How to choose a paint correction detailer

Start with the job, not a trophy

The general version of choosing a shop on the northeast side is how to choose a detailer in Northeast San Antonio. That page is about a real address, a named person, and a deposit you can read. This page is only about polish.

Correction is not a wash, not a wax, and not a coating. If a shop uses one of those words for all four, ask which one you are buying. The plain definition is what paint correction is.

Questions that sort a correction visit

Ask who will be on the panel at the end of the day, not only who answered the phone. This studio is Robert Romero Jr. He is an Alamo Heights graduate and an IDA-certified detailer. That is identity. It is not a claim that a certificate makes every scratch disappear.

Ask whether they will show you a test spot before they commit the whole vehicle. Ask what they will not promise. A light wash mark may improve. A key scratch that has caught a fingernail may only soften. If the clear is already thin, more cutting is not a favor. The limit is when a scratch is too deep to polish.

Ask whether coating is offered on top of swirls you still hate. A straight shop will say the film will not hide them. Ask whether correction is included in a detail. If it is not on the quote, it is not in the day. Ask where the car is worked on. Here, that answer is the studio, not a driveway.

• Who does the polishing, and is that the person you are talking to?
• Will you see a test spot in the sun before the rest of the car is committed?
• Which marks will they tell you may remain?
• Is machine polishing written on the quote, or assumed inside a wash?
• If a coating is next, will they correct first or seal the swirls in?
• What is the address, and is the deposit refundable if you cancel?

What this studio will say

Southern Auto Detailers is at 11692 Bricken Circle, San Antonio, TX 78233. One vehicle at a time. Tuesday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Monday closed. The deposit is 20% of the quoted total, non-refundable if you cancel, returned if we cancel and cannot reschedule. Ten percent of the sale goes to Junior Achievement of South Texas.

We do not publish a package price. The factors are what changes a paint correction quote. We do not install paint protection film. Film is a different trade. If someone is selling you film instead of a polish, the comparison that already exists is ceramic coating versus paint protection film, and it is about coating, not about choosing a correction.

We will not tell you every swirl will leave. Swirl marks from car washes are the usual pattern. Some of them improve. Some panels should be left alone.

Bring the car, not a ranking

A list that names a winner cannot see your clear coat. A photo in the sun, the color, and the size can start the conversation. The look itself is at the studio.

Call (210) 201-4847 or request an in-shop paint assessment. If you are comparing protection products after the paint is acceptable, that is a different appointment from this one.