- My model of MX-5 is: ND
- I’m based near: Essex
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Claybar and Ceramic coating
Hi all,
Have never used a clay bar before, nor a Ceramic coating. My previous S2000 paintwork was not that great so usually just take it to a local hand car wash and then I sometimes used a wax+polish 2in1 type product afterward.
My 2017 ND in Soul Red seems to have good paintwork and I the car lives on the street in Essex, so I was planning to apply the Autoglym UHD Ceramic coating.
I have purchased a snow foam lance and snow foam, so my current plan is to:
Rinse with water,
Snowfoam, wait, and then rinse.
Wash with shampoo
Dry down
Apply Ceramic coating.
However, I have read in a few places that I should clay bar + polish before the Ceramic coating…
Two issues with that
- Not sure I would have time to do the above and then the clay bar before the coating - all in one day ( don’t think I can leave overnight as I am parked on a busy street - and I do not want it getting mucky again)
- Supposing I could even make the time for the whole above routine - I have also read that after using a clay bar I should polish the car. Which a) adds even more time required in one day - and b) I understand that the preparation fluid for the UHD Ceramic coating will remove any wax/polish etc from the paintwork - so is there even any point?
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you
Doing a thorough wash, clay bar, polish and ceramic coat is doable in a summer’s day if you start early. You’d probably need to leave roof, plastics and wheels for another day.
As regards point 2, it depends entirely on what sort of product you use for wax/polish. It is important to understand they are two different things:
- polishing is very fine abrasion removing a microscopic layer of clear coat to get rid of scratches. It will also scrub off some heavily bonded contaminants, especially if you haven’t clayed it first. Polishing permanently corrects defects and residual product should be removed to allow inspection of the true surface (usually a mild solvent to shift the carrier oils, i.e. an IPA panel wipe).
- waxing adds a microscopic clear layer of protection (LSP) protecting the polished finish underneath, enhancing shine and helps keep the surface clean. There is little point waxing if you’re using a ceramic product since they do the same job and it sounds like the preparation fluid will strip it all off anyway.
- where things get messy is the many All in One (AIO) and glaze products such as Autoglym’s Super Resin Polish (SRP) that can be marketed as polishes but they’re hardly abrasive and mostly consist of “fillers” for fine scratches that temporarily improve finish and get washed out after a few months. With these products it is common to top with protective wax (LSP) to make the fillers hang about longer.
You can apply a ceramic coating without polishing first but the finish will not be as good and the longevity will be less since some of coating is bonding to dirt and not paint. If you intend to use a filler heavy AIO such as SRP, consider using the preparation stripper before the AIO, then put the ceramic coat on top of that - this will hurt the durability but improve the finish. You can ask AG if their ceramic coating will bond to whatever AIO you’re using.
1 Like
Thanks for the detailed reply.
Interesting point about the Super Resin Polish - was planning to get this, to go with the Autgylm UHD shampoo and Ceramic coating kit.
I will probably skip the clay bar and find an alternative polish for prior to the Ceramic coating.
I did see a positive review for the Autobrite Direct Cherry Glaze - but this includes wax as well - so not sure if this is a good choice if I am going to apply the Ceramic coating?
Or should I just spend a bit extra and get Meguiars Ultimate Compound? The review seemed to suggest it worked best with a machine polisher - but I would be doing it by hand…
Just need to wait for a clear calm day to proceed.
1 Like
You could use a clay mitt (think I’ve got a cheap Pukkr one and I rate it) they’re a quite a bit quicker to use and although not as thorough I think they’d be ideal for your purposes. Lubricate it with a mix of car shampoo and water in a trigger spray bottle.
SRP is a very good product for hand application and well regarded although I can’t say how AG’s ceramic coat would last sat on top of it. SRP on its own lasts about 2/3 months outside, so you might get up to 9/12 months with the ceramic on top before it all fades away?
Cherry Glaze I’ve always thought is a bit wasted on anything that lives outside because it’s so short lived, but it made an ideal gift for my Dad to use on his motorcycles. I think a lot of use is for short term “top up” above existing wax/LSP when people are showing their cars.
I’ve read good things about Meguiars Ultimate Compound but I’ve no personal experience. I do know it’s hard to achieve true correction by hand with any product, you really have to go at it! As it’s not full of fillers it seems the best choice out of the products we’ve discussed for topping with AG’s ceramic that demands bare paint. Apparently UC can be difficult to remove if the panel is hot (i.e. in direct sun) or it’s near freezing. I suppose you can focus your efforts on the more noticeable scratches so your arm doesn’t fall off! The prep chemicals from AG should remove the carrier oils of the polish (it’s a very oily polish).
Please don’t skip the clay bar. The Bilt Hamber clay uses water as a lubricant and is cheap, very quick, and easy to use. You do not use any energy doing it as you use no pressure and the result is a very good base for your choice of ‘top coats’.
I am a late comer to these clay bars, I so wish I had joined the ‘clay bar club’ years ago. The gains for minimal input is amazing.
2 Likes
Thanks for all the replies.
Been having a rethink and am wondering whether for now I do the wash, clay bar, polish and apply a wax instead - and leave the ceramic coating for later in the year - e.g. as Autumn approaches?
Looking at the multitude of products out there, the Bilt Hamber range has a Polish Cleanser, clay bar and Speed-wax - all of which seem to be highly rated/recommended.
1 Like
Bilt Hamber generally make very good stuff. Their Cleanser Polish is an AIO like AG SRP - ideal for hand application and full of fillers for temporary masking of swirls. Double Speed Wax (DSW) is very hardy LSP with a nice finish and easy enough to apply (although not quite as simple as my preferred Collinite 845), it’ll probably go for 6 months atop their
Having said all that, you are almost replacing like-for-like so I think you’ll get a similar lasting end result although DSW will be a bit more work to apply than a ceramic spray. Finish might be a bit “warmer” with DSW if you have darker paint. Nothing wrong with that but you’ll end up like most detailers with loads of bottles of unused or barely used product laying around!
Hi,
@ckyliu - thanks for the reply.
So, which polish would you recommend for removing swirls etc and is not an AIO with fillers?
thanks
I recommended Gtechnic P1 Nano on a firm pad; being water-carried and non-diminishing you could keep reactivating with water mist that made it economical to use and there were no oils that could mask defects and need cleaning up. It did actually do something by hand although it was a lot of work, it didn’t fully take out swirls on the whole car (you do need a DA for that) but made an appreciable difference where other polishes didn’t. I’m talking past tense as it’s now discontinued although you may be able to pick up some old stock, I think I’ve only got a dribble left myself.
https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/threads/p1-nanocomposite-polish.202886/
These days I’m mostly machine polishing so my knowledge of non-filler polishes suitable for hand use is very outdated. You will definitely get better results with an AIO or glaze and they need less effort, but you will have to repeat application of those probably twice a year to maintain the finish.
You mentioned Meguiars Ultimate Compound and reviews seem to suggest it’s one of the better polishes for hand application but when using by hand the abrasives might not diminish to further refine the finish and being oil-carried you’ll need a mild solvent panel wipe when removing it so you can see what you’ve actually done and so LSP will bond properly.
We did a whole and very tired Mk1 Merlot with Meguiar’s ScratchX and a machine polisher. It worked really well. ScratchX is very mild stuff - when using by hand to remove lacquer scratches, it takes a lot of pressure - but it got all the swirls out. It leaves the surface clean and ready for a non-abrasive sealant or wax once buffed off.