Anti-Scratch Ceramic Coating. A Magical Honda!

[Debo]

http://www.magicdetail.co.uk

Hi!

This is a *special* write up. I took a booking for a Civic Type-S a few weeks back, the job remit was to remove the swirl marks to return the colour back to the paint, and then do as best I could to protect it so they don't return. Protecting the car with a wax or sealant was never going to be an issue as I have plenty to choose from, including Swissvax Best of Show and Crystal Rock which would compliment the Cerulean Blue colour perfectly, but they'd not do anything to improve the scratch resistance of the soft paint... so I imported from Japan, a specialist nano-ceramic coating. Scientifically proven to build resistance against swirl marks, minor scratching, UV radiation and acid etching by >50% :bigthumb:

This was a big job, and it needed doing over a weekend - no unit for me this time, just the Magic Detailing Den

On arrival;







I cleaned the wheels first, as always, and being a relatively new car, there wasn't much in the way of embedded brake dust;



Then I begun the paintwork, starting with a snow foam to remove any loose debris and soften the dirt bonded to the car to make the wash phase easier;



After washing the car I started to decontaminate the paintwork, here we can see the de-ironiser working on the bonnet, and secondly the clay bar nearly full from drawing out the bonded contamination;





Once these critical stages were completed, I dried the car using special deep pile drying towels and the blow dryer to get into the crevices. I then inspected the car as it was now cleaned to a high enough standard. I spotted an alloy wheel defect, which was the same on all 4 wheels: etching from harsh chemicals, maybe TFR or wheel acid.



Drove the car into the den, ready for the polishing, and this is where I'd be for the next 12hrs

Here's a few snaps to show you the general condition and improvement I made to the paintwork;





Good 50/50 here on the A-pillar: you can see the colour looks different between the wing and the pillar due to the swirls, and in the 2nd picture, it looks the same colour.





Some more before and afters;









Some pictures to show the general level of correction achieved (~95%);







Once I was satisfied that the paintwork was corrected to the level myself and my client were looking for, I gave the car a full IPA wipedown and prepped the surface for the application of the nano-ceramic coating! This was now on DAY 2 of this treatment.

You can see the coating curing in the light. It is left like this for 3hrs, and during this time it cannot be touched or disturbed! It must be applied in a controlled environment for perfect results.



Once the coating was cured, and the excess residue removed, I could tend to other details, such as the exterior trim;





My apprentice (yes, my dad, aka GPM!) was on hand on the second day, he applied and removed the water repellant glass coating;



Once we had done all we could in the den, which also included a single application of Swissvax Crystal Rock on top of the ceramic and Swissvax Autobahn on the wheels (making this possibly the most protected Civic in the whole of the UK right now!!), we rolled it outside so we could access the interior which was treated to a dust and vac, with all glass cleaned and surfaces protected with Aerospace protectant for the plastics and fabric guard for the upholstry.

I then managed to take some final snaps of the finished product, after a total of 16hrs work spread across 2 days.













I was also able to remedy the etching on the alloy wheel faces



This type of protection will last 2-3 years. I am confident my client will return in future for additional top ups of the Crystal Rock, which I envisage will allow this level of protection to last over the estimated 3 year lifespan.

I've brought this thread to your attention because Fiat's and Italian cars also come with reletively soft paint - swirl marks are forever an issue. This ceramic coating becomes the active surface layer of the paintwork and improves scratch and swirl resistance by 50% or more. It doesn't totally prevent them returning, but it chemically bonds to your paintwork, turning your soft paint into medium-hard.

Don't forget to follow my work on Facebook too! I have plenty of interesting past and upcoming work on there

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magic-...46471192042804

All the best.
Matt.

[Superman]

Good work, what wages have you got Bill on?


Like the end result, what sort of cost is the extra ceramic coating work?

[Debo]

I have him on the minimum wage Dan! He earns enough on the RR's and Bentley's For the eagle eyed, you'd have spotted a job in the background of one of the pics which we're going to double team sometime between now and xmas!

Minus the Ceramic, but with Crystal Rock, £435. This is 13hrs work.

I'm doing Ceramic as a package only deal - because of the hardness and longevity of the coating, it'd be silly to apply it to an ill-prepared surface full of swirls and scratches. So a minimum correction of 90% is required. Quoting £495 all in. There was 16hrs went into it in total, over 2 days. 11hrs of machine work If I didn't do it as a deal, i.e just did hourly rate plus products it'd be £580. So it works out at quite a saving.

Engine, interior etc is all detailed in the price - along with rain repellant glass coating. It's a complete package.

[Debo]

Bit of beadage for you!!

[B3NZARMY]

very interested but i think my paint is by far beyond repair

[ash0098]

Amazing how much a detail can actually make a car look better! Well done Matt.

[Debo]

Cheers dudes!!

Made a short video of how this protection system behaves around water

Anti-scratch Ceramic Coating