Paint correction
Machine polishing to level the lacquer around swirls, wash marks and light scratches. It is the most skilled thing we do and the easiest to get badly wrong, because every pass removes paint that cannot be put back.
- Time in
- 1–2 daysDepending on stages and vehicle size
- Removes
- 1–3µmPer pass, measured not guessed
- Measured
- Every panelDepth gauge before and after
- From
- £295Confirmed after we have seen the car
What correction actually is
Polishing does not fill or hide a scratch. It removes a very thin layer of the clear coat around it until the surface is level again, which is why the defect disappears. That is also why it has a limit: the clear coat on a modern car is roughly 35 to 50 microns thick within a total paint stack of about 100 to 180, and once it is gone nothing puts it back.
A single machine pass removes somewhere around one to three microns. So a two-stage correction typically takes two or three microns in total and leaves well over ninety per cent of the lacquer intact. Done properly, a car can be corrected several times in its life. Done badly, once.
Why we measure first
Every car gets depth readings across every panel before a pad touches it. Factory paint generally reads in the 100 to 180 micron range. A reading well above 200 usually means that panel has been resprayed at some point, which changes what is safe entirely — aftermarket lacquer behaves differently and is often thinner than it looks.
A low reading means we correct lightly or not at all on that panel, and we tell you which panels those are before we start rather than after. This is the single biggest difference between a studio and someone with a polisher.
How we do it
Inspect and measure
Depth readings on every panel, recorded. We look at the paint under proper lighting rather than daylight, because daylight hides exactly the defects you are paying to remove.
Decontaminate
Iron fallout and tar removed chemically, then bonded contamination pulled mechanically with clay. Polishing over embedded grit is how light damage becomes heavy damage.
Test section
One panel, one pad and polish combination, measured before and after. That tells us what this particular paint responds to and how much it costs in microns. Nothing else starts until it is known.
Correct
Stage by stage across the car, refining as we go. We stop when the defect is gone in normal light, not when the panel is theoretically perfect.
Measure again
Readings repeated so you can see exactly what was removed. Those numbers go to you whether they are flattering or not.
Protect
Correction with nothing on top oxidises and starts swirling again on the first wash. A sealant at minimum, a coating if you want it to last.
What would your car cost?
Three answers and you will see where the work starts, before you give us anything. The final figure comes from seeing the paint.
Most cars like yours land between £195 and £240
Full detail
Exterior and interior reset, machine gloss enhancement, sealant protection
Every price is confirmed on the paint, not the phone. Bring it in for a paint check and you will get the real figure before anything is booked.
What's included
Depth readings
Every panel, before and after, written down.
Test section
Proven on your paint before we commit.
Decontamination
Chemical and mechanical, always first.
Machine correction
Dual action, staged to the paint's condition.
Honest limits
Which defects stay, and why, told up front.
Protection
Sealant included; coating available on top.
Lighting
Assessed under studio lights, not daylight.
Photographs
Each stage recorded so you can see the change.
Paint correction customers
Live Google reviews, pulled straight from the studio's own profile.
Two-stage correction on a black Golf R. Under the lamps you can't find a swirl, and they showed me the paint readings first.
Ceramic on the new Model Y before it had done 50 miles. Clear about what the coating will and won't do.
They told me the Audi didn't need a full correction and saved me £300. That's why I'll keep going back.
Paint correction questions
Will every scratch come out?
No, and anyone promising that is guessing. If a scratch has gone through the clear coat into the base coat or primer, polishing cannot fix it — there is nothing left to level. Run a fingernail across it: if it catches, it is likely through. We assess each defect and tell you which ones are coming out before you book.
How do I know you have not taken too much paint off?
Because you get the numbers. We measure every panel before and after, and those readings go to you. A properly executed two-stage correction should account for two or three microns out of a clear coat of roughly 35 to 50.
My car has been polished before. Does that matter?
It matters a lot, and it is exactly why we measure. Previous heavy correction leaves less to work with and we will correct more conservatively as a result, or decline a panel entirely and say so.
Can you correct a car that has been resprayed?
Often, carefully. A reading well above 200 microns usually indicates a repaint. Aftermarket lacquer can be softer or thinner than factory, so we work lighter and test more.
Is a one-stage enough or do I need two?
Depends entirely on the paint. A one-stage removes lighter marring and lifts gloss considerably; two stages go after deeper defects and cost more paint. The test section tells us which your car needs, and we will recommend the smaller job if it does the work.
Where we do this work
All paint correction work is carried out at the Green Lane unit. We collect and return across these towns.
Get a price
Send the make, model and age. We'll tell you what the paint is likely to need and what it comes to.