We Measure First
Clear coat is finite. We gauge thickness panel by panel before polishing, so we never cut past what your paint can safely give up.
Dull, hazy or lightly oxidised paint often doesn't need respraying at all. Paint restoration removes a controlled, microscopic layer of clear coat with a machine polisher, levelling the surface so light reflects evenly again. Your original factory paint stays on the car.
We measure paint thickness before touching a panel. That tells us how much correction is safe, and whether restoration will actually fix what you're seeing.
Paint restoration can address:
Book a free paint assessment with Alpha Smash Repair and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable today!
Clear coat is finite. We gauge thickness panel by panel before polishing, so we never cut past what your paint can safely give up.
If a scratch has gone through the clear coat, polishing won't remove it. We tell you that upfront rather than charging for a result we can't deliver.
Because we're a refinishing workshop, we can compare correction against a repaint honestly — and recommend the cheaper option when it's the right one.
Paint hardness varies enormously between makes. Our technicians train on matching pad and compound combinations to each vehicle, because the wrong pairing either achieves nothing or removes far too much clear coat.
Defects hide under ordinary workshop light. Our team works under high-intensity LED inspection lighting, learning to identify swirls, holograms and etching that only appear at specific angles.
The most important skill in correction is restraint. Our specialists train to recognise the point where further cutting risks clear coat failure, and to stop there even if a defect remains.
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Every paint assessment at our Willetton workshop is overseen by Raza Hassan, our founder and refinishing lead, with over 17 years of hands-on experience in panel beating, collision repair and automotive refinishing. We're a Motor Trade Association (MTA) member and a licensed repairer, and we back every job with a lifetime workmanship guarantee.
No call centres, no runaround — you deal directly with the people working on your car. If correction won't fix it, we'll say so. That's how we've earned a 4.8-star rating from Perth drivers.
A single-stage correction for light swirling and dullness typically starts around $400. A two-stage correction for moderate swirls, oxidation and light scratches usually runs $800 to $1,000, and multi-stage work on heavily oxidised or dark paint can exceed $1,200. Price depends on vehicle size, paint condition and how many stages your paint needs.
Paint restoration keeps your original paint and removes defects from the existing clear coat with a machine polisher. A respray replaces the paint entirely. Restoration is far cheaper and faster, but it can only fix defects sitting within the clear coat.
Effectively yes — cut and polish is the Australian term for the same process. The cut refers to the compound that levels the surface, and the polish refers to the refinement stage that restores gloss and clarity.
Yes, by a microscopic amount, which is exactly why we measure first. Modern clear coat can safely give up a small amount of thickness. We gauge each panel before starting and stop well short of the safe limit.
No. If you can catch a fingernail in a scratch, it has gone through the clear coat and polishing cannot remove it. We can reduce its visibility, but a permanent fix means repainting that panel. We'll tell you which situation you're in at assessment.
Usually yes, provided enough sound clear coat remains underneath. Oxidation is surface deterioration, and levelling it off restores gloss dramatically. If the clear coat has already started peeling or flaking, correction won't hold and a respray is the honest answer.
Most vehicles take one to three days. A light single-stage polish can be four to six hours; a full multi-stage correction on a dark prestige car can run well past twenty hours of labour.
The correction itself is permanent — the defects are gone. How long the finish stays that way depends on washing technique and protection. Poor washing reintroduces swirl marks within months, which is why we recommend ceramic coating afterwards.
It's the logical next step. Correction gives you a clean, level surface, and a coating locks that finish in and makes it far easier to keep. Coating uncorrected paint simply seals the existing swirls underneath. Ask us about ceramic coating at your assessment.