RY_PCC
New Member
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- Dec 28, 2020
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- Worcester, UK
- First Name
- Ry
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Hi All, Ry here.
We recently had a 2020 Ford Mustang with us at Pyramid Car Care HQ. Have a read below about what was involved, hopefully, this article inspires a few people to give a ceramic coating a try. Feel free to ask questions on here and I will do my best to help!
As with every car we have down with us at HQ, we like to discuss expectations and budget with our customers to tailor a specific package.
After a discussion with the owner, he was clearly seeking the very best protection for his mustang. This car was an early birthday gift to himself, and he wanted perfection. We dropped Him down at the local train station and proceed to get cracking!
We start each of our packages in the same way, a deep clean and decontamination to ensure a completely naked surface to begin any paintwork polishing or correction that needs to take place.
We begin with the wheels, one wheel at a time. We use our citrus pre-wash, and a combination of dedicated wheel brushes & pressurised water to remove the majority of dirt and grime from the wheels before tackling the baked-on brake dust, iron contamination and tar deposits at a later stage. We also lift the car on a jack to create space between the wheel and wheel arch; this allows us to get in and remove the majority of grime from this area also. Extra care and attention at this stage of the detail makes the final car 'pop'. Dan Opted for the full wheels off ceramic coating package. But more on this later.
Once the wheels are what we consider to be clean, we then focus on the paintwork. Now, as this was a new car detail, it was never going to be filthy. However, it is surprising how much dirt can come off a new car after less than 1000 miles! We start by covering the car in our snow foam. This sits on the vehicle's surface for around 5-10 minutes and helps to soften and loosen the vehicle's dirt. We then use a jet of water to rinse off the majority of dirt from the vehicle. What we are left with is a relatively clean surface. We then use a soft microfibre wash mitt, Ultra Shampoo and a couple of buckets to remove any leftover dirt. Care should be taken at this stage to ensure not too much pressure is applied to the pad, and it is rinsed periodically in a bucket of clean water with a grit guard to reduce the risk of scratching the vehicles paintwork. Working from the top of the vehicle, washing in straight lines, the remainder of dirt is removed. We will then attack any window rubbers, badges and grills using ultra-soft brushes and citrus pre-wash to ensure no stone is left unturned.
You may think that new vehicles won't have paint contamination. Quite the opposite! New cars travel to us on the most part via train, land and sea. During this time the vehicles are subject to various contamination. Road tar, iron contamination and acid rain, to name a few. This contamination bonds to the paintwork and needs to be removed before machine polishing. Firstly we start with chemical decontamination, removing what we can with the least aggressive methods first, and if needed move on to a clay bar for extreme cases or overspray. This Mustang did not require clay, and only had small amounts of fallout, tar and glue.
For fallout, tar and glue removal, we first spray the fallout remover liberally over the vehicle's surface, leave to rest for 1-2 minutes, and then, using a clean microfibre cloth, agitate the surface allowing the product to do the work. We also use this process with our tar & glue remover. Following each step, ensure the vehicle is thoroughly rinsed to remove any residue.
Once all of our wash processes are complete, we use hot filtered air and ultra-plush microfibre towels to dry the vehicle. The air is used to remove the majority of water whilst the towels collect any remaining. Extra care is taken not to use too much pressure and ensure all panel gaps are blown out. Water drops when polishing can be a pain!
The vehicle is then brought inside the unit for the paintwork to be fully inspected. We understand what we are dealing with using various diffused/direct, varying colour temperature bulbs and a paint depth gauge. The Mustang was in OK condition; it had been washed a minimal amount of times before coming into us; however, there were a few sections with wash marring and a few random deeper scratches.
With our new car detail, we aim to ensure the paintwork is as perfect as possible. We begin by removing the deeper defects and then use a fine finishing polish to refine the paintwork to give the best possible clarity, gloss and depth. Using various pad combinations and polishes to the desired outcome is achieved. A full guide on this will come soon!
Now back to the wheels, the car is lifted in the air and the wheels removed. These are then treated in the same way as the paintwork, going outside to be fully decontaminated following the above process. Once complete and Dry the wheels are brought back inside and coated inside and out with Dan's choice of protection, Ceramic Coating PRO. Offering 5 years protection, scratch resistance and superhydrophobic properties mean that a simple citrus pre-wash clean going forward will be enough to keep them maintained. Super Easy Maintenance! Wheels are then put back on the vehicle, ensuring manufacturer torque settings are used.
We then move onto the glass, Using Glass Cleaner and a clay bar we remove any residues and contamination on the glass. This is then buffed to a high shine, then Pyramid Car Care Carbon Glass applied to the windscreen, side windows and rear screen. We wait for 30 minutes after application and then apply a second layer to ensure the best results.
We now use the vehicle blower to remove any polish residue from the vehicle before moving onto the IPA wipe down of the paintwork. This removes all oils and polish residue, ensuring the paintwork is fully corrected and 'naked' before applying Ceramic Coating PRO.
The vehicle is left to cure inside overnight before coming back in the morning to move into the interior.
Being a new car, the interior tends to be simple in comparison to the exterior. First, we wipe all interior surfaces down using Interior Cleaner, ensuring any dust is removed. We then vacuum ready for the application of leather and fabric Protection. The Mustang had lovely black leather which responded well to protection. This will ensure any spills or mishaps from now on will be a simple wipe off and will not penetrate the surface.
The next hour or so are spent moving around the vehicle removing any dust or debris from polishing from panel gaps etc. We also apply our tyre Dressings.
The car is now protected and complete! With any ceramic coating application, we ask the customer not to wash the vehicle for the first week to harden the coating fully. We also offer advice moving forward from our maintenance plans to DIY options. We tend to find that a lot of people want to have a go themselves!
Thanks For taking the time to read our full process. Don't be worried about having a go yourselves!
We recently had a 2020 Ford Mustang with us at Pyramid Car Care HQ. Have a read below about what was involved, hopefully, this article inspires a few people to give a ceramic coating a try. Feel free to ask questions on here and I will do my best to help!
As with every car we have down with us at HQ, we like to discuss expectations and budget with our customers to tailor a specific package.
After a discussion with the owner, he was clearly seeking the very best protection for his mustang. This car was an early birthday gift to himself, and he wanted perfection. We dropped Him down at the local train station and proceed to get cracking!
We start each of our packages in the same way, a deep clean and decontamination to ensure a completely naked surface to begin any paintwork polishing or correction that needs to take place.
We begin with the wheels, one wheel at a time. We use our citrus pre-wash, and a combination of dedicated wheel brushes & pressurised water to remove the majority of dirt and grime from the wheels before tackling the baked-on brake dust, iron contamination and tar deposits at a later stage. We also lift the car on a jack to create space between the wheel and wheel arch; this allows us to get in and remove the majority of grime from this area also. Extra care and attention at this stage of the detail makes the final car 'pop'. Dan Opted for the full wheels off ceramic coating package. But more on this later.
Once the wheels are what we consider to be clean, we then focus on the paintwork. Now, as this was a new car detail, it was never going to be filthy. However, it is surprising how much dirt can come off a new car after less than 1000 miles! We start by covering the car in our snow foam. This sits on the vehicle's surface for around 5-10 minutes and helps to soften and loosen the vehicle's dirt. We then use a jet of water to rinse off the majority of dirt from the vehicle. What we are left with is a relatively clean surface. We then use a soft microfibre wash mitt, Ultra Shampoo and a couple of buckets to remove any leftover dirt. Care should be taken at this stage to ensure not too much pressure is applied to the pad, and it is rinsed periodically in a bucket of clean water with a grit guard to reduce the risk of scratching the vehicles paintwork. Working from the top of the vehicle, washing in straight lines, the remainder of dirt is removed. We will then attack any window rubbers, badges and grills using ultra-soft brushes and citrus pre-wash to ensure no stone is left unturned.
You may think that new vehicles won't have paint contamination. Quite the opposite! New cars travel to us on the most part via train, land and sea. During this time the vehicles are subject to various contamination. Road tar, iron contamination and acid rain, to name a few. This contamination bonds to the paintwork and needs to be removed before machine polishing. Firstly we start with chemical decontamination, removing what we can with the least aggressive methods first, and if needed move on to a clay bar for extreme cases or overspray. This Mustang did not require clay, and only had small amounts of fallout, tar and glue.
For fallout, tar and glue removal, we first spray the fallout remover liberally over the vehicle's surface, leave to rest for 1-2 minutes, and then, using a clean microfibre cloth, agitate the surface allowing the product to do the work. We also use this process with our tar & glue remover. Following each step, ensure the vehicle is thoroughly rinsed to remove any residue.
Once all of our wash processes are complete, we use hot filtered air and ultra-plush microfibre towels to dry the vehicle. The air is used to remove the majority of water whilst the towels collect any remaining. Extra care is taken not to use too much pressure and ensure all panel gaps are blown out. Water drops when polishing can be a pain!
The vehicle is then brought inside the unit for the paintwork to be fully inspected. We understand what we are dealing with using various diffused/direct, varying colour temperature bulbs and a paint depth gauge. The Mustang was in OK condition; it had been washed a minimal amount of times before coming into us; however, there were a few sections with wash marring and a few random deeper scratches.
With our new car detail, we aim to ensure the paintwork is as perfect as possible. We begin by removing the deeper defects and then use a fine finishing polish to refine the paintwork to give the best possible clarity, gloss and depth. Using various pad combinations and polishes to the desired outcome is achieved. A full guide on this will come soon!
Now back to the wheels, the car is lifted in the air and the wheels removed. These are then treated in the same way as the paintwork, going outside to be fully decontaminated following the above process. Once complete and Dry the wheels are brought back inside and coated inside and out with Dan's choice of protection, Ceramic Coating PRO. Offering 5 years protection, scratch resistance and superhydrophobic properties mean that a simple citrus pre-wash clean going forward will be enough to keep them maintained. Super Easy Maintenance! Wheels are then put back on the vehicle, ensuring manufacturer torque settings are used.
We then move onto the glass, Using Glass Cleaner and a clay bar we remove any residues and contamination on the glass. This is then buffed to a high shine, then Pyramid Car Care Carbon Glass applied to the windscreen, side windows and rear screen. We wait for 30 minutes after application and then apply a second layer to ensure the best results.
We now use the vehicle blower to remove any polish residue from the vehicle before moving onto the IPA wipe down of the paintwork. This removes all oils and polish residue, ensuring the paintwork is fully corrected and 'naked' before applying Ceramic Coating PRO.
The vehicle is left to cure inside overnight before coming back in the morning to move into the interior.
Being a new car, the interior tends to be simple in comparison to the exterior. First, we wipe all interior surfaces down using Interior Cleaner, ensuring any dust is removed. We then vacuum ready for the application of leather and fabric Protection. The Mustang had lovely black leather which responded well to protection. This will ensure any spills or mishaps from now on will be a simple wipe off and will not penetrate the surface.
The next hour or so are spent moving around the vehicle removing any dust or debris from polishing from panel gaps etc. We also apply our tyre Dressings.
The car is now protected and complete! With any ceramic coating application, we ask the customer not to wash the vehicle for the first week to harden the coating fully. We also offer advice moving forward from our maintenance plans to DIY options. We tend to find that a lot of people want to have a go themselves!
Thanks For taking the time to read our full process. Don't be worried about having a go yourselves!
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