Quick Answer
Paint correction in Los Angeles costs $600–$1,500 for the whole car at our Van Nuys shop, depending on the stage and the size of the vehicle.
- 1-step correction: $600 for a small car, $750 for a sedan or crossover, $900 for an SUV or truck. One machine pass that removes light swirls and haze. 4–6 hours.
- 2-step correction: $600–$1,000 small, $700–$1,200 medium, $800–$1,500 large. A compound pass then a polish pass, for deeper scratches, oxidation and water-spot etching. 6–8 hours.
Both include a full wash, iron removal and clay bar. The 2-step also includes our full exterior detail. Which stage your paint needs, and where it lands inside the range, is decided at a free in-person inspection with the car under proper lights, not from a phone description.
One thing most price guides skip: if you're planning to coat the car, correction may already be in the price. Our System X Max G+ and Icon Rocklear packages include it. More on that below.
What you're actually paying for
Paint correction is machine polishing, done in stages, to remove defects that live in the clear coat: swirl marks from brush washes, fine scratches, oxidation, hard-water etching, holograms left by someone else's buffer. It doesn't add anything to the paint. It removes a few microns of clear coat to level the surface below the damage.
The price is almost entirely labor. A full correction on a sedan is a working day of a technician with a machine in hand, panel by panel, checking under inspection lights between passes. Before any of that, the paint has to be properly clean: a full wash, iron removal to dissolve bonded brake dust, and a clay bar for whatever's left. Polishing over contamination just grinds it in.
That's why "paint correction" at a price that looks like a car wash usually is a car wash, with a glaze on top that hides swirls for a fortnight.
1-step vs 2-step: what each one removes
| 1-step correction | 2-step correction | |
|---|---|---|
| Passes | One: a single polish that cuts and finishes | Two: a heavier compound, then a finishing polish |
| Removes | Light swirls, haze, minor surface defects | Moderate to heavy swirls, scratches, oxidation, water spots, scuffs, paint transfer |
| Result | Roughly 50–70% of defects gone, clearly improved gloss | Roughly 85–95% gone, the "better than new" finish |
| Time | 4–6 hours | 6–8 hours |
| Includes | Full wash, iron removal, clay bar, basic wheel and tire cleaning | All of that plus our full exterior detail, deep wheel and tire cleaning |
| Right for | Well-kept cars, lighter colours, pre-coating prep on decent paint | Neglected paint, dark colours, cars being sold, pre-coating prep on damaged paint |
The honest way to choose is not by budget but by what the paint needs. A 1-step on heavily swirled black paint leaves you disappointed. A 2-step on paint that only needed a polish is money spent for no visible gain. We'll tell you which at the inspection, and sometimes the answer is that a good exterior detail is enough.
Not sure whether your car needs correction at all? Our five signs guide has two sixty-second tests you can do in the driveway.
Paint correction prices by vehicle size
| Vehicle | 1-step | 2-step |
|---|---|---|
| Small (coupes) | $600 | $600–$1,000 |
| Medium (sedans, crossovers) | $750 | $700–$1,200 |
| Large (SUVs, trucks) | $900 | $800–$1,500 |
Prices are for the whole exterior. Only a couple of panels need help? We also do spot correction for a single scratch or a scuffed bumper. Call for a price on that, because it depends entirely on the panel and the damage. Wet sanding is available case by case for orange peel, overspray, soot residue and similar jobs, and is quoted after we've seen the paint.
What moves the price inside the range
The 2-step ranges are wide because paint is not one thing. What pushes a quote toward the top:
- Condition. Years of brush-tunnel washing and sprinkler etching take more passes than one bad season.
- Colour. Black, dark blue and dark grey show every defect, so they get chased harder. Silver and white hide what's left.
- Paint hardness. Some German paint is hard and slow to cut; some Japanese and Tesla paint is soft and fast to cut but easy to mar, so the finishing pass takes longer.
- Size and shape. A three-row SUV has a lot of panel. Complex curves and tight areas take hand work.
- Someone else's buffer. Holograms and burn-through from a bad previous correction have to be fixed before you can even start. Clear coat that's already been thinned limits how much we can remove.
- Sanding jobs. Orange peel and overspray are separate work, quoted on the car.
What does not move the price: how the car looks from across the street. A dirty car that's never been machine-washed can polish up in one step. A gleaming car that goes through a brush tunnel weekly usually can't.
The coating math most people miss
If you're correcting the paint because you're about to protect it, and that's the right sequence, look at the package prices before booking correction on its own.
| Route | What you pay | Correction included? |
|---|---|---|
| 1-step correction, then Adam's Advanced | $600–$900 + $650–$950 = $1,250–$1,850 | Paid separately |
| System X Max G+ | $1,600–$2,600 by size | Yes, included (worth $800), plus a lifetime warranty |
| Icon Rocklear | from $1,500 / $1,900 / $2,400 | Yes, included (worth $800–$1,200) |
For a sedan that needs correction, a 1-step plus Adam's comes to $1,500–$1,650. System X is $1,900–$2,400, so a few hundred more, and you come out with a coating that carries a lifetime warranty rather than one rated in years. If you're not planning to coat, correction alone is the right buy. Just know that unprotected corrected paint starts collecting the same swirls the following week, and clear coat isn't infinite. You can correct a car a few times in its life, not every year.
The full ceramic comparison, with prices, is in our ceramic coating cost guide.
What paint correction can't fix
We'd rather tell you here than at the counter.
- Scratches through to colour or primer. If a fingernail catches firmly in it, polishing won't remove it. That's touch-up or bodywork.
- Rock chips. They're missing paint. Correction levels paint; it can't fill a hole.
- Failed clear coat. Peeling, flaking or milky-white patches mean the clear has delaminated. It needs repainting, and a polisher makes it worse.
- Deep etching from bird droppings or acid rain that has gone below the clear. Often improved, not always removed.
At the inspection we'll show you what's polishable and what isn't, under the lights, before you commit to anything.
Why the cheapest correction in LA is the most expensive
A $199 "paint correction" special is usually one of two things. Either a glaze that fills swirls for a couple of weeks until it washes off, or a fast rotary pass by someone in a hurry, which is how holograms and burnt edges happen. Fixing the second kind is real correction, on paint that now has less clear coat to work with.
Our technicians have been polishing paint for 13+ years, on everything from daily drivers to exotics. Every correction is inspected under lights before the car leaves. That's what the price buys.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does paint correction cost in Los Angeles?
At our Van Nuys shop, $600–$900 for a 1-step depending on vehicle size, and $600–$1,500 for a 2-step. Both include a full wash, iron removal and clay bar; the 2-step also includes a full exterior detail. The exact price is confirmed at a free inspection.
How long does paint correction last?
The defects it removes are gone for good; correction isn't a coating that wears off. Whether new ones appear depends entirely on how the car is washed afterwards. Hand-washed and coated, the finish lasts years. Back through the brush tunnel, the swirls return within months.
How many times can a car be paint corrected?
A handful of times over its life. Each correction removes a few microns of clear coat. That's the strongest argument for protecting the paint afterwards rather than correcting it every couple of years.
Can you correct just the hood, or one scratch?
Yes. Spot correction for a single panel or scratch is priced on the car, so call us with a photo, or bring it in.
Do I need a 2-step, or will a 1-step do?
Nobody can tell you honestly over the phone. Under inspection lights it takes about two minutes. Roughly: light swirls and haze are 1-step territory; visible scratches, oxidation and water-spot etching need a 2-step.
Does paint correction remove rock chips?
No. Chips are missing paint. For chip resistance going forward, look at Icon Rocklear or paint protection film.
How long will you have the car?
4–6 hours for a 1-step, 6–8 for a 2-step, so plan on leaving it for the day. We're open 9 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday and 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.
Is paint correction worth it before selling a car?
Often, especially on dark paint. We ran the numbers in our detailing before selling guide.
Get an Exact Price Under the Lights
Bring the car in and we'll put it under inspection lights, show you what's polishable, and tell you whether it needs a 1-step, a 2-step, or just a good detail. The consultation is free, takes about thirty minutes, and you leave with a real number.
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Van Nuys, serving the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles. 5.0 stars, 100+ Google reviews.
