Paint Correction and paint enhancement are very similar to sanding. The difference being that paint correction and paint enhancement do not remove as much material from the work surface. Polish, which is what is used during paint correction and paint enhancement, is a liquid that contains mini abrasives. These abrasives can be compared to a super fine grit of sandpaper. During paint correction and paint enhancement, these abrasives take minimal amounts of clearcoats away to remove defects from your paint. Ultimately your car is left with a beautiful shine and smooth surface that is perfect for the bonding of a Ceramic Coat.
The terms paint correction and paint enhancement are often run together, however, there is a difference between the two. Paint correction is a more extreme version of paint enhancement. During paint correction, the type of polish and pads that are used have more of a bite. This is to remove deeper scratches and defects from your paint. Paint enhancement on the other hand requires pads and polish with less bite. That is because during paint enhancement we remove very surface-level defects such as swirls.
Paint correction vs. paint enhancement, for the most part, is determined by the type of ceramic coating you plan on putting on your vehicle. Individuals who plan to apply at shorter duration ceramic coating, such as 3 years, tend to migrate towards paint enhancement. As you creep up towards the longer lasting ceramic coatings (6-10 year), we see a trend in customers moving towards a more aggressive paint enhancement and into a paint correction. These tendencies help consumers meet their budgets, all while bringing their car back to life with a super durable protection. This, however, does not mean you have to get a ceramic coating to get your vehicle polished. If that is not your plan, then you simply get to decide the level of polishing you want done to reach your desired look.