Protecting the Wifes 2018 Equinox

[TR6speed]

I am thinking of changing up the procedure on my wife's car.  I have not decided to do the same on mine.  First her car is as mentioned in the title is a 2018 equinox.  When we first bought it, I did the normal wash, clay, polish and a coat of Americana.  Seeing it is time to do a fresh detail, I was thinking of going with a ceramic protection.  Not sure I want to go with the full ceramic coating or not.  Was thinking of the CPW and then maintain it with the boost.  Can I use the spray coating instead of the wax or can they be used in conjunction with one another?  Also I will get the ceramic waterless wash.  The car is not what I would consider a daily driver as we are both retired and it is garage kept, but it is used a lot more then the Corvette which spends most of its time in the garage covered.

So here is what I believe is the procedure.  Strip wash, clay, correct any paint issue (if any), then either spray coating and used the boost every 4-6 weeks or apply the wax either paste or liquid and maintain with the ceramic waterless wash and/or the wash+coat.

Am I on the right track and of the two which would you recommend?

[shane@detailedreflections]

You could use ceramic wax or ceramic spray. Using both probably provides little to no benefit.

 

Thoughts on the process...

 

Strip wash isn’t a necessary product unless you already have it. The process when done fully will remove any excess product on the paint.

 

It won’t hurt to use a finishing polish either way. It’ll ensure a level clear coat before applying protection with minimal clear coat removal. Think of it as a good cleaner. 

 

Claimed durability between the ceramic wax and coating is similar. The wax is more forgiving to apply (no high spots). 

 

Ultimately the choice is yours, as protection will be similar between the two options. 

[TR6speed]

18 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

You could use ceramic wax or ceramic spray. Using both probably provides little to no benefit.

 

Thoughts on the process...

 

Strip wash isn’t a necessary product unless you already have it. The process when done fully will remove any excess product on the paint.

 

It won’t hurt to use a finishing polish either way. It’ll ensure a level clear coat before applying protection with minimal clear coat removal. Think of it as a good cleaner. 

 

Claimed durability between the ceramic wax and coating is similar. The wax is more forgiving to apply (no high spots). 

 

Ultimately the choice is yours, as protection will be similar between the two options. 

Thanks you for the reply.  I do have a bottle of strip wax that is why I will start with that.  I guess I just need to sit down and place my order.

[Rich]

I have a 19 Nox.  Black.  I've been using the Ceramic Paste Wax and hitting it with the Boost as needed. Looks pretty good to me, but then again it's new paint. 

 

 

[Chris@Adams]

On 6/18/2019 at 11:27 AM, TR6speed said:

I am thinking of changing up the procedure on my wife's car.  I have not decided to do the same on mine.  First her car is as mentioned in the title is a 2018 equinox.  When we first bought it, I did the normal wash, clay, polish and a coat of Americana.  Seeing it is time to do a fresh detail, I was thinking of going with a ceramic protection.  Not sure I want to go with the full ceramic coating or not.  Was thinking of the CPW and then maintain it with the boost.  Can I use the spray coating instead of the wax or can they be used in conjunction with one another?  Also I will get the ceramic waterless wash.  The car is not what I would consider a daily driver as we are both retired and it is garage kept, but it is used a lot more then the Corvette which spends most of its time in the garage covered.

So here is what I believe is the procedure.  Strip wash, clay, correct any paint issue (if any), then either spray coating and used the boost every 4-6 weeks or apply the wax either paste or liquid and maintain with the ceramic waterless wash and/or the wash+coat.

Am I on the right track and of the two which would you recommend?

Sounds like you are on the right track, the Ceramic family is the way to go.

You may not need to strip wash, you can do a Prep wipe down after polishing.

https://adamspolishes.com/shop/adams-ceramics/prep/surface-prep.html

[Car Geek]

I like the idea of the ceramic coating.  My local detail shop offers this and sold me on it.  How hard is this to do yourself?  

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

 

1 minute ago, Car Geek said:

I like the idea of the ceramic coating.  My local detail shop offers this and sold me on it.  How hard is this to do yourself?  

Hi Car Geek. It takes a good bit of prep: using a clay bar and chemical decontamination and, likely polishing. and then you'll need to do a simple surface prep wipe down. Then the coating. 

 

I took about 7 - 8 hours to do two vehicles. Then that doesn't account for letting the coating cure for 24ish hours (meaning keep it untouched in a garage). This included thoroughly washing and cleaning the wheels, tires, trim, paint, and glass (Also, it was raining all that day so I was going much slower than normal). When I looked at prices they were wanting to charge about $800 - 1200 for the process and the coating. I probably spent $150 - 200 on all the products I used... AND I enjoyed the process.

 

Adam's Ceramic Spray Coating is probably the easiest to apply Ceramic Coating on the market. and the Cure time is only 4 hours.

 

I can find a post where I listed out my process...

[Car Geek]

Thanks for your reply, it does seem like it's worth the time investment in the end.  I'll need to wait for a weekend without the kids to do this one!

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

You're welcome. depending on your vehicle size and condition. This could be done in like 3 hours or so. Meaning if you skip the polishing stage, I think that will save a lot of time.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

6 hours ago, Car Geek said:

I like the idea of the ceramic coating.  My local detail shop offers this and sold me on it.  How hard is this to do yourself?  

On 5/30/2019 at 6:57 AM, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

A clay, polish, and surface prep is always recommended. You want the paint to be as perfect and as bare as possible. Maybe look into the Revive Hand Polish as opposed to the more serious polishes. This one is minimally abrasive, and is said to work as a paint cleaner.

 

Reason for that is, if there are any contaminants or imperfections, they will be sealed under the coating. The surface prep is for getting the clay lube/polishing oils/anything else that might be on there off to create the naked paint for the Ceramic Spray Coating to bond to.

 

But also, all of this is up to your discretion, considering your car is new and clay and polish are abrasive, you may not want to polish your car so early. On my vehicle (about 1 year old when I coated) , I skipped the polishing step simply because I didn't have the resources at the time. So my steps were as follows:

1. Strip Wash thoroughly
2. Spray Iron Remover and rinse
3. Clay with DS and rinse
4. Dry
5. Surface prep wipe down with Microfiber towel (important)
6. Coat with CSC
7. Wait cure time (Important)
8. Ceramic Boost (optional, adds sacrificial layer to coating and boosts gloss and hydrophobics)

 

I have had great results so far - Hydrophobics are unbelievable, and gloss is crazy - I don't know how, but it really makes paint look great!

 I think I would have used the Revive Hand Polish right before my surface prep if I could go back. That would give my paint even more extra pop, but I'm happy with my results.