Preparation and Location: 

Study this guide before you start your process.

Temperature and humidity affect flashing and curing times (we review those terms below). If you do not have a garage to apply this in, make sure you avoid direct sunlight and airborne debris. Direct sunlight will flash your coating and dry it before you can level, avoid that at all costs. In the shade you should have plenty of time. Avoid windy days where debris is flying around. Light dust will be fine (not ideal though) as you level and let the coating cure over 24 hours.

Step 1: Wash

Pre rinse with foam cannon and HotLap, pressure wash, then do another full contact wash with a towel (fold method) and a bucket with diluted HotLap, then rinse. No need to dry yet.

Step 2: Surface Prep

Once the car is COMPLETELY clean with no detectable dirt on any surface (this is crucial), it’s time to apply the Surface Prep spray iron remover and use the clay mitt.

Spray each panel liberally as you go and always make sure you have plenty of Surface Prep spray as lube. Move back and forth with light pressure with the clay (sticky) side of the mitt included in the kit. Never move in circular motions, avoid heavy pressure, and rinse the clay mitt between panels.

You should notice on some panels that it starts off feeling “rough” and smooths out after a few passes with the clay mitt. Again, inspect the mitt, rinse it off between panels, and even wipe it if you see any debris.

Step 3: Dry

Rinse off the car once the clay decon is complete. Dry it off with clean towels and no product. You can use Isopropyl Alcohol spray (<70%) on this stage if you want, as this can help dry the car without leaving anything behind but a perfectly clean surface. Make sure the car is completely dry before applying OverShield.

Step 4: Application and Leveling

Use your new applicator pad (inspect for debris!) and apply OverShield by placing mouth of bottle on the pad and gently tipping to “spill” the bottle onto the applicator. Our bottles don’t have orifice reducers because we wanted larger bottles than most competitors, so they aren’t manufactured with reducers, but they have more product in them for you to benefit from!

With a saturated applicator, start by applying to one panel at a time. Cover the entire panel thoroughly with a “hatch” motion to avoid missing any spots. Use a timer to gauge how long it takes the coating to “flash” in your current temp and humidity. Look for the “flash” by noticing a rainbowing effect, and a subsequent cloudiness start to form, this is the “haze”. Once you see this, it’s time to level the coating with a brand new towel.

If it’s very cold outside or in your garage, it will likely take a long time for flashing, but if you notice it doesn’t haze for a reasonable amount of time, we recommend capping your wait to 5 min even if you don’t see hazing yet, this should be enough.

When leveling your coating, you are moving the folded clean towel back and forth in long strokes to ensure a perfect glossy surface. Move around and try to see the coating from different angles to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you see a hazy spot while leveling, this is called a “high spot” and it’s the coating piling up on itself. This is normal, but you need to level this out so it’s glossy or it will cure like that and will require a polishing compound to remove.

Once you have the timing down (1-5 min to flash plus leveling, depending on temp), you can figure out how quickly to move. While you can sometimes cover the entire car before coming back to level it if it’s slow to flash, we don’t recommend doing more than 2-3 panels at a time as this can get out of control. Especially if you lose track and forget to level a spot because you are moving too quickly or covering too much area at a time.

Don’t forget to fold the towel to a new side for every panel (or more often sometimes) for a clean gloss.

Once you finish each panel, and level the entire car. Start with another new towel and go back over the entire car to double check your work and ensure perfection.

Step 5: Curing

The coating now needs at least 24 hours to “cure” or solidify the bond over your clear coat. We recommend avoiding driving your car for at least 24 hours, and avoid water or washing for at least 48 hours.

If you applied the coating outdoors, and you live in a humid area, or are vulnerable to morning dew and moisture, plan for this. Humid areas will slow down every step and require longer curing, try to leave the car parked for an extra day or two. If your area gets wet in the mornings, try to coat in the morning and give yourself 24 hours after that until the next morning dew.

Preparation and Location: 

Study this guide before you start your process.

Temperature and humidity affect flashing and curing times (we review those terms below). If you do not have a garage to apply this in, make sure you avoid direct sunlight and airborne debris. Direct sunlight will flash your coating and dry it before you can level, avoid that at all costs. In the shade you should have plenty of time. Avoid windy days where debris is flying around. Light dust will be fine (not ideal though) as you level and let the coating cure over 24 hours.

Step 1: Wash

Pre rinse with foam cannon and HotLap, pressure wash, then do another full contact wash with a towel (fold method) and a bucket with diluted HotLap, then rinse. No need to dry yet.

Step 2: Surface Prep

Once the car is COMPLETELY clean with no detectable dirt on any surface (this is crucial), it’s time to apply the Surface Prep spray iron remover and use the clay mitt.

Spray each panel liberally as you go and always make sure you have plenty of Surface Prep spray as lube. Move back and forth with light pressure with the clay (sticky) side of the mitt included in the kit. Never move in circular motions, avoid heavy pressure, and rinse the clay mitt between panels.

You should notice on some panels that it starts off feeling “rough” and smooths out after a few passes with the clay mitt. Again, inspect the mitt, rinse it off between panels, and even wipe it if you see any debris.

Step 3: Dry

Rinse off the car once the clay decon is complete. Dry it off with clean towels and no product. You can use Isopropyl Alcohol spray (<70%) on this stage if you want, as this can help dry the car without leaving anything behind but a perfectly clean surface. Make sure the car is completely dry before applying OverShield.

Step 4: Application and Leveling

Use your new applicator pad (inspect for debris!) and apply OverShield by placing mouth of bottle on the pad and gently tipping to “spill” the bottle onto the applicator. Our bottles don’t have orifice reducers because we wanted larger bottles than most competitors, so they aren’t manufactured with reducers, but they have more product in them for you to benefit from!

With a saturated applicator, start by applying to one panel at a time. Cover the entire panel thoroughly with a “hatch” motion to avoid missing any spots. Use a timer to gauge how long it takes the coating to “flash” in your current temp and humidity. Look for the “flash” by noticing a rainbowing effect, and a subsequent cloudiness start to form, this is the “haze”. Once you see this, it’s time to level the coating with a brand new towel.

If it’s very cold outside or in your garage, it will likely take a long time for flashing, but if you notice it doesn’t haze for a reasonable amount of time, we recommend capping your wait to 5 min even if you don’t see hazing yet, this should be enough.

When leveling your coating, you are moving the folded clean towel back and forth in long strokes to ensure a perfect glossy surface. Move around and try to see the coating from different angles to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you see a hazy spot while leveling, this is called a “high spot” and it’s the coating piling up on itself. This is normal, but you need to level this out so it’s glossy or it will cure like that and will require a polishing compound to remove.

Once you have the timing down (1-5 min to flash plus leveling, depending on temp), you can figure out how quickly to move. While you can sometimes cover the entire car before coming back to level it if it’s slow to flash, we don’t recommend doing more than 2-3 panels at a time as this can get out of control. Especially if you lose track and forget to level a spot because you are moving too quickly or covering too much area at a time.

Don’t forget to fold the towel to a new side for every panel (or more often sometimes) for a clean gloss.

Once you finish each panel, and level the entire car. Start with another new towel and go back over the entire car to double check your work and ensure perfection.

Step 5: Curing

The coating now needs at least 24 hours to “cure” or solidify the bond over your clear coat. We recommend avoiding driving your car for at least 24 hours, and avoid water or washing for at least 48 hours.

If you applied the coating outdoors, and you live in a humid area, or are vulnerable to morning dew and moisture, plan for this. Humid areas will slow down every step and require longer curing, try to leave the car parked for an extra day or two. If your area gets wet in the mornings, try to coat in the morning and give yourself 24 hours after that until the next morning dew.