Machine polishing and scratch removal
Driving too closely to a hedge, or incorrect washing of a vehicles' paintwork can leave scratches which are not possible to remove with products available to the public. Usually, these scratches will be in the top layer of paint, known as the lacquer or clearcoat, and can often be removed using the correct scratch removal processes. With a polishing machine, and reducing grades of paint compounds and polishes, we can cut your paint back to its' factory finish, and restore its’ shine.
1st Stage:
Upon assessing your paintwork to determine the severity of the scratches, whether it be a single panel scratch or the whole car, we will decide the best first procedure. This could be as severe as wet sanding with ultra-fine sandpaper, buffing with a machine and a coarse paint compound, or just a light buff with a polish.
2nd Stage:
Assuming, as in most cases, the first stage was carried out with a coarse cutting paste, the second stage will involve using a finer paint compound paste and a softer polishing head. This removes swirls which were put in with the first cutting stage.
3rd Stage:
Next, we will use a polish with a delicate cut, to restore a full shine into your paintwork and protect it from everyday wear and tear. This will be applied and removed with microfibre cloths, leaving a streak free, deep gloss.
Final stage if required:
The polish used in the previous stage is of excellent quality and lasts a long time, however, we can follow this with a final stage of applying a paint sealant, as used on new cars. This is superior in offering some protection to the paintwork from future scratching.
We do not offer "detailing", just 30 years’ experience in rectifying paint defects with tried and tested products and methods. This is the type of work we started our journey in car refinishing in 1994 and was what lead me to adding SMART repairs a couple of years later. Our client base was a small selection of used car dealers who specialised in prestige vehicles and would happily pay a little extra to have the best example available for sale. Thanks to those customers providing suitable workshops for the mobile service I offered then, I was kept extremely busy, working very long hours, but consider it the best form of “apprenticeship” I could have had.