Paint Correction in Cornelius, NC

Paint correction is the multi-stage process of removing defects from your car's clear coat (swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, water spots, holograms) using progressively finer compounds and polishes until the paint is mirror-finish. We use a laser gloss meter to measure your paint at each correction stage (targeting 90-100+ gloss readings, compared to most factory paint which sits around 75-85 gloss when new).

Scratch Removal Certified

Paint Correction Certified

Fully Licensed & Insured

All Lake Norman Marina's Certified

What to Expect With Paint Correction
  • Timeline depends on your paint's current condition and defect severity. A newer car with light swirl marks from automatic car washes takes 6-8 hours at your driveway in Cornelius, Mooresville, Huntersville, or Charlotte (single-stage correction with medium compound and polish). A heavily swirled and oxidized car needs 10-14 hours because we're doing multi-stage correction (heavy compound, medium compound, light compound, polish, and possibly wet sanding on the worst panels).
  • You'll see us measuring gloss readings with our laser meter on every panel at each correction stage. We start by checking baseline gloss on your hood, doors, roof, and trunk (most neglected cars measure 30-60 gloss depending on color and wash history), then we correct panel by panel and measure after each compound pass to track improvement. Dark colors like black, navy, and dark red show defects worst and need the most attention.
  • North Carolina sun combined with automatic car washes destroys paint faster than most car owners realize. We see vehicles in Cornelius, Mooresville, Huntersville, and Charlotte neighborhoods that look acceptable from 10 feet away but measure 40-55 gloss up close (that's heavily swirled and hazed from spinning brushes plus UV oxidation). Spring pollen season makes it worse because owners run through automatic washes 2-3 times per week trying to remove yellow coating.
Paint Correction
Why Paint Correction Matters
  • Swirl marks and oxidation become permanent clear coat damage if ignored too long. Cars only have 1.5-2 mils of clear coat from the factory, and heavy defects mean you're burning through that thickness trying to restore the surface. We see 5-10 year old black and dark blue cars where automatic wash damage penetrated so deep that correction would risk breaking through to base coat (at that point you need panel repainting instead of correction).
  • Resale value drops $2,000-$5,000 when buyers see swirled, hazy paint. Buyers in Cornelius, Huntersville, and Charlotte neighborhoods notice paint defects immediately because they're inspecting at close range in daylight. Swirls and oxidation signal poor maintenance (they assume you didn't maintain the engine either), and they'll lowball you or walk away entirely because the car looks tired and cheap.
  • Most detailers buff blind without measuring results or understanding clear coat thickness limits. They eyeball correction stages, use random orbital buffers that leave holograms and haze marks, and either under-correct (your paint still looks swirled) or over-correct (they burn through clear coat trying to achieve perfect mirror finish). We measure at every stage so you know exactly what improvement you're getting without risking clear coat failure.
Why Paint Correction Matters
How AJW Detailing Handles Paint Correction
  • We're the only Lake Norman area detailer with a laser gloss meter that measures exact paint readings. Most detailers use the "looks good in this lighting" method or check for residual compound with tape tests, but we're taking baseline measurements on every panel, correction measurements after each compound stage, and final measurements to verify we hit 90-100+ gloss. The nearest detailers with gloss meters are on the coast or in Florida.
  • We've corrected paint on hundreds of cars in 10 years serving Cornelius, Mooresville, Huntersville, and Charlotte. That's everything from daily driver sedans and SUVs to luxury vehicles in Myers Park, Ballantyne, Dilworth, and SouthPark with soft paint that shows every defect. We know exactly how different paint types respond to correction (German soft paint versus Japanese hard paint, metallic versus solid colors, factory versus aftermarket respray).
  • We're fully mobile to your driveway so you're not dropping off your car anywhere. Most paint correction shops require 2-4 day drop-offs and charge extra for pick-up/delivery service. We schedule a dedicated day, show up at your home in Cornelius, Mooresville, Huntersville, or Charlotte, and complete correction in one session while your car stays in the driveway.
How AJW Detailing Handles Paint Correction
Common Questions About Paint Correction
How long does paint correction take in the Lake Norman area?
6-14 hours depending on defect severity and correction level. Single-stage correction (light to medium swirls, one compound and polish pass) takes 6-8 hours. Multi-stage correction (heavy swirls, scratches, oxidation, multiple compound stages) takes 10-14 hours because we're working each panel through heavy, medium, and light compounds plus final polish to achieve mirror finish.
Do I need to be home while you work?
Nope. Most customers in Cornelius, Mooresville, Huntersville, and Charlotte leave keys and let us work in the driveway all day. We send progress photos showing gloss meter readings at baseline and after each correction stage on different panels. You're welcome to watch if you want to see the measurement and correction process, but it's not required.
How is paint correction different from buffing and polishing?
Paint correction is the comprehensive multi-stage process (inspect every panel, measure defects, determine correction stages needed, execute heavy/medium/light compound plus polish, verify final gloss). Buffing and polishing is typically single-stage (one compound pass, one polish pass, done). Paint correction takes longer (6-14 hours versus 3-4 hours) but achieves better results because we're addressing specific defects panel by panel instead of doing a general correction.
Yes, but there are limits. Automatic wash damage (swirl marks from spinning brushes) is usually correctable if you still have clear coat thickness remaining. We measure and assess before starting, and if your clear coat is already thin from previous bad correction attempts or aggressive washing, we'll tell you honestly what's safe to remove versus what risks breaking through to base coat.
Yes, but there are limits. Automatic wash damage (swirl marks from spinning brushes) is usually correctable if you still have clear coat thickness remaining. We measure and assess before starting, and if your clear coat is already thin from previous bad correction attempts or aggressive washing, we'll tell you honestly what's safe to remove versus what risks breaking through to base coat.
Absolutely, unless you want to repeat paint correction every 12-18 months. Paint correction creates a perfect 90-100+ gloss surface, but if you just wax it and keep using automatic car washes, you're back to swirled and hazed within a year. Ceramic coating locks in that mirror finish for 3-5 years and prevents swirl marks from forming (washing is safer on ceramic). 95% of our paint correction customers add ceramic because it makes financial sense.
Absolutely, unless you want to repeat paint correction every 12-18 months. Paint correction creates a perfect 90-100+ gloss surface, but if you just wax it and keep using automatic car washes, you're back to swirled and hazed within a year. Ceramic coating locks in that mirror finish for 3-5 years and prevents swirl marks from forming (washing is safer on ceramic). 95% of our paint correction customers add ceramic because it makes financial sense.

Our Simple Step by Step Process

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  1. Detail Information 🧽

Country

3. Vehicle Details 🚗

3. Boat Details: 🚤

3. Other (Motorcycle / RV / Trailer) Details 🛻

4. Car Detail Goals 🎯

4. Boat Detail Goals 🎯

5. Car Condition 🚨

  1. Boat Condition 🚨

  1. Water & Power Access ⚡

To perform our services on-site, we require access to a standard garden hose (water) and a grounded electrical outlet.

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Reliable Mobile Detailing handled start to finish.

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Where We Provide

Paint Correction

  • Cornelius, NC

  • Huntersville, NC

  • Mayhew, NC

  • Bells Cross Roads, NC

  • Denver, NC

  • Davidson, NC

  • Mooresville, NC

  • Terrell, NC

  • Sherrills Ford, NC

  • Westport, NC

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Other Services We Provide

Need something else? Check out the

other services we offer for Mobile Detailing.

What We Can Help You With.

Our Services

Boat Detailing

Boat detailing is a deep clean of your boat's interior and exterior (not just a quick wash). We're scrubbing mold out of upholstery and carpets, cleaning vinyl and gelcoat, treating all the plastic and rubber, and finishing with wax or sealant on the hull. Think of it as a full reset before the season or after a summer of Lake Norman use.

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Car Detailing

Car detailing is a deep clean of your vehicle's interior and exterior (not just a quick car wash). We're extracting carpet and upholstery stains, cleaning leather or vinyl, scrubbing door jambs and vents, washing and claying the exterior paint, and finishing with wax or sealant. Think of it as a full reset that removes months or years of buildup that regular washing doesn't touch.

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Boat Ceramic Coating

Boat ceramic coating is a permanent protective layer applied to your boat's gelcoat that shields it from Lake Norman's UV damage, oxidation, and water spotting for years. We use Glidecoat Pro ceramic coating with a laser gloss meter to measure your boat's surface (aiming for 90-100+ gloss readings, higher than the 70 gloss your boat came with from the factory).

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Car Ceramic Coating

Car ceramic coating is a permanent protective layer applied to your car's paint that shields it from UV damage, swirl marks, water spotting, and road contaminants for years. We use Glidecoat Pro ceramic coating with a laser gloss meter to measure your paint's surface (aiming for 90-100+ gloss readings, higher than most factory paint which sits around 75-85 gloss when new).

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RV/Camper Detailing

RV and camper detailing is a deep clean of your motorhome or travel trailer's exterior and interior (not just a quick rinse at the RV wash station). We're removing black streaks, oxidation, and road grime from fiberglass or aluminum sidewalls, treating the rubber roof, cleaning awning fabric, scrubbing the interior, and sealing surfaces to protect against North Carolina UV damage and humidity.

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Fleet Washing

Fleet washing is scheduled maintenance cleaning for businesses with multiple vehicles (work trucks, vans, trailers, boats, service vehicles). We come to your location in the Lake Norman area on a recurring schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) and wash your entire fleet so your vehicles stay presentable without your team spending time on it.

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Oxidation Removal

Oxidation removal is the process of eliminating the chalky, hazy layer that forms on your boat's gelcoat or car's paint when UV exposure breaks down the surface over time. We use a laser gloss meter to measure how severe the oxidation is (most oxidized boats on Lake Norman measure 20-40 gloss when they should be 70+ from the factory), then we wet sand or compound in stages to remove the damaged layer and restore the high-gloss finish underneath.

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Paint Correction

Paint correction is the multi-stage process of removing defects from your car's clear coat (swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, water spots, holograms) using progressively finer compounds and polishes until the paint is mirror-finish. We use a laser gloss meter to measure your paint at each correction stage (targeting 90-100+ gloss readings, compared to most factory paint which sits around 75-85 gloss when new).

Learn More →
Scratch Removal

Scratch removal is the process of eliminating surface scratches from your boat's gelcoat or car's paint by leveling the surrounding material down to the depth of the scratch using wet sanding, compound, and polish. We use a laser gloss meter to measure the area before and after correction (targeting 85+ gloss minimum after we're done), and we can only remove scratches that haven't penetrated completely through the gelcoat or clear coat layer.

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Interior Stain Removal

Interior stain removal is the process of extracting deep-set stains from carpet, upholstery, vinyl, and fabric in your boat or car using commercial-grade equipment and specialty cleaners. We're treating everything from mold and mildew stains (common in Lake Norman boats that sit closed up) to food and drink spills, sunscreen residue, fuel stains, and mystery marks that have been sitting for months or years.

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Wheel & Rim Restoration

Wheel and rim restoration is the process of removing brake dust buildup, curb rash, oxidation, and clear coat failure from your wheels to restore them to like-new condition. We're polishing out scratches, repairing minor damage, cleaning embedded contaminants, and sealing the surface so brake dust doesn't bond as aggressively (which is a constant problem in North Carolina humidity and road salt).

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Water Spot Removal

Water spot removal is the process of eliminating mineral deposits etched into your boat's gelcoat or car's paint from hard water evaporation. Lake Norman's hard water leaves calcium and magnesium deposits that bond to surfaces when water dries (those white circles and spots you see everywhere), and we use acid-based cleaners, compounds, and polish to remove them before they etch permanently into the clear coat or gelcoat.

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