One-Step vs Multi-Step Paint Correction: Which Does Your Car Need?
The difference between one-step paint enhancement and multi-step paint correction, how we decide which your car needs, and what each costs.
Paint correction is not one-size-fits-all. The right level depends on how damaged your paint is and what result you want. Here is how we decide between a one-step enhancement and multi-step correction.
One-Step Paint Enhancement
From $400 for a car or sedan, about 4–6 hours.
A single machine-polishing stage that dramatically improves gloss and clarity and reduces light swirls, haze and wash marks. It includes a wash, iron removal, clay as needed, a test spot, the polish, panel prep and premium sealant.
Best for: paint that looks dull and has light swirls, but no heavy defects. It is also an excellent preparation for a ceramic coating.
Multi-Step Paint Correction
From $700 for a car or sedan, usually 1–2 days.
A dedicated cutting stage followed by a refining polish. It removes far more defects: heavier swirls, oxidation, water spotting and paint defects, while restoring depth and gloss.
Best for: dark cars with heavy swirling, neglected paint, or owners who want the finish as close to perfect as safely possible.
How we decide
- We wash and decontaminate the paint.
- We inspect it under good light and measure what we are dealing with.
- We do a test spot to see what each approach achieves on your paint.
- We recommend the least aggressive option that meets your goals.
Be realistic about deep scratches
Scratches through the clear coat cannot be removed by polishing. Wet sanding, deep scratches, severe etching and thin paint need inspection and may be priced separately.
Read more on our paint correction page or book an assessment.
