Ceramic coatings provide exceptional protection and a stunning finish for vehicles, but achieving that flawless, long-lasting result depends on one essential step: proper panel prepping. At Phoenix E.O.D., we understand the importance of prepping the surface before applying any ceramic coating. Our range of professional-grade products is designed to ensure your vehicle is ready for coating application, giving you the best possible results.
In this blog, we’ll walk through why panel prepping is crucial and how Phoenix E.O.D. products can make this process easier and more effective.
What is Panel Prepping?
Panel prepping involves thoroughly cleaning and decontaminating the surface of your vehicle’s paint before applying any protective coating. It’s more than just a regular wash - it requires specific techniques and products designed to remove contaminants that can negatively affect how well the ceramic coating bonds to the paint.
This process typically includes:
- Washing: To remove dirt, grime, and loose contaminants.
- Decontaminating: Using a clay bar or decontamination solution to remove embedded particles like tar, sap, and industrial fallout.
- Polishing: Removing swirl marks, scratches, or oxidation to ensure the surface is as smooth as possible.
- Wiping down: Using Peleus Panel Prep, a perfect blend of alcohols and surfactants, to ensure all oils and residue from polishing are eliminated, leaving a pristine surface for the coating.
Why is Panel Prepping Important?
- Ensures Proper Adhesion: Ceramic coatings form a chemical bond with the paint surface. If contaminants, oils, or residue are left on the paint, they act as a barrier, preventing proper adhesion. This weakens the coating's durability and compromises its protective qualities. Using Phoenix E.O.D. products, you can prepare the surface to allow the coating to bond completely, ensuring maximum durability.
- Enhances the Finish: Imagine applying a ceramic coating over a surface riddled with imperfections - swirl marks, scratches, or dirt. The coating will amplify these flaws instead of hiding them. Proper panel prepping removes surface imperfections, ensuring a flawless, smooth finish. A correctly prepped surface will result in that desired deep gloss and glass-like reflection that ceramic coatings are known for.
- Maximizes Protection: The main purpose of a ceramic coating is to protect your vehicle from environmental damage, UV rays, and chemical stains. By properly prepping the panels with Phoenix E.O.D. products, you enhance the coating's ability to protect your vehicle by forming a strong bond and lasting layer of protection.
- Increases Longevity: Ceramic coatings are known for their durability, but that durability is dependent on how well the coating bonds with the paint. Poor surface preparation can lead to premature wear or failure of the coating. Phoenix E.O.D.’s prep solutions help ensure the coating lasts its full lifespan, giving you years of low-maintenance protection. Proper prepping ensures the coating lasts as long as it’s designed to, giving you years of protection with minimal maintenance.
- Prevents Coating Failure: Without proper panel preparation, you risk encountering problems like streaking, poor hydrophobic performance, or even coating failure. Using the right products during the prep process, like those from Phoenix E.O.D., helps avoid these issues, resulting in a smooth and even application. By spending extra effort on panel prepping, you significantly reduce the risk of coating failure.
Key Products for Effective Panel Prep
The Kraken All-Purpose Cleaner: The Kraken is an all-purpose cleaner and degreaser that eliminates surface grime, grease, and oils, making it the perfect first step for deep cleaning your panels. Due to its high pH formula, The Kraken makes for a perfect pre-soak or “bump” to Apex Auto Wash to assist with bonded contaminates. This helps ensure the paint is free of contaminants that could interfere with coating adhesion.
Clay Bar or Clay Mitt: These tools physically remove embedded contaminants, like brake dust or industrial fallout, that can’t be removed through washing alone.
The Furies Iron Remover: The Furies Iron Remover is designed to chemically remove iron particles, brake dust, and other ferrous contaminants that can’t be removed by washing alone. It’s a key step in ensuring the surface is clean and ready for the coating.
Papa Cut Diminishing Compound or Fabulous Finishing Polish: For cars with scratches or swirl marks, polishing the paint helps restore its clarity and smoothness. You can opt for a light polish or a compound depending on the severity of the defects. A polished surface enhances the ceramic coating’s finish and shine.
Peleus Panel Prep: The final step before applying the ceramic coating is a thorough wipe-down with Peleus Panel Prep. This alcohol blend spray eliminates any oils, waxes, or polish residue, leaving a perfectly clean, residue-free surface for optimal coating adhesion.
Conclusion
Panel prepping is an essential part of any ceramic coating application. Using Phoenix E.O.D. products ensures that your panels are properly cleaned, decontaminated, and polished to perfection, giving you the best possible foundation for a ceramic coating. Skipping or rushing this process can result in coating failure, diminished protection, and a lackluster finish, making it all the more important to take the time to do it right.
By choosing Phoenix E.O.D.’s panel prep products, you’re investing in the success of your ceramic coating application. Properly prepped surfaces not only lead to a flawless finish but also ensure your vehicle is well-protected for years to come.
With Phoenix E.O.D. on your side, you can be confident that every step of the panel prep process is covered, helping you achieve a professional-grade ceramic coating finish with ease.
