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Writer's pictureJahdiel Martinez

If you're thinking about saving some money on car paint correction services in Berkshire County, New York, or Connecticut by attempting a do-it-yourself job, think again. The risks involved are too great for your vehicle and your wallet.

Paint correction is a delicate process that should be handled by trained professionals with experience and expertise in the field. Even if you are an experienced weekend tinkerer, there is too much that can go wrong when attempting to correct your own paint or remove scratches.


FIRST, LET'S DEFINE PAINT CORRECTION


Paint correction is the process of reducing or eliminating light to medium scratches, swirl marks, spider webbing, fading, and acid etching caused by chemical contaminants like road salt, oil, bird droppings, and tree sap. There are two types of paint correction: top coat (clear coat) correction, where the damage is limited to the factory coating, and repainting or touch-ups. Many visible imperfections in your car's surface are located within the clear coat, and fixing them can dramatically improve the appearance of your vehicle.


TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN ATTEMPTING DO-IT-YOURSELF PAINT CORRECTION


Here are some of the biggest risks to your vehicle when attempting do-it-yourself paint correction:

  • Cutting or polishing too deeply or not deeply enough: Professionals use special lights and measurements to determine the depth of surface damage, which helps them know how far to go. Cutting or polishing too deeply leaves the paint beneath the top coat unprotected.

  • Mistaking paint scratches for clear coat scratches: If you mistake a paint scratch for a clear coat scratch, you may end up cutting and polishing too much, or not enough.

  • Using inferior cut polishing compounds: Professionals use professional-grade compounds.

  • Using the wrong tools or inadequate tools for the job: You need the right compound, polish, buffers, lights, UV lights, finishing cloths, clay towel or clay bar, non-residue soaps, panel preps, finishing waxes, or ceramic coating.

  • Assuming your garage or outdoor space is adequate for paint correction: You need a dust-free environment to perform paint correction correctly.

  • Assuming that cutting alone is enough: While cutting alone can sometimes work miracles, finishing with a quick ceramic wax or ceramic coating provides extra protection against common wear and tear scratches and creates depth and shine.

  • Finishing polish with inferior waxes or ceramic coatings: Using wax may look great, but it does not provide adequate protection. Ceramic waxes and coatings applied by a trained specialist ensure that your car resists wear and tear damage.

We have corrected the damage caused by do-it-yourselfers many times in the past. These well-meaning, but unlucky individuals waste their time and money doing the work themselves, only to pay more to undo the damage they caused. In the end, they could have saved money by bringing their vehicle to a professional paint correction service like Berkshire Auto Detail.


TRUST THE EXPERTS FOR YOUR PAINT CORRECTION NEEDS


If you're convinced that do-it-yourself paint correction is not the way to go, we recommend contacting a professional for a free paint correction assessment.


Avoid throwing away money by attempting to do the job yourself. Instead, trust the experts at Berkshire Auto Detail to handle your paint correction needs. Give us a call at (413) 644-6103 if you have any questions, or book online.

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