Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the terms, "Paint Enhancement" and "Paint Correction" in the "detailing" world? Well, let me explain the difference in simple terms.
Paint enhancement vs Paint correction in detailing
1. Paint Enhancement:
The term is exactly what it sounds like. It's solely to enhance the vehicles true paint color, giving it that additional "pop", or "gloss" factor. This process is typically with a medium to soft polishing pad and can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours (this time does not reflect the prep work beforehand, just the polishing portion). With Paint enhancements, even though you are using a polishing machine, pads, and typically a finishing polish, this service is not intended to "correct" the paint or remove visible "defects" from the surface of the paint. As a detailer, I know that even new cars coming straight out of the manufacturer don't always have perfect finishing paint. Does this mean you should pay more money for a "Paint correction", instead of a "Paint enhancement", especially if you are going to get your car ceramic coated, paint protection filmed, or wrapped? No, unless you are the 2% of car enthusiast's, who values their car to the point of near perfection. Then, in your case, you should absolutely get "Paint correction" instead of "Paint enhancement". What is the value or benefit of getting a "Paint enhancement"? Simple answer, gloss, removes paints dullness, brings out that rich paint color, and it also is a great preparation step before getting ceramic coating, paint protection film, or a wrap.
2. Paint Correction:
There are many definitions of the term "Paint Correction". In some cases, you got professionals offering 4 steps of paint correction. First one being "wet sanding", second being "compound or cutting", third being "polish or clarity", and fourth being "finishing polish or jeweling".
Most vehicles don't need 4 steps of paint correction, 3 steps can even be a stretch in some cases too. Properly maintained, garage kept, or brand-new cars typically don't need any aggressive paint correction. If your paint looks like the photo to the left, that is a 2-step correction. This is 99% what we offer to our customers who have visible defects such as, fine scratches, spider webbing, swirl marks, bird droppings and bug splatters, water spots, or damage or high / low spots by poor ceramic coating installation. I believe whole heartedly that a 2-step paint correction is as aggressive as you should go, unless you have a single stage painted vehicle with plenty of paint on the panels or thick clear coat. The reasoning is this, "paint correction" levels the defects or removes them by slowly cutting through the clearcoat/ single stage paint. The heat from the compounds and the polishing pad remove's the surface defects, along with some of the clearcoat/ single stage paint. The more "paint correction" your car receives, the more likely you may be at risk of your clear coat failing or having issues down the road. Even with an expensive paint gauge reader, it is nearly impossible to determine how much actual clearcoat is on the panels. That's why as a professional, we advise with wisdom, logic, and experience. Adding a layer of protection like ceramic coating, paint protection film, or wrap can definitely preserve and keep your paint protected in the long run after "paint correction". I will discuss the difference between ceramic coating, paint protection film, and wraps in another blog post.