Anytime you apply any long term paint protection or glass sealant, you want to do a decontamination process as it gives the protection the best bond to the surface it is protecting. This will make the protection perform better and have better longevity. Contrary to popular belief, new cars tend to have the most contamination due to transportation. Also, manufacturers will leave defects in the paint and dealerships will improperly try to fix them. Doing a full decontamination process and a polish will give your car a fresh start, and your car will look better than new.
How often you need to decontaminate depends on your driving conditions, the paint protection you use, and how well you maintain your car. The key to decon is to do it as little as possible. If you don't need to do it, don't do it. The easiest way to tell if you need to mechanically decon is to feel the paint. If it's rough to the touch, you will need to mechanically decontaminate using a clay bar or NanoSkin Sponge. The best way to tell if you need to chemically decon, like with Optimum Ferrex, is if you see tiny little orange or brown specs on the paint.
Here is the process:
(1) Wash with our decon soap
(2) Rinse the car
(3) Spray Optimum Ferrex liberally all over the car and let sit for a few minutes
(4) Rinse thoroughly
(5) Use NanoSkin Glide and Sponge to mechanically remove any contaminants
(6) Rinse again and dry the car
*(7) Compound/polish the car with Jescar Correcting Compound and Sonax Perfect Finish - only compound if it is needed. The key to paint correction is to be as least aggressive as possible.
(8) Wipe the car down with CarPro Eraser
(9) Apply Jescar PowerLock Plus
(10) Apply Collinite 845 Wax
* If you are uncomfortable with Step 7, or don't have or want to get the equipment needed to do it, you can skip it. Just know that any swirls or "love marks" in the paint will remain.
Now that your car has been decontaminated, paint corrected and protected, you can just do maintenance washes. The Powerlock Plus - Collinite Combo usually lasts at least 6 months. If you are topping with Bead Maker, it will last longer, up to 9-12 months, depending on your driving conditions. Then if you notice that your protection is starting to fail, you can "start over" by using OG decon soap and then wiping the car down with eraser before re-applying the paint protection. If you notice rough areas or see iron deposits on the paint at this time, you can do the full decon process again. If you are maintaining your car properly, you can skip step 7 (the polishing step). If you see "love marks," you can do a light polish with Sonax Perfect Finish to remove them.