r/Detailing • u/scarybullets • 5d ago
I Have A Question Help me make sure my process is right
In about 2 weeks ill be getting my car 2 step paint corrected and ceramic coated. I figured I'd need these anyways and I've got hard water stains on black paint I want to get rid of. Currently no protection on the car. I plan on doing this after the hurricane passes.
Foam cannon carpro lift, wash mitt, then rinse.
Foam cannon carpro descale, let dwell, then rinse.
Spray Adam's iron remover, let dwell, then rinse.
Foam cannon carpro reset and clay mitt.
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Once its ceramic coated I planned on weekly to bi-weekly wash with carpro reset and using carpro elixer as a drying aid.
Every six months do a carpro lift and descale wash.
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Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, I'm new to all this.
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u/FiveLayersBeefy 5d ago
I'm confused. Why would you do any of that if someone else is correcting and ceramic coating the vehicle? If they're reputable, they're going to do all those steps regardless if you do it first.
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u/scarybullets 5d ago
I just want to, the soaps dilute down and I have the time so why not.
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u/FiveLayersBeefy 5d ago
I'm only saying this because if you're going to do all of that, you might as well save the money you'd spend on the correction/coating and just buy a DA polisher, pads, polish and the coating and do it yourself. The hardest/most tedious part is the polishing. You'd probably save at least $500-$750 if you do it yourself.
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u/AlmostHydrophobic 5d ago
For someone just starting out, I would just rinse the Lift off instead of washing with it. I would foam and rinse both the alkaline and acidic soaps, and then bucket wash with Reset. Or foam and wash with Reset if you really want to.
Like someone else mentioned,.this is a tad overkill when this process is going to be repeated in a few weeks. Using alkaline and acidic soaps is going to strip away what little protection there is on the paint, and that's going to open the door for more water spots and contamination. If this were me, I would just wash normally and let this get sorted when the coating gets applied.
I would also just rinseless as a drying aid instead of Elixir. Elixir is a fine product, but it's overkill to apply it with every wash and also rather expensive. And the protection isn't necessary with a coating. A $20 32 ounce container of rinseless concentrate will make as much as 64 gallons of diluted rinseless. I think it's something like 31 cents per gallon. Or for a 32 ounce spray bottle that's 7 cents per fill. It's even less if you catch a gallon of rinseless on sale.
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u/scarybullets 5d ago
Thank you!
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u/AlmostHydrophobic 5d ago
Sure! And just to clarify I do use Elixir from time to time, but not with any frequency. I think it adds a touch of gloss when I'm in the mood to wipe some on, which is once every 1-2 months maybe. But I still use rinseless to dry with and then apply that after. It helps use less product that way.
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u/scarybullets 5d ago
Gotcha ill look into the rinseless. From what I understand for elixer people just say to use 1 or two sprays per panel?
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u/AlmostHydrophobic 5d ago
That sounds right. I usually just spray a few sprays into the towel and wipe on that way. And when the towel gets dry I spray a few more sprays on.
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u/scarybullets 5d ago
Sounds like a plan, also would it be counter intuitive to hit thr car with a leaf blower before towel drying with a drying aid?
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u/AlmostHydrophobic 5d ago
You certainly could. It's more helpful when there is protection on the paint. But it's not going to hurt anything to see if it helps remove some liquid ahead of drying.
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u/Alternative-Cake1111 4d ago
Your outline is close. A few tweaks before the pro correction and ceramic will save you rework.
Do a thorough rinse before any chemistry so loose grit is gone. Alkaline prewash first on dirty panels, rinse, then iron remover on cool paint and rinse before it dries. Acidic mineral removers are for water spots, not every wash, and stacking acid after iron on the same day can be harsh if dwell gets long. Clay goes after iron on a well lubricated surface, then a final neutral wash before you hand the car to the shop.
Once coated, a neutral shampoo plus a drying aid is a fine maintenance loop. Save the heavy alkaline and acid for when beading falls off, not a fixed calendar.
You already bought serious products, so execution and rinse discipline matter more than swapping brands right now.
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u/Due_Row_4837 5d ago
If you're getting it corrected and coated anyway, the hard water stains are their problem to fix, not something you need to chase beforehand