Paint Correction
Machine polishing under softbox strips, checked with a gloss meter, not a flashlight and a squint. Swirls, wash marring, and oxidation, removed rather than hidden.
- FROM
- $450
- TIME IN BAY
- Stage 1: 1 day · Stage 2: 12–16 hrs over 2 days
STAGE 1 FROM $450 · STAGE 2 FROM $850
Who this is for
For paint that looks gray in the sun when it should look black. Tunnel-wash survivors, dealer-prep casualties, and enthusiast cars getting ready for coating or show season.
Most 'polishing' you can buy is filler — glaze that hides swirls until the third wash. Correction is different: we level the clear coat with machine polishers and diminishing abrasives until the defects are actually gone. Under our softbox strips there is nowhere for a swirl to hide, which is the point.
Stage 1 is a single polishing pass that removes light wash marring and restores 80–90% of the finish. Stage 2 is a compound-then-polish process for heavier defects: buffer trails from a previous shop, parking-lot scuffs, oxidation. Stage 2 runs 12 to 16 hours on a mid-size car, and we book it across two days so nothing gets rushed at hour eleven.
Before we touch a panel we measure paint thickness, because clear coat is a budget you spend once. If a defect is too deep to chase safely, we tell you, we show you the gauge, and we polish around it. Race-shop rule: the honest answer beats the heroic one.
Paint Correction,
answered.
What's the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2?
Depth of defect removal. Stage 1 is one polishing pass; it clears light swirls and restores gloss. Stage 2 adds a compounding pass first, for scratches and heavy marring. We inspect under the strips together and recommend the lightest stage that actually fixes what you see.
How long does a correction last?
Correction is permanent: the defects are removed, not covered. What happens next depends on how the car is washed. Two-bucket hand washes keep corrected paint clean for years; a tunnel wash puts swirls back in one visit.
Can you fix a scratch I can feel with my fingernail?
Usually not fully. If a nail catches, the scratch is through most of the clear. We can round its edges so it disappears at three feet, but chasing it flat would burn through. We measure and tell you before deciding anything.
Do I need a coating after correction?
No, but the math favors it. You just paid to make the paint flawless; a coating keeps it that way for years instead of months. Most Stage 2 clients add the 5-year system while the paint is at its best.
ALSO ON THE BOARD
One car at a time. Yours next.
Request a slot — two minutes, no payment up front. We reply the same business day with an inspection time and an exact written quote before any work starts.