2017 RDX New Car Prep and Gloss-Coat Application

[Whiplash Willy]

This is my 2nd Optimum Gloss Coat application, and 3rd Coating install all together. My first GC application was on my 2016 WRX. This time around it was on my Wife's new 2017 Acura RDX.

Unfortunately, she had bought one off the lot, that had already been "Dealer Prepped". Surprisingly, there were no swirls, just a few etchings on the hood from bird poop, and some hard water spots.

Here was my process:

1. Carpro Reset Wash
2. Ferrex Decon
3. Another Carpro Reset Wash (Because I am anal)
4. Clay with Nanoskin Med & ONR for Lube
5. Polish w/Optimum Hyper Polish & PC 7424 (Used Orange and White Lake County CCS Pads)
6. ONR Waterless Wash (Some of my towels had left a fair amount of lining behind so I did this extra step to be safe)
7. Optimum Paint Prep
8. Gloss Coat Application

For the polish, I was originally going to use Menzerna Final Polish, as I had alot of it. I had talked to a Optimum Pro installer and he recommended I used Optimum's Hyper polish instead, because the Menzerna may leave stuff behind. This was the first time I used Optimum's polishes. I had always thought spray polish was weird, but after reading on the reasons they use it in Spray form, it makes since. I was really impressed with how workable the polish was, and how easy it cleaned up. The Hyper Polish and Orange LC CCS pad took quick work of the etchings, and any defects I found. I used the white pad for the rest of the vehicle. I had seen a video from Yvan Lacroix of Optimum recommending you use ONR at water less wash dilution with a Microfiber to remove the polishing residue. I tried that for the first time, and it worked amazingly well!

I was hopeing I would use 10ccs or less of the Gloss Coat, but ended up using about 12-15ccs for 1 coat. My biggest problem was being able to see the coating go on, and figuring out when I needed to apply more product to the applicator. Because of this, I erred on the side of using more to be safe. I had the same problem with the application on my WRX, but I figured it was because it was silver, and hard to see. I had hoped the RDX being a darker color, it would be easier to see going on, but I was wrong. Maybe I need better lighting?

Gloss Coat's instructions say you only need 1-2 drops per panel after priming the pad, but I just don't see how that is enough.

Anyone have any tips on what type of lighting to use when applying, or on how to tell when it is time to add more product to the applicator, vs keep going? I had used the supplied blue foam applicator.

Anyways, here are some pics of the results:

 

[jkrig]

Looks great!!! You probably could have done it with less than 10cc....I prefer the blue applicator and you can feel the applicator kinda "catch" while applying, that's when you need more product. For high spots just spread/level with your applicator and for the most part you shouldn't need to do much wiping/leveling with a mf towel. Unlike most coatings Gloss-Coat flashes almost completely clear and leaves less high spots (depending on amount applied) so if humidity was a little high you may have been applying just the right amount and it flashed on you ....no big deal with applying more product as long as its leveled, chalk it up to good coverage.