Zero Paint Correction Ceramic Coating?! Warning: Pro Detailers ONLY

They say professional car detailers are as quick to disagree with one another as they are to flag a clear coat for UV ray damage. For these individuals, preferred automotive cleaning products, application methods, working environments, and taste in swimwear are about as varied as David Bowie’s hair products.

But nowhere is interest in the art of car detailing more adamant (and argumentative), than within younger generations of automotive perfectionist. Take Luke Wilson of Wilson Auto Detailing for instance. This Tennessee-based one man detailing crew, packs loads of explosive energy, slick tactics, and one hell of a fiery comments section into every YouTube video he creates.

Luke’s most recent video comes packed with pro detailing business tips, all while serving as an example of why having a pristine surface to work with matters so much when ceramic coating a car.

But perhaps the most intriguing thing about this video, is that the Tesla Model Y Luke is coating has never been paint corrected. So is conducting paint correction prior to ceramic coating a vehicle really that important? Perhaps it’s time we took a closer look at both this topic and Wilson Auto Detailing, in order to determine what in the ever-loving hell Luke Wilson was thinking.

 

Wilson Auto Detailing… Fresh Young Face, Who Dis?

Upon joining YouTube on March 28th, 2017, company founder, owner, director, star, and chief detailer Luke Wilson, opted to turn his dream of owning a mobile auto detailing company into a bona fide authority on car cleaning.

Appropriately named, Wilson Auto Detailing has become a staple in the online auto detailing arena. To date, the Tennessee-based, car-centric company has garnered almost 140,000 subscribers, and an impressive 17,000,000+ views since its inception. One of the primary reasons behind Luke’s exponential growth in the auto detailing segment, is the driving force behind his interest in experimenting with different detailing products and techniques. Sincerity.

“I do not treat details as a broad brushstroke, generalized perspective. It takes a case-by-case perspective.”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING

The young entrepreneur claims that being sincere is just as crucial as knowing what you are doing. He goes on to explain that the auto detailing industry has become fraught with “…misrepresentation, confusion, and hype…” thus feeding his need to “…cut through all of the false advertisement.”

Luke Wilson’s goal is simple: To be a voice of reason and experience, in a world where trust in the detailing game has become increasingly uncertain.

Quick Nerd Note: Luke Wilson makes mention that some detailers will take a mild polish of some sort, with minor abrasives in it, and apply it to the paint and glass prior to ceramic coating the automobile. The thought process here, is that this will allow the ceramic coating to more effectively bond with the paint and glass.

Minty Fresh Tesla Model Y Meets Wild Auto Detailing Experiment

The nuts and bolts of this video begin with a customer asking Luke to detail their recently purchased Tesla Model Y, which as the video clearly illustrates, was in immaculate external condition.

“Part of the experiment here, is to see what that threshold actually is. Can we get the same longevity on paint like this, that is perfect, and not corrected?”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING

Despite having stressed the benefits of applying a nano ceramic coating to the vehicle, the client seemed hesitant to add a ceramic job to the mix. But this hesitation was about as short lived as an overfed fruit fly, with the customer handing the keys over to Luke Wilson shortly thereafter.

Apparently, the vehicle had just received a detailing-grade wash and dry, followed by a bit of clay bar love, and by that point, was pretty much ready for a ceramic coating install. Interestingly enough, Luke opted to skip the oh-so important IPA wipe-down, likely due to the pristine condition of the car.

“In the detailing world you will find that there are extremely strong opinions based on what you are allowed to do… not allowed to do…”

-Wilson Auto Detailing

Quick Nerd Note: Luke confesses that while the exterior of the Tesla Model Y was both clay treated and garage kept, and looked pretty damn immaculate at first glance, he took the extra step, and used an iron decontaminant before applying the ceramic coating.

Getting Cleaned and Coated By THE KING

In his YouTube video, Luke starts things off by using AvalonKing’s recently released prep shampoo, as well as our equally fresh, ultra absorbent drying towel. After readying the exterior, a generous amount of Armor Shield IX nano ceramic coating was slathered across all of the vehicle’s hard exterior surfaces.

By not conducting any paint correction procedures, Luke claims that he will be able to better examine the quality of the coated surfaces on the vehicle, and see how a layer of Armor Shield IX ceramic coating holds up over time. This is also being done in order to form what young Mr. Wilson refers to as a “conclusive hypothesis.” One that can be supported by “empirical evidence” and zero hype.

“This is the only ceramic coating that I really would safely apply to every single area of the car.”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING

Upon applying the 9H-rated Armor Shield IX ceramic coating to every part of the car, including the roof, glass, “frunk,” mirrors, wheels, and black plastic trim, a thought materialized. Perhaps it was time to return to the topic of why pro detailers turn to Wilson Auto Detailing’s YouTube channel every week for advice.

Oh before we forget… Did we mention that Luke even coated the exhaust ports of the car with Armor Shield IX? Ha, gotcha. We were just fucking with you in order to see if you were still paying attention. Imagine, a Tesla with big-ass exhaust pipes… At that point you might as well slap some off-road armor on the vehicle, and tuck a pair of truck nuts underneath, all while blasting Ween’s “12 Golden Country Greats” album at full volume.

“ comes with everything you need in the kit itself… applied to every surface of the car.”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING

Quick Nerd Note: Luke Wilson started by stripping all exterior surfaces with AvalonKing’s prep shampoo via both a foam cannon, as well as an agitation wash process. In the video, he claims that the only necessary prep during filming were some chemical decontamination steps, as well as a thorough drying.

Parting Shots

In closing, unlike larger 3-4 day detailing jobs, like the truck piece that Luke teased in the video, this Tesla job only took a full day to complete. This includes the ceramic coating of all of the window trim around the doors, pocket door handles, black plastic trim, and wheels, as Luke knocked-out the cleaning and ceramic coating of his customer’s Model Y Tesla in record time.

“Not everyone wants to pay $1,200-1,800 for specific types of ceramic coatings.”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING

So now what? Well now we sit back, crack open a cold beer, and wait for the results to roll-in. Is skipping the entire paint correction and IPA wipe-down phase a wise way to save time, money, and energy? Or will the Armor Shield IX coating fail harder than a stoned slacker taking a trigonometry test?

There’s only one way to find out, and you bet your ass we will be right here, watching closely. Either way, we know that Wilson Auto Detailing is going to expose the truth. Guys like Luke Wilson believe that the public deserves to know whether or not skipping something like ceramic coating prep steps is a wise decision, or merely a fool’s errand. Stay tuned…

“ is very versatile… it comes with everything.”

-WILSON AUTO DETAILING