New Mercedes with Ceramiclear

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03TLS

New member
Hi,



Its been along time since I have been a regular on this site really stopped visiting regularly when the site crashed a few years ago.



I have recently purchased a Black Mercedes with Ceramiclear. I am coming from a blk Acura TL with extremely soft clear so this will be a different experience.

I currently have just a porter cable with a bunch of different 6in pads. I am not sure how bad the damage is on the new car but it doesnt appear to be bad however who knows what is waiting under any fillers they may have used.



Will I need a Rotary in order to get out any significant marring? Also over on the mercedes forums there are some people of the opinion that you should not polish this clear coat only seal or wax?

Finally any recommendations as to which products to go with? I see Merenza has a ceramiclear line.



I have in the past used Poorboys polishes and have a full bottle of optimum lying around.



After any correction I plan to seal then wax. My old go to waxes have always been meguiars #26, #16 or nattys blue paste. Im sure many more new waxes have come along in the time being.
 
Congrats on the MB purchase. I would highly suggest polishing your paint to bring out the true depth and shine. Truthfully, most polishes from Menzerna, 3D/HD, Meguiars & Optimum will work great on this paint. And you don't need a rotary polisher in any means. A DA polisher is just fine.
 
I developed Ceruis Compound, in the start for that clear, after many hours of discussions with PPG's paint chemists.

That was the target, felt it would be the main clear in a few years.

Problem, very expensive for the base materials, etc.

So, not a major player of clears, still today.

I could go on and on and on, on this subject, but please allow me to say this, a short version.

The "hard" part of such a clear is very, very thin, go through it with what many consider a normal cutting process, they will go below the "hard/dense portion", and that is not as hard, it will not be "dense", it will be as acceptable to acids, scratches, etc as any other production applied clear.

Grumpy
 
So reading around it appears that this opti coat is all the rage.



Should I just go with a wash, clay, light polish, wash then apply this opti coat?



Once opti coat is applied is there any utility to add an additional LSP on top?
 
I'd polish it to perfection and then Opticoat. Ceramiclear used to be a problem, but modern polishes have no issues with it, even with a DA.
 
Dan said:
I'd polish it to perfection and then Opticoat. Ceramiclear used to be a problem, but modern polishes have no issues with it, even with a DA.
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Lol what do you consider modern because I have old poorboys ssr1 and ssr 2.5 and I also have a bottle of Optimum no exactly sure which one as I am out of town but nothing too abrasive I bought it probably 5 yrs ago.



What is the shelf life of these polishes?
 
Also Im suprised with all the enthusiasm for opti clear since you no longer need to add an additional LSP. It seemed like a large portion of the board and part of the fun was always trying out new sealants and LSP's. I guess it makes everything simple just wash and go



Are you guys using this product on your personal cars or are you using it more for those cars you are servicing in your profession because Im sure it would make your job much easier.



Also random question is there a long time forum member here named Patrick or something close to that he had a monkey with glasses as his avatar? He had a detailing supply website and always shipped a piece of candy with the orders. He always was very prompt and a pleasure to deal with but cant remember the name of his site. EDIT: nevermind found it exceldetail EDIT EDIT hmm guess site is no longer active
 
03TLS said:
Also Im suprised with all the enthusiasm for opti clear since you no longer need to add an additional LSP. It seemed like a large portion of the board and part of the fun was always trying out new sealants and LSP's. I guess it makes everything simple just wash and go
Click to expand...



It's definately a popular product amoung both detailers and car enthusiasts.



03TLS said:
Are you guys using this product on your personal cars or are you using it more for those cars you are servicing in your profession because Im sure it would make your job much easier.
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A little of both actually. It's not the best product for everybody. You should really qualify your client to determine if it's right for them.



03TLS said:
Also random question is there a long time forum member here named Patrick or something close to that he had a monkey with glasses as his avatar? He had a detailing supply website and always shipped a piece of candy with the orders. He always was very prompt and a pleasure to deal with but cant remember the name of his site. EDIT: nevermind found it exceldetail EDIT EDIT hmm guess site is no longer active
Click to expand...



a-k-a-patrick from Excel Detail. I believe he is no longer in business.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/members/a-k-a-patrick.html
 
Ron Ketcham said:
I developed Ceruis Compound, in the start for that clear, after many hours of discussions with PPG's paint chemists.

That was the target, felt it would be the main clear in a few years.

Problem, very expensive for the base materials, etc.

So, not a major player of clears, still today.

I could go on and on and on, on this subject, but please allow me to say this, a short version.

The "hard" part of such a clear is very, very thin, go through it with what many consider a normal cutting process, they will go below the "hard/dense portion", and that is not as hard, it will not be "dense", it will be as acceptable to acids, scratches, etc as any other production applied clear.

Grumpy
Click to expand...

So Ron, are you suggesting we go easy on polishing ceramiclear? Please elaborate. :)
 
03TLS said:
Also Im suprised with all the enthusiasm for opti clear since you no longer need to add an additional LSP. It seemed like a large portion of the board and part of the fun was always trying out new sealants and LSP's. I guess it makes everything simple just wash and go
Click to expand...



Certainly for personal cars. I'm slowly converting over my cars. I might not ever do the Vette, but everything else will probably get OC'd. Here is my logic, I like clean cars. Clean looks good. Sure the day 1 pop of something like HD Poxy or CG50/50 can't be matched by OC. But after the first good rain or even dew, OC is right there, and takes over from there on. After a few rains, the OC'd car looks great and the other car doesn't. Plus topping OC with a good QD works very well.
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
No, it wont bond.
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You can add a Carnauba wax or a polymer sealant for aesthetic purposes or as a sacrificial barrier, but be cognizant that just as contamination have a hard time adhering, so do waxes and paint sealants. The coating provides a very smooth surface and therefore the micro pores available for adhesion are very limited.
 
Will my OLD original Optimum Polish be suitable to remove some minor micromarring from the Ceramiclear?



If not I was thinking of going with the new Merenza Polishes. Any thoughts on which ones to get for mild swirling with maybe some areas that are moderate. I have yet to do a full clean to fully evaluate. There new line seems to overlap quite a bit.



I was thinking maybe Power Finish polish then finishing it off with Final Finish or Final Polish, or should i start with something more aggresive like Intensive polish?
 
I'd alter your pads to see which combo gives you the nicest correction and gloss without doing multiple steps. Menzerna SF4000 might be your best bet with a white LC pad, but every car is different.
 
David Fermani said:
I'd alter your pads to see which combo gives you the nicest correction and gloss without doing multiple steps. Menzerna SF4000 might be your best bet with a white LC pad, but every car is different.
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OP probably has the older PC with 6" pads..highly recommend that you get a 5" BP and 5.5" pads.
 
Legacy99 said:
OP probably has the older PC with 6" pads..highly recommend that you get a 5" BP and 5.5" pads.
Click to expand...



Yes I have the older PC with 6" pads but i am not sure if my backing plate is a 6" or 5". I am currently out of town so unable to check.



But I was looking at these two kits although not sure if i really need the super intensive polish:



Menzerna polishes for ceramic clear coat paint, Nano polish, super intensive, Lake Country pads, Show car kit



Menzerna Complete Ceramic 5.5 Inch Polishing Pad Kit
 
Ron Ketcham said:
I could go on and on and on, on this subject, but please allow me to say this, a short version.

The "hard" part of such a clear is very, very thin, go through it with what many consider a normal cutting process, they will go below the "hard/dense portion", and that is not as hard, it will not be "dense", it will be as acceptable to acids, scratches, etc as any other production applied clear.

Grumpy
Click to expand...



Is this not a real problem? Isn't this something that should garner more attention from people? Since the defects are very tough to cut down to on a ceramiclear like a Benz, it is pretty much necessary to use the heavy hitters like SIP or 105 or 101 to make a dent.



Can we get further details on how a multi-hardness clear coat works?
 
03TLS said:
Yes I have the older PC with 6" pads but i am not sure if my backing plate is a 6" or 5". I am currently out of town so unable to check.



But I was looking at these two kits although not sure if i really need the super intensive polish:



Menzerna polishes for ceramic clear coat paint, Nano polish, super intensive, Lake Country pads, Show car kit



Menzerna Complete Ceramic 5.5 Inch Polishing Pad Kit
Click to expand...



I would buy everything separately, as I don't care for the ccs pads. Get some 5.5" Buff and Shine flat pads. Of course you will need a 5" backing plate.
 
After OptiCoating my car, I just wash with Optimum No rinse and then use Adam's Detail Spray as a drying aid while I dry the car. This gives it a freshly waxed look and really pops.



It's the best of both worlds, imo. Durability of OptiCoat and a freshly waxed look from a quick detailer.
 
I actually have the PC 7336SP with a 4.5 inch backing plate. The thing is my weight says to be used with 6 inch pads only which I have only previously used. Will there be any balance issues with using a 5.5 in pad?



No inuendo
 
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