Paint correction Atlanta Archives - Detailed Designs Auto Spa

Paint Correction – Do you and your car qualify for paint correction?

Whether your car is new or has many thousands of miles on it, you may be considering paint correction. The idea of swirl marks or superficial marring in your paint drives you mad. You’ve now found a qualified paint correction expert, Detailed Designs Auto Spa, and are ready to pull the trigger on correction. Can we make your paint amazing or better than new? Sure. But should you have paint correction performed? At Detailed Designs Auto Spa, it is not our goal to just sell you services. We want the services to be an ideal fit for your needs.

In the perfect world we would all have perfected and refined paint. But due to either something we’ve done or forces outside of our control, swirl marks can happen. One of the biggest reasons to give strong consideration as to if you qualify for paint correction or not is the cost. True paint correction is not inexpensive. The prep work is time consuming. The expertise needed for amazing results is rare. Products used are expensive to own and maintain. As well as the actual paint correction being incredibly labor intensive, hard on the body and taking a toll on those doing the work. It truly is one of the cases where you get what you pay for. There are countless ways to cut corners. But the real deal is serious, expensive and yet stands well above the imitators at the end of the day.

Your money is valuable too though. To earn it, you’ve given up family time, worked over time, given of yourself emotionally, possibly endured stress from day to day and yet you do not have an unlimited supply of it. Whenever you spend your money, you hope that the one accepting it understands its real value. Quite frankly, they should really be looking out for your best interest. Not finding excuses to take as much as they can get.

Paint correction is one of those services that does not fit everyone’s needs. Sure, your paint will look amazing. But at what cost? When you’re spending $1,000+ to correct paint, it should be a value that reaches beyond a few weeks. We tell our clients that with paint correction, two years down the road you should be able to look back fondly at the experience and the value you’ve received. For you to value it, it should really be evident that you had it done from two years in the future. For it to look great years down the road, proper maintenance is required. Ideally, something as intensive as our gold paint correction package would be performed once in a car’s present owner’s lifetime.

Paint correction means commitment. To correct the paint is to level the clear coat (read more here), as opposed to just filling defects that will show again once the filler is washed out. Maybe your current damage was caused by bird droppings, bug marks, organic fallout, acid rain, hard water(well water), or it was caused by neglect such as poor washing/drying techniques. For paint correction to make sense, proper care and technique during washing and drying is a necessity. If you have no interest in proper washing and drying techniques the damage repaired will come back. The damage that paint correction repairs is damage that is mostly avoidable. Proper washing and drying technique probably play the largest role in avoiding that damage. If you’ve had paint correction performed and are tempted to run it through the automated car wash or the ‘corner car wash’ because you’re short on time, just remember that the car being dirty a few extra days will be okay. But just one bad wash can undo a lot of beauty.

Damage from bug marks or bird droppings should be cleaned as soon as possible due to their acidic nature. The earlier you can address bug marks and bird droppings, the better. Black paint can reach upwards of 180 degrees in the summer sunlight. It can take absolutely no time for a bird dropping to bake on your paint in that kind of heat. In that regard, some damage can be unavoidable.

Moving forward, it’s important to understand that a car that has had paint correction demands more respect and should be treated differently. Your paint now looks stunning. It looks much richer, glossier and has more luster than when it was new. To keep it looking that way means you treat it like a fine automobile should be treated. The payoff is owning a piece of art that you won’t get tired of looking at and is worth more.

“My car is new though…”

But your car is brand new. Why are we talking about paint correction on a brand new car? Because many brand new cars come from the factory and/or dealership with defects that merit being addressed with paint correction. We’ve seen brand new cars with wet sanding that was not finished down properly from the factory, dealership detailers creating swirl marks or lot washers having hammered the paint. This does not have to be due to malice on the part of the factory or dealership. It’s just not common that there is a paint expert on staff to use safe methods, products that are not designed to fill paint defects or encourage proper ideal paint care.

If your car is almost new and yet has experienced a car wash or detail that was negligent, you may already have damage that would require paint correction to repair.

If you have ordered your new car or you expect to purchase a new car soon, we encourage you to request that no washes, detailing or new car prep(shipping film removal) is performed on the car prior to your taking delivery. This will minimize the opportunity for new damage to be created. The best case scenario is you end up with factory paint that does not require extensive paint correction.

The paint is corrected and you want to protect it

Because paint correction is supposed to be a permanent solution to the swirl marks or defects in your paint, you want to do everything in your power to protect your investment. We offer multiple protection options to our paint correction clients.

At minimum, we advise a wax like Swissvax Crystal Rock or application of a quality sealant.

Another option is to take advantage of one of our quality coating options. Coatings lay on the clear coat of the car substantially thicker and harder than waxes or sealants. Where typical waxes lay on wax with a thickness of approximately .1μm (micron).
CQuartz Finest lays at a thickness of 2-3μm.
Modesta coatings lay at a thickness of 3-5μm
These coating systems not only lay much thicker than waxes do, they do a better job repelling dirt and are more scratch and chemical resistant resistant. Because they offer many years of wax-free care, paint coating systems also ease longterm maintenance needs of the car. All coatings have their own characteristics. For more information about the exclusive coatings we offer reach out to us and we will be happy to guide you to the coating that fits your needs.

Clear bra installation just may be the most intense protection available for car paint. Clear bra is a clear urethane film that is applied to the surface of the paint and is virtually invisible. Clear bra film lays on the paint at a thickness of 6 mils (152.4μm/microns). Clear bra offers protection from the natural elements, swirl marks and rock chips, which no coating or wax can provide. For more information on clear bra installation in Atlanta.

The ultimate in protection would be clear bra installed with a coating over the clear bra. This gives you the best physical protection along with years of eased maintenance.

You know you want paint correction. Now what?

You’ve weighed the pro’s and con’s and are certain that paint correction is exactly what you want for your pride and joy. The next step is to call Detailed Designs Auto Spa in Atlanta at 678-859-1795 and set up an in-person consultation so that we can look over your car with you and find the best paint correction solution for how you live with your car. Detailed Designs Auto Spa is qualified to spend as much time as required to truly restore your paint to a stunning condition without abbreviating the service and cutting corners. We know you’re looking for the best quality service and experience available and guarantee you will be completely satisfied with your decision to bring your car to us for a professional car detailing and paint correction.

By Jean-Claude Corcoran

Professional Paint Correction, Clear Bra Installation & CQuartz Finest on Porsche in Atlanta

A few months ago we received a call from a Porsche owner in Auburn Alabama. He expressed that his 7,xxx mile 991 Porsche 911 Carrera S had intensive paint swirls and wanted a permanent solution. Longterm ease of maintenance and the best protection available was of prime importance. After a thorough consultation, the owner decided to have us perform paint correction to repair the swirl marks, installation of paint protection film clear bra on the whole exterior and then have it all capped off with CQuartz Finest.

Initially, the owner was wanting paint correction. But with paint correction comes specific needs in terms of typical car washes and even the detailing. By adding clear bra, he provided himself with an additional buffer between his perfected paint and the elements. Not being from Atlanta meant that he could not swing by quickly for any short term needs. Taking advantage of a thorough car detailing, paint correction, clear bra installation and CQuartz Finest application would have his car buttoned up for years.

With only 7,xxx miles on the car, it can be difficult to comprehend the level of damage the car already had. But like many, he was not aware of how to properly wash and dry their car before the service. After the detailing, paint correction, clear bra and CQuartz Finest application, we spent time with him reviewing proper car care chemicals, tools and washing and drying methods. While we made the wash clinic available to him, he has not been able to return to Atlanta yet to take advantage of our training.

Without further adieu, the damage before we began the paint correction.

As we outline in our article Why Detailed Designs Auto Spa Should Be Your Choice For Clear Bra In Atlanta we offer something other clear bra shops in Atlanta can’t. We can perform industry leading paint correction prior to clear bra installation. You’ve seen how much damage this Porsche Carrera S had prior to our paint correction. Now take a look at the paint post-paint correction but before clear bra was installed.

The Porsche has now received an awesome paint correction service and it’s ready for a quality clear bra installation on every exterior panel and CQuartz Finest over all of the film.

A few final car detailing touches prior to it being finished

The final product; car detailing, paint correction, clear bra installation and CQuartz Finest application.

When it was said and done, after a relatively short trip to Atlanta and leaving his Porsche with us for car detailing, paint correction, a full car clear bra installation and CQuartz Finest, the owner left with a Porsche that looked better than when new, was far better protected and much easier to maintain for years to come.

If you’re interested in exploring new car protection or paint correction services in the Atlanta area, reach out to Detailed Designs Auto Spa today to set up a complimentary consultation.

By Jean-Claude Corcoran

Restoring a 27k mile Porsche Panamera’s paint and then protecting and easing maintenance with PPF and CQuartz Finest

There is a surprising amount of owners who come to us looking to restore a low mileage car that has hammered paint and then wanting a quality longterm solution for protecting and easing maintenance after the restoration. Our paint correction service is designed to permanently repair existing surface defects such as swirl marks, acid rain etching, bird dropping and bug marks and oxidation. But how does an owner maintain the corrected surface moving forward? Paint protection film, known as clear bra, and paint coating systems like CQuartz Finest provide that added protection along with previously unavailable ease of maintenance.

Our paint correction and restoration services will take your paint to a level that no dealership or other corner detail shops can reach. Between our extensive experience with paint correction, desire to produce the highest quality work without cut corners, the experience we offer owners of fine automobiles and exclusive services, Detailed Designs Auto Spa is the most qualified to restore and protect your automobile’s finish.

This 27,000 mile Porsche Panamera is another example of the quality we produce. It came in with extensive damage to the clear coat and left with amazing paint after experiencing our Gold package paint correction service. After restoring the paint, all panels except for the hatch(per the owner’s request) were wrapped with paint protection film (clear bra) and then coated with CQuartz Finest.

We invested over 55 hours into restoring just the paint with our Gold package. Now, it’s not common that paint correction takes this long to accomplish. The damage on this Panamera just so happened to be intense enough that we had to pour more than the usual amount of time into it.

The following shots of the project consist of befores, some half done shots(along with some pictures showing how we get our 50/50 shots) and some afters.

Roof(a lot of real estate that is not the easiest to get to!)

A pillars, rear fender and hatch

Beginning the Paint Protection Film installation with the hood.

When we were finished with the clear bra installation, we applied 2 coatings of CQuartz Finest to all exterior painted and surfaces with clear bra installed. Since completing the project, the owner has returned to discuss maintenance and he is completely blown away with the ease of maintenance that CQuartz Finest gives him. We now have quite a few Atlanta Porsches rolling around with CQuartz Finest. Cquartz Finest certainly gives the depth, gloss and ease of maintenance that many are looking for.

The time between finishing the project, which took weeks, and the client showing up to pick up the Panamera was only a few hours of an afternoon. We didn’t have ideal lighting for the most amazing photographs. But we do feel that even with less than ideal photography conditions you can get an idea of how amazing this Porsche came out.