If you follow us you know we love to share pics and videos of all the shiny vehicles we detail and ceramic coat.
But have you ever wondered what all goes into a ceramic coating job? Here’s an inside look at a 30+ hour detail/ceramic coating we did for a Mercedes AMG GTc.
I have been wanting to record a time lapse of our ceramic coating process for some time now. For this job I recorded over 20 hours of footage. When I linked all the videos together it was still 20 minutes long. Unfortunately, I had to cut and edit a lot of the material, while still showcasing all the different steps.
Being a certified IGL KENZO Ceramic Coating Installer, I adhere to strict industry guidelines in our prep process for installations. Each step is crucial in ensuring that the ceramic coating correctly bonds to the surface. This includes things like a proper wash with proper soap, clay bar decontamination treatment, iron fall out remover, hours of surface polishing, and a thorough pre coat wash and wipe down.
Then comes all the clean up. I have learned over the years in this business that any wax residual left behind from the previous owner, current owner, or other detailer is now your problem. We make sure to get the dust/caked up compound and polish out of every door jamb, trunk jamb, engine bay, trim, moulding, window seal, wiper cowling, crack, crevice, body line, emblem, grill, door handle, key hole, mirror, fuel door, wheel, tire, and wheel well. Also, we always are sure to give the customer a complimentary interior refresh detail.
Now, after 20-40 hours of prep it’s finally time to apply the ceramic coating. In our shop this is a very serious and focused procedure. We lay out everything we will be using like a surgeon prepping for an operation. We turn off our phones and make sure their are no other outside distractions. We have to take into account the weather, temperature, and humidity, to gauge how long it will take the coating to flash before removal. We then prime our applicator pad and start applying the coating on the vehicle meticulously and evenly. We normally will do this one panel at a time to ensure no spots were missed. We then have to make sure the coating is leveled properly and that no high spots are left behind.
After all of this you are left with a stunning gloss and a layer of protection, that will last on your vehicles surface for multiple years to come!
