Newbie Ceramic Coating Prep Steps

[Riotralph]

I am looking for some feedback on the following.

Ok, so I have a brand new Toyota Highlander that I want to apply my first ceramic coating (i.e., Armor Shield).
My planned approach is as follows:
- wash and shammy
- clay brick entire surface with Mother's Clay Bar System
- rinse and shammy
- polish with compound (Mothers Pure Polish with 10" orbital polisher), towel buff
- IsoAlcohol (30% alcohol/70% distilled water) wipe down
- Apply ceramic

Am I missing anything vital? If brand new and clay brick is it still necessary to polish?

[Desertnate]

I'll start off by saying Toyota paint is VERY soft and will mar easily. I'm managed to mark the paint on our Highlander with the swipe of my finger! Make sure everything that touches the car like your wash mitt and any towels are very soft microfiber and free from any bits of debris.

I would not dry the vehicle with a shammy. I'd use something softer like one the many quality microfiber drying towels you can get here. They have far less potential for leaving swirls from drying.

If you use the Mothers QD spray with the clay bar, you should probably wash it again vs just a rinse in order to remove all the QD residue.

I would not use the alcohol mixture wipe down and instead go with a dedicated coating prep product like Carpro Eraser or Gyeon Prep. Those products have a little something in them which provides a little lubricaion to help prevent marring. You don't want to spend all that time polishing a car only to induce marring again on your final step. Mike Phillips has posted a couple articles on why he recommends prep products.

On a new car the decision to polish and clay depends on the condition of the paint and your expectations. If the car has been on the lot for a little while and/or the dealership has washed it, chances are good it has swirls you'll want to remove prior to putting on a coating. Claying the car won't be a bad idea either. Between sitting on the lot and being shipped on a truck, it probably has crud imbedded in the paint. It shouldn't be too bad, but if you're going to put on a coating, why not make sure the paint is as perfect as possible. Also, if you are going to clay I HIGHLY recommend you polish. Claying runs a good chance of marring the paint and on soft Toyota paint it is almost guaranteed.

[Bill D]

Do the baggie test to see if clay ing is necessary. Chemical decontamination might be good enough.