Ceramic Coating question

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dbrown23

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Hi everyone, hope this isn't a dumb question but I corrected the paint on my Dodge Charger two months ago and protected it with jet seal and buttery wet wax from chemical guys. I wanted to put a ceramic coating on it though so I was wondering if it was enough to clay Bar it and use carpro eraser to get the previous coatings off and if it was ok to go ahead and apply the ceramic coating, or if I had to polish it again? Thanks!


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I have been in the same predicament. I treated the whole car with Iron X, then clayed and only re-polished the areas that I saw necessary...Used eraser on the whole car when done and proceeded to install the coating...hope that helps.


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The only way to know for sure you remove the jet-seal is to polish. Use a fine grade polish and polishing pads. Since you're not correcting, you will not need to do 6-8 section passes per section. Two or three should do the trick... Much like knocking down high-spots.

I would stay away from the clay as you'll risk introducing marring...

If you're going to polish, you could use Essence...
 
I have m205 and v38 for a polish, which would you recommend for that?


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I will echo the above suggestions....

IMO polishing is a must if you have applied anything to your paint and now wish to coat it.

To repeat what was already said, assuming you have no defects to remove, this polishing process is NOT the same as correction work. You should be able to polish your truck in an hour or two.

After a thorough cleaning and decontamination (if needed), use a fine finishing polish like M205 on a polishing pad to make a couple passes over each panel. There is no need to work in small sections like you would when correction, but still use relatively slow arm speed.

I do this process every year or two when I want to recoat my vehicles, and it is a breeze. I will typically polish an entire side of the vehicle before I even go back and remove the polishing residue. I can machine polish my small sedan in <1 hour.

After you've polished the vehicle, do a thorough IPA/Eraser wipe down and apply your coating.
 
zmcgovern45 said:
I will echo the above suggestions....

IMO polishing is a must if you have applied anything to your paint and now wish to coat it.

To repeat what was already said, assuming you have no defects to remove, this polishing process is NOT the same as correction work. You should be able to polish your truck in an hour or two.

After a thorough cleaning and decontamination (if needed), use a fine finishing polish like M205 on a polishing pad to make a couple passes over each panel. There is no need to work in small sections like you would when correction, but still use relatively slow arm speed.

I do this process every year or two when I want to recoat my vehicles, and it is a breeze. I will typically polish an entire side of the vehicle before I even go back and remove the polishing residue. I can machine polish my small sedan in <1 hour.

After you've polished the vehicle, do a thorough IPA/Eraser wipe down and apply your coating.
Click to expand...

Thank you!!


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I would polish the vehicle again myself, save the elbow grease of a clay bar altogether. I wouldn't run the risk of not getting the sealant off prior to a coating application, that's just me though. When it comes to coatings, proper prep work is always justified.

Any quality finishing product would do, but since you have a ceramic coating in mind CarPro Essence would be a great polish for you since it has SiO2 in it and would prep the surface perfectly for a CQuartz or other silica based coatings. The working time of Essence is fast and it's a pleasant polish to use. Bit pricey though.
 
If you already have the 205, I'd use that and start with clean paint for the coating.
 
I would say use v38. It's not as oily as m205 and you'll have an easier time removing all the polishing oils. Zach is right, removing lsp through polish is just putting a few dots of finishing polish and running it over your car for two or three passes, just enough to remove the sub - micron layer of sealant and wax on your car. It takes me with smoke breaks and the like only around an hour and a half to remove previous lsp from my cars paint.
 
I would use an iron remover first, followed by a wash and then a mechanical decon of your choice (clay mit, towel or bar) to make sure nothing is left. It doesn't hurt to use a liquid paint prep like Griot's Paint Prep or if you have N914 rinseless wash, follow the directions on the back and make your own paint prep:xyxthumbs:
 
I am curious what real protective benefits ceramic coatings offer, what companies make the "best" products/ longest lasting products, and what kind of prep I would need. What kind of life can you expect out of a coating given their price?

I own a 2009 Forester and 2016 Mustang Convertible. Both were treated with something called AutoArmor at the dealer when we bought them new. The forester has been through about nine hard 5 month winters since we got it. I will be practicing my polishing technique on the Forester once I decide which AG detailing kit to order from AG, so many to choose from, and have been thinking about experimenting with coating it after.
 
pcworth said:
I am curious what real protective benefits ceramic coatings offer
Click to expand...

Since having my vehicle coated, water spots, fallout, tar, bugs, tree sap, and bird poo are all far more easier to remove. I haven't used Tarminator since, haven't needed too. So far ease of cleaning is the best benefit in my eyes, followed by the additional protection it offers indirectly since you don't have to use solvents or aggressive cleaning methods for anything(you hope). Easier to clean means less likely to induce wash and drying related swirls. I like it, and from this vehicle forward will always have one.

Prep work includes paint perfection and decontamination. Get it as close to perfect as possible, then make sure all residues of all kinds are removed from the surface. There are surface prep products out there, lots now. As for price, I think all the coatings that are not "professional" lines are a great bargain. For what coatings like CQuartz UK offer in terms of longevity, gloss, and protection they are a steal. With proper care an "over the counter" coating, as I like to call them, will get you a couple years. You still have to care for the car and keep it mind that ceramic coatings are not invincible and can still be damaged easily.

I paid for an install, Ceramic Pro, sprayed application and infrared curing. It was very expensive, but I'm in love with it. Had it for about 6 months now. Holding up like day 1 yet. Just wash it with applicable shampoos and gentle dry.
 
https://youtu.be/io3AyVtOoZ0

Here are the results.. first time trying it.

I noticed I had a few swirls and paint imperfections so I used m205 with a microfiber finishing pad. I went with a microfiber pad because the last time I used a foam hexlogic white pad on my car, there was no difference in appearance so I wanted to try something slightly more aggressive. I used speed 4 on my polisher which is a torqx and did 2 passes with slight pressure and on a third pass I lightly pulled up on the polisher. I then wiped off all of the polish and used chemical guys wipe out as an IPA. Next time I definitely need to use eraser by carpro because it was a struggle getting everything off. Seemed like a major difference. I applied the cquartzuk on it and applied the reload 50 minutes on it afterwards. I realize it may not be perfect but I'm not disappointed with the results. Any feedback would be great.


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