The modern era in the automotive industry has brought a lot of changes to the market as a whole. The standards of safety have improved, the influx of technology has excited the tech-savvy enthusiasts, and the rising interest in car detailing has taken flight.
But it’s the detailing part that has garnered more interest and curiosity among automotive fans. More people are looking to protect their investment by opting for services such as paint correction, ceramic coating and detailing.
Out of all the services offered at detailing workshops, paint correction is the one that most people prefer. However, is it worth paying for this service? Is it worth your time and money?
If you want your vehicle to look fresh and new again, then paint correction is worth every penny. Not only will your car stand out among the masses, it will also attract more attention from bystanders. And every car owner knows that random appreciation about your ride from strangers is a big confidence booster.
However, there is a lot of commitment required on your behalf to maintain your vehicle after getting paint correction. Moreover, the cost of paint correction is another factor that you should consider. It’s quite easy to find paint correction services that cost less, but the long-term effects won’t be optimal. Also, it is possible that you do more harm to your car than good. Cheap is often costly.
Why is paint correction expensive?
Most people think that paint correction is pricey because of the products used. But this is simply untrue. In fact, the product cost is a small part of the final price. Some detailers justify their fees by stating the product costs a lot, however, this is incorrect. The per car cost is marginal and that is perhaps where they save the most money. But in the detailer’s defense, the variable costs for them are too high and they have to spread them out evenly to make a profit.
So, what is the influencing factor? What makes paint correction expensive?
Well, the truth is that paint correction is all about skill and the application of that skill. The time that goes into one job, the expertise of the labor, the hard work, and commitment are all viable reasons to ask for a higher fee. On the work side of things, the process itself is quite lengthy. To start, the car has to be thoroughly cleaned, decontaminated, and prepared well before the paint correction process can begin and the polishing can start.
That might not sound like a wealth of work, but you can only imagine the type of cars that come into detailing shops for paint correction. These vehicles require unwavering commitment from the workers to clean. There are things like cigarette butts, leftover trash, food droppings, brake dust, tar and other residuals to take care of. And that is only the start of the process. This usually takes a full day, sometimes even more before the paint correction stuff begins.
After the in-depth cleaning process, the workers perform an inspection to check for irregularities. The paint depth measurement is taken in some cases to check for thickness. That’s because any up and down slopes on the surface destroy the final look.
Thereafter, the paint correction process begins, and the detailer starts to polish the vehicle with all their effort. The person doing the job must maintain a keen eye on the scratches and other irregularities on the surface, too. After all, the scratches and swirl marks are the items they are hoping to diminish.
The last factor is the worker’s experience. That is perhaps the defining part of the job for which there is no clear alternative. A skilled worker will do his job flawlessly, he/she will make no mistakes, and produce something that is nothing short of a masterpiece.
That is what you pay for and that is what adds to the total price.
How long does a paint correction last?
If you are spending a lot of money on a paint correction service, then you would likely want to learn about its lifespan. How long does it last? Well, you would obviously want it to last a lifetime, given how much you spend on the job. But it is not all that straightforward.
3 defining factors that determine the longevity of paint correction:
1. Your Opinion
We have seen that the life of a paint correction service varies from one customer to another. Some people want a shiny car year round, while others accept that it won’t be perfect during the Colorado Springs’ winters. If you scrutinize every small detail, you might not be satisfied. Even the best detailers can’t get all the scratches and swirl marks off your vehicle.
Paint correction, like every other thing in this world, will deteriorate with the passing of time. You can’t expect it to last forever. Therefore, if you are a keen observer who expects the results to stay the same throughout a decade, then the paint correction service may disappoint you.
After all, there are so several things that can go wrong with the car. It can get into an accident, the sun could harm the paint surface with its harsh rays, or a dust storm could wreck the look of the vehicle. In other words, there is no guarantee that the car will always stay shiny.
So, it is important to manage your expectations.
2. The Treatment
Even after you get paint correction for your vehicle, you still have to maintain it. The service doesn’t give you the liberty to slack or do whatever you want with your car. The vehicle will get scratches and it will look dusty, but it is your job to stop that from happening.
If you are careful, the paint correction will last you a lifetime and you might not ever need to go in more than once. That’s possible by using microfiber cloths to wash the vehicle, using high quality products, as well as parking the car in a safe place to protect against bird droppings, scratches and the sun’s heat.
The detailer will teach you about aftercare and educate you on the best practices to adopt in efforts of avoiding disaster. They might also ask you to bring the car in every once in a while, so that a professional can inspect the upkeep and make any necessary adjustments to the paint’s surface.
When you follow the detailer’s recommendations, the paint will stay intact and will last you more than the stated 3 years. Shoot, you might not need a second paint correction ever again.
3. The Protection
The expert will discuss different levels of protection that could enhance the effects of paint correction. For example, they could advise you about paint protection film (otherwise known as Clear Bra) and the advantages it brings to maintaining the look brought out by paint correction. But, it all depends on your budget, because PPF is not cheap. That’s why most people go for frontal PPF, which is a good way to defend the front of the vehicle, and it is often the most utilized PPF service. However, opting for a complete paint protection service is necessary to protect each nook and cranny.
Most people think a hard wax and polish does the same job, but that is not true. While the latter makes your car look clean and shiny, they do not offer protection against swirl marks, stone chips, and random scratches. Even if someone has devised a formula that allows such a phenomenon, you would have to apply the wax and polish frequently to get consistent results.
Paint correction vs Repaint – the pros and cons
Almost all the critics of paint correction argue that it is wiser to spend money on a repaint, instead of wasting money on paint correction. They say that the repaint is much more effective than a paint correction service, which has to be renewed after a few years.
You could agree with the critics, but partially. That’s because their claims are somewhat fallacious. Yes, getting a repaint has its advantages, but it is in no way better than getting paint correction. And we’ll tell you why…
For a repaint, you have to trust the painter to perform a stellar job. That’s near impossible, since a repaint will never come out as great as the original paint from the factory. Secondly, it is hard to trust a stranger based on their claims of excellence. You don’t know how the car will turn out until it’s revealed.
Another downside is the price of the repaint versus the paint correction service: The paint job will cost substantially more than getting a correction. Why? Well, that’s because for a person to repaint the car, you have to take out the seats, carpet, windows, and sometimes various auto body parts. It is an intricate procedure, which is best left to the professionals.
Also, you might not need to opt for a new paint job. If there are minor scratches on the surface and there are no clear signs of the paint losing its sharpness, there is no need to spend so much money.
Another interesting take on repainting your car is that the vehicle value drops after it’s complete. It is common knowledge that original paint is preferred over a repaint. If you opt for a new paint job, the buyer might think you are hiding something and that would make them skeptical of the purchase.
So, if you want to sell your vehicle in the future, you must take these things into consideration.
Rewards of Paint Correction
Paint correction is not always the only solution. There are times when you feel that a repaint is the better option. After all, the sanding/polishing machine can only do so much.
When the scratches are cutting through the paint, or when the paint has dulled quite considerably, the paint correction service can offer you little support. Moreover, if you get paint correction too many times, the original surface of the paint gets affected and that’s when you really start to feel the need for a respray.
So, should all vehicles get paint correction?
The simple answer is no. Not all cars will benefit from getting a paint correction. We have discussed a few cases above, which show that paint correction is not always the best option. But it is also clear that it’s an option worth investigating.
If you just bought a brand-spanking-new car, you should invest in paint protection film or ceramic coating immediately. It is wise to be cautious instead of crying later. If you safeguard the original paint form the beginning, the value of the car will stay the same for many years and thus won’t require paint correction at all.
You can understand this better when you consider an expensive luxury vehicle. That’s because cars like these are judged on their looks more than other vehicles. So, if you are not careful in the beginning, there is no turning back later.
Moreover, paint correction becomes a necessity when you are too lazy to take good care of your car. If you are an individual who doesn’t give two cents about your vehicle, then it’s better to spend money on paint correction every once in a while. The service will take care of the paint surface and save it from complete destruction.
Paint Correction Alternatives
What happens after you have read all the information above and you still decide to vote against paint correction? Well, either you go with a repaint or you consider some other alternatives. Naturally, you would want to look at something that is cheaper, since paint correction costs a lot of money.
In that case, you could opt for a ‘paint enhancement’ service. This is the cheaper cousin, which is good but not as good as the other. But paint enhancement is a great way to taste the flavor of paint correction. If you like the results, you can always invest more to upgrade.
For paint enhancement, the detailer will not use dedicated products. Instead, they will go for an all-in-one product that does it all. You won’t see all the scratches disappear, but the weak ones will vanish. The swirl marks will soften and the car will start to look brighter and shinier.
The total cost will also go down, since the detailer requires less time and less effort to do the same job. You will save money and get something worthwhile. Once you decide to move up the ladder, you can pay for a paint correction service and reap its rewards.
We hope this guide answered most, if not all, of your questions regarding paint correction. The take away, perhaps is that if you are honest about your expectations, you can get the results worthy of your time and money.
If you are interested in purchasing paint correction services from Springs Detailing in Colorado Springs, click here.
Ceramic Coating is the preferred method of protection once paint correction is completed.
