09/08/2026
I haven’t posted much lately, mainly because I didn’t think many people cared about seeing reflection shots of new trucks, but I want to touch on a few things that I’ve had asked quite a bit lately. I’ll start out by saying I’m not a detailer or a detail shop. I’m a painter by trade. I’ve been painting in a body shop environment or a reconditioning shop for going on 15 years now. All I do it’s paint work.
1. The term “paint correction”. Personally I feel that this is the most misunderstood and misused word when talking about having a ceramic coating done. What I refer to as a paint correction is a 2 step compound and polish to remove any scratches that will come out without wet sanding. Does every car need a “paint correction” to be coated? Absolutely not. Does your wife’s new pearl white Denali need a paint correction? No. I’ve never seen someone walking around the Target parking lot with a 3000 lumen sun gun checking for perfect paint. On the other side of it, if you have a 10yr old black Silverado then a compound and polish would be a good idea prior to coating it.
2. Pricing. I often get asked why I’m so much cheaper than others. I don’t think I am, I try to charge what the service should cost, not what others charge. My prices range from $500 (new small sedan, no polish, 3yr coating) to over $3000 ( fresh repaint on a show car that needs a complete wet sand with a 9yr coating). If you were quoted over $1500 to coat that new white Denali then you are paying for the shops inexperience or just flat out getting ripped off. I’ve done 3 new crew cab silverados in the last couple weeks. All 3 were daily drivers that were not garage kept. Each cost $650 for a 9yr coating. Not a single one needed a paint correction. All 3 customers were extremely pleased with the results.
For reference, here’s a 27 year old Silverado with factory paint, it received a 2 step compound and polish and a 9yr coating. Total cost $800. Is it perfect? No. Is it exactly what the customer needed for this particular truck? Yes.
Stay tuned, there may be a part 2 tomorrow.
Happy Tuesday.
