Ceramic coating a new car with the usual dealer installed swirl marks

[pearlbeauty]

Hey guys,

Not willing to wait 4 months for a custom ordered car, I decided to take one off the showroom floor with all the options I wanted and one I didn't: The dealer installed swirl marks.


The DA polisher I have is the Rupes 15. From inspection it would seem that claying should be easy as it is smooth except in a few spots.

I want to ceramic coat it, so suggestions would be appreciated. The WG 30cc coating is on it's way.

As far as washing it I have the McKee soap. As for drying I use a leaf blower.

So from this point on what do you guys recommend as far as steps and products. I want to do this once, no matter how long it takes, and hopefully do it right.

Thank You in advance.

[Mike Phillips]

Don't have time to reply right now but I'm sure others will chime in.

I moved your thread out of this forum group

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-members-only/



And into the forum group it's in right now

Auto Detailing 101


as it's the appropriate place for this type of thread and you'll get more action.


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

[Knozzmoeking]

Every product I have purchased here has had pretty good instructions right in the store. In this case, Wolfgang recommends the following:


"Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Coating is designed for vehicles with a smooth, swirl-free finish. If necessary, use Wolfgang Uber Compound and Finishing Glaze to first polish the paint to a high gloss finish."

I've found it easiest to stay within a family of products to create synergy.

[pearlbeauty]

Thank You Mike

[pearlbeauty]

Thank You.

Every product I have purchased here has had pretty good instructions right in the store. In this case, Wolfgang recommends the following:


"Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Coating is designed for vehicles with a smooth, swirl-free finish. If necessary, use Wolfgang Uber Compound and Finishing Glaze to first polish the paint to a high gloss finish."

I've found it easiest to stay within a family of products to create synergy.

[MarkD51]

Well since you say that time, or perhaps even cost is of no concern, and since you are going to go with a coating, I would suggest getting the paint as squeaky clean and contaminant free as possible.

Clay might be sufficient, and of course let the baggie test be a helpful aid to insuring you've got any-all above paint surface crud totally removed.

To go one step further with decon, I would also suggest an iron particle remover as well. Most suggest doing this step after the wash, and prior to claying.

All will agree, that a car even just fresh off the truck that day is no insurance as to iron particle free paint.

IMO, Iron would not be something I'd want to bury under a semi-permanent coating.

I'd also probably have a product such as Carpro Eraser on hand to do an entire vehicle wipe down directly after polishing, and prior to applying the coating to insure any oils from the polishes have been removed.

[TTQ B4U]

So from this point on what do you guys recommend as far as steps and products. I want to do this once, no matter how long it takes, and hopefully do it right.

• Wash
• Chemically decontaminate with something like Car Pro's Iron X
• Physically decontaminate with Clay/Nano
• Dry
• Polish
• Coat

There are dozens of great products out there and we all have our favorites. Anything from HD Polish or Meg's Ultimate Polish/205 will likely be all you need.

What make/model and color vehicle?

[MarkD51]

Good lighting will be paramount. While many of us might be able to masterfully apply a wax, or a sealant totally blindfolded, you need to see as best you can for the polishing, and coating processes.

And of course the right temps. and as I, and many always do, never do anything on paint in direct sunlight.

[Rsurfer]

Congrats on your new car. What brand and color? The lighter (white/silver) the color the easier to polish. Darker colors require extra steps in polishing as you can see every little defect.

[MarkD51]

As to your initial comments, "the paint feels smooth except for a few places". Well, this too can be a real fooler with a bare hand.

Again, the thinnest plastic Sandwich baggy you can find to use (the thinner, the better), place your hand inside of it, and feel your freshly washed paint. And let the baggie be your guide on each and every panel you clay.

As for what polishes, you might get numerous suggestions of a particular brand-type, but the general 2 rules of thumbs will apply, and I personally feel this way about a new vehicle and is probably true of any paint you might approach with DA, Polishes, and Pads.

Firstly, do the least amount of harm. Meaning, try to use the least aggressive methods, products, pads, and techniques to get the job properly done. Lighting will help be a guide, you must be able to see as good as possible, otherwise you are working "blind".

With that being said, I would probably lean towards using an ultra fine finishing polish, and a less aggressive pad. Such as perhaps the Lake Country Flat White Pads, White ThinPro Pads, or the Rupes equivalent. Surely don't start with a Pad that's as hard, and as aggressive as a Cheese Grater!

You can always repeat a process on any given section of the paint if it needs a bit more attention and to perhaps remove some slightly deeper sleeks that you have not fully removed with the first set of section passes with gentler processes. Or, perhaps conclude you may have to then resort to a slightly more aggressive polish, or Pad, then repeat the finessing with a finishing polish.

The proverbial "Test Spot", which Mike Phillips, our master here on this forum wisely beats into our brains constantly. One can tape off an area, Mike usually does, and this is sometimes mostly for effect, to clearly see one from the other, but isn't exactly that necessary. That if you're liking what you're seeing with a given polish, pads, and technique, this test spot is an aid that you continue to repeat the same polishing processes on the rest of the vehicle.

Lastly, don't forget having some rolls of good auto painter's masking tapes on hand, to protect parts-trim, rubber, emblems-badges that you do not want damaged by the polishes and DA, or slinging polishes all over.

To not mask, you'll wrongly assume and learn the hard way of damaging such trim-emblems, by wrongly thinking "oh. I'll stay away from those with the machine!. Nope, you most likely won't.

Repairing and eliminated any damages created on trim, badges, lettering can be hard to impossible, let's say one of those spiffy oval Ford Badges, which of course only cheap plated plastic, there's no bringing back burned off chrome plating.