Paint correction

• Swirl marks. The spiderweb you see in the sun. Automatic washes and dirty wash mitts put it there, and Bend's winter cinder dust does not help.
• Light scratches. Branch scratches from a trailhead, key lines, the marks a cover leaves. If your fingernail does not catch in it, it usually polishes out.
• Water spots. Mineral spots from sprinklers and hard water, etched into the clear coat. Light ones come out in a polish, and water spot removal is a $75 add-on.
• Dull, hazy paint. High-desert sun oxidizes paint and flattens the gloss. Correction brings the depth back, and a coating keeps it there.

What does not come out: a scratch that is through the clear coat. If your fingernail catches in it, that is paint work, not polish, and we will tell you so instead of selling you a correction.

1. 1

   Wash and decontaminate

   Hand wash, then iron and tar removal and a clay bar. Polishing over grit just makes new scratches, so nothing gets touched until the paint is clean.

2. 2

   Read the paint

   Every panel under the hex lights. Some cars need one polishing pass, some need compounding first. We tell you which before we start, not after.

3. 3

   Compound, then polish

   Machine polished panel by panel. The heavier defects come out with a compound, then a finer polish brings the gloss up.

4. 4

   Protect it

   A six-month ceramic sealant on a detail, or Feynlab ceramic if you want it to stay this way for years. Corrected paint with nothing on it does not stay corrected.

How much does paint correction cost in Bend, Oregon?

It is quoted on the car, because a light polish on a two-year-old Tacoma and a full compound on a sun-baked black sedan are not the same job. Two numbers are fixed: the full vehicle detail, $485 for a sedan and $585 for a truck or SUV, includes a polish, and every Feynlab ceramic coating includes the correction under it. Heavy correction on beat up paint is an upcharge, and we say so before we start.

What is the difference between a polish and a paint correction?

A polish is the lighter step. It takes out light swirls and brings the gloss up, and it is part of every full and exterior detail. A paint correction is the deeper cut: compound first to remove the heavier defects, then polish to refine it, panel by panel under the lights. That is what people mean when they say the car looks better than new.

Will paint correction remove scratches?

Swirl marks, wash marring, light scratches and water spots, yes. A scratch that is through the clear coat, no. The test is your fingernail: if it catches in the scratch, that is paint work, and we will tell you instead of polishing around it.

Do I need paint correction before a ceramic coating or PPF?

Before a ceramic coating, always, and it is included. The coating locks in whatever is under it, so we correct first on every car, new or not. Before film, we look the paint over and quote a correction with the PPF if it needs one. Film over swirls is swirls with a shine on them.

How long does paint correction take?

Depends on the paint. Ryan reads it under the lights, tells you what it needs, and gives you the pickup time then. Plan on dropping it off rather than waiting on it.

How do I keep the swirls from coming back?

Two buckets or a touchless wash, no brushes. Keep the six-month sealant fresh, or put Feynlab on it once and stop thinking about it. Brush tunnel washes are what put the swirls there in the first place.