Buff Out Those Scratches: Paint Correction Explained
Corrective polishing removes scratches, swirls, and other clear coat defects by buffing or polishing away a thin layer of paint or clear coat to the depth of the scratches to remove them. In this regard, the deeper the scratches are, the more buffing or polishing would be needed, hence the categorisation of light, medium, and deep scratches and why we have different correction levels.
We offer four paint correction packages, each tackling different depths of scratches and other clear coat layer defects.
Choosing the right level is key.
Choosing a light polishing service on car paint with deep scratches will still leave you with the deep scratches or marks, that will now stand out more, which you might not be happy with especially if you didn’t know how polishing worked.
To ensure you get the results you want, we advise a pre-inspection which can be done before booking or at booking.
It’s important to note that “deep” can be subjective. What one person sees as a light scratch might be deep for paint, which all depending on the car’s paint thickness, condition, and age.
Services
How our services are structured
Every car is different. Its condition, how it looks to you, how you want it to look, and factors like your budget and time determines the actual detail we go into for each of the major steps of the detail.
There are four major steps in a detail:
- Washing and cleaning
- Decontamination
- Polishing correction
- Protection
With this in mind, we’ve structured our package around what it would take to polish an average condition car that’s considered to be good in washing and contamination but has scratches of varying depth.
Here is what we include as standard ‘detail’ (i.e. using quality products and the time allocated):
- Maintenance level wash
- Decontamination: Clay
- Each correction level includes a clay treatment to remove bonded dirt.
- This takes 30 minutes for standard sedans (Corolla, C-Class, BMW 3 Series)
- 45 minutes for larger vehicles (Fortuner, GLE, X5).
- Polishing: as per the package
- Protection: 1-year ceramic
If your car requires more attention, we can tailor our detailing to fit your needs.
Pricing:
Prices listed here are for small to standard sized sedans Corolla, C-Class, BMW 3 Series). We will quote for larger sedans (S-Class), SUVs, bakkies, Minivans (V-Class, Transporter/Caravelle)
Paint Enhancement / Maintenance Polishing
For: Light to medium scratches, enhancing appearance and gloss, and maintenance/repair for both ceramic coated and non-ceramic coated cars
What we offer: Maintenance level wash, 30-minute clay treatment, Mild cut polish, 1-year ceramic sealant
Price & Time: From R2500, allow 5 hours
One Step Correction
For: Light, medium, and deeper scratches, increasing gloss.
What we offer: Maintenance level wash, 30-minute clay treatment, Tailored one step polishing (we test the best single polishing combination for your car), 1-year ceramic coating (upgradeable)
Price & Time: From R3500, allow 6-7 hours
Two Step Correction
For: Maximum scratch removal, highest gloss, best up-close detail. Best for dark colours and paint that is either very hard or overly soft or clients wanting a high degree of up-close detail
What we offer: Maintenance level wash, 30-minute clay treatment, and a two-step polishing service. Step 1 is dedicated to removing scratches and other clear coat defects, while Step 2 refines the paint and increases gloss. Doing out these two stages in separate steps yields better results than a one-step correction. Includes a 1-year ceramic coating (upgradeable).
Price & Time: From R4500, allow a full day
Custom Correction & Detailing
If you require work beyond what’s mentioned above, the first step is to arrange an inspection with us. We will inspect your car with you, give you feedback on what to expect, and provide a precise quote for the required work.
We offer the following services, which are priced based on inspection because of their varied nature:
- Sanding to factory and repaint issues, dust nibs, remove orange peel or deep defects
- Micro paint chip and scratch touch-ups, minor paint repair like bumper scuffs
- Paint thickness measurements from R350 to R500
- De-badging and other trim removal
- Paintless Dent Repair (dents that have no paint damage)
Other Detailing:
- Detailed cleaning from R350 per hour
- Iron remover R250 per 500ml
- Water mark removal from R350 to R3500, depending on the size of the area that needs removal and how difficult the stains are to remove.
- Engine Bay from R350
- Exhaust deep cleaning, polishing and protection
- Glass ceramic coating for rain repellency
- Wheels Off detail:
- remove wheels and lift vehicle to deep clean wheel arches, wheels off the car and brake calipers
- without coating (i.e. if you primarily want cleaning): from R1500
- with coating: GTECHNIQ C5 Wheel Armour on full wheels and brake calipers: from R4000
Ceramic Coatings
Please note that our Paint Enhancement includes a 1 year ceramic sealant and the One and Two Step corrections includes a 1 year water based ceramic coating.
You have the option to upgrade to the following coatings, which are more advanced and offer more durability.
- 2-Year NASIOL XR03, from R2000
- 3-Year (up to 7 years with maintenance!) – NASIOL ZR53, 10H hardness, from R3000
- 3-5 Year GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Light or C1 Crystal Lacquer, 9H Hardness, from R3500
- 9-Year GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Ultra, 10H hardness, from R4500