Paint correction that brings the gloss back

Wax, cut and polish, or paint correction?

These terms get mixed up a lot, so here's the plain version.

Wax, usually carnauba, comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm. It adds gloss and makes water bead, but it only lasts a few weeks. Most detailers have replaced it with ceramic sealants, which last up to 6 months and are easier to apply.

Cut and polish (or buff and polish) uses a machine. The cut is done with a cutting pad and compound that removes a very thin layer of clear coat to reveal fresher paint underneath. The polish is the glossy protective layer that goes on afterwards, whether that's wax, sealant or a ceramic coating.

Paint correction goes further. Over time, poor washing and neglect leave the paint full of fine scratches and swirl marks. You might only see them in certain light, but together they make the paint look dull. Correction uses two or three machine stages to reach the right depth and remove that damaged top layer, rather than just filling it in for a few weeks.

Signs your car needs paint correction

You'll usually notice one or more of these, especially on dark cars:

• Circular swirl marks visible in sunlight or under street lights
• Paint that looks hazy or flat even straight after a wash
• Fine scratches from automatic car washes or dirty wash mitts
• Water spots or light etching from bird droppings
• You're about to apply ceramic coating and want the best possible finish

Scratch and swirl mark removal

Most swirl marks and light scratches sit in the clear coat, and machine polishing levels the surface around them so they disappear. A quick test: run a fingernail across the scratch. If it doesn't catch, it can usually be polished out. If it catches, the scratch has gone through the clear coat, and polishing will soften it but won't remove it completely. Those need touch-up or panel repair.

We check the paint before we start and never remove more clear coat than is safe, so we won't chase a deep scratch at the expense of the panel.

Is paint correction needed before ceramic coating?

It isn't strictly essential. For a coating to bond, the paint just needs to be perfectly clean, which means a thorough wash, clay bar and decontamination.

We still recommend at least some correction, for a simple reason: if you're going to seal the paint for the next 5 or 9 years, it may as well be perfect. If you're happy with how your paint looks now, you can still coat it without correction.

Why it takes skill

Paint correction removes a tiny amount of clear coat, so it has to be done carefully. Choosing the right pads and compounds, keeping the machine moving and checking the paint as we go is what prevents burns or thin spots. That's why it takes a day or more rather than an hour, and why every job is quoted after we've seen the paint.

Paint correction at your place

Paint correction is done at your home or workplace, ideally in a garage or under a carport, because it needs steady light and dry conditions. Most cars take one to two days depending on the paint and how many polishing stages are needed.

It's most popular on dark-coloured cars, which show swirls the most, before selling a car, and before every used-car ceramic coating. Paint correction starts from $650.

Read more about why black cars are hard to maintain and correct vs incorrect buffing and polishing.