Used Car Protection | Platinum Detailing
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A polisher pad lifted clear of a door, corrected paint meeting swirled paint at a soft boundary
Used Car Protection

Correct it first. Then coat it.

Machine correction followed by ceramic coating. The sequence only works in one direction — a coating locks in whatever is underneath it for the life of the coating.

Correction time depends on paint condition, not vehicle value. A single stage enhancement takes a day; a full multi-stage correction on a larger vehicle can run to 30–40 hours.

On This Page Overview Correction Levels The Process Ceramic Coatings Wheels Glass & Interior FAQ Book Now
Overview

Take the damage out before you seal it in.

Where
Yelberton Trading Estate, Paignton
Correction from
from £220
Coating
Quoted per vehicle

A ceramic coating is transparent and it lasts for years. Applied over swirl marks and wash damage, it preserves them for the life of the coating — and removing them later means taking the coating off first. On a used car the correction is not an upsell. It is the part that decides the result.

Every car arrives having been washed by someone else. Automatic washes, sponges, drying towels and a few years of weather leave a finish that looks acceptable in daylight and shows everything under inspection lighting. That is what comes out first.

What that looks like on a car with a few years behind it is easier shown than described — see corrected cars, or read how correction actually works before you spend anything.

Correction levels

Three levels, by how far the paint has to come back.

Correction is not one job at one price. Which level suits depends on the condition of the paint and how much clear coat there is to work with — not on what the car is worth.

Level 1
up to 75%
defect removal

Single Stage Enhancement

Entry-level correction. Removes the majority of light swirls and wash marks, and restores gloss, clarity and depth to the paint.

from £220
Level 2
up to 90%
defect removal

Two Stage Correction

A cutting stage followed by a refining stage. Takes on deeper defects that a single pass leaves behind.

from £400
Level 3
up to 100%
defect removal

Platinum Signature Correction

The full process: 3000-grit wet sanding, cut and refinement, taken to a glass finish. Reserved for paint that warrants it.

from £1,100
A paint thickness gauge resting against a dark panel, taking a depth reading
Preparation

Four stages, and none of them are skippable.

The order matters more than the products. Each stage exists because the next one fails without it.

  1. 01

    Assessment and paint readings

    Depth readings across the panels before anything is cut. Clear coat is finite and previous repairs or a machine polish by someone else may already have taken some. That reading decides how far correction can safely go.

  2. 02

    Decontamination

    Tar, glue and bonded iron particles are drawn out chemically, then a clay bar lifts what is left. Polishing over embedded grit drags it across the paint.

  3. 03

    Machine correction

    Defects are cut back on a test panel first to establish the least aggressive combination that works. Swirls, wash marks and oxidation come out; the finish is then refined to remove any haze the cutting stage leaves behind.

  4. 04

    IPA wipedown

    Polishing oils are stripped from every panel. Oils can temporarily fill fine defects — removing them shows the true corrected finish, and lets the coating bond to bare clear coat.

Gtechniq Protection

Then lock the corrected finish in.

Once the defects are out, the coating makes it far easier to keep them out. Dirt releases cleanly rather than keying into the surface, which is what makes regular washing safe rather than destructive. Both options are Gtechniq, applied by an accredited installer.

2 years

Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light

Body coating

A professional-only coating that cures hard over the corrected paint. Two years of chemical and UV resistance, and a surface that gives dirt far less to hold on to.

Applied by accredited installers only

Ask which one suits the car
Up to 5 years

Crystal Serum Light + EXO V4

Layered body coating

Crystal Serum Light forms the base. Gtechniq EXO V4 layers over it for water behaviour and gloss the base coat alone does not give you. Worth doing on a car you have just corrected and intend to keep.

up to 5 years layered over Crystal Serum Light

Ask which one suits the car
Wheel Protection

Wheels, to three depths.

On a used car the wheels have usually had the hardest life of anything on it. Polishing before coating is the difference between protecting the finish and protecting the damage.

01

Faces only

Coating on the visible faces. Brake dust sits on top instead of bonding in, so a wash removes what previously needed chemicals.

Ask about this option
02

Faces polished, then coated

The faces are machine polished before coating. On a used car this is usually the sensible option — wheels collect marks and dulling that coating alone would seal in.

Ask about this option
03

Wheels off

Wheels come off the car so faces and barrels can both be polished and coated. The inner barrel collects the most and gets cleaned the least.

Ask about this option
A freshly decontaminated alloy wheel face and tyre sidewall under inspection light
Cleaned and protected leather meeting Alcantara at a stitched seam inside a car
Glass & Interior

The two things you actually sit behind.

Paint is what other people see. Glass and interior are what you see every time you drive it — and on a used car both have usually been neglected longer than the paint has.

Glass Coating

Windscreen — Gtechniq G1 Clear Vision

Above roughly 40mph, rain clears the glass without wipers. Rated at 12 months.

Add this to a quote

All windows — Gtechniq G1 Clear Vision

The same coating on every window. Side glass is where wet-weather visibility fails first, because wipers never reach it.

Add this to a quote

Interior Options

Interior detail

Included

Included with every Used Car Protection package. Vacuum, surface clean and glass.

Full interior deep clean

Quoted per vehicle

Plastics, leather, fabrics and carpets taken back properly. On a car with a few owners behind it, this is usually where the biggest visible gain is.

Ask about this option

Interior protection

Quoted per vehicle

Leather and interior coating, carpet treatment and dash treatment. Most worthwhile on light leather and high-wear bolsters.

Ask about this option
FAQ

Questions we get about used cars.

Because a ceramic coating is clear and it lasts for years. It does not fill or hide swirl marks — it locks in whatever is underneath it. Correcting afterwards means polishing the coating back off and starting again, so the sequence only works in one direction.

That depends on the paint, not the price. Single Stage Enhancement targets up to 75%; Two Stage Correction targets up to 90%; Platinum Signature Correction targets up to 100%. Deeper scratches that have gone through the clear coat cannot be polished out at any level — we will tell you which of yours those are before starting.

Correction time depends on paint condition, not vehicle value. A single stage enhancement takes a day; a full multi-stage correction on a larger vehicle can run to 30–40 hours.

We take depth readings before cutting anything, and again as the work progresses. If a panel has been resprayed or already polished hard by someone else, there may be very little clear coat left — in that case we will say so and recommend the lighter option rather than risk it.

Often, yes. Correction is priced on the condition of the paint rather than the value of the car, and a 2009 Civic goes through the same process as anything else in the unit. Whether it is worth it depends on how long you are keeping it — we will give you an honest answer, including when it is not.

Car less than three months old? New Car Protection covers the same coatings, with lighter preparation.

Related Services

New Car Protection View → Deep Clean Package View →
A corrected black bonnet reflecting the inspection light bars as razor-sharp lines
Used car protection

Bring it in and we will read the paint.

Correction is quoted on the condition of the paint, not the value of the car. Send photographs or call 01803 362002 and we will tell you which level the car needs — including when the lighter one is enough.