Machine polishing and paint correction on a McLaren MP4-12C Spider
This McLaren MP4-12C Spider in McLaren Orange came to our Wiltshire studio for a full paint correction detail. Orange is one of the hardest colours to photograph and one of the least forgiving to own: every swirl and wash mark shows as a grey haze the moment the sun catches a panel. Correcting it properly, rather than filling it, was the whole point of the job.
Decontamination and paint depth readings
The car was washed, chemically and mechanically decontaminated and dried before a single pad touched it. Paint depth was then measured across the car with a gauge, panel by panel. On a carbon tub supercar with thin, hand finished paint that is not a formality, it tells us how much clear coat there is to work with and where to back off.
Multi-stage machine polishing
The paintwork was then machine polished in stages, cutting to remove the swirls and wash marks first and refining afterwards so the finish was left sharp rather than hazy. The before and after halves in the gallery are the same panels under the same lighting, which is the only honest way to show correction work. Under the spot lamp the orange reads as a clean, even flake instead of a web of fine scratches.
Protecting the corrected finish
Correction only pays for itself if the finish is then sealed and washed properly, so the paintwork was protected once the polishing was signed off. As an accredited Gtechniq detailer we can seal a corrected supercar with anything from a durable sealant to Crystal Serum Ultra; the options and how long each lasts are set out on our ceramic coating page. Owners keeping a car like this long term often add paint protection film to the nose and sills as well.
