Please educate me a little on ceramic coating

[TimmyTurbos]

Clay barring is the paint decontamination part of the process.

[fiveightandten]

Originally Posted by broniel

Why do you have to clay bar if you want to remove ceramic coating and re-apply? Or was I told the wrong thing

You want to get any contamination off the paint so the coating has a clean surface to bond to. That’s essential for the coating to last.

Clay bar is a way to mechanically decon the paint. Generally you’d want to do some chemical decon with a strip wash and Iron Remover, then move to clay bar or a clay towel to remove what the chemical process didn’t. This can help to remove residual protection as well as contaminants from the paint.

After decontamination you want to buff and/or polish the paint. Any imperfections such as scratches and swirl marks will be covered by the coating and therefore locked in for the life of the coating.

Going through the paint decon before polishing makes it easier, and ensures you’re not picking up contamination on the polishing pad, which would then scratch the paint. Eg. Tiny iron filings imbedded in the paint from your brakes.

But every car is different. Sometimes you don’t need to clay, or need to buff, or need iron remover. It depends on the condition of the paint.

[broniel]

Originally Posted by fiveightandten

You want to get any contamination off the paint so the coating has a clean surface to bond to. That’s essential for the coating to last.

Clay bar is a way to mechanically decon the paint. Generally you’d want to do some chemical decon with a strip wash and Iron Remover, then move to clay bar or a clay towel to remove what the chemical process didn’t. This can help to remove residual protection as well as contaminants from the paint.

After decontamination you want to buff and/or polish the paint. Any imperfections such as scratches and swirl marks will be covered by the coating and therefore locked in for the life of the coating.

Going through the paint decon before polishing makes it easier, and ensures you’re not picking up contamination on the polishing pad, which would then scratch the paint. Eg. Tiny iron filings imbedded in the paint from your brakes.

But every car is different. Sometimes you don’t need to clay, or need to buff, or need iron remover. It depends on the condition of the paint.

Gotcha thank you for the explanation. You seem to know what you’re talking about, is clay barring the paint bad for it in any way or remove any coatings from the factory paint, as well as polishing etc. I’m a noob to the paint world so all info is appreciated!

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by broniel

Gotcha thank you for the explanation. You seem to know what you’re talking about, is clay barring the paint bad for it in any way or remove any coatings from the factory paint, as well as polishing etc. I’m a noob to the paint world so all info is appreciated!

"Bad" is subjective – technically a lot of this stuff is "bad" for the paint in that you're rubbing something across the car and creating friction when you clay bar, you're eating into the clear coat when you buff, etc. The key is moderation – you wouldn't want to clay bar every time you wash the car, only occasionally to "reset" when you're going to apply a whole new coating, etc. Similarly, you wouldn't want to buff/polish the car every time you wash it for the same reasons; you've only got so many opportunities to buff it before you've taken off all of the clear coat*, so the less you can do it the better. Once or twice a year is generally a good number**.

The idea is to do the whole shebang a couple of times a year and then do "maintenance washes" in between to keep it in good shape. The cleaner you keep the car in general the longer your coatings, etc. will last. The worst thing you can do is to leave stuff like bird droppings and tree sap on the paint for any appreciable amount of time. That shit kills coatings and paint. Hope all of that makes sense.

*Don't freak out - you take off very, very little clear coat when you buff the car, so we're talking decades of buffing here, not years. If you have the car 15-20 years from now this is something to start considering. With the caveat that...

**It somewhat depends on the type of car. Some makes have "softer" paint than others, meaning that the manufacturer's paint composition is literally softer, and/or they use a thinner clear coat layer than others. Again, this probably isn't really something to be terribly concerned with in the short- to mid-term, but it's a thing. As the car gets older you can use a paint gauge to judge how much paint is left on the panels in order to make an informed decision as to whether or how much to buff the car.

If I'm off on any of this someone please feel free to correct/clarify, but this has always been my understanding and has served me well for quite some time.

[mmarsalone]

Originally Posted by fiveightandten

You want to get any contamination off the paint so the coating has a clean surface to bond to. That’s essential for the coating to last.

Clay bar is a way to mechanically decon the paint. Generally you’d want to do some chemical decon with a strip wash and Iron Remover, then move to clay bar or a clay towel to remove what the chemical process didn’t. This can help to remove residual protection as well as contaminants from the paint.

After decontamination you want to buff and/or polish the paint. Any imperfections such as scratches and swirl marks will be covered by the coating and therefore locked in for the life of the coating.

Going through the paint decon before polishing makes it easier, and ensures you’re not picking up contamination on the polishing pad, which would then scratch the paint. Eg. Tiny iron filings imbedded in the paint from your brakes.

But every car is different. Sometimes you don’t need to clay, or need to buff, or need iron remover. It depends on the condition of the paint.

There's just one more step I'll add to this, just in case I missed it. You'll want to use a panel prep, like CarPro Eraser, as the last step before applying your ceramic coating. I just did all of this a couple weeks ago on my recently delivered Z4 HS.

Started with a strip wash.
Then chemical decon, Iron remover
Another strip wash
Then synthetic clay bar, Pan's new one
One step paint correction
Panel prep, CarPro Eraser
Then ceramic coat. Pan's 8 year

The next day I did the wheels:
Heavy duty wheel cleaner
Then a strip wash
Panel Prep, Car Pro Eraser
Then ceramic coat, Gtechniq Wheel Armor

I still have to do my top with Ragg Top

Thanks,
Mike

[fiveightandten]

Originally Posted by mmarsalone

There's just one more step I'll add to this, just in case I missed it. You'll want to use a panel prep, like CarPro Eraser, as the last step before applying your ceramic coating. I just did all of this a couple weeks ago on my recently delivered Z4 HS.

Started with a strip wash.
Then chemical decon, Iron remover
Another strip wash
Then synthetic clay bar, Pan's new one
One step paint correction
Panel prep, CarPro Eraser
Then ceramic coat. Pan's 8 year

The next day I did the wheels:
Heavy duty wheel cleaner
Then a strip wash
Panel Prep, Car Pro Eraser
Then ceramic coat, Gtechniq Wheel Armor

I still have to do my top with Ragg Top

Thanks,
Mike

100% I forgot to mention panel wipe! CarPro Eraser is what I have used, though I’ve had some difficulty with it streaking, even after repeated wiping with clean towels. So I’m suspicious it’s leaving residue.

I tried the Adam’s Prep spray, as it came with a kit I bought, and that product left the paint very clean. You can actively watch it evaporate and not leave anything behind. I have a bottle of Gtechniq panel wipe here as well to try.

I have Wheel Armor waiting for use this season. I’ve heard good things!

[fiveightandten]

Originally Posted by broniel

Gotcha thank you for the explanation. You seem to know what you’re talking about, is clay barring the paint bad for it in any way or remove any coatings from the factory paint, as well as polishing etc. I’m a noob to the paint world so all info is appreciated!

Clay isn’t bad for the paint and will not remove the paint itself, only contaminants on it. But it can be considered an abrasive, and should be used only when needed, and with plenty of lubrication (either a dedicated clay lube, detail spray, or just keeping the paint lubricated with wash soap and water).

Clay picks up solids that have been imbedded in the paint, which then are imbedded in the clay. As you rub the clay on the paint, there’s potential for fine scratches from those particles being rubbed on the paint. So make sure you knead the clay often to reveal fresh material. And move to a new piece when it looks dirty. If you hear solids being dragged across the paint, it’s a good idea to stop and pick it out of the clay. But it’s generally pretty safe if you are careful with it. And use common sense; if you drop the piece of clay, it’s garbage the moment it touches the ground.

There are different grades of clay with the softer stuff being less aggressive. The same is true of clay towels. They’re less aggressive than clay bar, but can be more difficult to tell if you’ve picked up something abrasive, and harder to tell when they’re getting dirty. And they’re generally less effective for stubborn areas like the edges of side skirts / leading edges around wheel wells.

You’ll find the rear bumper and the areas right behind the wheels to be the areas most likely to need clay.