A Detailers Maverick Experience: Thin Paint, Ceramic Coating, Etc.

[clavicus]

I’m just gonna start by saying that these Mavericks are already head turners when they’re out in the wild… But now this thing straight up is snapping necks. Here are a few thoughts..

Finally had the time to detail my truck properly. It was washed, decontaminated and pretty much every surface is now ceramic coated. Paint was in such good shape after washing and prep, that I fortunately didn’t have to do any paint correction. This is rare but shows how taking the proper precautions and making sure your vehicle is in professional hands can save you a lot of time and money. This truck is Ceramic Coated so it’s UV protected, it’s going to stay cleaner for alot longer, it’s going to stay looking glossy and cleaning it is going to be a piece of cake thanks to the low surface energy and high contact angle the ceramic coating provides.


1.) Don’t let your dealer touch the truck. This is going to prevent you from having to pay to fix any scratches/imperfections they administer. This is important because polishing is where you’re going to spend your money at the detail shop.

Warning: these trucks have little to no paint on them.. (more later on)


2.) Find an certified detailer with proper knowledge and experience and don’t let joe shmoe touch your truck. You get what you pay for quite literally in the detailing industry. You can always find someone to do it cheaper, but that’s not necessarily better. You’ll usually end up paying another detailer to fix the first ones mistakes. In this case, not hiring a professional could easily lead to them burning through the little paint you have trying to correct it.


3.)PAINT IS THIN
This is so important. If you or your detailer are going to polish the truck in any way, they NEED to do a paint reading with a paint depth gauge.
I was shocked at how little clear coat was on certain parts of my truck and had I not taken the right precautions and measured the paint, I’d be in a lot of trouble. Luckily I had no dealer instilled scratches or swirls and I was able to simply wash, carefully decontaminate the paint with an iron remover, sap remove, tar remover and followed up with a careful claybar. No user inflicted marring. Had I not been experienced at this, this would have been a turning point in the project for a lot of people. I’m shocked at how thin the paint is and so thankful I am not busting out the polisher. Below are pictures of the process and what I saw.

4.)Plastic almost appears to have a coating of some sort on it. I ceramic coated mine but it almost didn’t want to take the coating. Hopefully we won’t see fading down the road like we do with most vehicles with this type of exterior surface. Whether your coating it or restoring it down the road, remember these pieces are very porous and get clogged with contamination. It needs to be cleaned properly or you won’t get proper adhesion.

Here are pictures of the process, hope you enjoy.

Before:

After:

Clay After Decon: lots of dirt and grime embedded into the clear coat

Paint After Clay: No visible scratches or marring when done right

Measuring The Paint:

Results: For Reference, you have about 1.5-2. Mils of base/color coat on a car. That’s thinner than a post it note. Most cars have about the same amount of clear coat, sometimes less and sometimes more. After reading as low as 2.28 on some places that’s a sign there is very little to no clear coat on these vehicles.

Coating Time:
Gtechniq CSL Followed By ExoV4

Beyond happy with the results!!!

Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!!!

What grade clay bar did you use? And do you think clay mitt would have good results too?

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[ParagonDetail]

I applied Ceramic Coating to all my cars & motorcycles for several years. For me the Maverick paint depth is a clue for anyone with a Maverick that a ceramic coating is really needed due to a soft and thin coat of paint. With a ceramic coatings you don't need to wash as often, putting less friction on the paint.

I also use a ceramic washing soap that helps maintain the ceramic coating. I find water spots still happen on a ceramic coating unless you dry after washing.

Yessir you are very correct. Manufacturers have to produce more cars every year and in order to do so they have to speed up the building process. Paint is the longest process of the build, they’re literally waiting for paint to dry. So we are seeing manufacturers spraying cars thinner and thinner to speed up the paint process. With how thin paint is getting, you’re crazy not to get your car protected with a ceramic coating. Your cars paint has UV protection built in. That protection has a half life of around 5-8 years. So if your vehicle is a long term investment, you might have to worry about paint failure down the road someway or another. IMHO, spend the money and have it done.

And yeah you can’t beat the ease of maintenance a coating provides. Always want to use a PH neutral soap when washing a coated car. Water spots can happen, yes. That can depend on what coating you have (does it sheet water or bead water) but yes can still be a problem. But they aren’t etching themselves through your clear coat. Water has minerals and when the water evaporate, they dry on the paint leaving a ring. The sun bakes those minerals into your paint and creates and etching or crater. Only way to remove that is to polish down the clear coat to make it level. That can be a problem if you have no clear coat to remove.
Think of it like this. Water is going to damage your paint. Acidic bird scat, sap, tar, etc are going to ruin your paint if not removed in a timely manner. That coating is a sacrificial layer of protection. Any damage that would be done to the paint is happening to the coating, leaving your precious clear coat underneath safe.

 

[Bill Cather]

There are many things that come into account when pricing a detail job. However, if I were to get in a maverick in similar condition and was to perform the same steps and apply the same coating for a client, it would be around $1000-$1200. Paint correction can easily double that price.

P.S. THANK YOU!!!

I had mine done ($1200 -IGL coating) as soon as I got it and was floored how amazing it looked. HIGHLY recommend

 

[ParagonDetail]

Question for Paragon:

After 3, 4 or 5 years if you need to redo the ceramic coatings, do you simply re-apply a claybar and decontaminate the surface all over again, then replace the ceramic coating?

Also, are the GLASS ceramic coating work very well?

In most cases the coating is still there, it’s just contaminated and clogged. A test after a proper wash and decontamination will let you know if the coating is still there or not. If it’s not present, you can simply reapply.
Keep in mind not every situation is the same. If your vehicles is garage kept, washed weekly/bi-weekly your coating is going to hold up a lot longer than the guy who’s truck sits outside and gets washed every month or so.

Yes glass coatings work but glass needs to be decontaminated and polished for proper adhesion.
I prefer P&S Vue for shorter durability (6 months) or Gtechniq G1 for up to 2 years or 20,000 miles.

 

[upnorther]

I’m just gonna start by saying that these Mavericks are already head turners when they’re out in the wild… But now this thing straight up is snapping necks. Here are a few thoughts..

Finally had the time to detail my truck properly. It was washed, decontaminated and pretty much every surface is now ceramic coated. Paint was in such good shape after washing and prep, that I fortunately didn’t have to do any paint correction. This is rare but shows how taking the proper precautions and making sure your vehicle is in professional hands can save you a lot of time and money. This truck is Ceramic Coated so it’s UV protected, it’s going to stay cleaner for alot longer, it’s going to stay looking glossy and cleaning it is going to be a piece of cake thanks to the low surface energy and high contact angle the ceramic coating provides.


1.) Don’t let your dealer touch the truck. This is going to prevent you from having to pay to fix any scratches/imperfections they administer. This is important because polishing is where you’re going to spend your money at the detail shop.

Warning: these trucks have little to no paint on them.. (more later on)


2.) Find an certified detailer with proper knowledge and experience and don’t let joe shmoe touch your truck. You get what you pay for quite literally in the detailing industry. You can always find someone to do it cheaper, but that’s not necessarily better. You’ll usually end up paying another detailer to fix the first ones mistakes. In this case, not hiring a professional could easily lead to them burning through the little paint you have trying to correct it.


3.)PAINT IS THIN
This is so important. If you or your detailer are going to polish the truck in any way, they NEED to do a paint reading with a paint depth gauge.
I was shocked at how little clear coat was on certain parts of my truck and had I not taken the right precautions and measured the paint, I’d be in a lot of trouble. Luckily I had no dealer instilled scratches or swirls and I was able to simply wash, carefully decontaminate the paint with an iron remover, sap remove, tar remover and followed up with a careful claybar. No user inflicted marring. Had I not been experienced at this, this would have been a turning point in the project for a lot of people. I’m shocked at how thin the paint is and so thankful I am not busting out the polisher. Below are pictures of the process and what I saw.

4.)Plastic almost appears to have a coating of some sort on it. I ceramic coated mine but it almost didn’t want to take the coating. Hopefully we won’t see fading down the road like we do with most vehicles with this type of exterior surface. Whether your coating it or restoring it down the road, remember these pieces are very porous and get clogged with contamination. It needs to be cleaned properly or you won’t get proper adhesion.

Here are pictures of the process, hope you enjoy.

Before:

After:

Clay After Decon: lots of dirt and grime embedded into the clear coat

Paint After Clay: No visible scratches or marring when done right

Measuring The Paint:

Results: For Reference, you have about 1.5-2. Mils of base/color coat on a car. That’s thinner than a post it note. Most cars have about the same amount of clear coat, sometimes less and sometimes more. After reading as low as 2.28 on some places that’s a sign there is very little to no clear coat on these vehicles.

Coating Time:
Gtechniq CSL Followed By ExoV4

Beyond happy with the results!!!

Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!!!

THANK YOU for the detailed info. Very helpful. Which ceramic application did you use and how long before it will need to be reapplied, in general? Also, Are you estimating how thick the paint coat is (1.5-2.0 mils) and then measuring total depth to calculate the clear coat or can your tool actually measure how thick the color coat is independently of the clear coat? Thanks!

 

[ParagonDetail]

I had mine done ($1200 -IGL coating) as soon as I got it and was floored how amazing it looked. HIGHLY recommend

Joel, The owner of IGL is a great guy. Products are quality but haven’t used his ceramics yet.

 

[Chicora]

Thanks!! You confirmed that I made a good decision to already schedule an appointment. Looks great!!

 

[ParagonDetail]

What grade clay bar did you use? And do you think clay mitt would have good results too?

The paint actually felt like sand paper. The Rag Company Ultra Fine Clay Bar was perfect for this job.

Edit: Sorry, I used Adam’s Medium Grade Clay and The Rag Company Ultra Fine Clay on all glass.

 

[ParagonDetail]

THANK YOU for the detailed info. Very helpful. Which ceramic application did you use and how long before it will need to be reapplied, in general? Also, Are you estimating how thick the paint coat is (1.5-2.0 mils) and then measuring total depth to calculate the clear coat or can your tool actually measure how thick the color coat is independently of the clear coat? Thanks!

I used one of my favorite combos, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped With ExoV4. CSL sheets water very well and creates a very durable bond to the paint. ExoV4 beads water insanely well and has insane gloss. Together they make it very hard for anything to stick to the surface let alone bond to it. Together they’re good for about 5-7 years of protection, depending on how you maintain your vehicle. For someone like me, an OCD detailer lol, that coating could likely be on this truck 10+ years from now.

Only measuring how much total from panel to tip. Most if not all cars are going to have similar numbers as far as primer/base coat depth.

 

[TheGriffin1313]

Yes I do, Spencer at Competitive Detailing Company. Congrats, only a few days away!

Thanks Dude will give him a call

 

[Kylescc13]

Wow that's crazy from the main page before I clicked on this link it looked like you had a chrome wrap on it haha

 

[Geep]

I am going to go out on a limb and say that the $700 ceramic coating the dealer offers is not worth the coin after reading all the detail this shop went into….I know cause I asked, they dont even clay bar let alone some of the other things

 

[ParagonDetail]

Wow that's crazy from the main page before I clicked on this link it looked like you had a chrome wrap on it haha

 

[Scott Asheville]

Did you by any chance get a Mohs hardness rating for the paint? I'd expect the paint to be thin, and I'd expect it to be soft, and I'd expect it to be a minimum number of layers - which is fine with me because it's an economy CUV (oops, excuse me, I'm supposed to call it a truck).

I'm a huge fan of professional detailers. We send the wife's Volvo yearly. The really good ones work miracles. And you can pick how much you want done (and of course, how much to spend).

 

[upnorther]

I used one of my favorite combos, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped With ExoV4. CSL sheets water very well and creates a very durable bond to the paint. ExoV4 beads water insanely well and has insane gloss. Together they make it very hard for anything to stick to the surface let alone bond to it. Together they’re good for about 5-7 years of protection, depending on how you maintain your vehicle. For someone like me, an OCD detailer lol, that coating will likely be on this truck 10+ years from now.

Only measuring how much total from panel to tip. Most if not all cars are going to have similar numbers as far as primer/base coat depth.

Thanks for your reply. That truck is gorgeous!

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