Question 1

How much does paint correction cost?

Accepted Answer

Pricing depends on the tier and the paint's current condition — a new car with light swirls needs a fraction of the work an oxidized daily driver does. We quote every correction after inspecting the paint in person or from your photos, so the number you get is the number you pay. Request a quote and we'll have an estimate back the same day.

Question 2

How long does paint correction take?

Accepted Answer

Plan on a day for an enhancement, two days for a 2-stage, and three days for a 3-stage Show Car correction. Timeline scales with vehicle size, paint condition, and how deep the defects run. We never rush a correction — the whole point is the finish you see at the end, and that doesn't happen on a 4-hour schedule. Drop off Monday morning, we'll text when it's ready.

Question 3

Do I need paint correction on a new car?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes — at least a light enhancement. Factory paint leaves the plant with sanding marks, dealer-wash swirls, transit wax, and often rail dust or industrial fallout baked in. That stuff is what gets locked under a coating or PPF if you skip correction. A 1-stage enhancement on a new car removes 60%+ of those factory-level defects and gives you the proper starting surface for multi-year protection. If you're coating the car, it's not optional.

Question 4

Paint correction vs. polish — what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

A polish is a finishing step — gloss and clarity only, no defect removal. A correction is the full process: measured paint-depth, a cutting pass (compound) that levels defects, and then a polish that refines the finish to a mirror. Think of polish as the last 20% and correction as the whole 100%. Most shops that advertise a 'polish and wax' are selling you a polish alone — quick gloss that fades. We only sell real correction work that actually removes what's in the clear coat.

Question 5

Do I need correction before PPF or ceramic coating?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. PPF and ceramic both lock whatever's on the paint underneath them — if you install over swirls, you've sealed those swirls in for the life of the film or coating. A gentle enhancement at minimum is the right call before any protection product. For our flagship 9-year ceramic or full-body PPF installs, we require at least a 2-stage correction so the finish you pay to protect is actually worth protecting.

Question 6

Can you remove every scratch?

Accepted Answer

We remove scratches that live entirely in the clear coat — which is most of them. Deep scratches that broke through to color, primer, or bare metal need touch-up paint, fill, and wet-sand before they can be polished — that's a body-shop task or an add-on service. We'll inspect every scratch at drop-off, mark the ones that can be fully removed in green, and the ones that can only be minimized in yellow. No surprises at pickup.

Question 7

How long will the finish last?

Accepted Answer

Without a coating or PPF on top, you'll start seeing swirls return from normal washing within 3–6 months of a correction — regular automatic washes will undo a Show Car finish in weeks. That's why we always recommend capping a correction with a ceramic coating or PPF. Protected paint holds its corrected finish for years, not months. Stand-alone corrections are worth doing only if you're the kind of owner who hand-washes with two buckets and microfiber exclusively.

Question 8

Can you fix clear-coat failure or oxidation?

Accepted Answer

Light oxidation — paint that looks dull or chalky — often corrects fully in a 2-stage. Clear-coat failure — where the clear is peeling, cracking, or actively flaking — can't be polished back; that panel needs a clear re-spray from a body shop. We'll tell you honestly at the inspection whether we're looking at bad oxidation (correctable) or true clear-coat failure (not correctable). Don't pay anyone to 'polish out' failing clear — it'll look great for a week and then look worse than before.

Question 9

How do you prevent burn-through on thin clear coat?

Accepted Answer

Every panel is measured with a digital paint-depth gauge before we compound, and spot-checked throughout. If a panel reads thin (older repaint, prior corrections, panel-replacement), we step down the cut — a finishing polish on a thin panel instead of a heavy compound on a healthy one. Burn-through happens when a shop doesn't measure. We measure, we log it, and if a panel can't take the correction you paid for, we stop and tell you — no surprise charges for a respray.

Question 10

Will paint correction remove my factory ceramic coating?

Accepted Answer

Yes — any real correction removes whatever coating or sealant is on the paint, because the process polishes microns of clear. If you have an existing coating and want to keep it, you need a dedicated coating refresh instead of a correction. If you want a fresh finish and a new coating on top, correction is exactly what you're after. We'll confirm what's on the paint at inspection (via bead-test and water-behavior) and plan accordingly.

Question 11

Do you serve Charleston, Summerville, and Mount Pleasant?

Accepted Answer

Yes — our studio sits in the heart of the greater Charleston metro. Customers drive to us from Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, North Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek, Hanahan, James Island, and Daniel Island. The whole metro is a 15–30 minute trip. Our correction standard — digital paint-depth logs, climate-controlled bay, swirl-finder inspection — is worth the drive.

Paint Correction

Swirls out. Gloss back in.

What every correction includes.

Measured, Not Guessed

Dual-Action Safe Methods

Perfect Before A Coating

Pick the tier that fits the car.

1-Stage Correction

2-Stage Correction

Show Car (3-Stage)

Common questions.

Ready to book your correction?