06/11/2026
An understandable assumption is that because a vehicle is new, that it shouldn't need any polishing before a ceramic coating is applied and I completely understand that. We have this kind of default mindset that when driving away from the dealership, that's the best our new vehicle will ever look and that it's perfect.
The reality however is that is never the case. I have worked on hundreds of vehicles over the years and have never seen a perfect one, and I never will. I have had a brand new Porsche in my shop with 154 miles on the clock and had to spot sand on both doors and the defects I was fixing were straight from Porsche themselves, not dealer or owner installed.
I see all kinds of issues on nearly every vehicle I work on. Runs, leftover sanding marks, bubbles in the clear coat, trash/dust/dirt in and under the clear coat, repainted areas the owner wasn't aware of, and the list goes on and on.
There's also contamination that even my lengthy prep process cannot remove and my integrity will never allow me to coat over them and essentially lock them in. Polishing is also a decontamination step, using the abrasives to further cleanse the surfaces. Doing that step before applying protection (including wax) ensures an easier application, enhanced gloss, and a better/more uniform bond with the protection option of choice. This also extends the durability of said protection and you getting your money's worth.
This 2026 vehicle has just 1,300 miles on the clock and if you look at the first picture, you can see the haze/cloudiness around the LEDs but the second picture is much clearer and more defined. That's what I am doing with my polish combo of choice before I apply a ceramic coating. I could never in good conscious just coat over that for a quicker turnaround and more profit, I'm just not wired that way.
