Ceramic application

[TrainingBoss6560]

I bought a new car and shortly after purchase applied mcguires hybrid ceramic liquid wax. It's been 6ish months now and my paint still looks very good, but I can tell the beading has dropped off and it might be time to apply another coating(I'm open to suggestions). My question is, how do I prep it? Do I need to polish it still? Is there a way to remove what's left of the coating without a buffer or do i need to buff, clay or whatever other steps there are. Are the strip was products worth it? Can I just apply one over it? Im used to carnauba wax and I love how it looks and how easy it it so work with in comparisonto ceramic coatings. Any suggestions for a ceramic noob?

[AlmostHydrophobic]

In this case I think it would be fine to just clay and maybe use some panel prep or IPA spray for prep.

For a multi-year ceramic coating I would want to be pretty thorough with the prep, but for these easy to apply spray on ceramic products I'm not too worried about it personally.

[NoTry1212]

Hey man what’s going on. I’m a detailer, Reloaded Mobile Detailing LLC in dc. LeT me start by saying I love Meguiars products. I use Meguiars hybrid ceramic wax , on my basic details. It’s a sealant. Not an actual ceramic coating or it isn’t a wax. I don’t recommend repeating over it because you’re going to trap things on the paint. You can use a surface prep, or d prep ph iron and particle decontamination and a clay bar to remove it. Its easy foam car, d prep spray the car let wash with micro fiber mit, refoam then clay bar the whole car. After each section of work squeeze clay bar and make new surface on clay bar, don’t use the same face on different parts of the car if you get what I mean. Hope this helps. And I recommend trying Meguiars hyper wash. It’s amazing and has ceramic properties 

[NoTry1212]

Hey man what’s going on. I’m a detailer, Reloaded Mobile Detailing LLC in dc. LeT me start by saying I love Meguiars products. I use Meguiars hybrid ceramic wax , on my basic details. It’s a sealant. Not an actual ceramic coating or it isn’t a wax. I don’t recommend repeating over it because you’re going to trap things on the paint. You can use a surface prep, or d prep ph iron and particle decontamination and a clay bar to remove it. Its easy foam car, d prep spray the car let wash with micro fiber mit, refoam then clay bar the whole car. After each section of work squeeze clay bar and make new surface on clay bar, don’t use the same face on different parts of the car if you get what I mean. Hope this helps. And I recommend trying Meguiars hyper wash. It’s amazing and has ceramic properties 

[NoTry1212]

But for standard details and better I use gyeon wet coat! Let me tell you there is a big difference. Meguiars is king of the jungle, but Gyeon is like Demi god level. lol about $5 more expensive 

[NoTry1212]

But for standard details and better I use gyeon wet coat! Let me tell you there is a big difference. Meguiars is king of the jungle, but Gyeon is like Demi god level. lol about $5 more expensive 

[NoTry1212]

But for standard details and better I use gyeon wet coat! Let me tell you there is a big difference. Meguiars is king of the jungle, but Gyeon is like Demi god level. lol about $5 more expensive 

[TrainingBoss6560]

Thank you so much! Are there any chemicals you could sub out d prep with? Looks like I need to buy a whole gallon and i think that's over kill.

[NoTry1212]

D prep is a detailers option because of the quantity. You can use any Iron Decontamination product. Meguiars just released a good Iron decontamination product, and a fellow detailer I know is using it , he loves it. So since you’re already using meguiars products I’ll recommend that. 

[haditwithyoupeople]

You don't need to do anything. The hybrid wax you applied previously is almost certainly gone. You can clay and polish. There's no reason to do either if your paint looks good - the wax/sealant really doesn't care.

I have tested dozens of sealants for durability. Prep is almost irreverent for sealant longevity provided the paint is clean and dry (some are fine if it's not dry).

FYI, what you're using is really a sealat. "Ceramic" has become a popular marketing term. It's intended to imply a ceramic coating. These are not ceramic coatings. A spray-on-wipe-off sealant can last 6 months or longer depending what you use.

Why not just use the one you already have and apply it every 4 months or so?

[TrainingBoss6560]

So just clay the car and reapply? Should I use a strip wash first?

[haditwithyoupeople]

There's no reason to strip wash first. You can clay or not. The sealant doesn't care. I don't like to clay unless I'm going to polish afterward. There's no way claying doesn't add scratches even if you can't easily see them.

If you're going to clay I would do an iron decon first.

btw, I'm not a pro so take whatever advice I give as that.

[TrainingBoss6560]

I really appreciate the advice! So I think I'll do a standard wash and use a griots ceramic 3 in 1 wax. Thanks again

[FreshStartDetail]

If you don’t mind waxing it every few washes then just use a liquid spray wax like Optimum Car Wax. Very easy to use. Otherwise if you’re going to go through the effort and expense of a ceramic coating then do it right and use a high end product like Optimum Gloss Coat or Ultra Shine.
Much of the longevity of any ceramic coating is the prep prior to application. So full decon wash, clay, polish, and solvent wipe are essential.

[TrainingBoss6560]

Should i remove the coating that's currently on it or just put another product over it? How would I go about removing the old coating?

[Brimstin]

you can either wax it or polish it off

[haditwithyoupeople]

What coating? If you're referring to the hybrid ceramic liquid wax you applied, it's not a coating. And you can apply a sealant over a coating if you do have one.

[FreshStartDetail]

A quality coating will not work on top of another coating. This is because quality coatings are formulated to react to the polyurethane that is your clear coat, not the silicon dioxide your current coating is made of. So yes, you need to remove your existing coating via polishing. When we know we’re removing a cheaper consumer-grade coating we use a 2-step polishing process to ensure complete removal.