Paint Correction is a buzzword and hot topic in the auto detailing industry, and drives a high price tag to match its exceptional results. However, in our opinion the term has an allure that causes a bit of confusion to what exactly it is, and why it's so expensive. Ask 5 different detailers what a paint correction is and what it should include, and you will probably get 5 different answer. The only thing all 5 car detailers will know is that the service sells well and you can get away with charging more for it than you can for say a "really good polishing service" which might be a more accurate description.
Paint Correction is not the same thing as a paint job. Adding paint, fillers, or any body work to the car is not part of the service or our process. For the same reason you wouldn't want your foot doctor giving you lasik eye surgery, you don't want you car detailer to be doing you body work. Paint correction is really a multi stage polishing process that sometimes includes a very light wet sanding in more extreme cases. Even cars purchased straight from the dealership or just unwrapped from the factory often times have a significant amount of paint defects. Cars that have been sitting in the dealership lot have often been washed dozens of times, and with very poor equipment and technique, causing swirl mark nightmares. (This is the important of having a quality hand washing service). Cars from the factory still even have defects like fish eyes, orange peel, drips, and other clear coat defects that hinder the car from having a perfect reflection. Ultra high end car brands like Rolls Royce might be one of the few exceptions to the rule. Ordinary cars like Subaru, Honda, and even BMW or Mercedes experience paint issues like this pretty commonly. This is where paint correction comes into play. Since not every paint job is made equal, and not all require the same amount of paint correction, we price our paint corrections based on the number of stages we need to perform in order to get flawless results.
If you choose a qualified and well trained auto detailer, then paint correction is absolutely safe. If you go for the cheapest detailer on the market and take the risk, paint correction is absolutely capable of burning through your paint job. An unskilled detailer, or one who is just negligent can burn through you clear coat fairly easily, causing permanent damage. San Diego Select Car Detailing has many years in the car detailing business and has never burned a single clear coat to date. You can check our reviews if you don't believe it! We have nothing to hide. We have been delivered perfect customer satisfaction auto detailing, paint correction, and ceramic coating for many year throughout San Diego, from Encinitas to Chula Vista. It is also important to use a paint depth gauge before beginning a paint correction just to make sure the clear coat is thick enough in all areas, this is much more important with older vehicles that may have been polished many times prior. With Tesla vehicles, it is recommended never to use more than a 1 step polish because of the thin clear coat that comes from the factory. We advise against ever having paint correction for Tesla, and would recommend a very fine polish and applying a ceramic coating immediately after purchase.
Paint Correction and polishing are essentially two different levels of the same service - both use similar equipment, chemicals, and technique. Polishing usually refers to only a single stage polish, where Paint Correction is essentially many passes over the paintwork starting with a light wet sanding in the most severe cases, progressively moving up to an ultra fine finishing polish to bring back the perfect gloss. Paint Correction is almost always a 2-4 stage process depending on the condition of the paint. The less aggressive the approach you can use, the better for your paint health in the long run. A 1 step machine polish is usually just used to dramatically enhance the gloss of the paint, not really to remove and true scratches, where paint correction is effective for removing any scratches that haven't penetrated through the clear coat. we estimate a 1 step polish removes around 50-60% of defects from the paint, where a true paint correction can remove 95-99% of defects from the clear coat. Lastly, a polish can be performed mobile out in the field, but a true paint correction requires optimal lighting conditions, and an indoor environment.
One of the main issues with paint correction, is that it's only as good as the paint protection that is applied afterwards and the care which the vehicle is washed following the correction. This is something that detailers avoid talking about altogether. The question you should be asking before purchasing a paint correction is, "What type of protection will you be applying afterwards?" A paint correction technically only refers to the polishing and removal of scratches, it does not imply added protection afterwards. This means your paint will be left uncoated, unwaxed, unprotected and vulnerable. With all our paint corrections we include a 12 month machine applied ceramic based paint sealant. Don't get confused, this is not a true ceramic coating. In truth, at San Diego Select Detailing, we don't do a lot of paint corrections. That is because a paint correction is really just the preparation stage before a ceramic coating application. From a cost perspective the ceramic coating isn't a big jump in price, and is the best way to seal in your new perfect paint job for many years to come. Ceramic Coatings actually increase the hardness of your clear coat making them more resistant to swirl marks in the future. But the best possible care for your fresh paint is a mobile maintenance washing membership from san diego select detailing to ensure the absolute minimum swirl marks from washing.
If you loved your vehicle, and want to have the shiniest car in your neighborhood, or if you are a car collector looking for a showroom shine - paint correction is worth the money. If you are planning to take your car through a drive through car wash after, don't even consider a paint correction. Paint corrections are only as good as the aftercare. In our opinion, a paint correction without ceramic coating doesn't make a lot of sense - but totally depends on your situation and budget.
Nick Powell
vito arminio
David Goshgarian
Phillip Walters
Jonathan Marden
Kobuk Van Houten
Kevin Craig
Carolina Don
Perfection & Protection.
Frustrated with everything that the car wash leaves behind?
Does your paint not shine like it used to?
In love with your car and want to preserve your investment for the long term?
That is why we are here. Not only do we leave you with flawless results, but we make sure that your paint, leather, and other materials are protected for years to come. We will treat your car (and you) like one of our own.
The shampoo and hot water extraction is the best possible care for your FABRIC seats.
We will bathe your seats in thick foam shampoo, agitate it with a fabric brush attachment on a drill, and then extract all the grime, dirt, stains and contaminant from the seats with hot water at 210ºF. If your seats need a refresh, this is as good as it gets. Because the service takes 45 minutes on average, and only a small percent of vehicles need it we charge extra for it. Don't worry - its only $50 extra. Totally worth it.
Do you have any little scrapes and scratches that bother you?
We can handle it.. to an extent. We are polishing experts - so if the scratch isn't too deep, we can get it out. Ever heard of "The Fingernail Test", this is a great way to know if your scratches are fixable. If you feel the scratch will your fingernail and you can feel a groove in the paint, it it probably a little bit too deep ~in the sections where the groove is~
A clay bar is exactly what it sounds like, a little ball of malleable puddy.
This is used in the decontamination phase of the detail to prepare your paint for protection. Clay Bar Detailing is essential for preparing your vehicle's paint for protection by ensuring it is free of contaminants.
Every exterior detail has 3 phases: 1. Wash 2. Decontaminate 3. Protect. The decontamination stage is responsible for removing from the paint everything that doesn't come off from the wash.
Remember when you bought your car and the paint was smooth to the touch? That is the goal of this stage. Remove all the crusty junk that is stuck to you paint. This way, when we apply sealant (protection) to your paint it will adhere to the paint itself, rather than the junk sitting on the surface. This will give the sealant its longest possible useful life.
For the same reason that you get an oil change. Engines are expensive to replace (8-15K) so we take good care of them. So is your paint - the average paint job costing around $5,000. If you don't protect your paint with some type of ceramic, wax, or sealant, your paint WILL fail.
In San Diego, our biggest enemy is the sun, or the salt if you live near the beach. Next time you are in a big parking lot, look around at the hoods of the vehicles. You will notice around 1/6 vehicles have completely delaminated clear coat.
That means the paint looks like dead skin on the surface and you could peel it off with you fingers. Not pretty. There is a simple solution to ensure your vehicle never ends up like this. Exterior Detailing. Bonus points for a ceramic coating with is the best protection possible.
