Prepping your Taycan after delivery

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Since I recently took delivery of my car and took some pictures of the prep I did once the car was home, before I sent it to the PPF installed, I thought I would share the steps here in case anyone finds it useful.

1. I usually start washing the car by cleaning the wheels and tires first. I use Meguires degreaser for the tires with a stiff bristle nylon brush and I use Griot’s Garage heavy-duty wheel cleaner with a variety of brushes to get the brake dust off.


2. Thoroughly rinse then wash the car using the method of your choice. Many people like the 2 or 3 bucket method where there is a soap bucket and a rinse bucket with a grit guard on the bottom to agitate and clean out your wash mitt between panels. After watching Larry K from Ammo NYC, I have moved to use 8 thick microfiber towels in my soap bucket and change towels between each section. I usually use one on the roof, one for the hood and front fenders, one for the bumper and aero bits up front. Two towels per side, washing from the top down to the side skirts, and then 1 for the rear of the car. The towels get wrung out and placed in my old rinse bucket to keep them out of the way till I wash them. I prefer using an electric power washer and a foam cannon. Pick your poison for soap but I keep coming back to Chemical Guys Snow Foam. Reasonably priced and makes a ton of suds. (I used Adams shampoo on the Taycan since I had some left)

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3. After the car is washed and rinsed, you may want to “decontaminate” the car next. I used CarPro Iron-X to remove embedded iron particles in the paint. This can happen from brake dust, rail dust if the car is transported via train, etc. You rinse the car well after the wash and then liberally spray Iron-X onto the paint and let dwell for 3-5 mins. You will probably see little purple spots as the iron particles react with the Iron-X. I then used another soapy microfiber towel to quickly wash the Iron-X and contaminants off the car followed by a good rinse

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4. After the Iron-X I clay barred the car. Many different types, but I have found the Griot’s garage synthetic clay really easy to use. It has a foam handle making it easy to grip. I just dip it into the soap bucket to use as a lubricant and rub back and forth over the entire car. Rinse when done.

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5. Finally! Washing is all done. Time to dry the car. I like using an electric blower to get as much water off the car as possible and blow out all the seams, body panels, door handles, and wing (the rear spoiler holds a ton of water). After getting the bulk of the water off I then use plush microfiber drying towels and a detailing spray to help the towel glide better in case there is any dirt etc that lands on the car while drying. It also helps water sheet a little more.

6. I pull the car into my garage and inspect the paint. The chalk paint on my car was in great shape with very minor swirls scattered about. I felt a single-stage polish would take most of them out and get the paint ready for PPF. Since I was going to be using CarPro Cquartz UK 3.0 ceramic coating after the PPF was done, I used their Essence Plus polish and white gloss pad. Easy to apply using my random orbital polisher and came off easy with multiple microfiber towels. The car looks amazing after.

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7. The car then headed to my PPF guy who applied Xpel PPF to the entire front of the car, the side mirrors, and the rear load sill of the trunk. He also tinted the windows with Xpel Ceramic Plus 20% tint.

8. After I got the car back home. I rewashed the entire car and dried it using the same process as above (skipping the decontamination steps). I waited an entire day for the car to dry really well so I wouldn’t get random panel drips while I was apply the ceramic coating. The next day I hit the entire car minus the clear bra with Gtechniq Panel Wipe (I had some leftover from the last car I did). It is essentially isopropyl alcohol and solvent used to remove any waxes, polishes, or oils left on the paint and get it ready to coat.

9. I then applied Cquartz UK 3.0 ceramic coating to the entire car, roof glass, rear window, and the wheels and calipers following the instructions and several YouTube videos available. I topped the coating with their ReLoad SiO2 spray (comes in the kit) to protect it while it cures overnight.

10. Now the car looks amazing and is as protected as I can get it.

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Hope this helps and I’m happy to answer any questions people might have.

Here is a bucn of the stuff I have for detailing:

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