Feel like I was duped here with detailing and ceramic coating

[parshisa]

Nice one champ, thanks for sharing.

Keep a keen eye on that paint, get it out in sunlight as soon as you can and look for the tell tale signs of swirls, flaring, imperfections etc.

Just remember that for $1700, any reputable, skilled detailer would tell you what can be achieved and will go so far as to show you which scratches can’t be removed.

They also wouldn’t let that car leave the shop until it was as perfect as the clear coat will allow, even if an employee did the work.

Also, keep in mind that ceramic coating/corrected car is sort of commitment. You can’t just take it to any car wash, it will destroy all the work done as well as your 1,700$. Ceramic coatings ARE NOT scratch proof. Oh, and stay away from sprinklers. Water spotting is no joke with coatings lol


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[expdetailing]

Also, keep in mind that ceramic coating/corrected car is sort of commitment. You can’t just take it to any car wash, it will destroy all the work done as well as your 1,700$. Ceramic coatings ARE NOT scratch proof. Oh, and stay away from sprinklers. Water spotting is no joke with coatings lol


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^^^^^^^This, This, This, and This^^^^^^^
Don't let all that hard work go down the drain with cheap washes. Do it yourself properly, or pay someone to do it for you.

[spazzz]

Did I miss what coating is going on?

Ceramic Pro 9H or A ceramic professional coating?

[Donnation]

Also, keep in mind that ceramic coating/corrected car is sort of commitment. You can’t just take it to any car wash, it will destroy all the work done as well as your 1,700$. Ceramic coatings ARE NOT scratch proof. Oh, and stay away from sprinklers. Water spotting is no joke with coatings lol


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Yes, I always hand wash my vehicles and never take them through a car wash. Thank you for the advice.

[Velocitybts]

Yes, I always hand wash my vehicles and never take them through a car wash. Thank you for the advice.

Well, hand wash with the appropriate wash soaps, wash mitt (or multiple MF towels, one for each panel), and the most important item ----the drying towel. ONLY use a microfiber specific drying towel. DO NOT use a bath towel, or any other towel that is not specific for drying a car. ie.....if you can get it at Walmart, it is likely junk. Get one from Autogeek, maybe the Gyeon drying towel. Get some wash soap with NO additives like wax or anything else in it.

1. Rinse with jet all portions of the paint, especially the lower sections.
2. Wash IMHO each panel with a separate (I prefer Kirkland yellow mf towels) mf towel starting up high then lower section. Keep it wet and dont let it dry while washing rest of SUV. Then use the MF drying towel, preferably with a lubricant to help minimize any possible marring. I use AMMO Hydrate, but Autogeek has a few I think under BlackFire and Pinnacle. Spray a bit on the damp towel then dry the vehicle.

Dont ever rub hands, fingers, or a dry towel across the finish to prevent scratches. This will keep it nice for a long time. In about 2 years if this is a daily driver, contact a member here to help with a light polish to clean up the surface from road grime that will build up, then re-coat with something of your or thier choice.

Hope all that helps a bit

[Donnation]

Well, hand wash with the appropriate wash soaps, wash mitt (or multiple MF towels, one for each panel), and the most important item ----the drying towel. ONLY use a microfiber specific drying towel. DO NOT use a bath towel, or any other towel that is not specific for drying a car. ie.....if you can get it at Walmart, it is likely junk. Get one from Autogeek, maybe the Gyeon drying towel. Get some wash soap with NO additives like wax or anything else in it.

1. Rinse with jet all portions of the paint, especially the lower sections.
2. Wash IMHO each panel with a separate (I prefer Kirkland yellow mf towels) mf towel starting up high then lower section. Keep it wet and dont let it dry while washing rest of SUV. Then use the MF drying towel, preferably with a lubricant to help minimize any possible marring. I use AMMO Hydrate, but Autogeek has a few I think under BlackFire and Pinnacle. Spray a bit on the damp towel then dry the vehicle.

Dont ever rub hands, fingers, or a dry towel across the finish to prevent scratches. This will keep it nice for a long time. In about 2 years if this is a daily driver, contact a member here to help with a light polish to clean up the surface from road grime that will build up, then re-coat with something of your or thier choice.

Hope all that helps a bit

Oh my gosh; are you kidding? It’s life changing information. Thank you so much.

[parshisa]

Oh my gosh; are you kidding? It’s life changing information. Thank you so much.

You weren’t all about sarcasm just a few posts ago, were you?


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[Donnation]

You weren’t all about sarcasm just a few posts ago, were you?


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No not at all. I was just blown away by all of that great information. I am so unbelievably thankful for everyone’s help in here.

[Setec Astronomy]

I did go over it with my flashlight and it looks 1000% better than it did before. I didn’t notice any swirls or marks like I did before. Unfortunately it’s cloudy out and there is no direct sunlight. I think at this point I’m done with this guy either way. If it doesn’t come out the way i like it there is another member here who gave me his number and i will see if he can fix it. I’ll then claim a fraud charge on my CC.

I can’t thank you guys enough. If it wasn’t for this forum educating me on this stuff I probably would have just accepted what I got and let this guy get away with it. I do think it’s been corrected though but only time will tell I guess. Thank you guys again, this forum is awesome and I’m really glad I found it.

So do you have it back? All done?

[Velocitybts]

No not at all. I was just blown away by all of that great information. I am so unbelievably thankful for everyone’s help in here.

I actually took your seriously and didnt think sarcasm personally. But could see how that could be interpreted. MOST people do not know how to wash or dry a vehicle properly. 25% or so of scratches and marring comes from the washing phase. 75% or so of scratches and marring comes from the drying phase.

My parents just bought a brand-new Volvo XC90 in black metallic paint. Issue is I cannot get it paint corrected and coated before Christmas. So tonight I actually searched for a local company to wash theirs by hand.

1. All but one used proper wording (2 bucket, 3 bucket hand wash etc....) but they ALL said dry with a Chamois.
2. When I see 1 stage or 2 stage paint corrections being charged $250-500 I do somewhat cringe a bit.

Point is, that washing and drying are really the most important parts to keeping your paint notably clean and scratch free. Your always going to get hairline scratches, likely not preventable over the long haul. But keeping swirls out is key. So I contacted a company and said I would provide all materials and directions if they would just wash it. We will see.

Point is --- once you learn properly, it doesn't take any more time and you keep the vehicle nicer longer. Some helpful hints again:
1. Never wash MF towels with normal Tide, use a dedicated MF towel wash only
2. Never dry MF towels on anything but low heat, the higher heat will melt the ends microscopically.
3. Best way to dry a car is to not touch it, ie.....Metro Master Blaster 8hp, or the Sidekick. I do NOT like the 4hp models. Tahoe----8hp with 30ft hose and use it to clean garage leaves etc..... I do
4. Use dedicated towels for wheels and ------ get the member from here to Coat your wheels (complete wheels) with Gyeon or CQuartz or 22ple or whatever glass coating you can. You will greatly appreciate that and its worth every penny. Keeps the wheels perfect for years, and you only have to use soap and water on a mf towel to remove dirt and brake dust. They look new ever wash.

DO all that, and I promise you will be please a year from now and feel every penny spent was worth it.