maintain a protective layer on your paint for several months. When scheduling your appointment, let us know the environmental conditions, mileage, and type of care your car receives so we can assess your needs for paint protection.