How do you prepare a car for a sealant?
The first stage is to assess the car and ensure it is ready. We have seen brand-new cars, straight from the dealership, which have dents, scuffs and other damage. These have to be addressed first using cosmetic repair, repair-and-repaint or paintless dent removal.
Next, the car is washed with a strong soap to remove any wax, and treated with clay bars or clay pads to remove light industrial fallout, tree sap or other contaminants. At this point we should be down to clean, bare paintwork.
If there are any additional problems, it is generally at this stage that we will notice them. Such as excessive industrial fallout, tar or paint splatter from the road. These can then be addressed if need be.
We will then begin machine polishing the car using a system which is appropriate for the age and condition of the paintwork. If there are any areas which need extra attention because of scratches, bird mess etching etc, will receive paintwork correction.
The polishes and compounds used to machine polish a car will leave an oily residue which is often invisible, but can serve to hide micro-marring and buffer trails, so as we go along, the car will be continually cleaned with panel wipe and carefully examined using an inspection light to ensure no marks are left in the paintwork.
Once the car is polished to a high shine, any masking tape is removed and the panels are cleaned again. Then the car is ready for an application of the chosen coating.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 16/06/2022 15:35