One of the most important steps in any exterior detail is a proper decontamination of the paint. This involves a chemical step - iron remover, and a mechanical step - clay bar.
Clear coat is porous, and iron particles and other contaminants will bond to the clear coat easily. These contaminants add a roughness to your paint, and if not taken care of properly can lead to much bigger issues like rust and clear coat failure. A proper decontamination wash will "exfoliate" the clear coat and smooth out the surface dramatically.
First, we will meticulously clean the wheels, rinse the vehicle, and perform a proper scratch-free hand wash.
Second we will apply the iron remover to all painted surfaces of the vehicle and let it dwell. As the product reacts with the iron it will turn purple, which is why it's always great to demonstrate on light colored vehicles like you see in the pictures.
After a thorough iron decon we will clay bar the exterior paint AND glass to remove more bonded contaminants. We will even go one step further and do another inspection after the clay and remove any left over tar or stronger contaminants with a dedicated chemical.
At this point we will either apply a sealant, or perform a paint correction and apply a professional ceramic coating.
If your vehicle has never been professionally detailed before, chances are there are a lot of contaminants in your paint. Not sure? Put your hand inside a plastic ziploc bag and gently run it over a painted surface on your vehicle. If you feel roughness, it's time for a detail.
A decon wash should be done approximately every 6 months on a daily driven vehicle, with regular maintenance washes in between. Our PLATINUM EXTERIOR DETAIL includes this very important decon process!
PRO TIP: If you get a ceramic coating on your vehicle and maintain it properly, it should only need a chemical decontamination (just iron remover) once a year - saving you time and money!
Thanks for reading,
Ben Runkel
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