Coating WITHOUT Correction??

[98LowRanger]

I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. She picked it up fresh off the truck and told the dealership not to wash it. The drive home are the only miles on it, but it did get in the rain. She wants it coated, but doesn't feel that it needs any paint correction. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish. I know as well as you guys do that 95% of even brand new cars could benefit from at least a light one stage paint correction. I have also never heard of applying a paint coating WITHOUT correcting the paint first. Has anyone ever done this? Is it OK to do? Does the correction process have anything to do with prepping the paint for the coating?

She is bringing the car tomorrow morning so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[bryanviper]

Well my new car that I got end of April I also told the dealer not to touch it.

I brought it home, washed it, clay bar, Carpro Trix and looked for swirl marks but only found 1 or 2 small areas that needed to be corrected. So I did those small areas and put Cquartz UK on the car. It looks find and I see no issues with it. If the paint is in good condition, however if you notice anything then you should point it out to the customer and say, Hey you want it done properly then I need to do some paint correction if not it wont look good.

[GSKR]

Just do what she says and get paid.You know her expectations at least clay it.

[Octopiston]

I'd point out any issues before hand, but if a customer wanted a coating without polish....its their car. I had a customer that wanted her new car sealed without polishing (since she knew she would allow the dealer to run it through their wash). I did it and collected my pay.

[Mike lambert]

I won't coat a car unless it is as close to perfect as it can be. You need to explain to the client that a coating will magnify defects not hide them. It is my opinion that coating a car just to get paid is the sign of a true hack detailer! If you have any reputation in this business you need to protect it. Your name will be on that car,and the last thing you need is to have people look at the car and say who did that!

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

So many pros frown upon coating a car without polishing. My outlook is...if it is an OTC coating like CQuartz Classic or Optimum Gloss Coat....go for it. Just apply 2 coats. Set proper expectations such as you cannot guarantee longevity without proper preparation. Do the job, collect, and go.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Surface preparation is the most important to doing a coating. If it's part of your work ethic and business model to make sure the surface is fully decontaminated and prepared, and the customer doesn't want it, then walk away. Wash/Decontaminate/Evaluate/Prep/Protect -> 5 essential steps. Once you start getting nickle and dimed, it's going to cost you in the long rung.
Doing work on concession (after the fact) is never fun, nor profitable.

Honestly, I would tell her, proper surface preparation is what is key to the coating bonding to the surface and thus longevity.

[custmsprty]

I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. She picked it up fresh off the truck and told the dealership not to wash it. The drive home are the only miles on it, but it did get in the rain. She wants it coated, but doesn't feel that it needs any paint correction. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish. I know as well as you guys do that 95% of even brand new cars could benefit from at least a light one stage paint correction. I have also never heard of applying a paint coating WITHOUT correcting the paint first. Has anyone ever done this? Is it OK to do? Does the correction process have anything to do with prepping the paint for the coating?

She is bringing the car tomorrow morning so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Always give the customer exactly what they ask for.

If you try to upsell her it may backfire.

However it does always make me laugh that people will spend big money on a car and be so stingy when it comes to maintaning it.

Just coat it and be done with it.

[custmsprty]

I won't coat a car unless it is as close to perfect as it can be. You need to explain to the client that a coating will magnify defects not hide them. It is my opinion that coating a car just to get paid is the sign of a true hack detailer! If you have any reputation in this business you need to protect it. Your name will be on that car,and the last thing you need is to have people look at the car and say who did that!

I totally disagree with your statement.

99.9% of the average population will look at the car after hes; done with it and go wow that looks awesome and ask who did it.

The average car owner doesn't walk around with a swirl light finder in their pocket not do they care about swirls nor do they want to be educated about them. They just want their vehicle to look clean and shiny. We are the 1% ters.

[TTQ B4U]

I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish.

People like here are funny. Reminds me of a guy busting the chops of a Tire Sales rep about the prices of summer tires for his Vette. Really? Sometimes people make me LOL.

I've coat two new vehicles with less than a week of miles on them. They required little to no correction for swirls, but I do still charge for a quick light polish and a full wash/decontamination as the paint is still in need of all that. Perhaps not a correction but a cleaning and prep for sure. They both turned out flawless.

That said, I do think that most any new car could benefit from a refined polish but perhaps that's just me. Never did a 50/50 to confirm it but that's my gut.