1⃣ Wash & Dry The Vehicle

We first start by cleaning the wheels and tires, then do a thorough wash to remove the road grime and debris that may interfere with the polishing step later on.

2⃣ Iron Decontamination

Next is to make sure we remove iron fall out from the vehicle. We use high quality chemicals to decontaminate vehicle surface from iron.

3⃣ Clay Bar Decontamination

Next step is to pull off any of the stuck on debris from the paint that didn’t come out during the initial wash process. This is referred to as above surface contaminants. The clay bar is used to mechanically pull up any stuck debris.

4⃣ Inspect Paint & Test Spot

Once the paint surface is free from the road grime or contaminants, then we can inspect the paint to check the thickness of clear coat. We do this by using a paint thinkness gauge. This process helps us to understand the kinds of methods and techniques we can use to correct the paint.

5⃣ Machine Polish

Most important and time consuming step is polishing the paint using machine polishers. There are mainly 3 kids of polishers we use 1. Orbital Polisher 2. Dual Action Polisher and 3. Circular polisher. Circular is the most aggressive form of polishing. We don`t normally use this unless it is definitely required. This process uses the heat generated through polishers to smooth out the clearcoat by removing scratches and swirl marks. Some deep scrathes and swirl marks may not come out and we discuss this with the client in advance.

6⃣ Paint Protection

Once paint correction is completed using the machine polishers then it is important to protect the paint. There are many different products available and it depends on the client`s choice. It can be wax protectant or sealant protectant or ceramic coating. Ceramic coating is most expensive of the 3 and normally last for years. Again it depends on client`s budget. Sealant can last few months and wax may last few weeks. Paint protectants may also add a layer of shine and gloss to your vehicle.

7⃣ Final Inspection

Final step in our process is the final inspection to ensure the job is done completely by checking through the tyres, window glasses, door jambs etc. If necessary to wipe down to ensure the vehicle is in good stead for the client.

At Express Auto Detailing, we offer two different types of paint correction services to our customers based on their vehicle condition, their budget and the outcome desired.

Stage I Paint Correction

A Stage I paint correction is aimed to remove 50% to 70% of the swirls based on the condition and thinkness of clear coat that vehicle paint has. This is suitable if the client is looking for a refresh to get the paint back up to standard or if the vehicle is already in good condition and it only needs a spring polishing.

Stage II Paint Correction

A Stage II paint correction is aimed to remove 85% of more of the swirls based on the condition and thinkness of clear coat that vehicle paint has. This is suitable for vehicles that are heavily swirled or possibly with vechicles that have a very hard clear coat to work with.

The service the client chooses is completely based on condition of the vechicle, their budget and what they want to achieve. If the client is looking to sell the vehicle then they probably need Stage I paint correction to prep the vehicle. In some cases they probably only need the clay and iron decontamication.