DIAMOND PROTECH COATINGS
DIY COATING
Are you like me, someone who actually wants their car properly coated, but thinks it's a lot of money? Then take a look at my personal DIY attempt to coat my car at home.
Car coating? You can do it yourself just like me.
I've been thinking for a long time that I wanted to get my car properly coated. I've been super happy just using paint sealants and will continue to use them as toppers on my coating. But I really wanted a proper base now before winter sets in, so the car would be easier to keep clean.
It wasn't really my intention to do it that day. I had intentionally not washed the car for almost 2 weeks because I wanted to try a new product that was supposed to be completely touchless. Exo touchless car wash.
I had intentionally chosen not to clean the tires, rims, or anything else. I just poured it pure into my foam cannon and sprayed it thoroughly over the car, into the rims, wheel wells, etc.
It didn't take more than about 15 seconds before I could see it starting to pull the dirt out of the tires, and I must say it worked absolutely perfectly. Much better than I had expected. So, after about 5 minutes of letting it sit, I rinsed the entire car clean, and to my surprise, it was probably about 98% clean. There were just a few spots where there was some dirt that wouldn't come off. There, I took my insect sponge from The Rag Company and dealt with it. It's awesome for all sorts of things!
If you have a spray-on paint sealant or a wax, I can reveal that you won't have it anymore after applying this. With a pH of 12, it's harsh, but that's what I wanted. It just needed to be thoroughly cleaned.
And then the idea came. I'm coating the car now with Diamond Protech!
The things I used are listed below.
EAGLE EDGELESS 500 MICROFIBER CLOTHS 4 PCS
The Rag Company – Jersey Scrubbing Pad Orange
ULTRA CLAY SCRUBBER 2 PCS
THE RAG COMPANY – EDGELESS 300 MICROFIBER CLOTHS 10 PCS
THE RAG COMPANY – THE 1500
DIAMOND BODY PREP 100 ML
DIAMOND PROTECH BODY COATING 50 ML
EXO Brushless Car Wash 2.5 Liter
As described above, I gave the car a good wash, and it was completely without any form of protection, other than the Diamond Protech Glass Coating I had applied to the glass about 4 months ago. Which, by the way, was not harmed by a pH of 12. Still going strong :)
I grabbed a bucket with some P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash to use as clay lube, and then I quickly went over it with my clay bar. Just to make sure I had removed all impurities from the paint. Iron remover wasn't necessary as I had used it a couple of weeks ago.
I dried the car thoroughly with The 1500 from The Rag Company. If you want a microfiber towel that can dry an entire car AND a caravan in one go, then this is for you. It's truly amazing.
Once I was satisfied with the drying and confident that no water would drip from the side mirrors or elsewhere later, I was ready for the coating.
Do you need to polish the car before a coating? No, you don't. Those who say you do are simply mistaken.
Is polishing a good idea to remove scratches and enhance the gloss of the paint before a coating? Absolutely! But it's not a necessity for coating the car. On the contrary, several studies show that it can often be an advantage if it's not polished, as it can be difficult to remove all polishing compound and properly prep the surface before coating.
I started by prepping the entire surface of the car with Diamond Protech Body Prep. It's quite important to use this, as it ensures that the last bit of grease, etc., is removed from the surface before the coating.
I took a microfiber applicator and dripped about 10-15 drops of the coating onto it and started applying it to one panel at a time.
I waited about 4-5 minutes and then buffed it off with Edgeless 300.
I initially tried with Edgeless 500, but it's simply too soft and hairy to remove the coating without some of the cloth getting stuck.
So I used it for the final buff after the Edgeless 300. It was super easy, and within an hour, I had actually finished the entire car.
Diamond Protech Body Coating has 0 hours of curing time, so when I was done, my daughter wanted to go out and get a McDonald's ice cream. So we hopped in the car and drove off immediately.
Today I went to Aarhus, and when I got home in the evening, I had a lot of insects on the front again (a bit strange given how cold it is, actually), but they'll probably disappear soon. I just took the pressure washer and rinsed them off without using shampoo, chemicals, or anything. It's so easy :D
It's a good idea to wait a couple of weeks before washing the car with various products, just to let the coating fully cure.
So until then, I'll have to use plain water, or P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash. I love using that too :)
It's incredible how easy it has become to clean. And the shine! Wow.
I really recommend doing it, and if I can do it (outside in 10-degree weather), then you can too.
