Paint correction
Paint correction is machine polishing that removes swirl marks and light scratches from the clear coat rather than filling them. It costs $345 to $700, and it is the step that decides whether a coating is worth buying.
- Typical range
- $345 to $700 middle half of the market
- Median
- $450 across 329 shops
- Prices read
- 661 from published price lists
- Installers listed
- 2,751 nobody paid to be here
What paint correction actually is
Paint correction is the machine removal of defects from the clear coat using abrasive polish. It removes a measured amount of clear coat to level the surface around each scratch, which is why it is permanent and why there is a finite number of times a panel can take it.
What it does, and what it doesn't
What it does
- Removes swirl marks, wash marring and light scratches permanently
- Restores gloss and depth to oxidised or dull paint
- Levels the surface before a coating, which is when it matters most
- Is measurable: a good shop reads paint depth before and after
What it won't do
- Fill defects the way a glaze does. Filling looks the same for about three washes
- Fix a scratch you can catch a fingernail in. That is through the clear coat
- Come free with a coating, on most quotes. Ask explicitly
- Repeat indefinitely. Every pass removes clear coat, and there is a finite amount
How to choose, and what to ask
Three things that separate two quotes which look like the same job.
Stages, not adjectives
One stage is a polish. Two stages is compound then polish. Three is compound, polish and refine. A quote should name the number and what each pass is correcting, because "full correction" means whatever the shop wants it to mean.
Ask what percentage they expect to remove
An honest shop quotes 70 to 90% defect removal on a daily driver and explains that chasing the last 10% costs clear coat that does not grow back. A shop promising 100% is either not measuring or not telling you.
Do it before the coating, not after
A coating seals the finish it is applied to. Correction after coating means removing the coating you just paid $950 for and starting again.
Who installs it
2,751 shops in our listings advertise paint correction, and they're ranked on what they publish rather than on what they pay. Nothing on this site is for sale to the businesses listed on it.
Get paint correction quotes
Tell us the car and the work. We put it in front of shops that do this specific job, and they come back to you directly. We aren't a middleman on the price and we take no cut of it.
- Your details go only to shops you're matched with
- Most replies land the same day
- Free, and no obligation to book anything
Paint correction: common questions
How much does paint correction cost?
Paint correction costs $345 to $700 with a median of $450, from 661 prices published by 329 shops. It is priced as labor, so the condition of the paint and the number of stages move it far more than the vehicle does.
Do I need paint correction before a ceramic coating?
On any car that is not brand new, almost certainly. A coating is optically clear and lasts years, so it preserves the swirls underneath for exactly as long as it preserves the gloss. This is the most common expensive mistake in the category.
Is paint correction the same as buffing?
Buffing is the informal word and it covers everything from a proper multi-stage correction to a quick pass with a filler-heavy product that looks identical for a fortnight. The distinction that matters is whether defects are being removed or hidden, so ask which.
