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I would like to ask the forum regarding ceramic coating for a new car. Obviously clay baring needs to be done . Do you recommend to polish a new car or to apply ceramic coating after clay bar ? I afraid that polish will remove clear coat .
Thank you.
I would like to ask the forum regarding ceramic coating for a new car. Obviously clay baring needs to be done . Do you recommend to polish a new car or to apply ceramic coating after clay bar ? I afraid that polish will remove clear coat .
Thank you.
I wouldn’t use an aggressive polish, it’s really not needed since it’s new. The clay is really all you need. But if you do want to polish it - use something along the lines of a Mequires mirror or something gentle like that.
you’ll want to wipe down the car with at 70% rubbing alcohol after and before the ceramic to get all oils and whatnots off the paint before the ceramic. Otherwise it may not stick.
I used something called “The Last Coat” - their “Black Ice” ceramic this year, including the GLS. Clayed but did not polish the GLS (I did polish the 2014 E350). Used 2 coats of the black ice. It is holding up quite well.
All I ever want from the finish of my car is that it replicate the way it looked when it rolled off the dealer’s lot. To this end, I have our local commercial car wash hand wax the vehicle every 3 months with Griot’s GarageBest of Show Wax. I also have a 16 year old CLK Cabrio that is maintained this same way, all original, and it looks perfect.
Paul, the #1 thing you should have them do is claybar the car before putting on the wax, it’ll make all the difference in the world too keep it like new. Whatever you use after the claybar, is really all just personal preference in my opinion. It’s kind’ve like the “which oil is best” debate.
This is my 14’ 212 with about 52k miles on it. It has only been detailed twice in its life. First was when I got it 3 years ago, and this photo here from about a month ago. Each time, the claybar itself ended the process completely filthy and the paint ended the process looking brand new. After that, it’s really just whatever you want to apply to make it shine and have some protection on it. Mine here had one coat of mequires mirror polish, wiped it all down with isopropyl alcohol, and then put this “last coat” black ice ceramic on it (2 coats).
im not affiliated with this “the last coat” product, but I do recommend it now after using it for the first time this year. Google search and you should find it. I bought the weekend warrior bundle and after doing 3 cars, have plenty left over. Really made the chore quite easy.
I rarely hand wash anymore, they all go through the car wash (cloth), and then when they come come home, I spend about 10 minutes with a rag and spray a little of their “tlc2” on and wipe the car down with it, super ease and it keeps it super smooth. The water droplets when it rains is bizarrely good. Even fog beads up on the paint now.
I had my dealer deliver my wifes GLS silver/black to the coating shop. 631 Coatings on Long Island New York coated the GLS paint.trim,wheels and glass. They paint corrected her first, which is definitely needed prior to coating. I wanted someone else to be responsible for the appearance of the truck because my wife doesn't care and I am just too busy .
my two cents
vdm
Paul, the #1 thing you should have them do is claybar the car before putting on the wax, it’ll make all the difference in the world too keep it like new. Whatever you use after the claybar, is really all just personal preference in my opinion. It’s kind’ve like the “which oil is best” debate.
This is my 14’ 212 with about 52k miles on it. It has only been detailed twice in its life. First was when I got it 3 years ago, and this photo here from about a month ago. Each time, the claybar itself ended the process completely filthy and the paint ended the process looking brand new. After that, it’s really just whatever you want to apply to make it shine and have some protection on it. Mine here had one coat of mequires mirror polish, wiped it all down with isopropyl alcohol, and then put this “last coat” black ice ceramic on it (2 coats).
im not affiliated with this “the last coat” product, but I do recommend it now after using it for the first time this year. Google search and you should find it. I bought the weekend warrior bundle and after doing 3 cars, have plenty left over. Really made the chore quite easy.
I rarely hand wash anymore, they all go through the car wash (cloth), and then when they come come home, I spend about 10 minutes with a rag and spray a little of their “tlc2” on and wipe the car down with it, super ease and it keeps it super smooth. The water droplets when it rains is bizarrely good. Even fog beads up on the paint now.
I'm really impressed that the coating is holding up even through the cloth car washes. Do you have noticeable swirls?
To answer OP, I also had my GLS done professionally and it looks great. My W212 was done by myself with NC211's method, but just using different products (CQuartz UK 3.0). It's the shiniest W212 in my city...
If you prefer, you can do a very light pass with the polish to make sure its scratch free. A light pass won't do enough harm to the clear coat.
If you want your car to look it's best, I suggest you do a light one-step polish to refine the paint and obtain the best gloss before using a ceramic coating. I would stick with some well known brands like Rupes (Italian), Menzerna or Scholl Concepts (German). I suggest using a Rupes Yellow Polishing pad with your choice of one of the above and a dual action random orbital polisher. These polishes have very little cut and will on refine your clear coat. This is what I recommend for steps.
This is the 3rd car I've ceramic coated and I used the following process:
1. Washed the car with dish washing soap to remove existing wax
2. Clay bar the car
3. Polish out any swirl marks or light imperfections in the paint - my car was new, but the black finish showed swirl marks, especially on the hood
4. Alcohol bath - +70% alcohol sprayed directly onto paint and wiped off immediately with microfiber towel
5. My ceramic kit came with a pre-treatment spray, so I also applied that after the alcohol bath, but the pre-treatment was also likely a highly concentrated alcohol
6. Even coat of the ceramic material, being careful to work in small areas and wipe off the ceramic with clean microfiber towels 30-60 seconds after application with a smooth sponge provided in the kit
7. Buff to a brilliant shine with fresh microfiber towels
8. Let the car sit overnight, and don't drive it for at least 12 hours
Results are amazing! Water beads off quickly and dust barely sticks to it! I expect this ceramic coating to last about 18 months with the harsh winters in the Northeast. Well worth the $59 and the 4-5 hours it took to apply it.
Looks great and some great advice! I’m getting windows tinted and clear bra installed Monday and after that, I plan to ceramic coat the truck on my own. I have done our last 4 cars so I have become pretty good at it.
My usual processes:
1. Wash the car with heavy soap using foam cannon and power washer.
2. Once the car is washed but before it is dry, I use a clay bra mitt dipped in the car wash soap bucket as lube to clay bar the vehicle. It goes very quickly. Then rinse once more and dry using my shop vac to blow the water off and then microfiber drying towels.
3. Single-step polish using a random orbital polisher.
Key step!!! Let the car dry, preferably overnight. The ceramic coatings cure with moisture so if there are runs or tiny spots of water on the vehicle, you can get streaks. I let the car dry overnight, then start ceramic coating the next day.
4. I use Gtechniq panel wipe as the prep before the ceramic coating. It is a high isopropyl alcohol content cleaner to remove any waxes, oils, etc from the polishing process. It also removes any dust that might have accumulated overnight.
5. Ceramic coat the vehicle in small 2x2’ segments using Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, microfiber applicator sponge, and brand new microfiber towels (usually 5-6). Apply the coating back and forth, once it starts to flash off, you use one new towel to lightly spread the coating extending slightly beyond the area of application. Then immediately switch to another new towel and using harder pressure you buff the coating also extending beyond the area buffed before so you continue to spread the coating and catch any overlap.
6. Once the paint is done, I hit the wheels.
7. Let dry for 12 hours and keep it out of any water.
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