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The Recon Pros

Recon Pros 🛡️: Mel Craig's elite shop (formerly The Detailing Pros) & online training academy.

Learn from the 40-yr legend 🏆 seen on Motor Trend's "Wheeler Dealers." 📺 Elite services in Huntington Beach 📍 & world-class courses online. 🎓 The Detailing Pros provides high end paint correction and reconditioning services as well as our famous paint coating and paint protection systems. We also offer windshield repair, headlight restoration, plastic trim restoration, interior care and many other car care services. We serve everyone from the car clubs, do it yourself weekend warriors to the high end show car owners. We have services that fit just about any budget and treat all our customers with the respect you would expect from a high end professional company like The Detailing Pros. We have been involved in the art of auto detailing and paint correction since 1982. We specialize in high end paint correction, paint defect removal and paint protection systems. Our new technology includes the very best in car care and we are here to help you in anyway we can. Be sure to give us a call or check out our services at: www.thedetailingpros.com

Mel Craig
Paint Correction Specialist since 1982

11/03/2026

Planning to get a ceramic coating installed on your vehicle? Here is the single biggest mistake people make: coating over uncorrected paint.

A ceramic coating is not a filler or a magic repair potion. It acts like an ultra-clear, magnifying glass shield over your paint. If your vehicle has swirl marks, fine scratches, or water spots, a standalone ceramic application will lock those flaws in permanently underneath a glass-hard SiO₂ barrier.

At The Recon Pros, we treat ceramic coating as the final protective seal—never a shortcut:

Digital Clear Coat Inspection: We test paint thickness on every panel with a digital gauge to verify safe working limits before starting.

True Defect Removal: We perform multi-stage machine correction under multi-angle LED swirl boards to mechanically level the clear coat—erasing swirls instead of masking them.

Uncompromising Gloss & Hydrophobics: Once the paint is brought to a mirror finish, our ceramic coating bonds directly to pure clear coat, creating extreme water beading, chemical resistance, and intense depth.

Do it right the first time so you never have to pay to strip and redo it later.

📍 Want an honest assessment of your car's paint?https://www.thereconpros.com/ceramic-coating-huntington-beach

Stop by The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for a free paint inspection and custom coating quote!

10/29/2026

What if your car’s paint could erase its own scratches?

Every car enthusiast knows the dread of washing their car in direct sunlight and spotting fresh spiderweb swirls in the clear coat. Traditional ceramic coatings protect against UV rays and chemical fallout, but because they cure into a rigid, glass-like shell, micro-scratches from daily washing get trapped in the surface forever.

That is why we transitioned to Revivify Self-Healing Coatings at The Recon Pros.

Unlike rigid SiO₂ coatings, Revivify utilizes an advanced, flexible polymer network engineered with shape-memory technology:

Heat-Activated Healing: When your vehicle is parked under the California sun or exposed to hot water, fine wash swirls and light surface marring flow back together and disappear.

Flexible Durability: It flexes with your vehicle’s clear coat rather than micro-fracturing under everyday road abuse.

Unreal Slickness & Gloss: Delivers a deep, candy-like reflection with extreme hydrophobic water-beading that makes routine maintenance effortless.

Stop sealing scratches into rigid coatings. Step up to self-healing technology that works to keep your finish flawless day after day.

📍 Ready to see self-healing technology in action?

Stop by The Recon Pros in Huntington Beach for a live demonstration and custom quote! https://www.thereconpros.com/self-healing-coating-huntington-beach

10/21/2026

"Why does one shop charge $200 for a polish while real paint correction starts at $650?"

It’s one of the most common questions we answer in Huntington Beach, and the difference comes down to one thing: removing defects vs. masking them. 🔍

A quick weekend "polish" relies on glazes and chemical fillers that temporarily mask swirl marks. It looks fine for a week—until your first wash or rain cycle flushes those fillers out and the defects return.

True paint correction physically levels the clear coat using machine polishers, calibrated compounds, and multi-stage precision. Once a scratch, water spot, or swirl is mechanically removed, it’s gone for good.

Here is how every correction is executed at The Recon Pros:

Paint Thickness Measurement: We measure clear coat depth on every panel using a digital gauge before a polisher ever touches your car to ensure safe working limits.

Indoor High-Intensity Inspection: We correct exclusively indoors under multi-angle LED swirl boards and SunGun lighting—the only true way to identify and remove microscopic defects.

Honest Prep: We never lock fillers or swirls under a protective coating—we deliver honest, permanent depth every single time.

Your vehicle's paint is a finite asset. Don't pay for a temporary cover-up when you can get a true surface restoration.

📍 Ready for a real transformation?

Send us photos or drop by The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for an in-person paint inspection and custom quote today!

https://www.thereconpros.com/tesla-ceramic-coating

10/13/2026

If you drive a Tesla Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck, you’ve probably noticed how easily the finish shows fine scratches and wash marring. ⚡🚘

It’s not just your imagination. Factory Tesla paint is notoriously soft and thin—typically measuring only 4 to 5 mils deep. Standard heavy compounding or rigid ceramic coatings can actually do more harm than good: heavy cutting burns through thin clear coat, while rigid ceramics lock micro-swirls in permanently under a glass-hard layer.

At The Recon Pros, we use a Tesla-calibrated protection strategy engineered specifically for soft paint finishes:

Digital Paint Gauge Inspection: We measure and log paint thickness on every single panel to determine exact clear coat safety limits before polishing.

Soft-Clear Correction: We utilize specialized finishing compounds and soft pads calibrated to level Tesla paint without creating buffer haze or edge wear.

Revivify Self-Healing Protection: We seal the finish with Revivify. Unlike rigid SiO₂ coatings, its flexible polymers allow everyday light wash scratches to self-heal under the warm California sun! ☀️

Protect your EV investment with a strategy built for Tesla paint, not a generic detail package.

📍 Tesla owner in Orange County?

Bring your EV to The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for a digital paint inspection and a custom quote! https://www.thereconpros.com/tesla-ceramic-coating

10/06/2026

Planning to get a ceramic coating installed on your vehicle? Here is the single biggest mistake people make: coating over uncorrected paint. 🚫

A ceramic coating is not a filler or a magic repair potion. It acts like a clear, magnifying glass shield over your paint. If your vehicle has swirl marks, fine scratches, or water spots, a standalone ceramic application will lock those flaws in permanently underneath a glass-hard SiO₂ barrier.

At The Recon Pros, we treat ceramic coating as the final protective seal—never a shortcut:

Digital Clear Coat Inspection: We test paint thickness on every panel with a digital gauge to verify safe working limits before starting.

True Defect Removal: We perform multi-stage machine correction under multi-angle LED swirl boards to mechanically level the clear coat—erasing swirls instead of masking them.

Uncompromising Gloss & Hydrophobics: Once the paint is brought to a mirror finish, our ceramic coating bonds directly to pure clear coat, creating extreme water beading, chemical resistance, and intense depth.

Do it right the first time so you never have to pay to strip and redo it later.

📍 Want an honest assessment of your car's paint?

Stop by The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for a free paint inspection and custom coating quote!

10/01/2026

Thinking about booking a ceramic coating for your car? Before you spend thousands, here is something most shops won't tell you: traditional ceramic coating is no longer the top of the pyramid. 🛑

While SiO₂-based ceramic coatings were a massive leap over wax, their main weakness is rigidity. Once cured, traditional ceramic turns into a glass-like shell. The catch? Every micro-scratch from an imperfect hand wash or dusty road gets permanently trapped in that hard layer. That is why so many "coated" cars start looking swirled again within a year.

At The Recon Pros, we upgraded past rigid ceramics to Revivify Self-Healing Coating:

Flexible Urethane Technology: Unlike rigid SiO₂ layers, Revivify’s advanced polymer structure allows the coating to stay flexible.

Automatic Swirl Healing: When exposed to the heat of the California sun or warm water, light wash scratches flow back into position and heal themselves!

Deeper, Wetter Gloss: Delivers a liquid-like, concourse shine that doesn't fade after a few wash cycles.

Don't lock your paint under outdated technology. Upgrade to a shield that actively protects and repairs itself every day.

📍 Ready for next-generation surface protection?
Visit The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for a full surface inspection and get your custom Revivify recommendation!
https://www.thereconpros.com/self-healing-coating-huntington-beach

09/23/2026

Now THIS is paint correction.
This vintage International is undergoing a full restoration. Its owner paid a fair price for a professional paint job, but the finish fell short: clear coat runs, solvent pops, fisheyes, dirt in the paint, and heavy sanding marks, and an awful marred finished where the body shop had stopped at 1,500 grit.
I took on the project knowing the risk and responsibility involved. Fortunately, the foundation was strong: quality PPG paint with enough clear coat to work with. I started from scratch, working through 1,000, 1,500, 3,000, and 5,000 grit with dry and wet sanding to address the defects and prepare the finish for correction.

Then came a five-stage rotary correction. Using a RUPES rotary, I cut first with heavy cutting wool, then heavy cutting foam and using Menzerna heavy cut compound because of its ability to help control heat dispersant and carefully managing heat throughout. Three more polishing stages brought out the depth, clarity, and finish this customer deserved.

This was demanding work. The deeper defects and sanding marks called for the control, cutting ability, and experience that a rotary machine brings to a job like this.

There is no one that can do this type of paint correction with an orbital machine. This is what mastering the Rotary is all about. I started and FINISHED using the rotary... The clear coat was extremely hard...

The best moment? Watching the owner and his wife see the finished truck. He went home and left us an incredible, unsolicited Google review. That reaction is why I love the art of paint correction. I put up a screen shot of the google review...

09/22/2026

Jet Black Paint Doesn't Forgive Shortcuts

If you drive a jet black, dark blue, or deep red vehicle, you already know the pain: dark paint shows every single wash swirl, hologram, and water spot under the sunlight. ☀️🖤

Dark clear coats don't forgive cheap polishes, dirty pads, or hasty work.

At The Recon Pros, dark paint is where our 50 years of surface restoration experience shines brightest. We don't hide blemishes under silicone waxes or glazes that wash away after two rain cycles.

Our Huntington Beach paint correction process for dark paint:

Digital Depth Inspection: We measure clear coat thickness across every panel with a digital gauge to ensure safe working depth.

Multi-Stage Machine Correction: We use calibrated compounding and multi-stage polishing to mechanically level the clear coat, permanently removing swirls, bird-etching, and buffer trails.

SunGun & LED Inspection: We inspect our work indoors under multi-angle LED swirl boards—the only way to verify 100% defect removal before delivery.

When a dark panel is properly corrected, it doesn't just look clean—it looks like deep, liquid obsidian.

📍 Ready to eliminate the swirls on your dark paint for good?

Bring your vehicle to The Recon Pros studio in Huntington Beach for a paint depth inspection and custom quote today!
https://www.thereconpros.com/paint-correction-huntington-beach

09/15/2026

Why Ceramic Coating Is the Wrong Choice for Your Tesla

Searching for "Tesla ceramic coating" in Orange County? Here is the honest truth most detailers won't tell you: traditional ceramic coating is usually the wrong choice for a Tesla. ⚡🚘

Factory Tesla clear coat is thinner and softer than almost any other modern car—typically measuring just 4 to 5 mils. Standard ceramic coating is a glass-hard SiO₂ layer. Because it cures rigid, it can't self-repair. Every single wash swirl you introduce stays there, and if you coat over uncorrected paint, those swirls are locked in forever.

At The Recon Pros, we use a Tesla-specific protocol engineered for soft paint:

Panel-by-Panel Depth Gauging: We measure and log paint thickness on every single panel before a polisher ever touches your vehicle.

Calibrated Soft-Clear Correction: We polish out factory defect marring using specialized compounds—never over-polishing delicate clear coat.

Revivify Self-Healing Protection: We install Revivify’s urethane-based self-healing coating. Unlike rigid ceramics, its flexible chemistry uses the heat of the California sun to heal light wash scratches back automatically!

Packages start at $1,695 with most Teslas completed and back in your driveway within 24 hours!

📍 Driving a Model 3, Y, S, X, or Cybertruck?

Visit The Recon Pros in Huntington Beach for a paint depth inspection and get your exact quote! https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thereconpros.com/tesla-ceramic-coating&source=gmail&ust=1789079388282000&sa=E

09/09/2026

·
DOES YOUR TESLA CYBERTRUCK LOOK LIKE THIS?
Stains, fingerprints, oils and discoloration on the stainless-steel body can be frustrating—and ordinary washing may not deliver the finish you're looking for.

This Cybertruck came to me through a local Tesla dealership looking for a solution for their customer.

After years of working on the proper process for restoring and protecting the Cybertruck’s unique stainless-steel exterior, we put our system to work.

The result? ZERO TO HERO in one day.

We restored the appearance of the stainless steel and protected it with Revivify, helping make the surface easier to maintain while providing long-term protection.

The dealership was so impressed with the transformation, they immediately had us do a second Cybertruck.

If your Cybertruck is stained, spotted, covered in fingerprints or simply doesn't look the way it should, don't guess at how to fix it. Bring it to someone who understands the surface.
Call The Recon Pros today: (714) 795-2983
Restore it. Protect it. Preserve it.
Revivify for the win!

Address

16882 Gothard Street Unit E
Huntington Beach, CA
92647

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://www.thereconpros.com/, http://www.teamrevivifyusa.com/

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