# New car and a machine polish??



## Dermottdog (Sep 20, 2019)

Hi everybody 

What’s the general feeling about machine polishing a brand new car?
We have a new Volvo XC40 R-Design Pro arriving at the end of this month. Initially, we opted for a paint protection treatment applied at the dealers (£500) but after many negative posts on various car forums, we decided to cancel the application. We now want to go down the Ceramic Coating route. A local detailing company has suggested that the car be machine polished before Ceramic application.

So, bearing in mind that the car hasn’t hit UK soil yet, is a machine polish really necessary?

Thanks for your input.


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## BrummyPete (Jun 10, 2010)

if you are ceramic coating then the preparation needs to be spot and and you will most likely need at least a light polish so the ceramic can bond to the paint, i doubt it will need any serious polishing being new.


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## Dermottdog (Sep 20, 2019)

BrummyPete said:


> if you are ceramic coating then the preparation needs to be spot and and you will most likely need at least a light polish so the ceramic can bond to the paint, i doubt it will need any serious polishing being new.


Perfect, thanks.


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## Coachman (Mar 8, 2015)

BrummyPete said:


> if you are ceramic coating then the preparation needs to be spot and and you will most likely need at least a light polish so the ceramic can bond to the paint, i doubt it will need any serious polishing being new.


Pretty much as above, you don't want to "lock in" any paint defects under a ceramic coating.

A light polish to remove defects is something that should always be done.

Get some pictures posted up when you have your car 👍


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## PWOOD (Apr 30, 2007)

Good call on not having the dealer do it. No detailing firm worthy of the name would apply a ceramic coating without correcting the paint first.


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## Sawel (Aug 5, 2016)

I'm sure I speak for a lot of detailers on here who do this for a living when I say that brand new cars are rarely given to a customer in pristine condition. I've seen some shocking instances where panels have required a paint correction. One of the biggest misunderstandings is that brand new cars don't need anything done to them. Brand new cars typically carry a lot of bonded contamination for a start. Some degree of swirling is typical. A single stage machine polish also enhances the gloss before a coating is applied.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

From my experience even new cars can have (read will have) defects in the paint such as marring and light scratches from the transportation, dealer preparation etc. The paint will certainly benefit from a light polishing to remove these and it may increase the gloss and sharpness also. This will provide the best possible surface for a ceramic coating and will allow you to maximize the performance and durability of the coating.

Have a look at this video of Kelly Harris inspecting a new car for defects:






Alan W


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## Dermottdog (Sep 20, 2019)

Alan W said:


> From my experience even new cars can have (read will have) defects in the paint such as marring and light scratches from the transportation, dealer preparation etc. The paint will certainly benefit from a light polishing to remove these and it may increase the gloss and sharpness also. This will provide the best possible surface for a ceramic coating and will allow you to maximize the performance and durability of the coating.
> 
> Have a look at this video of Kelly Harris inspecting a new car for defects:
> 
> ...


Blimey.

I've opened a can of worms here. Thanks everyone.


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## fethead (May 12, 2007)

Tell the dealers to leave ALL the protective wrappings on it and not to have their valeter's touch it. The dealer can still PDI it, but in my experience of new cars, I would still get the geometry checked and correct the tyre presures. If you have good reviews from the detailers you talk about, you could ask that the car be sent there for them to correct and apply the ceramic and then collect the car from the detailer. I wouldn't suggest it goes back to the dealer as they may dust/wash it off before you collect it, which would not be good for the ceramic coating.
If you were going to spend £500 on a protective coating, I suggest that you use one of the excellent detailers on here.

AND

Look after it using good techniques.

Richard


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## Itstony (Jan 19, 2018)

A lot of good replies here.
Cars can be stored anywhere waiting to be shipped. Doubt there is anywhere that has no fall-out, but many place have bundles, near factories, train stations etc.etc.

I'm a big believer in trusting finger tips, as good a sense there is.
Go over the car and you will feel things you cannot see.
wash, de-con, clay bar, fall out remover and all that marlarky is time and money well spent.
No short cuts in the word "Detailing". :thumb:


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## Tykebike (Mar 27, 2016)

May I humbly suggest that you take plenty of photos of the car when you pick it up and prior to any work done to it, that way you have a record (date and time on the digital photos) of the state of play when you took delivery. If you have any finger pointing afterwards you can provide evidence.


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## AndyQash (Jul 28, 2019)

I had my brand new Qashqai machine polished and then ceramic coated, well worth the extra expense as I knew it would completely transform the car.

Mine had been at the dealers for a little while, so you can imagine the sort of damage their sponge jockey had inflicted.


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## Dermottdog (Sep 20, 2019)

Ok

So I've been looking at posts in different sections and perhaps Ceramic ISN'T all it's cracked up to be.

There is a post on here (essay more like) which gives a frank account of the Ceramic experience. The long and short of it all was that claims of the coating lasting years can be a tad misleading. If your car spends most of the time under cover or in a garage environment and only being driven at weekends, then perhaps years can be achieved. However, a daily driver wouldn't fair so well. One of the responses highlighted how hard the coating is to remove. In one case, very aggressive polishing was required and ending badly. There are many responses like the one I've pasted below from someone on here.

_As I've said before on posts about disappointing ceramic coating experiences, I would NOT touch them with a barge pole on a daily driver. If its a garage queen that only gets used at the weekend or on a dry day then yes, maybe so, but not for a vast As I've said before on posts about disappointing ceramic coating experiences, I would NOT touch them with a barge pole on a daily driver. If its a garage queen that only gets used at the weekend or on a dry day then yes, maybe so, but not for a vast majority of cars that spend most of there time exposed to the elements._

Our car, a Volvo XC40 R-Design, won't fit in our garage like our other car did (Mini JCW) and will be kept on the drive. Many, many hours were spent keeping or at least trying to keep the Mini in a respectable condition. I have a snow foam gun/lance, 2 buckets with grit guards and always use good quality materials. Obviously, a lambs wool mitt, drying towels and copious amounts of Microfibre cloths adorne the garage.

So I'm just thinking that perhaps I should just go down my tried and trusted route of waxes after getting the car prepared.


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Dermottdog said:


> Ok
> 
> So I've been looking at posts in different sections and perhaps Ceramic ISN'T all it's cracked up to be.
> 
> ...


Personally I've completely moved away from wax to sealants now as they are so much simpler. And in some cases very durable and almost ceramic like ie tac systems moonlight. I have two coats on mine and will be topped with some like wowos crystal sealant.

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk


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## Coachman (Mar 8, 2015)

Dermottdog said:


> Ok
> 
> So I've been looking at posts in different sections and perhaps Ceramic ISN'T all it's cracked up to be.
> 
> ...


There are pros and cons to everything when it comes to ceramics, some people love them, some hate them, some prefer the wax a car by hand.

Most ceramics state a 3 years durability, which, when correctly maintained is VERY possible.

Our Zertona ceramic is a 3 year coating of maintained by you, if we maintain the car then we guarantee it for the life time of your car etc.

Always do your reasearch and what ever route you chose to go down, please post pictures of it done 👍


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

I will drop my input as a detailer who barely ever gets to apply a wax or sealant anymore, and works on a ton of new cars. 
1) if you truly want to give the car the best start in life, just get it done. By the time you have bought all the gear, read and read then practiced enough to fix the little problems you cause, it will probably have been cheaper to just pay a professional 

2) your car will absolutely need machine polishing, period. Even the best cars delivered have "something" to fix. At the end of the day the car has been passed along a series of people, non of whom you can trust lol 

3) quality ceramic coatings applied by a professional will absolutely without any shadow of a doubt, out last and out perform any generic last step product. Sure, there will always be the odd entry level tradesmen that offers false hopes based on poor education, so there will always be the odd unhappy recipient somewhere. Dont let that put you off. If you do your homework on your installer this will not happen to you. YES, how the car is treated will play a part in overall performance and durability, but that is the same for any protection. You can still realistically expect 2 years plus from a non accredited coating install on a car that lives outside and is driven. So dont panic. 

4) coatings DO have their quirks so may require a slight change in cleaning regime. But this doesnt have to be expensive or time consuming so it isn't really a bad trade. 


From my perspective, some of the prices get quoted from dealers makes me sick. For a poor product to be applied poorly, against someone who only does that service and takes days not hours. Cost is what you pay, value is what you get. Find a detailer that offers you real value


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## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

Having been looking for a newer car for the last 6months I have been to many dealerships, one aspect was to walk around the back to see how the paint was being cared for out of sight. 

That big brush is alive and well, as much as the site based detailers are on a fixed price for each vehicle which also relates to time. Given the correct training plus support a much improved result could be achieved.

For some that paint condition is less important as the dealer would be giving more time and cost to quality results. Every car differed in quality, some were great, painted well, as mentioned request it to be untouched, I did notice they arrived with shrink wrap protection. 

John Tht.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

I picked up my brand new Focus about a fortnight ago, and yes it looked super clean... But on closer inspection you could see it was far from. I wanted to apply a ceramic coating, so went about preparing the car.

I originally had planned to machine polish the car, but a hangover said otherwise :lol:

Instead I snowfoamed, washed, iron x'd, clay bar'd, hand polished, panel wiped, then applied the ceramic coating and I'm incredibly happy with the results, so much gloss and the beading is unreal.

Iron X working it's magic and a couple of after pics:


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## Guy182 (Dec 30, 2005)

Brand New Golf R delivered. 200 miles on the clock.
Looked fine when delivered on a dull early morning but once the sun came out you could see the side as covered in micro scratches/swirls. Looks like the roof had maybe had a vinyl wrap over it but the side hadn't. Turns out the car was PDId 4 months prior so it has been sat around somewhere! Thank god for cooling off periods.. bye bye :wave:


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Guy182 said:


> Brand New Golf R delivered. 200 miles on the clock.
> Looked fine when delivered on a dull early morning but once the sun came out you could see the side as covered in micro scratches/swirls. Looks like the roof had maybe had a vinyl wrap over it but the side hadn't. Turns out the car was PDId 4 months prior so it has been sat around somewhere! Thank god for cooling off periods.. bye bye :wave:


You sent the car back?


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## broncoupe (Aug 19, 2010)

Everyone comments are right 
Yes you have a new car but remember 
1- there never sold you a perfect finish good is great - ask anyone with a new Ferrari there paint finish can be varied to say the least
A light machine polish will refine the finish and provide a good base for your coating


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## Guy182 (Dec 30, 2005)

///M Sport said:


> You sent the car back?


Missed this post, I did indeed send it back.

It wasn't just the badly swirled and marked paint:
One of the side skirt trims was bowed so there was a gap between it and the body.
I had a GTI before on a 2yr lease, IMO the GTI looked better, the GTI had a better interior, even basic things such as the car pictured on the infotainment system on the GTI was a GTI. on the Golf R it just shows a bog standard model. Once it was moving it didn't feel *that* much faster than the GTI.
The seats weren't as comfy.
It just all felt a bet 'meh' and ruined that new car buzz you should have.
I got the GTI on a good deal for 2 years PCH, I was going to be paying a lot more for this R and having it for 3 years PCH and it didn't start out well.

So I went out and bought a used RS3 instead :driver:


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## Derek-Eddleston (Aug 17, 2016)

"What’s the general feeling about machine polishing a brand new car?"............. there are brand new BMWs that need wet-sanding to get rid of the factory applied orange peel paint finish.
Derek.


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

Dermottdog said:


> Ok
> 
> So I've been looking at posts in different sections and perhaps Ceramic ISN'T all it's cracked up to be.
> 
> ...


I would say it should be the other way around - if you have a car that is a garage queen then it isn't necessary to ceramic coat that. However, for something that is going to live outside, a properly applied, quality ceramic coating will provide you protection far beyond anything else bar PPF film. Don't get sucked in to all the 'toppers' and things, just keep the car clean and periodically wash it with a lime scale remover.


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