I first applied DGNCC last October on my 2014 Maxima. I was happy with the finish of the car before I applied the coating, so I did not polish. I used the Squeaky Clean to prep the surface and coated the entire vehicle. It was very easy to apply. I did knock down the high spots, but I'm not even sure that's necessary. More on that later. I'm very happy with how it turned out. The car looks like glass. Almost out of boredom, I applied another coat in April. I really didn't notice much of difference in looks and I probably could have waited until the fall again for another coat.
Other thoughts...
This might be crazy, but I really don't think there is a need to knock down the high spots. I have played around with the coating quite a bit. I left some high spots on the car (on purpose) after applying the 2nd coat in April. I wanted to see if they would get removed after a waterless wash. But after a few days (there may have been some rain) the high spots were gone. I have since applied to my wheels with the same results. I'm not recommending you purposely ignore high spots, but in my experience you can leave them and they will be gone in a few days. Has anyone else noticed this? Are those high spots just excess product that can't adhere to the paint, so eventually they just wash away?
Over the winter, someone in my parking lot at work must have place something (a purse?) on the hood of my car and drug it off. It left really fine scratches that I could only see if the lighting was right. After I put my 2nd coat in April, I noticed the scratches were gone. I'm not sure if it was the Squeaky Clean, applied via DA on black LC pad, that removed the scratches or they were filled with 2nd layer DGNCC. Either way it was a great bonus.
Cleaning is really easy. I have done 100% waterless washes since I coated the car. My car never gets super dirty, but it's a daily driver that is outdoors all day and night. Other than some super minor marring from the ww, the car looks great.
The coating plays really well with D156. I'd recommend it in the same way people use Reload as a "booster" over Cquarts. Of course it won't have the durability of Reload, but D156 is much less expensive and so easy to use.
So if anyone is looking to get into coatings, but are nervous about application, don't be. Get DGNCC. If you like that glassy look, you will love this. If you judge your LSP based on beading but want the base protection of a coating, top DGNCC with D156 and you will be very happy. If you just want the coating protection and great looks, no need to top.
