Question on ceramic adherance on new car w/ Simoniz on it

M

MichaelB1969

New member
Hi all, just got a 2025 Mini Cooper S and although it was "prepped" by the dealer, it wasn't done to my standards. I think they put on a coating from Simoniz, although no idea which one. So here is what I did for just the roof and A and C pillars that are black (will do the rest of the paint next), as they needed the most attention:
  1. Washed with Dawn (water still beaded after)
  2. Used a synthetic clay pad to remove surface contaminants
  3. Washed with Clean Slate from Chemical Guys (water still beaded after)
  4. Polished using Meguiar's M205 and a random orbital buffer
  5. Sprayed the areas to be coated with a 50/50 mix of 91% IPA and distilled water
  6. Applied CQuartz UK 3.0
Even though there was still beading after Clean Slate, the paint didn't feel soft or slippery, so wondering if it's possible that the prior coating was removed but since it is a new car, the paint still beaded. I dunno.

Anyways, I am about to move on to treat the body color portions and wondering if the same process above makes sense, of if I should do things differently?

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance!

Mini-quarter.jpeg
 
Congrats on the new car! Looks great!

With that process you will have removed the previously applied coating. The polishing will have taken care of removing it. Good process, except for the Dawn wash, stick with a dedicated car shampoo for better performance and longer life of your rubber/seals/etc.

Keep us posted and pics when you are done!
 
Sizzle Chest said:
Congrats on the new car! Looks great!

With that process you will have removed the previously applied coating. The polishing will have taken care of removing it. Good process, except for the Dawn wash, stick with a dedicated car shampoo for better performance and longer life of your rubber/seals/etc.

Keep us posted and pics when you are done!
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MichaelB1969 said:
Thanks! Yeah, I use Carpro Reset normally, but in trying to eliminate the prior coating I figured Dawn was a good starting point. :)
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I think Dawn is a lot milder than Reset. With all due respect to Sizzle, I don't think Dawn will damage anything on your car, but as Sizzle noted, there are a lot better prep washes than Dawn. IMO the reputation that Dawn has for ability to strip waxes and sealants relies not on its ability to do so, but for the sheeting agents in Dawn that help keep you from getting water spots on your dishes, and which are able to clog waxes and sealants, making you think they aren't there anymore.

I generally link to a couple of threads at AGO where experiments were done in this regard, but since the pictures don't work anymore, and I'm tired, I'm not going to do so.
 
MichaelB1969 said:
Thanks! Yeah, I use Carpro Reset normally, but in trying to eliminate the prior coating I figured Dawn was a good starting point. :)
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Congrats on the new Mini Cooper !!!

New paint will bead really good for awhile, without anything on it...

I remember Simoniz wax from around 60 years ago...

And yes, if you go all the way around your paint with Meguiars 205, and some good foam pads, you will have removed whatever they may have applied to you paint just fine..

I have been using only Carpro Reset since it was invented, and it always gives me great results...

I have had vehicles that were coated and the coating was dirty with stuff stuck to it, and Reset was the only product I have found that removed the gunk off the coating and it started beading really good again...

I remember decades ago when using "Dawn" was the way to start..... :)

Good luck with your project !!!!
Stokdgs
 
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Yup, showing my age with Dawn as the preferred car wash soap! Haha.

Love Reset. It's incredibly slippery and sudsy. Washes super well.

I did notice that after putting on the CARPRO CQuartz that the finish isn't super slippery. It does bead well though. I did my BMW with it and remember it being more slick, but maybe I'm not remembering correctly. I'll just do the rest of the car with 205, then CQuartz, and then spritz a coat of EliXir on top of it.

As a marketing professional, one bit of advice I'd have for CARPRO is to simplify their product names. Goodness, it's bananas how many different product names they have without much consistency or logic between them all. Very, very confusing for consumers.
 
MichaelB1969 said:
I did notice that after putting on the CARPRO CQuartz that the finish isn't super slippery. It does bead well though. I did my BMW with it and remember it being more slick, but maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
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It may get more slick as the coating finishes curing.

MichaelB1969 said:
As a marketing professional, one bit of advice I'd have for CARPRO is to simplify their product names. Goodness, it's bananas how many different product names they have without much consistency or logic between them all. Very, very confusing for consumers.
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I think the "confusion" is part of the mystique. It's not like they're selling products on the shelf at WalMart, they're selling to "us", and we revel in all the nuance. Don't we? Also, bear in mind the head of CarPro US was a forum denizen, like us, before becoming the importer.
 
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