One written procedure per vehicle, from arrival to Cerakote Protected. Every participating unit at Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram follows the same five stages, with the same checklist and the same sign-off, so the result is repeatable across stores.
Adjust the ADM before this unit goes back on the lot
Every coated vehicle must have the Cerakote ceramic protection package added to its dealer added markup, with an updated addendum sticker installed, before it is moved to the front line. A sales manager initials the coating record to confirm it.
No coated unit returns to the front line without: ADM adjusted + addendum sticker installed.
The Six Stages
01
New Vehicle Arrives
Confirm the unit is eligible for the program and open a coating record against the VIN before any product is opened.
Lot / inventory coordinator 5 minutes per unit
1Confirm the unit is on the eligible-inventory list for the program.
2Record VIN, year, model and trim on the coating record.
3Walk the vehicle and note any transit damage, overspray or existing defects.
4Capture the arrival photo set in the portal — all four corners plus every chip, scratch or dent you noted. This is the condition record for the VIN.
5Confirm the vehicle is not scheduled for paintwork, PPF or accessory installation that would need to happen first.
6Stage the unit for the application bay.
Do not skip
Do not start if the unit has pending body or paint repair — coating goes on after paintwork, never before.
02
Surface Preparation
Get the paint clean, defect-free and residue-free. Anything left in the paint gets sealed in by the coating.
Detail technician 60–120 minutes depending on unit condition
1Move the vehicle into a clean, well-lit bay and out of direct sunlight.
2Wash the full exterior and dry with clean microfiber towels.
3Decontaminate as needed to remove bonded transit contamination.
4Mask or protect trim, badging and adjacent non-target surfaces per shop practice — before any polishing starts.
5Perform any necessary paint correction to remove swirl marks, water spots, scratches and contaminants.
6Wipe all painted surfaces with Cerakote Panel Prep to remove polish and correction residue before applying the coating.
7Inspect the panels under multiple light sources and confirm the surface is clean and dry before moving on.
Do not skip
Tape trim and plastics before polishing — compounds and polishes can permanently stain plastic and textured trim.
The coating is extremely durable and will seal in any imperfection that is not removed during preparation.
Never prep or coat in direct sunlight or on hot panels.
03
Cerakote Application — Paint & Glass
Apply the ceramic coating panel by panel, flash it, and buff it to a uniform, residue-free finish — then coat the exterior glass the same way.
Trained Cerakote applicator 60–105 minutes depending on vehicle size
1Shake the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating bottle for thirty seconds.
2Plan the panel sequence for the whole vehicle before starting (e.g. door, hood, trunk lid) and have a timer ready.
3Lay out several high-quality microfiber towels for hand buffing.
4Wearing chemical-resistant gloves, apply a liberal amount of coating to a high-quality microfiber or suede applicator block.
5Wipe the coating on in a cross-hatch pattern — top to bottom, then side to side — making sure every area of the panel is covered.
6Add coating to the applicator as needed to keep the surface wet; if the applicator stops gliding smoothly, add more coating.
7Watch for the coating to sweat and bead up — typically within 1 to 3 minutes and up to 5 minutes. That is the visual indicator it has flashed and is ready to buff.
8Lightly hand buff with a clean, high-quality microfiber towel in small circular motions until the surface is slick and glossy.
9Repeat panel by panel until the planned coverage is complete.
10Clean all exterior glass with Cerakote Panel Prep or a dedicated glass cleaner and confirm it is fully dry.
11Open a fresh glass wipe from the kit for each piece of glass. Use one wipe for each side window, 1–2 wipes for the windshield depending on size, and 1–2 wipes for the rear window.
12Wipe onto one piece of glass at a time (windshield, then side glass, then rear glass) in a cross-hatch pattern — top to bottom, then side to side — for full, even coverage.
13Watch for the coating to sweat and haze, the same visual flash indicator as paint.
14Buff off with a clean, dry microfiber towel until the glass is perfectly clear with no residue or smearing.
15Check the windshield from the driver's seat at multiple angles to confirm zero haze or high spots that could affect visibility.
Do not skip
Work one panel at a time — do not coat the whole vehicle before buffing.
Do not let flashed coating sit unbuffed past the working window; high spots become much harder to remove.
Any residue left on the windshield can smear and impair visibility; buff until the glass is optically clear before moving on.
Lift the wiper blades and coat the full windshield including the sweep area; do not coat wiper blades themselves.
04
Quality Control
Verify coverage and finish quality on paint and glass and correct anything you find, so the unit is ready for cure and the ADM update.
Applying technician (self-check) 15 minutes per unit
1Walk the vehicle and inspect the paint under multiple light conditions to confirm all excess coating has been removed.
2Inspect every piece of exterior glass — especially the windshield from the driver's seat — to confirm the glass coating is fully buffed and optically clear with no haze, streaks or high spots.
3Check for high spots, streaks and missed areas at panel edges, mirrors and door jambs; correct them now.
4Confirm masking has been removed and trim and glass are clean.
5Note the product used and any rework performed on the coating record against the VIN.
Do not skip
This is your own quality check, not the formal sign-off. Your technician sign-off happens at the end of stage 06, and a supervisor countersigns after that.
No unit is released to inventory without a completed checklist and the arrival photo set on file.
05
Cure & Cerakote Protected
Protect the fresh coating through cure, then hand off to sales with the right customer guidance.
Shop lead → sales / F&I 2 hours before driving · 24 hours before water
1Let the coating fully cure for two hours before the vehicle is driven.
2Keep the vehicle away from water for at least one day after application.
3Do not wash, rinse or run the unit through a car wash during the cure window.
4Apply the Cerakote Protected hangtag and leave the customer care explainer in the vehicle for sales to hand over at delivery.
5Mark the unit as Cerakote Protected in inventory so sales can present it accurately.
Do not skip
Customer care and maintenance guidance is delivered by sales/F&I at vehicle delivery — it is not a technician step and is not confirmed on this checklist.
Test drives inside the cure window need shop-lead approval and must avoid water exposure.
The unit is NOT lot-ready until stage 06 is complete — the ADM must be adjusted first.
06
ADM Adjustment & Lot Release
Update the dealer added markup and the window label so the coating that was just applied is priced, disclosed and visible before the unit goes back on the lot.
Inventory / desk manager (sales management sign-off) Same day — before the unit is moved to the lot
1Confirm stages 01–05 are fully checked off for this VIN.
2Add the Cerakote ceramic protection package to the vehicle's addendum / dealer added markup in the DMS.
3Verify the ADM total and the vehicle's advertised price now reflect the addition.
4Print and install the updated addendum sticker / window label next to the factory Monroney.
5Confirm the addition and adjusted price are pushed to the website and third-party listings.
6Sign off as the technician at the bottom of this stage — that records your name and time on the VIN.
Do not skip
After your technician sign-off, a supervisor with a service-desk PIN reviews the work and countersigns. The unit is only released to the lot after that countersign — you do not check that box yourself.
STOP — do not move the vehicle to the lot until the ADM is adjusted and the updated addendum sticker is installed.
A coated unit priced without the addition is sold at a loss and creates a disclosure problem. No exceptions.
If the DMS cannot be updated right away, park the unit in the hold area — not on the front line.
Print one checklist per vehicle, tick each line as it is completed, and file it with the before / after photos. The sheet is the release document — no unit goes back to inventory without it signed.
Confirm the unit is on the eligible-inventory list for the program.
Record VIN, year, model and trim on the coating record.
Walk the vehicle and note any transit damage, overspray or existing defects.
Capture the arrival photo set in the portal — all four corners plus every chip, scratch or dent you noted. This is the condition record for the VIN.
Confirm the vehicle is not scheduled for paintwork, PPF or accessory installation that would need to happen first.
Stage the unit for the application bay.
02Surface Preparation
Move the vehicle into a clean, well-lit bay and out of direct sunlight.
Wash the full exterior and dry with clean microfiber towels.
Decontaminate as needed to remove bonded transit contamination.
Mask or protect trim, badging and adjacent non-target surfaces per shop practice — before any polishing starts.
Perform any necessary paint correction to remove swirl marks, water spots, scratches and contaminants.
Wipe all painted surfaces with Cerakote Panel Prep to remove polish and correction residue before applying the coating.
Inspect the panels under multiple light sources and confirm the surface is clean and dry before moving on.
03Cerakote Application — Paint & Glass
Shake the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating bottle for thirty seconds.
Plan the panel sequence for the whole vehicle before starting (e.g. door, hood, trunk lid) and have a timer ready.
Lay out several high-quality microfiber towels for hand buffing.
Wearing chemical-resistant gloves, apply a liberal amount of coating to a high-quality microfiber or suede applicator block.
Wipe the coating on in a cross-hatch pattern — top to bottom, then side to side — making sure every area of the panel is covered.
Add coating to the applicator as needed to keep the surface wet; if the applicator stops gliding smoothly, add more coating.
Watch for the coating to sweat and bead up — typically within 1 to 3 minutes and up to 5 minutes. That is the visual indicator it has flashed and is ready to buff.
Lightly hand buff with a clean, high-quality microfiber towel in small circular motions until the surface is slick and glossy.
Repeat panel by panel until the planned coverage is complete.
Clean all exterior glass with Cerakote Panel Prep or a dedicated glass cleaner and confirm it is fully dry.
Open a fresh glass wipe from the kit for each piece of glass. Use one wipe for each side window, 1–2 wipes for the windshield depending on size, and 1–2 wipes for the rear window.
Wipe onto one piece of glass at a time (windshield, then side glass, then rear glass) in a cross-hatch pattern — top to bottom, then side to side — for full, even coverage.
Watch for the coating to sweat and haze, the same visual flash indicator as paint.
Buff off with a clean, dry microfiber towel until the glass is perfectly clear with no residue or smearing.
Check the windshield from the driver's seat at multiple angles to confirm zero haze or high spots that could affect visibility.
04Quality Control
Walk the vehicle and inspect the paint under multiple light conditions to confirm all excess coating has been removed.
Inspect every piece of exterior glass — especially the windshield from the driver's seat — to confirm the glass coating is fully buffed and optically clear with no haze, streaks or high spots.
Check for high spots, streaks and missed areas at panel edges, mirrors and door jambs; correct them now.
Confirm masking has been removed and trim and glass are clean.
Note the product used and any rework performed on the coating record against the VIN.
05Cure & Cerakote Protected
Let the coating fully cure for two hours before the vehicle is driven.
Keep the vehicle away from water for at least one day after application.
Do not wash, rinse or run the unit through a car wash during the cure window.
Apply the Cerakote Protected hangtag and leave the customer care explainer in the vehicle for sales to hand over at delivery.
Mark the unit as Cerakote Protected in inventory so sales can present it accurately.
06ADM Adjustment & Lot Release
Confirm stages 01–05 are fully checked off for this VIN.
Add the Cerakote ceramic protection package to the vehicle's addendum / dealer added markup in the DMS.
Verify the ADM total and the vehicle's advertised price now reflect the addition.
Print and install the updated addendum sticker / window label next to the factory Monroney.
Confirm the addition and adjusted price are pushed to the website and third-party listings.
Sign off as the technician at the bottom of this stage — that records your name and time on the VIN.
