First Impressions - McKee's 37 Graphene ProCoat 2.0

Video Review

Here's a video sharing my experience and impressions of the McKee's 37 products after using them to detail, prep and ceramic coat a 2016 Corvette ZO6

 

 Here's the final results...

 

Backstory

I installed my first ceramic coating in September,  2010 - as I type, it's March of 2023, so going on 13 years.  Not as long as some, but probably longer than most. 

My friend Jim, a local member of the Stuart, Corvette Club, had seen another Corvette I detailed and ceramic coated, this was a 2015 Corvette ZO6 in Daytona Sunrise Orange Metallic.

 

After seeing the insane glassy shine on the orange Corvette and also knowing that unlike conventional car waxes and synthetic paint sealants, a graphene ceramic coating will last a LOT longer plus make any future washing and drying faster, easier and safer, Jim asked me to do the same for his 2016 Corvette ZO6.

 

Jim's 2016 Corvette ZO6 in Long Beach Red Metallic Tintcoat

This is how she looked when she arrived to AutoForge.

 

Correct Process to Install a Ceramic Coating

Overall, the Corvette is in great condition, but in order to properly install a ceramic coating, I'll have to do the following,

1. Wash the wheels and tires - this is part of a normal detail package.
2. Wash the canvas cloth top followed by the body panels.
3. Clay the paint if the paint fails the Baggie Test.
4. Do a Test Spot and based upon the results, dial-in my paint correction process.
5. Machine polish all paint, glass and the Paint Protection Film on the front clip.
6. Machine compound any RIDS - Random Isolated Deeper Scratches.
7. Prep the paint for coating using McKee's 37 Coating Prep Spray.
8. Install the Mckee's 37 Graphene Pro-Coat 2.0
9. Apply the McKee's 37 Tire Shine SiO2 Enhanced.
10. Hand polish and polymer coat the chrome wheels.
11. Clean all glass - inside and outside.
12. Wipe down all trunk, hood and door jambs.
13. Apply full can of RaggTopp Fabric Protectant.

That's a lot of steps and a lot of work for a car in great condition but the above is what it takes to do it right the first time.  It took me right at 12 hours with no breaks to go from start to finish.

 

Action Shots
Sometimes I take a few pictures showing the process, this time I didn't, you'll just have to trust me on this, I did the work. It certainly didn't do it on it's own. The video at the top of the article does show the car halfway through the paint correction process. This was the first time I used many of these products and I wanted to test the polishes to see how they wiped off both immediately after polishing a section of paint and after letting the polish sit for about an hours. This simple test will tell me a lot about the products for future use.

Installing the Coating
As mentioned in the video, this is a really nice graphene coating. Besides the normal insane gloss it provides, it also leaves the paint feeling slippery, which is a feature everyone loves. And if you don't know a lot about ceramic and graphene coatings, most coatings leave the paint feeling rubbery or tacky.

Everyone hates it when their paint is not slippery. (most people don't think about it until you point it out or show them). Some coatings leave the paint so horrible feeling a clean microfiber towel won't even glide over the paint. Take my word for it, if you use a coating like this or hire a detailer that uses a coating that leaves your paint feeling rubbery or sticky, you're going to find out and you're going to hate it the first time you wash and dry the car or try to wipe the car with a spray detailer - yes it can be that bad.

Here's a few pictures to show what comes with the McKee's 37 Graphene Pro-Coat 2.0 Kit

 

Unlike applying a conventional car wax, ceramic and graphene coatings are thin, clear liquids that are applied sparingly using very thin layers.

 

 

Here's the final results...

 

Here's everything  I used...

 

 

Do-it-Yourself!

If you own a Corvette like this 2016 ZO6, or any car that you would love to enjoy all the benefits, features, insane glass and long lasting protection for it,  here's a list of everything I used to take this Corvette to its maximum potential! 

 
McKee's 37 Graphene Pro-Coat 2.0

McKee's 37 Complete Swirl Remover

McKee's 37 Complete Finishing Polish

McKee's 37 Coating Prep Spray

McKee's 37 Tire & Rubber Rejuvenator

McKee's 37 Gentle Wheel Cleaner

McKee's 37 Graphene Auto Wash

McKee's 37 Tire Shine SiO2 Enhanced

RAGGTOPP Convertible Top Fabric Cleaner & Protectant Kit

RaggTopp Premium Convertible Top Brush

McKee's 37 Premium Gold Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt

Wheel Woolies 9 Inch Boar's Hair Wheel Brush

Wheel Woolies 1 inch Round Boar's Hair Detail Brush

Big EZ Detail Brush - Red

Autoforge Low Profile Tire Brush

Redline Wool Pad Spur

ScanGrip Sunmatch 4 Detailing Light

FLEX Polishers – The Mercedes-Benz of Polishers!

FLEX 'The Beast' XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher

FLEX PE-150 Cordless Rotary Polisher Set

 

Buffing Pads

6.75” Redline Orange Foam Polishing Pad

7.5 Inch Redline 100% Twisted Wool Cutting Pad

 

How to take care of a ceramic coated car

Now that all the hard work is done, the easy part is maintaining the ceramic coating and canvas convertible top.

 

Washing
These products can be used to wash and protect the car at the same time.

McKee's 37 Graphene Auto Wash
This is a luxurious car wash, use in a bucket, foam gun or foam cannon.

McKee's 37 Hydro Graphene Ceramic Coating
This is a spray-on, rinse-off graphene ceramic coating that you apply AFTER first washing and rinsing your car as a final rinse product.

McKee's 37 Premium Gold Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt
Plush microfiber caterpillar-like fingers are gentle to delicate clearcoat paints yet wash clean and free of contaminants for long scratch-free washing service.

 


In-between normal washing
Both of these products can be used to keep the car looking drop dead gorgeous as well as maintain the ceramic gloss and protections.

McKee's 37 Graphene Waterless Wash
This is a graphene infused waterless wash that you can use to safely wash your car via a convenient spray-on, wipe off option when you don't have time for a normal water hose and bucket wash.

McKee's 37 Graphene Detail Spray
This is a graphene infused, spray and wipe quick detailer for removing light dust, fingerprints and smudges while leaving a slick, high gloss finish.

Orange Brushed Edgeless 365 Premium Microfiber Terry Towels
Always remember, it takes hours to buff out a car, (remove swirls and scratches), and only SECONDS to put swirls and scratches back into the paint if your microfiber towels are contaminated with junk. Always have a CLEAN bucket or hamper to put dirty towels in after use and until you're ready to make a fresh wash load. Also, you don't want to wash the microfiber towels that pamper your car's finish with other clothes. I recommend purchasing a DOZEN of these towels and then when they are all dirty, you can make a DEDICATED wash load to keep the clean and uncontaminated.

 

The correct way to wash microfiber towels

Look at your premium quality microfiber towels and tool investments.  Take care of your tools and they will take care of you.  Or at least, take care of your car's paint. 

The best way to wash your microfiber towels to get them clean while also preserving their plush, scratch-free feel and performance is to use a laundry soap specifically formulated for microfiber materials.

The process of detailing a car means using a lot of different car care products including,

• Ceramic & Graphene Coatings
• Compounds
• Polishes
• Waxes
• Synthetic paint sealants
• Spray-on waxes, sealants & coatings
• Trim dressings
• Tire dressings
• Leather and vinyl cleaners
• Leather and vinyl conditioners
• Metal polish and oxidation residues (turns your towels black)

Plus all the dirt, fallout and pollution you wash off your car with your mitts or towels

A dedicated, premium quality microfiber liquid laundry soap is formulated to remove all these substances from your microfiber tools WHILE also preserving the plush, soft feel we all love and appreciate with these towels and mitts that touch our car’s delicate clearcoat finish.

Normal laundry detergents, formulated to wash cotton towels and denim jeans, (things that are not plush like microfiber), are too harsh and over time and can deteriorate your microfiber investment prematurely. The term we use in the detailing industry is crunchy. Using inexpensive laundry soaps destroys the plush feel like new microfiber towels have and hardens the fibers making them feel crunchy. When this happens they don’t absorb or adsorb as well as a brand new towel and can even contribute to marring of the paint.

A quality microfiber laundry soap will clean well and maintain the soft, luxurious look and feel to your microfiber towel investment. Using a dedicated microfiber towel laundry soap will also ensure your microfiber tools, (wiping towels, drying towels, coating towels and wash mitts), will maximize their performance for hundreds and even thousands of washes.

 

On AutoForge.net

McKees's 37 Microfiber Cleaner & Rejuvenator

Poorboy's World Typhoon Microfiber Cleaner

CarPro MFX Microfiber & Pad Detergent

 

Parting shot...

She's looking good and ready to roll in high gloss style!

Mike Phillips & Nick Rutter Car and Boat Detailing Classes

Cleaning and protecting convertible tops is just one of the topics we cover in our 100% hands-on detailing classes. These are the MOST hands-on detailing classes on planet Earth! No Chairs! No sitting! No boring power point presentations!

From the time you arrive until the end of the day you'll be on your feet training with the best tools, pads and products on really cool cars. Guaranteed!


Click here to get more information or to sign-up!


Questions? Shoot me an email or give me a call.

Mike Phillips
Mike@AutoForge.net
760-515-0444