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I intend to black out the trim, emblems, change the mirror caps and possibly black out the door handles. I also intend to get new wheels (Vossens0 in Satin or Matte Black.
'23 SL63 AMG, '24 Range Rover SE P400, ‘26 Corvette Z06, ‘25 Audi RS7 Performance
Originally Posted by Frenetic
First wash and home applied quasi-ceramic "wax."
I intend to black out the trim, emblems, change the mirror caps and possibly black out the door handles. I also intend to get new wheels (Vossens0 in Satin or Matte Black.
Gorgeous! Congrats. Happy miles.
How do you like the self applied ceramic product? I’m considering it since I’m not keen on spending $2,000 on professional coating.
How do you like the self applied ceramic product? I’m considering it since I’m not keen on spending $2,000 on professional coating.
It looks really good. It has a deep gloss. The only thing I didn’t do was paint correction, but since it had 38 miles and since my untrained eye didn’t notice any defects, I just did it.
why? you clear coat is in perfect condition, you dont need any paint correction or coating. wait till you bit up your clear coat then do it. money waist
why? you clear coat is in perfect condition, you dont need any paint correction or coating. wait till you bit up your clear coat then do it. money waist
No finish is perfect - even right off the assembly line. Professionals always do paint correction before applying ceramic. It's why it's such an expensive process -- it's very labor intensive.
No finish is perfect - even right off the assembly line. Professionals always do paint correction before applying ceramic. It's why it's such an expensive process -- it's very labor intensive.
so you think the spaced out teenager at the detail shop would do better paint correction then MB quality control ? i do agree with you statement. Low quality manufacturing process does skimp on paint process. However then you look at clear coat of your new MB, under sun, do you see any imperfections?
so you think the spaced out teenager at the detail shop would do better paint correction then MB quality control ? i do agree with you statement. Low quality manufacturing process does skimp on paint process. However then you look at clear coat of your new MB, under sun, do you see any imperfections?
I did see imperfections. My GLE sat on a lot for a while, so there were contaminants, too. The detailer who applied my ceramic was no teenager. He was a one-man shop who had skills far beyond mine, and I'm no rookie. It took him more than two days to decontaminate, paint-correct and ceramic-coat my car and wheels. It would have taken me longer, and the quality wouldn't have been as good.
so you think the spaced out teenager at the detail shop would do better paint correction then MB quality control ? i do agree with you statement. Low quality manufacturing process does skimp on paint process. However then you look at clear coat of your new MB, under sun, do you see any imperfections?
Actually, it’s more likely the teenager at the dealer washing your car that will induce scratches than anything else. If you think about it, the person washing your vehicle is the lowest man on the totem pole without any training or skills to do so.
I’ve experienced this first hand at a large MB dealer in town who trashed the paint in my pristine GL550 after just one wash.
I did see imperfections. My GLE sat on a lot for a while, so there were contaminants, too. The detailer who applied my ceramic was no teenager. He was a one-man shop who had skills far beyond mine, and I'm no rookie. It took him more than two days to decontaminate, paint-correct and ceramic-coat my car and wheels. It would have taken me longer, and the quality wouldn't have been as good.
I would never have paint correction done on a new car. The paint is just too valuable to remove with an unnecessary "correction."
A clay bar is plenty to remove contamination. And then at least 24 hours for the ceramic is cured - that's the longest wait time.
Always start with the least aggressive method, then look at it long and hard before you take the next step, because it's irreversible.
I would never have paint correction done on a new car. The paint is just too valuable to remove with an unnecessary "correction."
A clay bar is plenty to remove contamination. And then at least 24 hours for the ceramic is cured - that's the longest wait time.
Always start with the least aggressive method, then look at it long and hard before you take the next step, because it's irreversible.
There's nothing unnecessary about it. The paint had imperfections. Why on earth would I want to protect a flawed finish? Nearly any professional will recommend paint correction before you apply ceramic no matter how new your car. Doing it when the car is new also means less effort to get a good result. You don't have to take my word for it - ask a professional. Or just ask Google. Let me know how many reputable detailers tell you not to paint correct first.
I would never have paint correction done on a new car. The paint is just too valuable to remove with an unnecessary "correction."
A clay bar is plenty to remove contamination. And then at least 24 hours for the ceramic is cured - that's the longest wait time.
Always start with the least aggressive method, then look at it long and hard before you take the next step, because it's irreversible.
I agree and will play Devils advocate! Does a tiny bit of eggshell look really bother people that much? I’ve seen my neighbors car a day or two after a wash and it doesn’t impress me. It looked great the day he brought it home and just after a wash but not so much a day or two later.
Some car paint jobs are probably worse than others but mine have always been good enough for me. The new consumer ceramic applications add a deep shine and repel bugs and dirt very well. I’ve recently been using a Meguiars combo ceramic car wash product and I’ll never do a wash, then Ceramic wax again. Meguiars works on paint, trim and glass, leaves no streaks, no wax lines. Water beads so much that it was taking me 5-6 towels each wash. Today I used my weed blower to partially dry it and only needed two.
After I washed my car with the Meguiars my wash water was murky. My garages have two 16’ doors with 8 windows and there are 3 more 3’X6’, not washed since last fall. I used my dirty car wash water to wash all 11 windows inside and out. There are no streaks and they shine and glisten better than with any previous wash.
I would never have paint correction done on a new car. The paint is just too valuable to remove with an unnecessary "correction."
A clay bar is plenty to remove contamination. And then at least 24 hours for the ceramic is cured - that's the longest wait time.
Always start with the least aggressive method, then look at it long and hard before you take the next step, because it's irreversible.
If you clay your car, you will almost always introduce scratches with need to be removed with a machine polish.
I get what you’re saying. Clear is finite and you should try to preserve it as much as possible, but if the paint has swirls or holograms, then a light machine polish can take care of those before applying a coating, which is the proper way of doing it (if you want to do it right, otherwise, why bother applying a quote).
Here’s an S550 with swirls I recently corrected. You would never see this in ‘normal’ light, but it’s something I would never coat before correcting. It doesn’t take much, and the results are worth it, even with a light correction as I did here:
If you clay your car, you will almost always introduce scratches with need to be removed with a machine polish.
I get what you’re saying. Clear is finite and you should try to preserve it as much as possible, but if the paint has swirls or holograms, then a light machine polish can take care of those before applying a coating, which is the proper way of doing it (if you want to do it right, otherwise, why bother applying a quote).
Cheers,
Claying won't introduce scratches if you do it correctly.
And new paint would only have swirls and holograms if someone "corrected" it - how else could that happen?
Good job on your 550, but clearly it wasn't new paint.
IMO correcting new paint is a mistake. It needs to be protected, not erased.
There's nothing unnecessary about it. The paint had imperfections. Why on earth would I want to protect a flawed finish? Nearly any professional will recommend paint correction before you apply ceramic no matter how new your car. Doing it when the car is new also means less effort to get a good result. You don't have to take my word for it - ask a professional. Or just ask Google. Let me know how many reputable detailers tell you not to paint correct first.
Earlier you said the paint was contaminated. A clay bar is all that's needed to remove contamination.
Imperfections, on the other hand, are a matter of taste. You have to make a decision whether a little orange peel is serious enough to shorten the life of your paint. Most noticeable orange peel that I've seen on cars is on the color coat, not the clear coat.
The only way to get a completely flat finish is to color sand between each coat. Even then, there will be flaws.
The professionals I know, and I know a few, say that preparation for coatings is the most important step. But they tend to recommend that corrections should be saved for later.
If you ask a professional detailer to give you the fanciest package, of course they'll want to sell you a paint correction. But if you ask them if it's necessary or even advised, they'll probably hem and haw, cave and say, well not really.
In reality, paint correction is just trying to hide bigger scratches with smaller scratches. Fresh paint doesn't have scratches.
Earlier you said the paint was contaminated. A clay bar is all that's needed to remove contamination.
Imperfections, on the other hand, are a matter of taste. You have to make a decision whether a little orange peel is serious enough to shorten the life of your paint. Most noticeable orange peel that I've seen on cars is on the color coat, not the clear coat.
The only way to get a completely flat finish is to color sand between each coat. Even then, there will be flaws.
The professionals I know, and I know a few, say that preparation for coatings is the most important step. But they tend to recommend that corrections should be saved for later.
If you ask a professional detailer to give you the fanciest package, of course they'll want to sell you a paint correction. But if you ask them if it's necessary or even advised, they'll probably hem and haw, cave and say, well not really.
In reality, paint correction is just trying to hide bigger scratches with smaller scratches. Fresh paint doesn't have scratches.
You sure do make a lot of assumptions about what drives other people to do what they do. I did not go to any random detailer and tell them to give me their most expensive package. The first thing I did was researched. Second find local shops. Third consult local shops. All three of the local professionals said they same thing I found in my own research: do NOT ceramic seal in your car's flaws. Paint correct first. In my specific case, there were flaws and there were contaminants. My car was on the lot for a few months, so it had been through multiple dealer washes. Swirl marks were already visible. My car needed paint correction anyway. But I would have followed the advice of the experts Regardless. There's a reason they're experts.
Claying won't introduce scratches if you do it correctly.
And new paint would only have swirls and holograms if someone "corrected" it - how else could that happen?
Good job on your 550, but clearly it wasn't new paint.
IMO correcting new paint is a mistake. It needs to be protected, not erased.
“Claying won't introduce scratches if you do it correctly”
It’s a crap shoot. Even when done correctly, depending on what gets caught in the bar, you may or may not introduce marring. I’ve done it countless times and 7 times out of 10, I introduce micro scratches on the paint after claying.
“And new paint would only have swirls and holograms if someone "corrected" it - how else could that happen?”
Happens like it always happens, Either at the factory when they repaint a panel or fix a flaw, or at the dealer after doing dealer prep and improperly washing, Or even simple weekly washes at dealer when vehicle sits on the lot.
I was just at my dealer just last Monday watching a dealer employee going over all the cars in the showroom with a california duster “cleaning” the vehicles. What do you think that does to the paint? Love marks, that’s what they’re called. By the time the pristine indoor vehicle is sold, it will be full of spider webs and love marks that you will not see until it’s in full sunlight.
“Good job on your 550, but clearly it wasn't new paint”
Never said it was. Just making a point. Those spiderwebs are invisible and a lot of new vehicles have them when new. Seen a lot of them. Reasons made on my earlier point.
”IMO correcting new paint is a mistake. It needs to be protected, not erased”
Agree fully, but it’s only a mistake if the paint if flawless. Everyone’s idea of flawless is different. You have to make that decision. Having OCD plays a part.
The point stands, if it’s not flawless, you want to correct it before applying a coat.
PS: Saw you mention orange peel on a later post. No one said anything about removing orange peel. We’re talking about spiderwebs / love marks, swirls, which is a product of improper maintenance/washing, not paint techniques. Our Mercedes have very little orange paint from the factory thankfully.
Hope that clears your misconceptions of what we are discussing here.
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