When someone mentions car detailing the first thing that usually comes to mind is paint correction or defect removal. Paint correction is the process of removing swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, etchings and holograms from the paint and restoring it to a better than new finish. The thing is, this isn’t always possible; there are many factors that determine whether the paint can be restored or not. In this blog, I’ll be going through the main factors that usually come up. Since there are so many possible defects and issues that can occur I have only listed some of the most common defects. I work on the Hampshire and West Sussex border, and am always happy to answer your questions.
In too deep – Paint correction and the depth of defect:
If the defect that you’re looking to remove has gone through the clear coat. Let’s say a stone chip or a deep scratch. Then the only way to restore that area to a perfect finish is to repaint the area. Machine polishing works by abrading away a minimal amount of the top coat of the paint. This process removes light scratches, buffer trails and swirl marks, but only works with microns of paint. Any deep defects will require repainting.
The thick of it – Paint correction and paint thickness:
While your vehicle may have defects that would usually be removed with machine polishing. Like swirls and scratches. It may not be possible to remove these if the paint is too thin. This happens when the vehicle has been machine polished multiple times beforehand. A small amount of the clear coat is abraded away each time it is polished. Over time, this can lead to the paint becoming too thin. When this happens, no further machine polishing can be done. It would risk either going through the clear coat or leaving far too little clear coat on the vehicle. This could lead to UV damage since the UV protectants in clear coat are more concentrated at the top level of the clear coat.
Below the surface – Paint correction and defects below the clear coat:
Occasionally, you’ll find defects under the top layer of the paint. This can appear as the base coat fading underneath the clear coat. The only way to fix this is the repaint the panel. Some defects materialise due to poor paintwork being carried out. These can pop up any time after spray work has been completed. They can include things like paint peeling, fisheyes, solvent pop or dust nibs. Dust nibs in the top coat can usually be fixed by wet sanding and polishing, but if the contaminants are under the top coat, it is often best to get that area repainted. Defects can even manifest many months or even years after the spray work has been completed, the only way to fix these issues is to get the panel properly repainted.
Talk to us at Black River Details on the Hampshire & West Sussex border about paint correction and restoring your vehicle to a better than new finish. Contact us HERE.