A process for coating metallic surfaces of substrates with aqueous compositions in the form of a dispersion and/or suspension, which comprise at least one stabilized binder and a gel former and with the cations dissolved out from the metallic surface in a pretreatment stage and/or during contacting forms a coating based on an ionogenic gel, wherein coating is carried out by: I. provision of a substrate having a cleaned, metallic surface, II. contacting and coating of metallic surfaces with a first aqueous composition in the form of a dispersion and/or suspension, III. optionally rinsing of the organic coating, IV. optionally drying of the organic coating and V. coating with at least two further coating compositions before drying and crosslinking of all applied layers, where the stabilized binders have to satisfy the condition that a) an aqueous mixture of deionized water, from 0.2 to 2% by weight of a gel former and from 5 to 20% by weight of the stabilized binder b) is brought to a pH of from 1 to 7; c) a clean substrate is dipped into the mixture as per b) for at least 1 minute at room temperature and d) a check is made as to whether deposition of an organic coating having a thickness of at least 1 μm has occurred, where e) an additional test without gel former, in which a mixture of deionized water and from 5 to 20% by weight of the dispersion to be examined is produced, is carried out; f) the mixture produced under e) is likewise brought to a pH of from 1 to 7 and g) the test described under c) and d) is repeated. I. provision of a substrate having a cleaned, metallic surface, II. contacting and coating of metallic surfaces with a first aqueous composition in the form of a dispersion and/or suspension, III. optionally rinsing of the organic coating, IV. optionally drying of the organic coating and V. coating with at least two further coating compositions before drying and crosslinking of all applied layers, where the stabilized binders have to satisfy the condition that a) an aqueous mixture of deionized water, from 0.2 to 2% by weight of a gel former and from 5 to 20% by weight of the stabilized binder b) is brought to a pH of from 1 to 7; c) a clean substrate is dipped into the mixture as per b) for at least 1 minute at room temperature and d) a check is made as to whether deposition of an organic coating having a thickness of at least 1 μm has occurred, where e) an additional test without gel former, in which a mixture of deionized water and from 5 to 20% by weight of the dispersion to be examined is produced, is carried out; f) the mixture produced under e) is likewise brought to a pH of from 1 to 7 and g) the test described under c) and d) is repeated. a) an aqueous mixture of deionized water, from 0.2 to 2% by weight of a gel former and from 5 to 20% by weight of the stabilized binder b) is brought to a pH of from 1 to 7; c) a clean substrate is dipped into the mixture as per b) for at least 1 minute at room temperature and d) a check is made as to whether deposition of an organic coating having a thickness of at least 1 μm has occurred, where e) an additional test without gel former, in which a mixture of deionized water and from 5 to 20% by weight of the dispersion to be examined is produced, is carried out; f) the mixture produced under e) is likewise brought to a pH of from 1 to 7 and g) the test described under c) and d) is repeated.