One Step Polish before Ceramic Spray Coat?

[rabbit_eater]

Hello everyone, I have another question here concerning the one step polish. I ordered some of this with a white pad to make the paint correction step a little easier for myself as I am a bit of a noob when it comes to paint correction. I liked that the one step has some ability to correct deeper swirls while still finishing nicely, at least according to the description. I was also looking at some competitor's one step polishes but decided to keep it in the family before I go ahead with the Ceramic Spray Coat process. Thing is, after re-reading the description it states that this is an All-in-one product, meaning it leaves behind some sealant protection? Will this interfere with the ceramic coating process? I will be using the Surface Prep after polishing, is this a strong enough solvent to remove the sealant left behind by the OSP? I don't want to compromise the strength of the ceramic by putting it over something else! 

 

Thanks!

[shane@detailedreflections]

A one step polish will leave some sealant or wax behind. It really isn’t an ideal product to prep for any kind of a ceramic product. 
 

In a perfect world you want to truly polish the vehicle, remove any residues and then apply your ceramic over the top of that. This will help allow the strongest bond and best finish. 

[rabbit_eater]

10 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

A one step polish will leave some sealant or wax behind. It really isn’t an ideal product to prep for any kind of a ceramic product. 
 

In a perfect world you want to truly polish the vehicle, remove any residues and then apply your ceramic over the top of that. This will help allow the strongest bond and best finish. 

 

Thanks for the response, my intention was to do just that. I was thinking Adam's one step was going to be similar to 3D One, Sonax Perfect Finsh, or Griots correcting cream, where they are pure polishes that can cut a little more aggressively while still providing a fine finish without having to do a 2-step compound/polish. The fact that adam's is called both a one step and an all-in-one is where i missed the fact that it has sealant. I was absolutely not looking for an "all-in-one" product. Mistakes were made.

[shane@detailedreflections]

2 hours ago, rabbit_eater said:

 

Thanks for the response, my intention was to do just that. I was thinking Adam's one step was going to be similar to 3D One, Sonax Perfect Finsh, or Griots correcting cream, where they are pure polishes that can cut a little more aggressively while still providing a fine finish without having to do a 2-step compound/polish. The fact that adam's is called both a one step and an all-in-one is where i missed the fact that it has sealant. I was absolutely not looking for an "all-in-one" product. Mistakes were made.

If you’re going to do the effort of a ceramic, you’re better off doing the two steps if that’s what your vehicle needs. Any single step polish or all in one is built on compromises. Compromises tend not to work well in the case of ceramics. 

[falcaineer]

@rabbit_eater, to clarify, Adam's One Step Polish does not have any protection built in. It used to, but that was removed. It's also best designed to be used with the One Step Pad. The white foam pad you bought doesn't have near the cutting power of the One Step pad, and it's best designed for use with the Polish. Just note the One Step Pad is the most aggressive Adam's sells, and is a wool/microfiber blend. It can also tend to leave some micromarring (very fine swirls) in darker colors, so using the Polish and white foam pad may be necessary to finish the job.

 

As @shane@detailedreflections said, it's somewhat of a compromise. The One Step is good for most of the work, but it's not going to do as well as the 2-Step system Adam's has now comprised of the Compound and Polish, and associated pads. I would also recommend if you want the absolute best results, use the 2-step system.

[mc2hill]

And to follow up on the excellent advice @shane@detailedreflections and @falcaineer gave, with today's polishes and pads the 2 step is not always 2 steps.  Most times I can get the paint worked well enough with the Compound that is does not need the Finishing Polish.  Do a test spot to be sure, but this works even on black paint.

[rabbit_eater]

Hi guys, thank you so much for following up and answering my questions! 

 

@falcaineer, thank you for letting me know that the formulation has changed. The verbage on the website doesn't reflect that to what I can see. 

 

For polishing my experience is strictly with my previous car, which was a black Honda with very soft paint that required a gentle touch to correct. This vehicle I am working with now is a 2019 VW with a "pure grey" paint color. Not sure how hard/soft it is. I hear VW paint is very hard generally but then some of the grey or black paints i hear are much softer. That being said, the vehicle is only a few months old and doesn't have much damage beyond some car-wash installed swirls from the previous owner. I attached a pic of it. 

 

I guess when it came to choosing the one step and the white pad it was me being overly cautious about my experience and erring on the side of not correcting it enough as opposed to overdoing it and marring the clear coat on it, while also trying to spend less than $200 on my Adam's order, lol. Sounds like me taking the easy route is not gonna get me the results I want, though, depending on the hardness of this VW paint. Perhaps I'll order a one step pad, if I use this liquid with the two different pads do you guys think I can get close to a 2-step with just the one product?

 

Thanks again everyone, and thanks for slappin some education on me. 

 

 

[mc2hill]

@rabbit_eater You can start with the One Step polish and pads, and if it does not correct as well as you hoped, order the 2 step polishes/pads down the road.  And remember, you can always go over the section more than one time with the One Step to improve the results.

[rabbit_eater]

11 hours ago, mc2hill said:

@rabbit_eater You can start with the One Step polish and pads, and if it does not correct as well as you hoped, order the 2 step polishes/pads down the road.  And remember, you can always go over the section more than one time with the One Step to improve the results.

Thanks for the tip! At this point I'm holed in for the coronapocalypse and itching to use the stuff that just came in! I'll post pics when it's done! 

[rabbit_eater]

I had to go over a few panels 2-3 times but the results speak for themselves. Loving the way it looks with the ceramic spray coat. Sadly it's already getting rained on 😭 but the water flies right off the surface

[Chris@Adams]

Nice job & nice color!

[falcaineer]

2 hours ago, rabbit_eater said:

I had to go over a few panels 2-3 times but the results speak for themselves. Loving the way it looks with the ceramic spray coat. Sadly it's already getting rained on 😭 but the water flies right off the surface

 

Nice work, Colin!

[RayS]

Looks good Colin.

[rabbit_eater]

Thanks everyone! Got a chance to try out the CS3 after I got it back in the garage yesterday. That stuff is super easy to use and maintain the clean coat with!