This article is an insight to what a seasoned Detailer does to your car when you ask him to bring back the glaze of your car in low cost. And after this 'Process Insight', we will try to explain how ceramic coating is beneficial for any car.
So let's begin with the first part- how to bring back or maintain the glaze of your car?
Good washing- This is a no-brainer thing. If the car is not properly washed, the exterior will not look good. Good washing consists of using clean materials, covering car from top to bottom while applying shampoo, proper rinsing and not to forget- drying.
Sometimes washing will be preceded by pre-washing which is generally done using strong cleaners such as APC or degreaser in order to loosen stiff mud or contaminants. This step considerably eliminates need of scratching a stubborn contaminant while applying shampoo with a wash mitt/ towel.
Clay- While most of the dirtiness is removed in washing, sticky and aged contaminants remain stuck on the surface. They are not cleaned easily with prewash or shampoo wash. The surface feels rough when we move hand over it. This is the stage where a Claybar is used. A claybar effectively removes most of the roughness on the surface. This concept is similar to how a slime picks up dust from a surface.
Remove contaminants such as Tar, tree sap, bugs etc- Clay may not work when contaminants are difficult to remove. Tree sap, dead bugs are sometimes stiff to remove. Hence require special cleaners for removal. Tar destroys slickness and visual consistency of light colour paints. Hence its removal is essential for restoring glaze of the car.
Sticker glue, Waterspot removal (optional)- Sometimes, due to improper drying, waterspots accumulate around the edges and logos of the car. Sometimes, when cars are frequently washed in parking and door gaps are not dried, waterspots accumulate on those area. While they are not essential for restoring gloss of the car, on some cars they are so worse that their removal becomes a need. Since waterspot remover chemicals are acidic, they are to be used carefully and it takes time to remove waterspots.
Sticker glues- any glue attracts dust if left exposed. Hence glue of Stickers, adhesive tapes needs to be removed to remove ugly patches on the panels.
Apply wax, paint sealant periodically- It can be noted from above points that a good decontamination of paint is a long process. Hence once done, it has to be protected by applying a good wax or paint sealant. Since wax or paint sealant do not have long life, they have to be applied periodically.
Repeat- after certain interval, above steps need to be repeated for 'forever shiny' car.
Now that we know how to restore glaze of the car in traditional way, lets understand the modern way of restoring and maintaining glaze of the car.
Almost every showroom talks about ceramic coating when you visit a showroom to purchase a car. Or if you are doing some research on new/used car or its accessories before buying, you will come across ceramic coating related video or similar content. A lot of information about a particular product isn't it? Also its costly. So what actually this costly item does to your car? Lets understand-
Makes cleaning super easy- A car owner can only clean his car. Most of the other tasks such as repairing, accessories fitment are done at servicing centers/shops. A rough, unprotected exterior surface makes this job difficult. A smooth protected surface makes this job easy.
Wax, sealants make surface smooth but require frequent application. A ceramic coating makes surface smooth but does not require frequent application. A ceramic coating makes surface silky smooth when it is applied. Over the period of time and after few washes, this silky smooth feel reduces but the coating's properties do not go away. The coating effectively repels dirt, some sticky residues etc when rinsed with pressure washer. Surface becomes slick when shampoo is being applied which allows easy removal of daily contaminants. If this has to compare with un-coated car, the surface of such car is rough even when shampoo is being applied. Hence more efforts are required to remove surface contaminants.
Interval of clay is extended/clay is not required- As ceramic coating does not allow contaminants to bond on the surfaces, requirement of clay is eliminated. However, if washing is not done time to time, in such cases clay may require.
Does not require frequent application unlike wax or paint sealant - The base ceramic coating
remains bonded to paint. Only a top coat usually in form of spray or liquid coating is required. This is done during periodic maintenance. This top coat restores hydrophobicity and enhances appearance.
In addition to above benefits, ceramic coating resists bird poop etching, yellowness (sun- damage/ UV damage), most of the strong cleaners and makes removal of most of the sticky contaminants easy.
What's ceramic coating periodic maintenance?- Your Coating installer sets a periodic inspection of the installed coating. during this inspection, the car is thoroughly washed, decontaminated with one or more methods as described in the beginning of this article and a topper is added. Some car owners think that in coating periodic maintenance scratches are removed. But it is not true. It must be noted here that any scratch removal process requires use of abrasives such as rubbing compound, polishes or even sand paper. Using these products will remove the coating from that area. Hence reapplication is required and it is followed by cure time as fresh coating is applied. Generally, scratch removal is not covered in warranty.
It can be well understood that keeping car exterior in top shape is indeed an enthusiast's job. For rest of the owners, the best alternative is to get their car ceramic coated and have it maintained by a detailer periodically.
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