What is Paint Correction?

Paint correction is the process of polishing painted surfaces on automobiles to remove defects to get your paint looking the best it can. Swirls, scratches, oxidation, and water spots all distort the appearance of the paint underneath. Think of the paint on your vehicle like a flat plot of land; these defects appear as valleys or divots in that plot of land and reflect the light differently. To get the most shine and mirror-like reflections, the light needs to reflect directly back off the surface. 

Now, let’s talk about how you get these defects. Swirls, scratches, oxidation, and water spots are the most common defects found on our automobiles paint. 

Swirls look like spider webs in your paint when looking at it in direct sunlight or under proper LED lighting. In reality, they are thousands of straight scratches going every which way. They can be caused by tunnel car washes, improper washing/drying, or the famous “dry wipe” after a drive or before a car show to knock the dust off.

Oxidation occurs when the paint has had little to no protection on it and has been abused by the UV rays from the sun and will begin to make the paint look dull, faded, and sometimes cloudy. 

​Water spots are left behind after washing with hard water, not drying the vehicle completely or from those automatic car washes. They look like small circles that have eaten into the clear coat of your vehicle after the water has dried. Washing again or trying to wipe them clean won’t cut it and can often damage the paint further. 

​Machine polishing and sanding removes a tiny fraction of clear coat around these imperfections, therefore, leveling the clear coat around it, making it invisible. 

From the paint and bare aluminum engines on the original Air Force One airplane and $500,000 supercars to your everyday drivers like Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics, we have the experience and expertise to bring paint, metal, and fiberglass surfaces back to life!

Give us a call or stop by the shop for a free estimate to discover what your vehicle needs and see how we can make it look the best it ever has.