We also get a lot of calls from people who are against machine polishing because they have been stung by detailers that have done a poor job and left their paint work looking worse then when they started by leaving buffer trails and burning through the paint. This is caused by the so called detailer using a polish and pad combination that is too agressive and burning through the paint work (you can not remove swirl marks and scratches and finish the paint down pefect in one step).

There is no reason why a flawless defect free finish cannot be achieved by machine polishing, all it takes is a highly skilled detailer to know what they are doing. No two paint jobs are the same and require different polishes and pad combinations to achieve a perfect finish, a perfect finish cannot be achieved by hand polishing as this will not remove swirl marks or heavier paint defects.

Stage 1 Paint Correction is just that, polishing the paint work in one stage or one step with only one type of polish and pad combination. This is suited to paint work in good condition already that have no real visible swirls and only very minor marring – the Stage 1 involves refining the paint work with a finishing polish and a finishing pad only and is generally not abrasive enough to remove swirl marks and scratches, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (2.5 Hours +)

Stage 2 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have moderate swirl marks and light scratches and involves using 2 different polish and pad combinations; the first step is generally a cutting (abrasive) polish, to remove imperfections such as swirl marks, light scratches and other moderate paint defects. This is followed by a finishing polish and finishing pad to refine the paint work even further by removing any marring or holograms left by the previous step, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (4 Hours +)

Stage 3 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have heavy swirl marks, scratches and other paint defects, it involves using 3 different polish and pad combinations, and this can also include spot wet sanding for heavier scratches. The first step is a heavy cutting compound with a heavy cutting pad to remove those deeper swirl marks and scratches, the second step is a cutting polish and polishing pad to remove further swirls marks followed by the finishing polish and finishing pad to further refine the paint work to a swirl, mar and hologram free finish, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (6 Hours +)

Most detailers and car wash cafe’s can do a Machine Cut n Polish usually within an hour, however most of these detailers leave the paint looking much worse then it did before they started, leaving whats called Holograms or Buffer Trails from using a Pad or Polish that is too agressive and spining the machine to fast, which results in burning the paint work and leaving a hologram effect, this can be rectified with a finer polish & pad combo however most operators will skip this step as they cannot see the holograms unless the vehicle is in direct sunlight however the car may look great with a deep reflection in the shade.

How is the Paint Corrected?

The paint is machine polished with a combination of compounds, polishes and buffing pads. Using the correct products and technique is critical in achieving perfect results. Not all paint works are the same, there are many paint variations that car manufactures use which can make it challanging to select the right combination polish & pad as some finishes may be hard or soft or pose other problems like sticky-ness, repaired panels can also change things as it is most likely a different brand paint used and applied differently to the factory finish.

How much paint is there to correct?
Most factory paint finishes have anywhere from 80-200 microns of paint thickness. Lets say your car has 140 microns, the interesting part is 1000 microns equals 1mm so the overall thickness of your paintwork is most likely around 0.14mm. 140 microns is the overall thickness including the undercoat, colour coat and clear coat. As you can only polish the clear coat this leaves us with around 0.04mm of clear coat to polish, this is why there is no room for error when machine polishing. Alot of detailers and car wash cafe’s will start hacking into your paint with the incorrect polish & pad and do more damage to your paint work then there was to start with. This is why you should expect to pay good money for quality workmanship.

Before & After:

 

 

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