Prep for Ceramic coating

[b4wheeler]

Simple as that.

Car is up for winter for suspension work, body mods and hopefully rear gears and converter.

So thinking about doing some paint correction and ceramic coating..

Definitely paint correction....

Any help or input on the process I should take and maybe even product recommendations.

Currently use Meguiars.

[Adam's Polishes]

Check out this link, a lot of good info.

https://adamspolishes.com/collection...int-coating-uv

[StreetRage320]

that's a very long answer that is probably already somewhere on this site and lots of good videos..

In addition to the typical process, I would suggest only using a random orbital polisher if this is your first paint correction. Make sure you have excellent lighting that can be adjusted. Clean your floor, and your garage or shop where you will be doing it. Dust will be your enemy during the process. Allow minimum of 4-6 hours depending on condition so you do not feel rushed. Clean your applicator pad often, any contaminants in your pad will cause damage. Lastly, but most importantly, clay bar it first.

good luck!

p.s. if your first time, maybe try out on another vehicle first? I became good at it by doing my wifes, daughters, and mothers vehicls first..

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Impossible to do a complete paint correction in 4-6 hours by yourself using a R/O polisher.

1st step) Strip wash......30-45 minutes.

2nd step) Clay or clay alternative.... 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on how much bonded contaminates are on the paint, and which version you use.

3rd step) Iron decontamination....20 minutes.

4th step) IPA or Eraser wipedown….20 minutes.

5th step) Compounding......4-10 hours depending on how bad the paint is, which compound/pad you use, and which machine you use.....and what level of correction you desire.

6th step) Polishing....same as compounding.... 4-10 hours. Could go longer using some finishing polishes.

[StreetRage320]

It's possible. The prep work & surface decontamination is not correcting the paint, just removing contaminants. I said 4-6 hours minimum for the paint correcting, which I have accomplished. Of course that is the minimum and goes up from there based on conditions and goals.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

It's possible. The prep work & surface decontamination is not correcting the paint, just removing contaminants. I said 4-6 hours minimum for the paint correcting, which I have accomplished. Of course that is the minimum and goes up from there based on conditions and goals.

I want to see before and after pictures from each panel of a vehicle that you did using only a standard R/O polisher, from 2 feet away from the paint surface....that you spent 4-6 hours total and perfected the paint.....it's not possible.....I've done over 40 cars and even with my better machines I use now (Rupes and Flex) and still takes 8-20 hours to do it right.


Here are mine of my camaro......20 hours total...with a Griots Garage R/O using 6" and 4" pads.....Megs D300 and Carpro Reflect.

[StreetRage320]

23 years ago I went through a trade school that also had classes for Auto Body. Since they were next to my trade, I got to know many of them very well. One of them still lives near me and we get together often. He taught me how to detail, and to this day critiques my car when he's over. I do not need to send pics to you for approval, I trust him as he is highly sought after for high end work.

My car has 2700 miles on it and detailed properly throughout the year, and I assure you that next spring I will uncover it and remove from my garage and I will have the paint flawless in 4-6 hours. And again I said MINIMUM, I did not even list a Maximum time as you did. Heck, you cannot say maximum of 10, I have done some cars that took me longer than 10 and I have had to go borrow my buddies depth gauge to see if I had more clear to go.

kind of bored now if you want to keep debating, that's cool with me. Kind of a dumb argument though.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

23 years ago I went through a trade school that also had classes for Auto Body. Since they were next to my trade, I got to know many of them very well. One of them still lives near me and we get together often. He taught me how to detail, and to this day critiques my car when he's over. I do not need to send pics to you for approval, I trust him as he is highly sought after for high end work.

My car has 2700 miles on it and detailed properly throughout the year, and I assure you that next spring I will uncover it and remove from my garage and I will have the paint flawless in 4-6 hours. And again I said MINIMUM, I did not even list a Maximum time as you did. Heck, you cannot say maximum of 10, I have done some cars that took me longer than 10 and I have had to go borrow my buddies depth gauge to see if I had more clear to go.

kind of bored now if you want to keep debating, that's cool with me. Kind of a dumb argument though.

The paint used 23 years ago is TOTALLY different from modern clearcoats used today. The machines used today are TOTALLY different as well. Body shops don't do paint correction....they typically use a rotary just to level, and leave swirls in the paint.

My car has 54,000 miles on it, I drag race it as well, it is NEVER garaged and my paint looks like the pictures I have shown, as well as the pic in my sig. I didn't buy it to drive it once in a while, and just to look at it.
Since the OP is modding his car as he stated, he doesn't leave his car in the garage year round only for a random drive, or just to look at it.

A car that sits only in the garage, covered up, and rarely driven, that already has paint correction done to it should need nothing done to it. It should have been washed before being covered.

I don't need to borrow paint thickness gauges, I have my own.

The OP has a car that is 9 years old. If the paint has never been corrected, which based upon his questions, it hasn't, there is NO WAY your doing a compound/polish in 4-6 hours. It's not possible.

Yes it is a dumb argument.....paint that has swirls in the clearcoat isn't going to be corrected in 4-6 hours with a R/O polisher.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Here is another fine specimen......6th Gen Camaro 2018...….less than 500 miles on it....dealership installed swirl option......18 hours total correction time....mostly smaller pads used due to the curvature of 6th gen's......4-6 hours to do this? IMPOSSIBLE.

[StreetRage320]

Yes paint has changed in 23 years, you also can't believe everything you learned on YouTube.
Yes, he does full paint correction as one of his services - even w/o any collision damage.
I D/D my Silverado, can't drive them all. But congrats on driving yours.
My car goes to many car shows, was used in two parades and one prom last year, it will not require heavy compounding, but will require polish.
I prefer to use a professional grade meter, I imagine you have the Amazon special from China..but nonetheless, good for you! (extra point for you).
Never said it would take 4-6 hours maximum, I said to plan that as a minimum starting point. You also cannot do every car in <10 hours.
How do you know his car has never been corrected?
My car will have some light swirls in the spring or other imperfections, our clear is soft, but that is fine, makes the polishing even quicker, and yes, 4-6 hours is possible Sleepy Joe.

I gotta run, but it's been fun.

OP don't let this scare you, just take your time and do some research and maybe trial runs on a "beater" and you'll be fine.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

This is what I do to my car ONCE per year that takes 4 hours...this is NOT paint correction....this is ONLY finish polish (Carpro Essence)… after 1 year of everything mother nature can throw at it...after 52 weekly washes.....it only has very light wash marring.....you will have to look close at the pic to see it......the other pic is after polishing....again..this is NOT paint correction...no compounding was done. Your car sits in a garage and is rarely driven, and has swirls?

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

Yes paint has changed in 23 years, you also can't believe everything you learned on YouTube.
Yes, he does full paint correction as one of his services - even w/o any collision damage.
I D/D my Silverado, can't drive them all. But congrats on driving yours.
My car goes to many car shows, was used in two parades and one prom last year, it will not require heavy compounding, but will require polish.
I prefer to use a professional grade meter, I imagine you have the Amazon special from China..but nonetheless, good for you! (extra point for you).
Never said it would take 4-6 hours maximum, I said to plan that as a minimum starting point. You also cannot do every car in <10 hours.
How do you know his car has never been corrected?
My car will have some light swirls in the spring or other imperfections, our clear is soft, but that is fine, makes the polishing even quicker, and yes, 4-6 hours is possible Sleepy Joe.

I gotta run, but it's been fun.

OP don't let this scare you, just take your time and do some research and maybe trial runs on a "beater" and you'll be fine.

OP this guy can't tell you ANYTHING because he doesn't KNOW anything....I have posted PROOF of what I do...he post's words....once he leaves I will be glad to tell you EXACTLY what to do to make the Victory Red paint on your Camaro look just like mine...….You wont do it in 4-6 hours....sorry....I have to be honest and tell the truth.....unless you want a 1/2 assed job.

I don't believe that is what you want......I think you would like this better....

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

How do you know his car has never been corrected?

Because this is what he said in his original post...….did you even read it?

Originally Posted by b4wheeler

So thinking about doing some paint correction and ceramic coating..

Definitely paint correction....

Any help or input on the process I should take and maybe even product recommendations.

Currently use Meguiars.

Originally Posted by StreetRage320

My car will have some light swirls in the spring or other imperfections, our clear is soft

More evidence that you don't have a clue.....the clearcoat used in Canada at the GM plant that built our cars is not soft.....it's medium...….had you actually polished a car with soft paint (Honda's...Nissan's)....you would know this. Or a car with hard paint...(Mercedes...Audi).

The reason your car has swirls is because...

1) You didn't compound it properly and remove them.
2) You don't wash the car properly and put them back in.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

This will take several posts.

These first steps have to be done before any paint correction or polishing can be done. The paint must be free of any sealant/wax, and contaminates. So here we go.

Step 1) Strip wash.....designed to clean and remove any old sealant/wax. Several of the detailing companies sell "Strip Wash Soap".
You can buy this is if you want, but what I do instead is just wash with APC (all purpose cleaner).
Do no wash in direct sunlight or allow it to dry on the paint. Rinse well and be sure to remove all of it. You'll know when it's completely gone because you'll see no more soap bubbles.

The water will lay flat on the paint (no beading or sheeting) when all the old wax/sealant is removed......you may have to repeat the process for recently applied sealants to achieve this.

2) Clay or Clay alternative.

Even though you have washed/cleaned the surface, it most likely has bonded contaminates on it......tree sap mist...industrial fallout, etc.

How do you find this out without being able to see these contaminates? The baggie test.




While you can use standard clay to remove bonded contaminates, it's really obsolete. Use a clay alternative instead. I like the SM Arnold Speedy prep towel (fine grade).

The benefits of this towel vs. clay are...it never needs kneading...it doesn't require you to use pressure to remove contaminates.....it's good for 75-100 uses...if you drop it accidentally, unlike clay, you don't have to throw it away. Just rinse well with warm water and it's good to go. Cuts time vs. traditional claying in half or less.

You will need clay lube. Best values are ONR or Ultima Waterless Wash Plus concentrate.

Ok now you have removed all the bonded contaminates, and the paint is smooth when tested with the baggie.....but.....you still have one more decontamination step.

Step 3) Iron decontamination......cars sit in railyards before they are delivered.....they get rail dust on them..in traffic, brake dust is everywhere.....and it gets into the pores of the paint. Really easy to remove though. Just spray on an iron remover...alllow to dwell a few minutes without drying,, and rinse well. Many of these to choose from....I like Carpro Trix because it removes both Iron and Tar.



Now that you have your cars surface completely decontaminated, the last step before beginning paint correction is a wipe down with 15-20% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol), or a prep like Carpro Eraser.

This is for removing any remaining clay lube residue/iron decon residue, that is on the paint. Wear nitrile gloves when doing this step, as you don't want to transfer oils from your hands onto the paint. Just spray on 1 panel at a time, and wipe dry with an absorbent microfiber......I like the Rag Company Everest 1100 towels for this task.

Now your paint is properly prepped.....and ready for compounding.

Before we talk about this....I need to see a close up picture of your paint...about 2 feet away......what machine you have, or intend to get, to use for correction.