Advice on prepping for a ceramic coat

[Meep]

Hi all! I'm going to be ceramic coating my 2014 Ford Fusion with CQuartz. It has the sunset red metallic paint but desperately needs to be polished and have some paint correction done... Will upload some pictures/videos tomorrow but the paint has swirl marks with two deep scratches. Pretty sure those deep scratches will need paint as well, my nail got caught on one of them.

What will I need to fully prep the car? Right now I have all the equipment to get as far as claying the car and removing contaminants but nothing for polishing or paint correction. From going through the forum it seems as though I'll want to do a 2-step correction and that I'll need a DA, pads, polishes, and touch up paint. What exactly should I get? It seems like some pads and polishes are paint specific, some DAs have variable speeds, etc.

Any guidance would be much appreciated! :cheers:

 

[MarkD51]

If it was me, I'd probably address the paint scratches first. With what a disaster I am with conventional paint touch up products, and how often I've had zero luck with factory type touch up paints, I'd probably look to Dr. Colorchip. A very easy to learn system, dries so quickly, and works so well.

If the color coat hasn't been compromised, you may only need the Clear Paint to fill.

There'd surely be nothing wrong with either a Porter Cable 7424XP, or Griots Garage GG6 Machine. Compliment either with a 5" and 3.5" Lake Country Backing Plates, and an assortment of 5.5" and 4" Pads.

The White Lake Country Thinpro Pads in the sizes I mention will largely cover most polishing and correcting tasks and can achieve varying final results dependent upon the Polishes used. I'd say it would be good to have a 1/2 dozen of each size of the White Pads, and maybe have a couple of the slightly coarser Orange, or whatever would be slightly more agresssive than a standard Polishing Pad in whatever brand you choose.

This will then give you a greater range of correction if possibly needed for some really bad areas on your vehicle just in case.

As for Polishes, I'd probably use a product that I feel is fail-safe, Wolfgang! Small Bottles, if all available in 8oz should be plenty for the one vehicle, would be the Wolfgang Uber Compound, Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover, and Wolfgang Finishing Glaze. This trio will achieve a knock your eyes out show car finish, and these products I mention have little peer and can be counted on.

I'd definitely consider buying a liter bottle of Carpro Eraser to do the final prep wipe down prior to coating.

Insure you have enough Carpro Microfiber Applicator Cloths to have on hand, and a good supply of good Microfiber towels.

Also, you should not forget to have a few rolls of good Painter's Masking Tape in a few widths to mask off trim parts, badges, etc when polishing.

Remember that the decontamination and prep is the most important parts to get the best final results, and to not rush the processes. Even for a car, such can take 2 to 3 days to get through all of it, and that it is best to not try to beat a clock. Take breaks as you go, this gives time to recharge, and to also better think though your work.

Study all the vids you can prior to this work. All of us, no matter how good need to return to the "detailing altar" from time to time.

 

[MarkD51]

By the way, welcome to the forum, have fun, and happy holidays!

 

[WillSports3]

You can save time to be honest with a good one step polish. And you have to make sure there's bare paint and nothing else when you apply the coating. To be safe as well, try to use a water based polish so you're not chasing polishing oils around the car, just to make your life easier. Sonax cut and finish is an excellent one step, and you will need a paint prep spray of some kind since you're using a carpro coating, I would use carpro eraser as the paint prep. Get a lot of buffer pads, you'll need it.

 

[Desertnate]

You can save time to be honest with a good one step polish. And you have to make sure there's bare paint and nothing else when you apply the coating. To be safe as well, try to use a water based polish so you're not chasing polishing oils around the car, just to make your life easier. Sonax cut and finish is an excellent one step, and you will need a paint prep spray of some kind since you're using a carpro coating, I would use carpro eraser as the paint prep. Get a lot of buffer pads, you'll need it.

This is good advice, but I'll add a little to it.

Just because a car has paint in really rough shape, doesn't always mean you need to drag out multiple levels of pads, a heavy compound, and all manner of finishing polishes to be used on two or three correction steps. Do a couple test spots like Mike Phillips teaches here and you might be surprised with the results. Letting the products you have and the paint drive your workflow will save you a lot of time and work. Test spots are critical.

My best example is the picture below. The car's paint was in pretty rough shape, but due to the paint being very soft all was needed was a finishing polish on a medium polishing pad. I've been able to get harder paints coating ready in one step too using the same type of product recommended above.

Low oil/water based polishes and a paint prep spray are life savers like WillSports3 mentions. I've been using oily polishes and clean up is a pain.

 

[WillSports3]

Sometimes the best results are from one step and leave it be. At the end of the day, we want our rides to look good and stay looking good. Doesn't mean we keep our daily drivers like showcars though

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hi all!

I'm going to be ceramic coating my 2014 Ford Fusion with CQuartz.

Hi Meep,

Welcome to AutogeekOnline.net! :welcome:

What will I need to fully prep the car? Right now I have all the equipment to get as far as claying the car and removing contaminants but nothing for polishing or paint correction.


From going through the forum it seems as though I'll want to do a 2-step correction and that I'll need a DA, pads, polishes,

It seems like some pads and polishes are paint specific, some DAs have variable speeds, etc

Earlier I wrote this article just for people getting into machine polishing. There is a TON of information in this one single thread. I'd recommend reading the first post and the follow up replies.

Also click on the links to other articles. By the time you get through it you'll know more than most detailers.

Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips

and touch up paint. What exactly should I get?

Polish the car out first and then apply touch-up paint <-- that is the order and I cover this and TONS more info in this article,

How to use the Dr. ColorChip Paint Chip Repair Systems

 

[MarkD51]

Nice to see you drop in here Mike, and as well you other folks to help out.

Our new member Meep can probably receive as many suggestions as their are members here, and that can add to the confusion as to what will be the best products and methods to pick. The variables will be the condition of the paint, the hardness of the paint or lack of, and your personal abilities to accomplish paint correction and prep.

Since the OP has chosen to go with a Quartz Coating, I think one would wish to pay extra special attention to the degree of correction achieved, to get the absolute best finish possible prior to locking it in with a semi-permanent coating. If it was simply a wax-sealant, no problem simply coming back at a future point in time to further refine the paint finish when time allows.

When I myself chose CQuartz UK for one of my own vehicles (Tahoe in my Avatar), I researched all that "should be done" prior to Coating, and of course the decon processes of Washing, Iron-X Iron Remover, Claying, Washing, Paint touch up, Eraser wipe Downs, Masking, the numerous amount of towels used, final cursory inspection prior to cracking open that CQuartz bottle and then following with Carpro Reload had gotten quite time intensive, and as well quite expensive when one tallies the costs of all products involved and used.

Was it a lot of work, sweat, toil, time and money invested? You bet it was. Was it worth the expense and time invested? Yes, it definitely was!

Seems there was no disagreement that a good D/A Polisher, a good selection or proper Pads, and other Decon products are basically agreed upon. These are investments which of course are not one time, throw away products, that with care, good tools will be with you many long years, and can aid you with numerous vehicles down the road. With that said, don't then think of the investment as only being thrown into one vehicle, and wasting too much money upon it.

As for how well Wolfgang Uber Compound works, as a more aggressive correction product, yet by design finishes down so beautifully which in many cases no further correction or products would be needed, I would consider this to be an extremely worthy and outstanding "1-Step Product" which would probably work beautifully on its own on many paint systems. If the Ford Paint is soft, the WG Finishing Glaze will surely remove any remnants of any possible micro-hazing left by WG Uber".

If I was going to "Coat" a vehicle, I don't think I'd then use any AIO that contains any waxes-sealants, that to me is working backwards.

 

[mmhammer]

Good advice - its all the work you have to do BEFORE you can coat it!

 

[SWETM]

If you are going to apply cquarts I would recommend to use carpro essence as a finish polish. This is also a primer for carpros cquarts coatings. If you do a wipe down with carpro eraser before polishing with essence and have the possibility to let essence cure over night you can go directly to apply cquarts the next day. This gets you a really good finish and you extend the longevity of your coating when useing a primer as essence. Depending on your budget I recommend as carpro does to apply 2 coats of cquarts coating. And if you want to apply a top coating that will excell the longevity and the water behavior you can top it with carpros newest product Gliss. This is just some options but to do at least 2 coats of cquarts coating is recommended.

Good luck and hope you find your way to do it. Many good recommendation has been suggested already.

 

[MarkD51]

If you are going to apply cquarts I would recommend to use carpro essence as a finish polish. This is also a primer for carpros cquarts coatings. If you do a wipe down with carpro eraser before polishing with essence and have the possibility to let essence cure over night you can go directly to apply cquarts the next day. This gets you a really good finish and you extend the longevity of your coating when useing a primer as essence. Depending on your budget I recommend as carpro does to apply 2 coats of cquarts coating. And if you want to apply a top coating that will excell the longevity and the water behavior you can top it with carpros newest product Gliss. This is just some options but to do at least 2 coats of cquarts coating is recommended.
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Yep, probably another very good option to choose, Carpro Essence. I once used Essence, and only used it by hand to prep my Magenta Kia for a follow-up with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 I believe, not a Coating.

The paint finish after using Essence looked so squeaky clean and flawless, I immediately remarked to myself what an outstanding "wow" product it truly is.

As many might know and recognize, I have become a huge Carpro Fan. I love every one of their products.

 

[Meep]

Wow, this is all very good advice with great recommendations!! I'm putting a list together now of everything I'll need to order... So far I've got:

• GG6 DA
• Lake County 5.5" Backing Plate
• Lake County Foam Pads (I think orange, white, and black should do the job)
• CarPro Essence
• CarPro Eraser (Will the 500ml cover my car or should I go with the 1 liter?)
• WG Uber Compound
• Dr. Colorchip System

So after the WG Uber, I should move onto the CarPro Essence (their site says use microfiber pads but shouldn't foam be better as it's less abrasive and Essence being a finisher), then Eraser, apply touch up paint, then apply CQuartz, correct?


So for my 4-door car, I'll have about 13 panels.

1. Hood
2. Roof
3. Trunk lid
4. Front bumper
5. Rear bumper
6. Driver's side front fender
7. Driver's side door
8. Driver's side rear door
9. Driver's side rear fender
10. Passenger side front fender
11. Passenger side door
12. Passenger side rear door
13. Passenger side rear fender

How many of each pad should I order for 13 different panels?

 

[The Guz]

Wow, this is all very good advice with great recommendations!! I'm putting a list together now of everything I'll need to order... So far I've got:

• GG6 DA
• Lake County 5.5" Backing Plate
• Lake County Foam Pads (I think orange, white, and black should do the job)
• CarPro Essence
• CarPro Eraser (Will the 500ml cover my car or should I go with the 1 liter?)
• WG Uber Compound
• Dr. Colorchip System

So after the WG Uber, I should move onto the CarPro Essence (their site says use microfiber pads but shouldn't foam be better as it's less abrasive and Essence being a finisher), then Eraser, apply touch up paint, then apply CQuartz, correct?


So for my 4-door car, I'll have about 13 panels.

1. Hood
2. Roof
3. Trunk lid
4. Front bumper
5. Rear bumper
6. Driver's side front fender
7. Driver's side door
8. Driver's side rear door
9. Driver's side rear fender
10. Passenger side front fender
11. Passenger side door
12. Passenger side rear door
13. Passenger side rear fender

How many of each pad should I order for 13 different panels?

This thread should help you out on the number of pads needed.

How many pads do I need to buff out my car?

With regards to your prep work, go with a test spot first with Essence and a polishing pad. Then you can decide if you need to get more aggressive and move to uber compound. I have not used this compound so I can not comment on how it works. Then you can finish with Essence on a polishing pad to clean up any defects the compound may leave behind and to refine the finish.

The reason CarPro mentions microfiber is to up the correction if one was to use Essence as a one step polish. Zach has a great write up on detailed image you can check out on essence.

Also that 500ml bottle is plenty for the size of your vehicle.

What I would recommend is to let Essence sit overnight for as close as you can to 24 hours after wipe off. That is if you have the time. This will let the oils "evaporate" to where you can essentially coat without needing an eraser wipedown and leave the SiO2 behind which has cured in that amount of time. I would still do a light Eraser wipedown if you let it sit overnight.

By the way I do agree that Sonax Cut & Finish is pretty darn good as a one step and is versatile. Used this on my personal car and it removed a majority of the defects before coating it.

 

[SWETM]

What Guz wrote

 

[WillSports3]

Essence by the way Is not like other finishing polishes. Two passes or so and you're done. It's made to cut fast and be done with quickly. No need to work it for 4 or 5 or 6 passes really. Anymore and you'll be working against yourself.

 

[MarkD51]

Wow, this is all very good advice with great recommendations!! I'm putting a list together now of everything I'll need to order... So far I've got:

• GG6 DA
• Lake County 5.5" Backing Plate
• Lake County Foam Pads (I think orange, white, and black should do the job)
• CarPro Essence
• CarPro Eraser (Will the 500ml cover my car or should I go with the 1 liter?)
• WG Uber Compound
• Dr. Colorchip System

So after the WG Uber, I should move onto the CarPro Essence (their site says use microfiber pads but shouldn't foam be better as it's less abrasive and Essence being a finisher), then Eraser, apply touch up paint, then apply CQuartz, correct?


So for my 4-door car, I'll have about 13 panels.

1. Hood
2. Roof
3. Trunk lid
4. Front bumper
5. Rear bumper
6. Driver's side front fender
7. Driver's side door
8. Driver's side rear door
9. Driver's side rear fender
10. Passenger side front fender
11. Passenger side door
12. Passenger side rear door
13. Passenger side rear fender

How many of each pad should I order for 13 different panels?

Perhaps a typo and just so you're sure, you should be a getting a 5" Backing Plate, and then using 5.5" Pads with it.
(Whatever color Backing Plate you choose, be sure to mark it with a Sharpie-Magic Marker so you can keep tabs on Pad Rotation as you Polish)

As others have mentioned, the proverbial test spot should be used. Not always, but often the Hood is commonly the worst part of a vehicle, and since it's within easy reach, the test spot(s) should be done there to see which products are proving to be effective at removing the existing paint damage. The important key is to always use the least aggressive methods, and Polishes and Pads to get the job done.

It is possible Essence may work all on it's own, if not, the Uber can assist in the more damaged areas to remove further paint damage.

I would say that the White LC Polishing Pads would probably be the go-to choice for average run of the mill paint correction and polishing, so having a good quantity of these on hand will permit you to continue with finishing the polishing processes on the entire vehicle without having any time interruptions of having to clean pads.

As Mike Phillips has always said, ""In a perfect world, one Pad one Panel", but I would say at least have a minimum of 4 white Pads on hand for a Car. A 1/2 Dozen would be even better. Remember to clean Pads on the fly with a clean Terry or MF Towel. This will help remove build-up of spent Polishes, and other nasties coming off the paint as you go. One of Mike's important philosophies is "work clean".

The other reason for having a good number of Pads is that heat is a Pad's worst enemy, and continuing to use a pad for a long length of time on numerous Panels will hammer a Pad to death, no matter the quality-brand-type. That after say correcting 1/2 the hood, the Pad can become fairly "warm" and it is such heat that will quickly break down a Pad's integrity.

Yes, a downside is when switching to clean Pads you have to re-prime a Pad and thus use a little more product to do such, but with proper care and observing when a Pad should be changed out for a fresh one, you'll get numerous uses from these Pads. All can agree that Pads aren't inexpensive items.

A .5L bottle of Eraser should be ample product for a final wipe down prior to coating, but it is always wise to have more than enough product on hand, rather than finding you don't have enough, and commonly there is an economical advantage to buying larger quantities, costing you less per oz/ml.

I've probably stressed this before, that good lighting is very important, to not only see how well your correcting processes have turned out per any given panel, but as well the high importance of seeing how your application of the coating is going.

That after a coating is applied and is beginning to set up and dry within the number of minutes after application and leveling, it then must not be touched!

The Carpro Coatings should sit undisturbed for a minimum of one hour, and it is better to err a bit longer before any touching, or any other products such as Reload are applied. I know it's hard, but resist the temptation.

But once the coating has initially set and dried, what you will note from the Carpro Coating is a rock hard layer of protection is now on the paint. Truly amazing stuff!

 

[SWETM]

Found some videos for you to watch to get a vision on how it's. Was it because you have worked with Wolfgang uber compound before you want to go with that? If not I would look into carpro fixer if not to swirled up then carpro clearcut. And look at the correction capability essence alone get you with a polishing pad. If you would need a more coarse cutting pad I would consider to 2 step the process. In the second video at the ned you really see the difference in clarity from which pad he used. Know if you have a hard clearcoat you might get it with a cutting pad also. So test spot your way to get what you wants.

https://youtu.be/_MKZk5O-xvw

https://youtu.be/48OL5Egs6Bw

 

[Desertnate]

Wow, this is all very good advice with great recommendations!! I'm putting a list together now of everything I'll need to order... So far I've got:

• GG6 DA
• Lake County 5.5" Backing Plate
• Lake County Foam Pads (I think orange, white, and black should do the job)
• CarPro Essence
• CarPro Eraser (Will the 500ml cover my car or should I go with the 1 liter?)
• WG Uber Compound
• Dr. Colorchip System

So after the WG Uber, I should move onto the CarPro Essence (their site says use microfiber pads but shouldn't foam be better as it's less abrasive and Essence being a finisher), then Eraser, apply touch up paint, then apply CQuartz, correct?


So for my 4-door car, I'll have about 13 panels.

1. Hood
2. Roof
3. Trunk lid
4. Front bumper
5. Rear bumper
6. Driver's side front fender
7. Driver's side door
8. Driver's side rear door
9. Driver's side rear fender
10. Passenger side front fender
11. Passenger side door
12. Passenger side rear door
13. Passenger side rear fender

How many of each pad should I order for 13 different panels?

One thing to keep in mind when polishing the car is to use the least aggressive approach first. Right now your list has a heavy duty compound, and a light polish with filling properties for coating prep (Essence). That really leaves you no where to go but all the way to a very aggressive compound.

If your car isn't in really bad shape and you want to stay with the Wolfgang products I'd say go with the Swirl remover instead of the compound. From there you can move between your white and orange pads to adjust the amount of correction.

Personally, I always try to have a compound and a polish on hand. On my personal cars which are well maintained, the polish is the primary weapon of choice and where I start when doing test spots. The compound is kept in reserve for a deeper defect and I'll use it only on spots that need it. There isn't a need to be compounding a paint every year. In this case, since you want to use Essence which I believe has very light correcting ability, I'd have a medium grade polish like swirl remover on hand to do the majority of the correction work first.

 

[Meep]

One thing to keep in mind when polishing the car is to use the least aggressive approach first. Right now your list has a heavy duty compound, and a light polish with filling properties for coating prep (Essence). That really leaves you no where to go but all the way to a very aggressive compound.

If your car isn't in really bad shape and you want to stay with the Wolfgang products I'd say go with the Swirl remover instead of the compound. From there you can move between your white and orange pads to adjust the amount of correction.

Personally, I always try to have a compound and a polish on hand. On my personal cars which are well maintained, the polish is the primary weapon of choice and where I start when doing test spots. The compound is kept in reserve for a deeper defect and I'll use it only on spots that need it. There isn't a need to be compounding a paint every year. In this case, since you want to use Essence which I believe has very light correcting ability, I'd have a medium grade polish like swirl remover on hand to do the majority of the correction work first.

Great points, I don't think my paint is bad enough for a heavy compound. I'll probably go with WG's swirl remover instead then. I like the CarPro line and the ClearCut as recommended above seems awesome but that's for 1000 grit vs WG's 2000 grit swirl removed.

As for pads, I think 9 orange and 7 white should work:

 

[MarkD51]

Great points, I don't think my paint is bad enough for a heavy compound. I'll probably go with WG's swirl remover instead then. I like the CarPro line and the ClearCut as recommended above seems awesome but that's for 1000 grit vs WG's 2000 grit swirl removed.

As for pads, I think 9 orange and 7 white should work:

I personally wouldn't necessarily refer to Wolfgang Uber Compound as a heavy cut compound. I have used some heavy cut stuff in my past, and wouldn't say Uber is such.

I would place Uber as just ever so slightly more aggressive than Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover. And I've found that Uber finishes down just as nicely as TSR. Perhaps the variables will be what Pads you match Uber with, and as well how hard-soft a specific Paint is?

I'm not sure if the other posters here have ever used WG Uber Compound, but I have, it's a superb product, love it.

I'm also not going to say that others here have not given good advice, as they have.