Car paint restoration with today's modern day car paint finishes is much different than the days of old. Unlike old school single stage paint jobs.

Paint correction is a term used by car cosmic professional car detailers to describe the process of restoring and correcting the paint surface of a vehicle, mostly through the removing of surface imperfections like dull, oxidize, or haze the surface by reflecting light off in various directions, therefore detracting from a true and proper, clean, sharp, reflection. These imperfections include things like light and heavy swirl marks & fine scratches, bird dropping etching & acid rain etching, hologram & buffer trails, and random deep scratches.

The actual restoration process comprises a small amount of clear coat being removed from the surface with the use of abrasive polishes or compounds, which are applied and worked in with appropriate polishing machines and pads, to level out the surface.

Before any paint correction is undertaken, a thorough wash and decontamination of the vehicle are compulsory. Paintwork is properly washed and cleaned to remove any loose dirt and debris, then after the wash process is clayed with a specialist automotive clay bar, which safely removes any bonded surface contaminants such as tar spots and industrial fallout. And we use Iron remover to remove iron particles from the paint surface.

These contaminants must be removed before the paint correction process because if they were to become dislodged and caught up in the pad of a polishing machine, they could easily damage the surface very quickly. It also helps to leave the surface very smooth, which in turn, allows the polishing machine to move freely over the surface, reducing the possibility of hopping or sticking occurring. Lastly, claying the paintwork helps you to properly observe the progress of the correction process because you can see the true condition of the surface as we are working.

The polishing is usually a multistage process as a range of different grades of polish are used, ranging from heavier cutting compounds, which remove the surface material, to finer products which then remove any marks that the heavier products may have inflicted and generally refine the finish. During the paint correction process, it is common for a paint depth gauge to be used. A combination of a polishing pad and polishing compound is the key to paint protection.

Some scratches or imperfections may be too deep or severe to safely remove without risking removing too much surface paint or clear coat and so are minimized and reduced as best as possible using techniques with the machine polisher and polish products that round off the edges of the scratches and make them far less apparent indirect light or sun.

After correction, the panels are wiped down with a car cosmic oil remover which removes any oils that may have been left over from the polish and reveal the true finish, including any areas that may have been missed or require a little more work. Once complete, fully corrected paintwork will shine brilliantly and produce stunning reflections because there are now no longer any scratches and imperfections to scatter and reflect the light rays off in different directions.