What do buyers in BC look for on a car’s paint?
Damage and signs of repair, first of all. ICBC’s advice to used-car buyers is to “Inspect the vehicle for dents, signs of rust, ripples or repainting” (ICBC, inspecting a used vehicle), and to get a vehicle history report.
That tells you what correction can and can’t do for a sale. Polishing doesn’t touch a dent, a rust bubble or a claims record. ICBC’s buyers’ checklist also has buyers read the Previous Vehicle Damage area that the seller completes on the transfer/tax form. What polishing does change is the first impression: paint webbed with wash marks reads as a neglected car in a sunny listing photo, even when it isn’t.
When does paint correction pay off before a sale?
When the main thing wrong with the paint is wash damage on an otherwise sound finish. Then a day of polishing changes how the whole car looks.
| Paint condition | Will correction help? |
|---|---|
| Dark paint covered in swirls in sunlight | Yes: light swirls and haze are what the one-stage polish is for |
| Dull, hazy clear coat with healthy readings | Yes, possibly with two stages |
| Etched water spots | Often: the two-stage level takes out water spots |
| Stone chips on the hood and bumper | No: that’s touch-up paint |
| Dents and creases | No: body work |
| A scratch that shows primer or metal | No: touch-up or refinish |
| Clear coat peeling or flaking | No: a respray |
| A resprayed panel that doesn’t quite match | No: polishing doesn’t change colour |
If most of what you see is in the “no” rows, money spent on polishing won’t change what a buyer notices.
Which correction level makes sense for a car you’re selling?
The lightest one that makes a visible difference. For many sellers that’s the enhancement polish, a single pass with a fine polish that keeps the car about a day.
A two-stage correction, at one to two days, is for paint where the marks run deeper and the one-stage polish wouldn’t change enough. The multi-stage level runs three-plus days and is priced once the car has been seen; on a car you’re about to hand over, that’s a big spend, and it only makes sense if the paint is in poor shape and the car’s value justifies it. The single-pass service is described in one-step paint correction.
What else should you check before selling a car in BC?
Anything that makes the car illegal to sell, because the law cares about that and the paint doesn’t. Under s. 222 of BC’s Motor Vehicle Act, a car that breaks the Act or its regulations can’t legally be sold, or even offered for sale.
Two appearance items can fall foul of that:
- Front window film. BC’s Motor Vehicle Act Regulations s. 7.05(8) forbid film, however light, on the driver’s and front passenger’s windows, and on the windshield lower than 75 mm down from its top edge. That includes clear film, so tint there is not road-legal, and a driver can be ticketed ($109) or handed a Notice and Order to remove it. The shop can take the front two off and leave legal rear tint in place; bought a used car with front tint covers the buyer’s side of the same problem.
- Lamp film and clouded lenses. MVAR s. 4.04 bars covering or obscuring a required lamp, and BC’s inspection manual fails a lens that is clouded or covered in any manner. Smoked film can fail outright; clear film may still draw questions. Hazy lenses are a headlight restoration job.
Open police orders matter too. Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement says an owner should tell a buyer about any outstanding Box 1 or Box 2 Notice and Order, because until it’s cleared, the vehicle can’t get licensing and insurance from ICBC.
Does PPF or window tint change what a car sells for?
It depends on the product and on the buyer, and each has its own answer. Film is covered in does PPF increase resale value?, and tint in does window tint lower resale value?
Booking a polish before you list the car
Book it before the listing photos, not after. On the paint correction quote form, describe the car, add daylight photos of the paint, and say it’s going up for sale so the quote aims at the lightest level that will show.
Correction is priced after the inspection, because the paint sets the work. If the readings or the damage mean polishing won’t help much, you’ll hear that before you spend anything. All three levels are compared on the paint correction page.