Should I Ceramic Coat my car?

This is one of the questions we get often from people that buy new or "new to them" vehicles. The quick answer is, it depends. If you are the type of vehicle owner that wants your paint as shiny and perfect as possible, while being protected then my answer is yes.

Freshly Coated 2018 GMC Sierra

A Ceramic Coating provides much better protection then any wax or sealant while keeping your car cleaner longer and enhancing gloss. Ceramic coatings work so well for several reasons. Sealants and waxes sit on top of the paint and behave as a sacrificial layer that breaks down very quickly, and offers no additional strength to the paint. Ceramic coatings are different, as they are microscopic silica molecules. These molecular bodies work their way into the pores of the clear coat and permanently cross link with the paint. This infuses the ceramic into the paint, greatly increasing hydrophobics(water contact angle), the slickness(surface tension), and greatly improves resistance to chemical etching.

SiO2 ceramic coating. Larger gaps only 50 NM

These characteristics are exactly what you want with any protection to your paint. The best part about these coatings is they last 1-7 years or more depending on the coating you choose and how well you maintain the vehicle. So to recap a ceramic coating is extremely beneficial to your paint's protection, gloss, and longevity.

One of the coatings we use at the shop. Opticoat Pro 

It is important to be realistic of what your expectations are and how you care for your vehicle to make the decision as to weather or not you should coat your new car. Coatings are not some impenetrable barrier that will prevent scratches on your paint, and they will not keep your car perfectly clean all the time. They still require you to properly care for and maintain your vehicle, which many people may not have time for. Some folks like to run their car through the auto car wash and go through their day. If this is you, it may not be best to invest into a coating.

If you are the type who will properly wash and keep up with the maintenance of your vehicle's appearance, plans to baby their new car and want to keep it looking good long term; coatings make this much easier for you.

Water beading on coated car

Proper hand washing is all it takes to reward your coated car with a car that always looks clean, with extremely glossy and deep paint. If this is what you desire coatings can be an excellent option for you!

If you have purchased a new car and are considering how you want to protect it, reach out to us. We can help you though all the options to find out what is best for your specific situation

5 tips on how to care for your freshly detailed vehicle

By: Justin Petrillo V.P. Pride Auto Detailing

It always stinks to spend hard earned dollars on a detail only to have it undone in a day or two! It seems like everything is out to make your car dirty again; whether the rain, snow, children, dogs, or even yourself.

So here are a few simple steps to keep your vehicle looking fresher…longer! Yes, I get it. If I teach you how to make your detail last, we may not see you as much.  Our goal is to educate our community and serve them the best way we know how.  This is not about money, it never has been. Money is nice, don’t get me wrong. But we wrote this article to help you save those hard-earned dollars not convince you to spend more of them!

I won’t sugar coat it, this starts with you. Most of these tips are about behavior and repetition, but just like your home, a few minutes a day prevents hours of work later…or even DAYS!

First, let’s talk trash and clutter!

Whether it’s straw wrappers, plastic bottles, fast food bags, or boogie filled Kleenexes, every time you are near a trash can, gather some of it up and throw it away. I know this sounds simple, but this is habitual behavior. You must force yourself into the habit of tidying up whenever the opportunity arises; the gas station, your home, work, etc.!

Second let’s talk prevention!

If you have dogs, simply laying an old blanket down before letting them in the car could save you hours of vacuuming. Let’s not forget about the smell too! There are many doggie car seats covers out there.  Any of them would work, the goal is to provide a simple barrier to prevent the dog hair from weaving into the fabric.

Have a few rug rats? Me too!

Children can be like the Tasmanian devil! Wreaking havoc all over your freshly detailed vehicle.  I understand it’s hard to drive and keep constant focus on what your children are doing. Especially if you have more than one kid. This is going to be hard and I know I’m asking a lot, but not feeding your kids in the car will help A TON! Trust me, my daughter is not allowed to eat or drink in the car (exceptions have been made because I am a Daddy after all and she owns my heart)! A few stores sell seat protectors for the backs of your front seats! These are a GODSEND! Those little feet will put footprints all over your seat backs, it’s unavoidable, but these covers WORK!

Wax Sealants and Coatings!

I cannot stress enough how much damage a vehicle endures from just the Sun alone! Ultraviolet light will cause fading and oxidation which will make the exterior of your vehicle dull. Whether a simple wax, sealant or a ceramic coating, you must keep something on the paint. After a long period of time your paint can start to peel and fail, especially on dark colored vehicles! It is not the easiest task to wax a vehicle, but technology has helped a significant amount.  Spray sealants have come along way and will save you many hours of Mr. Miyagi’s “Wax on, Wax off”!

Finally, Weekly touching!

If you can, I know we are busy with our children, work, and hobbies, but once a week vacuum your vehicle and wash it. I recommend carrying a few micro fiber towels with you! But, either by hand or machine, spend a few minutes really getting in there! (STAY CLEAR OF TOUCH AUTOMATIC WASHES!) This will help make that detail last and last! Sure, if you aren’t feeling up to it give us a call 417-763-7626, we are here to help you keep  that “Pride in Your Ride”!

Stay cool and stay humble,

-Justin

2008 Pontiac G8 GT Paint Correction And Protection

This client was looking to have the paint restored on his 2008 Pontiac G8 GT  The customer had just purchased this vehicle and was considering getting the vehicle repainted since it had become so dull due the previous owner using conveyor belt car washes. We discussed various options and the customer decided a 2 step paint correction would renew is paint color and polish would renew his paint and give it that deep shine he was looking for. After that we would seal it up with 2 coats of Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax to have it looking good all winter.

Method

Wash: Chemical Guy's foam gun, Honeydew Shampoo and 2 bucket wash

Paint Decontamination: Clay bar & Iron-X

Compound: Meguiar's Ultimate compound, GG DA Polisher & Orange Cutting Discs

Polish: Meguiar's ultimate polish & Finishing Pad

Protection: Two Coats Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax

Wheels and Tires: Sonax Wheel cleaner, Meguiar's APC, Meguiar's Endurance Tire Dressing

Time: 10 Hours

The vehicle as it arrived, paint looks dull and black has no luster.

This picture shows the deep marring and swirling in the paint as well as an overall gray looking color.

Having a dedicated soap bucket and rinse bucket both with grit guards makes an enormous difference in preventing scratching the paint while washing especially on black cars such as this one.

Messing around with Adobe Made quick Foam bath slow-mo video

The now clean and decontaminated paint looks decent here in the shade but under the work light the true story comes out.

Deep Scratching here

Time to work! The paint was taped off to protect the trim and for some cool 50/50 shots!

Right side is before, left side is after.

After full hood correction Very pleased with result

This is the roof of the car before

Here is the roof of the car after.

Here is rear passenger door before

Rear Passenger Door After

Drivers Front Fender Before

Driver's Front Fender After

Final Result

Final Result

Final Result

Perfect Mirror shot on black paint in direct sunlight! I Approve!!

Thanks for viewing!

How to remove light scratches with a 1 step paint correction

We have all had those annoying swirl marks in our car after we get it clean. These swirls are mostly caused by using automatic car washes and poor hand washing technique. Using a simple 1 step polish to even out the clear coat can create an extremely impressive result. In this video you can learn how to do it yourself, or hire a detailing professional like myself to do it for you. Once your paint is corrected it can be very, very easy to maintain and your car can look shiny and new for YEARS.