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. Table of Contents
- Wilson Auto Detailing… Fresh Young Face, Who Dis?
- Minty Fresh Tesla Model Y Meets Wild Auto Detailing Experiment
- Getting Cleaned and Coated By THE KING
- Parting Shots
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?”
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.
Getting Cleaned and Coated By THE KING
Do NOT Apply a Ceramic Coating Like This… Professional Detailers ONLY
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.
Even the Tesla’s wheels got a generous layer of Armor Shield IX ceramic coating for this Wilson Auto Detailing experiment. Photo Credit: Wilson Auto Detailing/YouTube
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.
“[Armor Shield IX] comes with everything you need in the kit itself… [and can be] applied to [almost] 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
While applying AvalonKing Armor Shield IX nano ceramic coating outdoors is rarely advisable, a completely overcast, wind-free day is about as ideal as it gets if a garage install is out of the question.
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…
Table of Contents
- Wilson Auto Detailing… Fresh Young Face, Who Dis?
- The Wilson Auto Detailing channel is engineered to aid three types of clean-freak:
- Minty Fresh Tesla Model Y Meets Wild Auto Detailing Experiment
- Getting Cleaned and Coated By THE KING
- Parting Shots
