Ceramic Coatings, Part II: Prepping for a Coating

  I want to briefly touch on ceramic coatings again before jumping into the prep before installing. 

  A couple things to watch out for is the marketing behind them. Many companies push that they are 9H hardness. This form of marketing implies the hardness of the coating can not be scratched by anything.  The application to a car's paint is so thin to claim any kind of superhero scratch resistance.

"Ceramic's resistance to exfoliation, too, has been blown out of proportion. The bond between a ceramic coating and your paint is strong enough to stand up to towels and light abrasions—far better than conventional wax—but if you run your coated car through a dirty-brush automatic car wash, you're rinsing $3000 down the drain. As Mike Stoops of Meguiars put it, a ceramic coating isn’t a Star Trek shield that can repel all damage. It’s a sacrificial barrier that will give itself up to protect your paint." - Mack Hogan, Road & Track

  "It’s also not a healing product like a polishing compound. While promotional images show immaculate ceramic-coated cars with swirl-free paint and zero imperfections, a ceramic coating alone won’t get your daily driver any closer to that ideal. Coat an imperfect car and you’ll simply lock those imperfections beneath a slick, protective layer. If you want glass-smooth paint, you'll probably need to do some polishing before you apply that ceramic layer." - Mack Hogan, Road & Track

  Coming back around to the Prep Work and now understanding the importance of it. I will break this down into 5 Steps.

  In order for a coating to bond and last 2, 3, 5 plus years it begins with the cleanest of all panels (surfaces)

Step 1, Decontamination Wash:

 Washing entire vehicle down with soap will remove the loose dirt ensuring less scratching when moving forward. Remove all tar with a solvent based tar remover before moving onto an iron remover. Use a chemical based iron remover to remove all the little metal particles stuck to your exterior surfaces. And lastly remove bugs and rewash the exterior a second time to rinse free the exterior.

Step 2, Wax and Grease Remover:

  This step must be done now and you will also find that installers will be doing this step various times throughout the process.  This must be used to remove the silicones, waxes and grease so that the compounds or polishes will not only remove defects better but bond better too.

Step 3, Compound or Polish to Remove Defects

  As read earlier, scratches, dullness, etc must be removed or lightened in order to receive the best look and best chance of the coating bonding after the it is installed. As a Professional installer we must access each panel individually as well as the entire exterior to determine how to remove said defects. This can be a process that can take a couple hours or 14 plus hours and up based on size/type of vehicle, types of defects or issues with the paint, how many defects will be removed and each installers process on how to remedy those issues.

Step 4, Wax & Grease Remover:

 Again this step is back. When using any compound or polish, they will leave fillers that will leave a wet layer behind that messes with our eyes thinking the scratches have been removed. Once the panel is wiped we can then see if we have removed the scratch and also prep that panel for the next step.

Step 5, Applying and Leveling Coating:

 Now that all the heavy lifting has been done, the final step is to apply the coating. Every coating out there has a little bit different way to apply and level. This is mainly due to the type and amount of solvent used as a carrier in creating a ceramic based coating. Once the coating flashes we are able to level, not remove but level. Leveling ensures no high spots and helps to create that clear high gloss afterwards. This process alone can take up to an hour or even more, again, based on what brand and its solvents used. 

  There are many types, both consumer and professional grade coatings and these rules will apply to both if you are looking to achieve the best results possible. Can a person do it themselves and achieve great results, absolutely. But you have to be willing to put in the time and for many that isn't possible. Also, can a "Professional" installer just be there to take your money, yes. But you can find that in any industry and as consumers we must educate ourselves the best we can and then ask the Professionals all the questions.

  Here I spoke about installing a coating and why it must be done this way. No, this isn't the only way and there may be better or different ways. This post was also an entry through the door into a room that is the forbidden conversation, cost. Up next, why does the cost fluctuate so much between installers, why can it be so expensive and maybe even then, is it worth it.

Thank you again for following along this journey into auto detailing with me.

Dan Goralski, Final Finish Detailing LLC

www.finalfinishdetailing.com

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