Detailing Time

Robert Jay

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Looks beautiful, nice job! And damn you, now I have to do mine.
 

joeb427

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Using a clay bar will remove minute metal particles that get on the paint from the rail cars, and really preps the paint for good adherence. I used to go full bore with Zaino products on my SE Miata. I had the SE looking like there was a thin coat of glass on her.
Zaino user here for just under 20 years.
Great paint products that do get updated formulations from time to time..
 

SRAces

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I try to keep mine clean too! LOL!

RangerSide.jpg


RangerShine.jpg
 


RedlandRanger

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WxNerd2015

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Just curious how much of the ceramic coating you ended up using? Did you buy more than one kit?

This is something I'm going to do to try and protect from brush (branch) marks on my paint.
On the Avalon King site, they have a great recommendation chart based on size of vehicle to how many bottles you should need. It said 2 should cover a truck, but they recommended the extra bottle just in case, so i bought three. I ended up using a bottle and a half for the entire truck. So I will probably end up doing my Jeep now too, because I should have more than enough left for that! The other bonus with Avalon King is that if you buy more than one bottle, they discount the price, so for bottles, i believe I ended up paying about $110! Not bad at all, especially compared to over $100 for just one bottle from most!
 

SRAces

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On the Avalon King site, they have a great recommendation chart based on size of vehicle to how many bottles you should need. It said 2 should cover a truck, but they recommended the extra bottle just in case, so i bought three. I ended up using a bottle and a half for the entire truck. So I will probably end up doing my Jeep now too, because I should have more than enough left for that! The other bonus with Avalon King is that if you buy more than one bottle, they discount the price, so for bottles, i believe I ended up paying about $110! Not bad at all, especially compared to over $100 for just one bottle from most!
That's a lot of money for a spray on cleaner/protectant for just 2 possible treatments. Each his own I guess...lol! There are a ton of different acrylic/ceramic cleaner/finish products on the market. I ended up with a good acrylic waterless cleaner/protectant that comes in a 32oz bottle from DualPolymer and it will do quite a few cleanings. Their Tire Cleaner/Protectant works great on tires and wheels as well as black plastic.
 

WxNerd2015

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That's a lot of money for a spray on cleaner/protectant for just 2 possible treatments. Each his own I guess...lol! There are a ton of different acrylic/ceramic cleaner/finish products on the market. I ended up with a good acrylic waterless cleaner/protectant that comes in a 32oz bottle from DualPolymer and it will do quite a few cleanings. Their Tire Cleaner/Protectant works great on tires and wheels as well as black plastic.
Yeah, the Ceramic is a wipe on, and I am hoping to be good for the 5 Year claim of not needing to reapply. But I should at least get 2-3 years out of the single application. What you pay for is the lack of need to reapply. One application is all you should need. So, if it does hold up that well, then the money begins to equal out a bit more over multiple years. Plus, this coating, as opposed to others actually creates a hardened shell to help protect the clear coat and paint better. Like an extra clear coat layer almost!

I definitely would not use it on every vehicle, but being that this is my first brand new vehicle, plus this one not getting a spot in the garage, I wanted something more durable to keep it looking cleaner longer! And this fit the bill! Normally I just use waxes and sealants, such as from Chemical Guys (Jet Seal), but this seemed like a great opportunity to start out from as early as possible with a more extreme protection on the paint! Plus the fact that it can also go on the plastics and glass and provide the same protection for nearly the entire vehicle, I think it was worth it!

But anyways, as you said, to each their own, and those were my reasons! And I definitely would not spend the time and/or money on this for every vehicle, but to protect the new paint longer on a new vehicle with less work, I think it's worth it. If you go off road, it should aid in protecting from some scratches and help cleaning mud off with less work! But we shall see! Think other products do a good job as well, this one just might require less long term work to get similar results!

EDIT: I did take a look at the DualPolymer that you use as well, and i had not seen this before! Does look to do a very similar job! Looks like the biggest difference comes in the expected duration of the coating to remain on the vehicle! I will have to keep this in mind for the future! Because as I said, I definitely would not Ceramic Coat every vehicle! thanks for sharing!
 
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PaulOinMA

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Using a clay bar will remove minute metal particles that get on the paint from the rail cars …
Rail dust.

https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/how-to-remove-rail-dust-with-carpro-ironx-and-a-clay-bar/

My wife has a white 2012 Escape. It was probably detailed before we picked it up, but it looked like the roof wasn't done. I was surprised at the amount of minute rust spots on the roof when I did the first spring detail. I actually first thought that there was a problem with the paint job. It was just rail dust.
 

One Ranger

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I'm not really into a lot of detailing prep, especially on a new vehicle. I do however like to keep a good coat of wax on all my vehicles, probably 2-3 times per year. While I was sitting at the dealer yesterday waiting for my first oil change to be done at 975 miles, I was on the internet researching waxes. I had heard about ceramic coating etc, but did not really know about them. I've stuck with the tried and true paste waxes and electric buffer for decades. While researching, I came across a fairly new product, Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. I read a lot of positive reviews about it on Amazon and watched several Youtube videos/testimonials. Most were very positive.

So, I went and picked up 2 bottles at Walmart for $13.97 each, with a $5 mail in rebate. I washed and waxed all 4 of the family fleet yesterday, including the new Ranger. I was a little skeptical about a spray on/wash off wax application (thinking snake oil). But, I was pleasantly surprised. We'll see how long it keeps the shine. But, the simplicity of it is great. I applied per the directions-the first time you use it, you are supposed to wipe/buff it with a microfiber drying cloth. I did that, and then applied a second coat where you just spray it on and rinse it off. I did that on all 4 vehicles.

This is easy enough to use that I will probably use it every 2-3 months if the shine lasts that long. And then put my effort into doing the clay bar treatment every 6 months or annually (I've never done clay bar before). Technology may be to the point where I don't need the old buffer I've been using for for 33 years.
 
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RedlandRanger

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I'm not really into a lot of detailing prep, especially on a new vehicle. I do however like to keep a good coat of wax on all my vehicles, probably 2-3 times per year. While I was sitting at the dealer yesterday waiting for my first oil change to be done at 975 miles, I was on the internet researching waxes. I had heard about ceramic coating etc, but did not really know about them. I've stuck with the tried and true paste waxes and electric buffer for decades. While researching, I came across a fairly new product, Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. I read a lot of positive reviews about it on Amazon and watched several Youtube videos/testimonials. Most were very positive.

So, I went and picked up 2 bottles at Walmart for $13.97 each, with a $5 mail in rebate. I washed and waxed all 4 of the family fleet yesterday, including the new Ranger. I was a little skeptical about a spray on/wash off wax application (thinking snake oil). But, I was pleasantly surprised. We'll see how long it keeps the shine. But, the simplicity of it is great. I applied per the directions-the first time you use it, you are supposed to wipe/buff it with a microfiber drying cloth. I did that, and then applied a second coat where you just spray it on and rinse it off. I did that on all 4 vehicles.

This is easy enough to use that I will probably use it every 2-3 months if the shine lasts that long. And then put my effort into doing the clay bar treatment every 6 months or annually (I've never done clay bar before). Technology may be to the point where I don't need the old buffer I've been using for for 33 years.
Interesting stuff, however the big thing I want from a ceramic coating is hardness (to try and prevent/minimize scratches). I looked on Meguiar's website and don't see anything about hardness. Most of the ceramic coatings make a big deal about hardness (9H I think is how it is termed).

I've always been pretty happy with Meguiar's stuff, so it will be interesting to hear how it holds up for you.
Sponsored

 
 



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