This is for consumers specifically looking for new to you vehicle ceramic protection, for consumers that wonder why they felt ripped off, or detailing business owners wanting to share educational content.

I want to answer the question, ‘why does the car that I think is perfect, not that bad, or what I believe to be brand new, need detailing?’

Contamination

That (advertised as) new car how did it get to you?  Did you fly to the factory at which it was produced and painted, witnessing the protective cover released?  Likely not!  Aside from the trip and what happened with the unloading of the vehicle, it was stored at a dealership.  I am just getting started!  Cars with embedded iron deposits from train or saltwater ocean travel.  Cars sitting under trees, brand new seeing rain and seasonal changes for months, albeit brand new they say.  What is embedded does not come off with a basic wash.  I suspect you do not want a detailer to ceramic coat a dirty car.

Storage

Families running around, spectators casually touching your future car.  The numerous test drives!  The car very likely seen a tunnel wash of brushes and possibly minimum wage employees (who are not detailers) with dirty towels in a dirty environment rubbing your brand-new car.

Polishing Need Before Ceramic Coating?

When it comes to polishing, technically in many cases there are ways around polishing new cars.  It is not the black and white description of why polishing is recommended that MOST PEOPLE tell you.  To some extent the common explanations are half-truths.  Here is the reality.  Whether near microscopic or noticeable, you may say or believe that you REALLY do not care about defects!  For one, in not all but many cases I find that to not be the case.  More on that in the following paragraph.  There are people that can clean and pull bonded contamination from a new car without the use of a clay bar in many (not all cases).  Those select individuals are very good at what they do, and command a premium price as elite detailers.  Let’s get the elephant out in the room, you likely are saying it doesn’t need xyz, to get out of paying more.  Many of the people in business who say what you want to hear about NO polishing are not skilled at surgically cleaning a car.  Many are the cheaper, non-insured, and or non-licensed types.  I can argue the chances of a very low-grade coating or no coating being used at all are dramatically higher for these businesses.  Using the clay bar leads to micro paint marring.  It may not be a big deal for those accustomed to wash, clay, and seal services.  Two things to look at from your and likely a high-end business operator’s perspective.  First, at the microscopic level ceramic coatings are glass, magnifying the appearance subtly.  Two, long-term protection means living with conditions as best as they will ever look.

Back to the polishing part.  I cannot tell you how many times the question was asked to detailing business owners about putting wax on a ceramic coated car.  After possibly discouraging the owner, the real reason was revealed.  The car does not look as good.  MOST OF WHAT MAKES A CAR LOOK GOOD INVOLVES ADDRESSING WHAT THE AVERAGE PERSON CANNOT OR BARELY SEE!  That is the essence of detailing, and the essence of what makes us different than a car wash.  That includes the clay bar but also polishing to some extent to improve the aesthetics.