1-step, 2-step, or 3-step paint correction: which does your car need?

Paint correction means removing defects from the clear coat, not covering them up. It's done with a machine polisher, cutting compounds, and polishing pads. "Steps" refers to how many rounds of compounding and polishing the paint gets.

What correction removes

• Swirl marks: the spiderweb scratches you see in sunlight, mostly from washing.
• Light scratches: from fingernails around door handles, bags, and brushes.
• Holograms: buffer trails left by a poor machine polish.
• Water spots and light etching: from hard water, bird droppings, and bug splatter.
• Oxidation and haze: dull, faded paint.

What it can't safely fix: a scratch that goes through the clear coat into the color or primer. If you can catch it with a fingernail, it may be too deep to fully polish out.

1-step: enhancement

One polishing step that removes light swirls and restores gloss. It won't remove everything, but it typically makes a big visible difference.

Best for: new cars, well-maintained cars, and cars getting a ceramic coating that are already in good shape.

2-step: correction

A cutting step to remove moderate swirls and scratches, then a polishing step to refine the finish and bring back full gloss. This is the most common correction we do.

Best for: daily drivers with a few years of washes and Michigan winters, dark-colored cars where swirls show up, and most cars getting a coating or PPF.

3-step: show correction

A heavy cut, a refining step, and a final finishing polish. It removes the most defects possible while staying safe for the clear coat, and produces the deepest, sharpest reflection.

Best for: black and dark cars that need to look perfect, collector and show cars, and neglected paint that needs a full reset.

How we choose

We do a paint inspection under shop lighting before we polish. The inspection tells us what the paint needs, so we can remove defects without thinning the paint more than needed. Then we recommend the level that gets you the result you want.

More steps isn't always better. On a newer car in good shape, a 1-step may be all it needs. We'll tell you.

Correction before coating or PPF

Both ceramic coating and PPF lock in whatever is on the paint underneath. That's why every coating we do includes correction, and why we check the paint before PPF. More about our paint correction.

Common questions

What's the difference between 1-step and 2-step paint correction? A 1-step is a single polish that removes light swirls and adds gloss. A 2-step adds a cutting step first to remove moderate swirls and scratches, then refines the finish.

Can paint correction remove deep scratches? Not if they go through the clear coat into the color or primer. Those need touch-up or paintwork. Correction removes defects within the clear coat.

Is paint correction safe for my paint? Done properly, yes. We start with a paint inspection so we remove defects without thinning the paint more than necessary.