Moving to Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid on 2 Cars - preparation to do at local car wash?

buckerooni on 20/04/2021 - 15:55
Last edited 20/04/2021 - 15:56

Hi All,

I've got black SUV and a white van that are kept in the driveway/street and just looking for a way to get them looking a bit better, and easier to maintain at home.

I've got the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wax Coating in regular and black one 'Hybrid Solutions Black Spray Wax' and was planning to:

  1. get local carwash to clean/wax/claybar etc
  2. apply ceramic spray at home, reapply second coat on 2nd day

for step 1 - what should I be asking for? I don't care to restore it back to 'like new' but just want to give it the best preparation to apply the ceramic coating. so wash of course, then err - cut and polish / wax and polish / clay bar? I don't really understand the differences between these.

thanks!

Automotive Ceramic Coating

Comments

  • M8y on 20/04/2021 - 15:57
    1. Wash
    2. Claybar
    3. Compound / polish
    4. IPA wipe down - probably do that at home
    5. Turtle Wax - if your TW ceramic streaks (reportedly very problematic with this product on black paint), buff with a damp cloth, then buff again with a dry cloth
  • buckerooni on 20/04/2021 - 16:06

    thanks M8y, I'll probably go to these guys - does 'compound / polish' = cut n polish? https://www.magichcw.com.au/services/detailing/cut-polish/

    also, what does IPA stand for? EDIT - isopropyl alcohol - I have some of that - ok, all good! Still necessary if I go directly home from the car wash and spray the ceramic coating on?

    thanks for the tip on the streaking, I've been watching a bit of Pan The Organiser!

    with the white van, it was detailed by 2nd hand dealer 4 months ago when I bought it, is the claybar & compound /polish necessary or can I go step 1 to 4 ?

    • M8y on 20/04/2021 - 16:20
      +1

      Compound/cut/polish = all variations on the process to remove surface imperfections, scratches, etc. from your clearcoat with a mild abrasive.

      If you've been watching Pan, then you'll know detailers recommend the IPA to remove any remaining oils, etc. from the compound/polishing.

      How much or little you do just comes down to how much time you want to spend vs. the result you want. The full compound and IPA will give you a far better finish (more gloss), as removing the imperfections from the clearcoat reduces light refraction from the underlying colour coat.

      Compound and IPA will also give you a longer lasting result with the actual surface protection from the TW ceramic wax - ie. cleaner surface to bond to.

      Don't forget to keep your cars dry between your first TW application and the second. I think they recommend 24 hours between coats to allow a good cure of the first coat.

    • Richardc on 20/04/2021 - 16:21
      +1

      If you just want to get them look a bit better, go to touchless car wash, first thing would be iron/bug removal using your own product, spray on, wait few mins, go through touchless car wash, apply your wax, have a coffee, then drive home, now you can do your own maintenance wash at home in the future.

  • Bid Sniper on 20/04/2021 - 16:31
    +2

    Ceramic wax is not ceramic coating, do not confuse the two. Its just a spray on wax basically. It good, last 6 months or so, can easily removed, ceramic coating is semi-permanent.

    for me
    1. powerwash
    2. wash with microfiber wash glove and any car soap, hand polish if it has some grit in the paintwork, if you feel its smooth then skip polish
    3. wash using hose at half pressure, run all of soap off.
    4. lightly "dust" each panel with ceramic wax, two squirts per panel max.
    5. drying using two microfiber towels, one to pickup excess wax and spread it across panel evenly. 2nd to properly dry.

    easily done under an hour, I recently did ceramic coating and that's a 2-3 day job.

    • Hackney on 23/04/2021 - 06:22

      @Bidsniper.Spot on.It is not a replacement for ceramic coating,applied by a professional.Just wasting your time using it.Spend the money,& have a proper job done.Paint needs to be corrected,(fine scratches,swirls etc…)you cannot get rid of these just by applying a spray on ‘ceramic’ wax.I have had two vehicles done,worth every cent.Absolutely no scratch or swirls left in either vehicle.The finish is brilliant.One vehicle is red(which is on of the best colours to have coated)the other is white,still looks fantastic.

  • Muzeeb on 20/04/2021 - 19:44

    Get them professionally detailed (2 stage maybe) if detailing is not your thing then from there maintain it with touchless washing and ceramic spray of your choice.

  • brad1-8tsi on 21/04/2021 - 15:17

    What do the instructions on the turtlewax bottle (or website) say about prep?

  • SummerZero on 26/04/2021 - 20:54

    If you're going to pay the labour costs of having it pepped and polished get them to ceramic coat it for you too. And I mean a proper one that will last more than a year, not the spray on waxes that will last a max of 6 months.

    Use the spray when you wash it yourself every x weeks.

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