WRAP COATING
How to ceramic coat a wrapped car for maximum protection.
Keeping your car looking its best is big business. There’s an enormous selection of cleaning and detailing products available from a number of different manufacturers, covering everything from cheap shampoos right through to waxes that cost thousands. One of the biggest hits in the detailing world at present is the use of ceramic coating, and it’s easy to see why; it forms a permanent bond with the body (guaranteed for several years in many cases), and protects the precious finish beneath from dirt, contamination, fallout, and most swirl marks too. On top of that, a ceramic coated car is much easier to keep clean too, as this super-smooth permanent barrier means dirt won’t stick like it can to untreated panels, making future cleaning a lot less effort.
This is great news for painted cars, but what about wrapped cars? With so many cool colour options available, not to mention the endless unique design possibilities offered by having a car wrapped, it’s little wonder so many fast Fords wear their unique finish with pride. So what if they want to benefit from the same level of protection as offered by ceramic coating? Well, thanks to Gtechniq’s new HALO, now they can!
HALO is a new product that has been specifically designed to work on vinyl wraps and Paint Protection Film, protecting the finish from all the aforementioned nasties that could potentially damage or dull your pride and joy’s appearance. As an added bonus, the sealed surface also protects against UV rays and dirt ingression too – not something painted cars need to worry about but a serious concern for those with wraps.
With such a high-tech product, though, correct application is crucial. HALO can be bought and applied by the home user, but it’s not somehting we’d recommend if you’re
a detailing novice. Application needs to be in a suitable indoor enviornmnent, and the car needs to remain indoors for at least 12 hours to allow the coating to fully harden.
Plus, if you’re applying it to a car that’s already been wrapped (and not at the point of wrapping) then the whole car will need thoroughly de-contaminating to prepare for the HALO coat. While this something that can be attempted at home (most of the same Gtechniq products we used are available to home users) for the very best results you’re much better off seeking the services of the pros. That’s why when it came to applying HALO to our own Focus RS project car we spoke to Gtechniq accredited specialists, System Clenz. With all the products – and expertise! – on hand to fully prepare the car for the HALO coating, plus the ideal, warm, well-lit, dust-free environment to apply the coating itself, we could be sure we were going to get the optimum results.
And those results are truly fantastic! See for yourself as we walk you through the different stages involved with coating a wrapped car…