The Ultimate Test: A $200 Detail vs. a $1,500 Paint Correction on My Toyota Supra

As I stood in my driveway, gazing lovingly at my Toyota Supra, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and ownership. But despite its sleek design and powerful engine, I knew that the car needed more than just a quick wash to truly shine. That's when I decided to put it to the test - would a $200 detail from a reputable shop be enough to transform my Supra into a showroom-ready machine, or did it need the premium treatment of a $1,500 paint correction?

I began by researching online forums and reviews to see what other car enthusiasts had to say about their experiences with local detailing shops. It was clear that some people swore by certain techniques and products, while others had less-than-stellar results. I also asked friends and family for recommendations, but everyone seemed to have a different opinion on the best way to detail my Supra.

Undeterred, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started by looking for swirl marks in direct sunlight - it was surprising how easily they could be seen when viewed under these conditions. I spotted at least three major swirl marks on the hood and a few smaller ones on the trunk, and I knew that if I wanted to truly see the difference between a $200 detail and a paint correction, I needed to bring my car into the shop.

I arrived at B-Velt Auto Spa, a reputable detailing shop in my area, and explained the situation to the technician. He took one look at my Supra and nodded sympathetically - "we can definitely help you out," he said. He began by washing the car with high-pressure water jets and a specialized cleaning solution, followed by a series of meticulous hand-washing steps that left me wondering if I'd just been taking my car for granted all along.

Next came the detailing phase, where the technician used a soft cloth and a special buffing pad to remove any remaining dirt or debris from the paint. It was amazing how much of a difference this made - suddenly, the swirl marks that had seemed so noticeable in sunlight were all but invisible when viewed directly at the car.

But despite the significant improvement, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was still missing. That's when I asked the technician if they could do a paint correction on my Supra - would it really be worth the extra $1,500? He nodded thoughtfully and explained the process, which involved using specialized equipment to remove any remaining imperfections in the paint.

After a full five hours of detailing and paint correction, my Supra looked like a completely new car. The swirl marks were gone, and the paint was smooth and glossy - it was hard not to feel a sense of satisfaction as I stepped back to admire my handiwork. Of course, there were still some scratches visible in certain lighting conditions, but overall, the car looked like a million bucks.

The final verdict? Was the $1,500 paint correction worth it? In my book, absolutely. While a $200 detail was certainly an improvement over my Supra's original state, the paint correction took it to a whole new level - and for me, that extra $1,000 was well worth it. Of course, not everyone will agree on this point, but one thing is certain: when it comes to detailing your car, you get what you pay for.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that while the results of my testing were impressive, they may not be representative of every situation or detailing shop. Car enthusiasts are notoriously passionate and opinionated, and what works for me may not work for someone else. However, one thing is certain: investing in a high-quality paint correction can make all the difference in terms of your car's appearance - and in my case, it was well worth the extra $1,500.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right I'm convinced that birds like to poop on red cars over blue cars cuz that one's pretty clean and they're parked next to each other but this one has been multi shat and we're talking like shat in places I don't even know shat belongs like they shat under the license plate Jesus and on the challenge Grill and this one fairly clean so today and uh when I get it in the sun I'll show you a little bit better but it's got all of the standard uh swirl marks in it let's see if I can find a piece in the sun here ah it's not entirely visible but when I'm direct sunlight you'll see it but there's swirl marks all over it I'm going to bring it over and see what a standard like ultimate detail looks like at a local car wash which a good car wash where I go to get hand washes on my cars but I'm going to do a wash wax highs speeded buff look at all poop and we'll see what it looks like and we'll see if that $1,500 detail the reason I'm doing this is cuz everyone was giving me crap for spending 1,500 bucks to detail the Supra but it really needed it um and we're going to do this one full boo uh best detail you can get for the everyone's like I you should have just spent this I'm going to go see what it looks like after you do a $200 detail and we'll see the difference maybe I'll still paint correct it afterwards but I'll waste $200 to find out what it looks like a wasp in my engine bay look at that there he is I thought it was in the car I saw it in the rear viw mirror and I was like holy bad place to be homie gets hot in there help all right B velt Auto Spa detail coming up there's a swirl Mark swirl marks there's bird and there's the uh treap the engine is all dusty the engine's Dusty you can do whatever you want to do you want me to do it knock yourself out that would be awesome so you can always see directly in the sun all the swirls all right and here is the net result and it's not as direct sun I love anytime you get the car cleaned up you see all the rock chips but it doesn't look half bad it's uh it's not a multi-day took about five hours but and it was $195 but the car looks good now you still see there are scratches there I mean if you look you have to look directly into the sun here like into the sun spot I don't know if you can see it it's it's really difficult to show but you could tell they're covered up I mean you could still see them it's not mirror glass but it's very passable it's much better than it looked um you just look anywhere where you see Sun where you see sun and you see some scratches still now you step back 10 in and it looks really good it looks really smooth really nice it's very passable but it is not there is a a big difference as to what the paint is um and when you see this after um see I mean just look where you see the sun uh after a two-step you see it and you're like whoa holy crap that looks much better look at that I have a rock chip right there um even the roof line I mean it's all the scratches are real but it looks much better it's it's a good hold me over and I don't know what it's going to look like in say a month but uh right now I think it it looks much better it's it's uh a little richer if that makes sense it looks a little bit Fuller the color but yeah let's see as I raise that up but the swirl marks are there just not as instantly noticeable uh wherever that bug is he gone but I got to say still I love it I like I am a 360 over a 430 guy all day long I don't know I don't know how to articulate it in a way other than it just I like the look of it um and I sort of like the drive of it a little bit better I'm eyeballing a stick shift one right now and if I can get that I'll be very happy but this is it it's uh that's what you get for 200 bucks plus I gave him 20 so 220 I guess that's the thing I I guess you don't a difference you don't tip the uh paint correction guy cuz it's so expensive but with the uh with the detailers you are tipping them so this is just regular drive down the street car wash and I got the works and it looks it looks good I'll give it a thumbs up up I'm I'm not going to say people shouldn't do it uh but there you do see there is an actual difference now I may still have a proficient X to a paint correction on this just to show you uh and use the lights and everything to really uh show you what you're getting and what you're paying for but I don't know if that's really necessary so $200 detail worth it in my book thank you guys for watching I will catch you next timeall right I'm convinced that birds like to poop on red cars over blue cars cuz that one's pretty clean and they're parked next to each other but this one has been multi shat and we're talking like shat in places I don't even know shat belongs like they shat under the license plate Jesus and on the challenge Grill and this one fairly clean so today and uh when I get it in the sun I'll show you a little bit better but it's got all of the standard uh swirl marks in it let's see if I can find a piece in the sun here ah it's not entirely visible but when I'm direct sunlight you'll see it but there's swirl marks all over it I'm going to bring it over and see what a standard like ultimate detail looks like at a local car wash which a good car wash where I go to get hand washes on my cars but I'm going to do a wash wax highs speeded buff look at all poop and we'll see what it looks like and we'll see if that $1,500 detail the reason I'm doing this is cuz everyone was giving me crap for spending 1,500 bucks to detail the Supra but it really needed it um and we're going to do this one full boo uh best detail you can get for the everyone's like I you should have just spent this I'm going to go see what it looks like after you do a $200 detail and we'll see the difference maybe I'll still paint correct it afterwards but I'll waste $200 to find out what it looks like a wasp in my engine bay look at that there he is I thought it was in the car I saw it in the rear viw mirror and I was like holy bad place to be homie gets hot in there help all right B velt Auto Spa detail coming up there's a swirl Mark swirl marks there's bird and there's the uh treap the engine is all dusty the engine's Dusty you can do whatever you want to do you want me to do it knock yourself out that would be awesome so you can always see directly in the sun all the swirls all right and here is the net result and it's not as direct sun I love anytime you get the car cleaned up you see all the rock chips but it doesn't look half bad it's uh it's not a multi-day took about five hours but and it was $195 but the car looks good now you still see there are scratches there I mean if you look you have to look directly into the sun here like into the sun spot I don't know if you can see it it's it's really difficult to show but you could tell they're covered up I mean you could still see them it's not mirror glass but it's very passable it's much better than it looked um you just look anywhere where you see Sun where you see sun and you see some scratches still now you step back 10 in and it looks really good it looks really smooth really nice it's very passable but it is not there is a a big difference as to what the paint is um and when you see this after um see I mean just look where you see the sun uh after a two-step you see it and you're like whoa holy crap that looks much better look at that I have a rock chip right there um even the roof line I mean it's all the scratches are real but it looks much better it's it's a good hold me over and I don't know what it's going to look like in say a month but uh right now I think it it looks much better it's it's uh a little richer if that makes sense it looks a little bit Fuller the color but yeah let's see as I raise that up but the swirl marks are there just not as instantly noticeable uh wherever that bug is he gone but I got to say still I love it I like I am a 360 over a 430 guy all day long I don't know I don't know how to articulate it in a way other than it just I like the look of it um and I sort of like the drive of it a little bit better I'm eyeballing a stick shift one right now and if I can get that I'll be very happy but this is it it's uh that's what you get for 200 bucks plus I gave him 20 so 220 I guess that's the thing I I guess you don't a difference you don't tip the uh paint correction guy cuz it's so expensive but with the uh with the detailers you are tipping them so this is just regular drive down the street car wash and I got the works and it looks it looks good I'll give it a thumbs up up I'm I'm not going to say people shouldn't do it uh but there you do see there is an actual difference now I may still have a proficient X to a paint correction on this just to show you uh and use the lights and everything to really uh show you what you're getting and what you're paying for but I don't know if that's really necessary so $200 detail worth it in my book thank you guys for watching I will catch you next time\n"