Paint Correction
Paint correction is the removal of common defects listed in the previous section. Over time your vehicle will inevitably accumulate defects and why correction is essential to restore the paint finish.
Correction is achieved by using different methods of cleansing, re levelling and polishing, either by mechanical or manual means using various grades of polishes & compounds and abrasive paper.
The most important factor when undertaking paint correction is to evaluate the overall condition of the cars paint, most importantly to ascertain what level of correction is safely possible. As explained previously most defects visible in paint are usually in the top surface of the paint, however some defects may be sub surface and require body shop attention.
A full analysis of the thickness of your paintwork is undertaken prior to and during the paint correction processes. This is done using a range of specialist paint depth meters that work on metallic and non metallic surfaces. The standard model (fig1.) measures the total thickness of the coating system on metallic surfaces and the advanced model (fig2.) is able to measure up to 3 individual layer thickness of a coating system, this includes the ability to measure on GPU, carbon fibre and composite materials and is able to give a detailed graphic readout for closer scrutiny. Temperature fluctuations are constantly monitored also to ensure paint failure that does not occur.
Fig 1. Fig 2.
Understanding the basic composition of modern car paint
Most modern cars paintwork is made up of three layers
1. Base coat or primer. This is the primarily applied to the car to help the paint to adhere evenly and smoothly to the body shell.
2. Colour or paint. This is generally the colour of the vehicle and will contain metallic flakes for metallic finish cars.
3. Clear coat or acrylic lacquer. This is the top coat of clear lacquer, this is to protect the paint from oxidisation and enhance the finish and the shine.
Most defects visible on a car like scratches, swirl mark or holograms are because the clear coat has been affected by improper care. (Fig 3.)
Machine polishing
Machine polishing and cleansing will reduce the depth of the paintwork so care must be taken . Most paint finishes will visually benefit significantly with some degree of correction and remove light scratches, swirl marks, water marks, bird lime etching and buffer trials. Machine polishing is carried using a combination of compounds, polishes and pads, which will determine depending on the level of defect removal required. By using a range of products the finish on your car can be improved to give a stunning results.
Wet Sanding
Wet sanding the paint is a technique that can be used to remove or significantly reduce the appearance of deeper scratches and scuff marks. However some sort of a repair may be required if the damage has penetrated below the level of the paint. Wet sanding involves the use of abrasive paper that is used to reduce the level of the paint more than polishing. Caution has to be used as incorrect wet sanding can remove paint completely. Once the defect has been removed or reduced the finish need to be restored to a high gloss by machine polishing.
It can also be used to remove orange peel visible in the paint which looks like a rippled effect on the paint surface.
Overall depth of the paint on a car varies considerably from marque to marque, even on the same vehicle.
It is also possible to determine how a panel on a car has been sprayed because of varying depths record able, or if the car has been re sprayed or been subject to aggressive polishing techniques in the past. The depth is measured in microns, 1 micron being 1/1000 of a milimeter. The average paint thickness on a car can vary between 90 and 220 microns in depth. Heat fluctuations when polishing is also a factor and temperature monitoring equipment is also used.
This information is use to determine safe levels of paint correction on your vehicle. It should be noted that there are defects that may be unsafe to remove or address. Please contact for further details
Fig 3.
Compounds , Polishes & Glazes
Compounds are abrasive particle heavy and remove paint quickly for more severe defects.
Polishes are basically a carrier fluid containing tiny abrasive particles. The ability to remove clear coat or paint is determined by the hardness of the paint and aggressiveness or cutting power of the compound or polish used. There are different types of polishes that range in properties characteristics.
Aggressive compound polishes that remove more clear coat for defect removal. Finishing polishes will remove little of no cut at all , that improve the gloss of the paintwork. Some polishes contain fillers that effectively fill the defects in paint and are not a permanent long term solution.
Glazes. Generally speaking a glaze is a pure polish; it adds oils and nutrients into the clear coat or paint. Visually it adds good depth into the paint and a can sometimes also help mask very fine paint defects. It does not generally provide any abrasive paint correction properties but adds gloss to the paintwork.
We use a large range of different products from manufacturers like 3M, Menzerna, Meguiars and Sonus to name a few.
Paint correction requires a great deal of skill and knowledge to give the perfect finish, mistakes can be very costly. At Project Karma we have worked on a large variety of different cars, just browse our extensive portfolio. We don’t just claim to know what we are doing we have years of satisfied clients to prove it.
Typically we can give 95 -
Fig 2.
Fig 1.
Fig 3.
Fig 1, Show a badly maintained car bonnet , the use of poor wash techniques has progressively deteriorated the finish of the paint overtime . The right hand side of the bonnet shown in Fig 2. has been machine polished to remove the swirls and deep scratches. The finish can be re vitalised to its former glory. Fig 3. shows the finish closer up and the enhancement achievable, the metallic flakes in the paint are now more visible. (rolling your mouse over the images will enlarge them.)
T: 07919 337769/ 07902 802510 E : enquiries@project-