shane@detailedreflections

Let’s follow up with a whole bunch more information about what paint correction is, and when it should (and shouldn’t be applied). 
 
Paint correction is not a magic bullet. It’s not something that can be done unlimited times. Paint correction works by removing clear coat in order to remove defects in your paint. 
 
Most of the UV protection of your paint comes in the first 1/3 of the clearcoat. Knowing that, we don’t want to remove more than that over the LIFETIME of the vehicle. Once you reduce the UV protection you accelerate clearcoat failure requiring a repaint. 
 
Paint correction also serves to level the clearcoat on a vehicle increasing the glossy look of the finish. This is why even brand new vehicles benefit from polishing. 
 
Modern paint systems are a three part system. They consist of a primer, base coat (color) and clear coat.  Older paints may be single stage in nature mixing the clear and paint layers. 
 
On top of your paint sits a variety of contamination and defects typically. Contamination on the paint is generally tackled with washing, iron remover and clay.
 

 
When we talk about defects, there’s spider webs which are microscratches, deep scratches which may or not be able to be taken care of without repainting and other forms of defects as illustrated below. 
 

 
When paint correcting we are only working with the clear coat. So as you can see, the deep scratches can’t be fixed. And some that are just in the clear coat shouldn’t be fixed for fear of striking through or removing too much clear accelerating failure. 
 
So you get a car, and you paint correct it. You’ve removed a little clear coat. You use good technique in washing and over time you develop damage (it happens no matter what we do). You polish again. But because you’ve used good technique along the way, you only need a finish polish to take a little clear coat off. Using this methodology you can get a long time with out of your paint and great looks. 
 
The other scenario is you perform a paint correction and you take it through the automatic car wash. You damage your finish over time. You then need a full correction to repair the damage which takes off more of the clear coat.  When approached this way, you’re going to burn through more clear coat or get less corrections. 
 
So the ultimate answer to your question is to correct as infrequently as possible to preserve the clear coat. We use a paint thickness gauge to know what we are doing to a clients paint (or what they’ve done to it already). 
 
We are not opposed to using a fine polish a couple times a year. It leaves a satisfactory finish for most clients without significantly shortening the life of the paint. We will sometimes use a compound in isolated spots to handle concentrated damage as opposed to going all in everywhere. 
 
Hope this is helpful. 

Hey guys!  So it seems like the timing of this one isn’t working for people as there’s been no solid RSVP’s yet and work conflicts. We will reschedule this clinic later in the season if there’s interest!
 
Sorry!

If you have the finishing polish already, skip the glaze. Polish it down with finishing polish, reapply coating, buff it off and move on.
 
I’m skeptical about the claim of glaze on cured coating personally. If it will remove high spots once fully cured, what stops it from removing the coating completely?  I get the concept of uncured or partially cured, but not a fully cured coating. That’s typically abrasion only. 
 
You can wax over a glaze. Glaze is a very short lifespan product. And while you can wax over a ceramic coating, I’d ask why?  Is it just that you want an additional layer of protection?  If so, have at it. In my opinion it’s not required and somewhat defeats the purpose of a coating which is commonly reduced maintenance (not maintenance free). 
 
So in short, some finishing polish on a microfiber or machine with a finishing pad, polish it down quick (literally won’t take long), reapply coating and level it. Live happy. That’s the quickest and easiest solution instead of trying things. This will work the first time. 

Ceramic Boost is easy to over apply. A little bit goes a long way. Generous application leads to streaking. Keep buffing with a soft microfiber to level the boost and pick up any excess. Literally you need a spray or two per panel (especially once the first panel or two is done and the towel is primed).

Smear marks sound like high spots in the coating application. Try some brilliant glaze on it if it’s newly applied to see if that works, otherwise use some finishing polish to knock it down and reapply the coating. 

We do have some familiarity with interior coatings if you have questions.  Don’t hesitate to ask!

We do have some familiarity with interior coatings if you have questions.  Don’t hesitate to ask!

I mostly use Rinseless Wash, but with the weather in your area a standard 2 bucket wash with Car Shampoo would probably be your best bet.
 
Lucky for you @shane@detailedreflections is having a detailing clinic at his shop in a few weeks - 2nd Detailed Reflections clinic in CT .  This would be a great place to ask questions, get advice, and get to 'hands on' experience with lots of tools.  Most definitely work the 45 minute trip!    

It’s a bit of a ride, but @Sizzle Chest (Scott) at Auto Dermatology is an awesome detailer that would be worth the trip to go to for services if he fits your needs/budget.
 
Http://www.autodermatology.com
 
 
 

No more than a standard detail package. We don’t charge them an upcharge to reinstall the top layer of a product they already paid for. I can’t in good faith ask a client for a large sum of money to install the product initially and say you have to bring it back to me yearly so I can charge you all over again. At that point it seems like a money grab. 
 
The process of washing, iron and clay happens anyway when we get a car. 99% of our jobs involve at least a light finish polish. At that point it’s not significantly longer for us to reapply a top coat. The top coat we work with is forgiving and we are experienced in its application so two of us can get it done without significantly increasing the time of the appointment for a client. Most top layers we reinstall are done with remnants from initial application. 
 
With this process you can see our increased cost of maintenance is minimal, as such I don’t feel comfortable inflating the cost to a client. It’s not how we do business. We are making money on the service regardless. The least we can do is to do it right. 
 
That being said if someone comes in with a trashed finish on a coated vehicle, the costs get passed on. In exchange for our policy we expect at least a minimum level of care for your vehicle when it’s not with us. 
 
Hopefully that clears up any confusion. 

We typically do both as maintenance. The iron remover makes the clay process easier. It’s not necessarily required as much as it is convenient. 
 
Coatings get their hydrophobic properties from water contact angles. So the smaller the surface of water, the less friction it has to hang on. So coatings by nature are slick. Now put bonded contamination on the paint and it gets a bit rough and interferes with that contact angle increasing the surface area. All of a sudden, the water can cling to the surface.
 
The same holds true of surface damage such as scratches or etching. Again, coatings are harder to damage but not impossible. The imperfections allow more for water to cling to. 
 
As an example, think of a freshly waxed floor. Pretty slick. Easy to fall on. Now scuff it up a bit with some contamination or some grippy texture tape and all of a sudden it’s not so slippery. Remove the tape, and the slippery condition is restored. 
 
Coated vehicles contaminate slower than non coated, but they do contaminate and will require maintenance. This is true regardless of whatever hype is out there (and some companies make some crazy claims). 
 
Hope this clears it up a bit. 

No more than a standard detail package. We don’t charge them an upcharge to reinstall the top layer of a product they already paid for. I can’t in good faith ask a client for a large sum of money to install the product initially and say you have to bring it back to me yearly so I can charge you all over again. At that point it seems like a money grab. 
 
The process of washing, iron and clay happens anyway when we get a car. 99% of our jobs involve at least a light finish polish. At that point it’s not significantly longer for us to reapply a top coat. The top coat we work with is forgiving and we are experienced in its application so two of us can get it done without significantly increasing the time of the appointment for a client. Most top layers we reinstall are done with remnants from initial application. 
 
With this process you can see our increased cost of maintenance is minimal, as such I don’t feel comfortable inflating the cost to a client. It’s not how we do business. We are making money on the service regardless. The least we can do is to do it right. 
 
That being said if someone comes in with a trashed finish on a coated vehicle, the costs get passed on. In exchange for our policy we expect at least a minimum level of care for your vehicle when it’s not with us. 
 
Hopefully that clears up any confusion. 

We typically do both as maintenance. The iron remover makes the clay process easier. It’s not necessarily required as much as it is convenient. 
 
Coatings get their hydrophobic properties from water contact angles. So the smaller the surface of water, the less friction it has to hang on. So coatings by nature are slick. Now put bonded contamination on the paint and it gets a bit rough and interferes with that contact angle increasing the surface area. All of a sudden, the water can cling to the surface.
 
The same holds true of surface damage such as scratches or etching. Again, coatings are harder to damage but not impossible. The imperfections allow more for water to cling to. 
 
As an example, think of a freshly waxed floor. Pretty slick. Easy to fall on. Now scuff it up a bit with some contamination or some grippy texture tape and all of a sudden it’s not so slippery. Remove the tape, and the slippery condition is restored. 
 
Coated vehicles contaminate slower than non coated, but they do contaminate and will require maintenance. This is true regardless of whatever hype is out there (and some companies make some crazy claims). 
 
Hope this clears it up a bit. 

We typically do both as maintenance. The iron remover makes the clay process easier. It’s not necessarily required as much as it is convenient. 
 
Coatings get their hydrophobic properties from water contact angles. So the smaller the surface of water, the less friction it has to hang on. So coatings by nature are slick. Now put bonded contamination on the paint and it gets a bit rough and interferes with that contact angle increasing the surface area. All of a sudden, the water can cling to the surface.
 
The same holds true of surface damage such as scratches or etching. Again, coatings are harder to damage but not impossible. The imperfections allow more for water to cling to. 
 
As an example, think of a freshly waxed floor. Pretty slick. Easy to fall on. Now scuff it up a bit with some contamination or some grippy texture tape and all of a sudden it’s not so slippery. Remove the tape, and the slippery condition is restored. 
 
Coated vehicles contaminate slower than non coated, but they do contaminate and will require maintenance. This is true regardless of whatever hype is out there (and some companies make some crazy claims). 
 
Hope this clears it up a bit. 

Just wanted to clear up a few misconceptions about coatings given your experience. 
 
Coatings get contaminated less quickly than non coated vehicles due to their hydrophobic, “self cleaning” properties. This doesn’t translate to not needing to be decontaminated. 
 
We recommend clients with coated vehicles to come back yearly so we can properly clay and decontaminate as needed. In that process if a light polish needs to be done we will, or even to reapply the top coat.
 
Many professional grade coatings are applied in layers so that the top layer can be damaged/removed/replaced as needed. We don’t charge extra for that once a client has a coating done. We simply do what needs to be done for our clients.  Most professional base layers are difficult to remove...think wetsanding. Polishing lightly is adequate, especially if you’re reapplying a top layer. 
 
If your vehicle went two years without the proper maintenance, I’m not surprised it doesn’t act like when it was new. My feeling is some decontamination and a light polish and that action comes back. 
 
The number one cause of people people who have coated vehicles and think the product has failed is that the surface needs to be decontaminated. Once you get contamination on the surface, it won’t act like when it was freshly installed as it’s not the same surface it was. A decontamination and a little top layer maintenance and you’re good to go!
 
Despite marketing hype, coatings can be damaged and they do require maintenance. It’s just a different maintenance schedule than a non coated vehicle. 

We typically do both as maintenance. The iron remover makes the clay process easier. It’s not necessarily required as much as it is convenient. 
 
Coatings get their hydrophobic properties from water contact angles. So the smaller the surface of water, the less friction it has to hang on. So coatings by nature are slick. Now put bonded contamination on the paint and it gets a bit rough and interferes with that contact angle increasing the surface area. All of a sudden, the water can cling to the surface.
 
The same holds true of surface damage such as scratches or etching. Again, coatings are harder to damage but not impossible. The imperfections allow more for water to cling to. 
 
As an example, think of a freshly waxed floor. Pretty slick. Easy to fall on. Now scuff it up a bit with some contamination or some grippy texture tape and all of a sudden it’s not so slippery. Remove the tape, and the slippery condition is restored. 
 
Coated vehicles contaminate slower than non coated, but they do contaminate and will require maintenance. This is true regardless of whatever hype is out there (and some companies make some crazy claims). 
 
Hope this clears it up a bit. 

Your process is good. The use of finishing polish is up to you and if you’re satisfied with the results of the single step. Is it clear?  No haze?  Glossy enough?  If so, seal it and wax it. If not, refine the finish with the use of finishing polish before sealing and waxing. 
 
Black cars are almost always get the finishing polish step though. Cutting corners on black usually shows down the line. 

Voids are spots where the paint is missing like chips, failure or deep scratches. 
 
Polishing is a clear coat process. Once the clear coat is gone, polishing can’t happen. 

Your process is good. The use of finishing polish is up to you and if you’re satisfied with the results of the single step. Is it clear?  No haze?  Glossy enough?  If so, seal it and wax it. If not, refine the finish with the use of finishing polish before sealing and waxing. 
 
Black cars are almost always get the finishing polish step though. Cutting corners on black usually shows down the line. 

Your process is good. The use of finishing polish is up to you and if you’re satisfied with the results of the single step. Is it clear?  No haze?  Glossy enough?  If so, seal it and wax it. If not, refine the finish with the use of finishing polish before sealing and waxing. 
 
Black cars are almost always get the finishing polish step though. Cutting corners on black usually shows down the line. 

There’s a few years. Some people say vinegar diluted will do it. 
 
We use a combination of steam and hot water extraction with a good carpet cleaner and agitation. 

Thanks @falcaineer. We use suedes from another vendor and we do toss them after a ceramic install. For us it’s a “cost of doing business.” I admittedly haven’t checked the price of Adams suedes, but the ones we use are affordable. 
 
We use suede, low microfiber and another low microfiber in our ceramic installs. So three towel system. Each extending out further than the last. 

The maximum time for us depends on what we are trying to accomplish. If you want a truly flawless finish, it takes as many hours as needed. 
 
A typical one step polish and interior detail takes about 4-5 hours with two of us. That’s wheels, wash, iron, clay, polish/seal, interior, glass, trim...
 
Some interiors only take an hour, some take five or six or longer depending on how bad it is. 
 
Ceramic coating a vehicle takes us at least the better part of a day. Sometimes two or three. 

If you don’t have the extractor or steamer, you can get good results with vinegar and distilled water.  I had great results with the situation below.  I think it mixed it 50/50 for the salt crust below (I posted it somewhere on here.  I’ll edit here when I find it.).  It was a matter of soaking and blotting/wiping repeatedly. 
 

Thanks @falcaineer. We use suedes from another vendor and we do toss them after a ceramic install. For us it’s a “cost of doing business.” I admittedly haven’t checked the price of Adams suedes, but the ones we use are affordable. 
 
We use suede, low microfiber and another low microfiber in our ceramic installs. So three towel system. Each extending out further than the last.