Treatment for non-clearcoated car

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xrenchtwistr

New member
hi guys,



i've been reading this forum back and forth and searching and still have not found the clear answer. I have a black lexus and have come to believe that there is no clearcoat. I know all or at least most cars nowadays have it, but I've been told by three separate dealers that black lexus cars don't have it, and its been mostly confirmed on lexus forums.



So my question is whether all the detailing that I am reading about here is safe and acceptable for both clearcoats and non-clearcoats? or is everything assuming a clearcoat? As you all know, black cars swirl like hell, and I've neglected detailing since i bought the car nearly two years ago. Used cheap wash mits in one bucket and the whole ignorant bit. I am assuming I'll need some serious clay and some abrasive compound like SMR or FI2 to start. I'm still trying to learn what all goes next, perhaps the common AIO and SG whatever else I'll learn. Please lead me to the promised land...
 
The only one I can think of, that you cannot use is Zaino Z2, otherwise all the other products are fine for use on a non clear coat.



Steven
 
While I'm not as experienced as many here, the way I understand it is that 95% of paint prep and protecting procedures are identical regardless if you have a clearcoated or non-clearcoated paintjob. They are both paint, except one has pigment and the other doesn't (on top anyway). The only time clearcoats get complicated is when touching up chips.



For SMR, you should use either 3M SMR for Dark Cars or Meguiar's #9 2.0. Both will work by hand (I recently used 3M myself), but using a PC to machine apply it is by far preferred and will knock down swirls quicker with less sweat (and you WILL sweat!). As someone (Brad?) mentioned, don't expect miracles with SMR the first time around. It takes many applications or a good workover with a machine to actually abrade them out. Both SMRs have fillers which I attribute much of my swirl reduction to.



If you go with a sealant like Klasse, Zaino, etc. just remember the generality that the paint has to end up oil and filler free when the layering starts.



Some nice condensed general advice is given in rufuz's thread nearby. Hope this helps :)
 
4DSC said:




If you go with a sealant like Klasse, Zaino, etc. just remember the generality that the paint has to end up oil and filler free when the layering starts.



Some nice condensed general advice is given in rufuz's thread nearby. Hope this helps :)
Click to expand...



thank you much for the complete answer there. another question. after i use SMR, what needs to be done to go to AIO and SG?
 
To be thorough, you should either Dawn wash or apply a paint cleaner (a PPCL-like product) after SMR to remove fillers/oils.



People might question the wisdom of this, but I was pressed for time and went right to the AIO after SMRing. The paint was already squeaking after the SMR so I (hopefully!) compensated by using the AIO a bit more heavily in 2 coats. It seems to have worked and now I just have to tweak my SG skills a bit.
 
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