Protecting the paint with ceramic coating

[RoadRunner]

Has anyone tried this? Does it work?

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[Tigahs]

Or tried any other ceramic products you would recommend?

 

[Byrd746]

I’ve been using Flex Wax by Turtle Wax and love it. It’s super easy to apply and can be used on plastic and glass. It leaves the paint shiny and slick and seems to do a good job at protection.

 

[Rockstar08]

I have also used the turtle wax ceramic coating bought it at Pep Boys for like $13.99 and have used it on two cars this passed year and it’s fantastic!!! Definitely keeps more dirt off the cars and it’s easier to wash!!

 

[MatthewAMEL]

Well, it depends on how deep into paint correction/protection you want to go.

The biggest complaint I see with folks who use ceramic (or any nextgen paint protection) is due to not doing proper surface prep.

Ceramic is particularly troublesome because the only way to get it off, is to polish it off. So, if you leave water spots or swirls on the surface and then ceramic over it, you have just locked those in until you polish off the ceramic, polish out the blemish and then apply ceramic again.

My new car/1st time ceramic regimen is:

1. Decon wash (use a strip wash - somethings like Adams Polish Strip Wash or CarPro Reset or Chemical Guys Clean Slate)
2. Remove metals (cars are shipped by rail, you have rail dust in your paint - Adams Iron Remover, CarPro IronX Snow)
3. Wash it again
4. Clay (your choice on the clay. Some are more aggressive than others. I just recently tried some of the synthetic clay mitts and like how easy they were.)
5. Wash it again
6. Polish
7. Prep surface for ceramic - wipe down with Isopropyl Alcohol.
8. Ceramic - I have used CQuartz UK and Adams Graphene. I like the Adams product. It's a little more forgiving on the application. Adams also provides a handheld UV light so you can see exactly where you applied, which is nice. The graphene also beads more than the CQuartz, IMHO.
9. Every 3 months or so (depending on conditions) hit your ceramic with a Ceramic reload/booster.

Spray on ceramics are kinda a joke. You'll get 30-45 days of beading and then they will be gone.

Also helpful to ceramic your wheels. Really helps on brake dust/trail dust removal.

Have fun!

 

[RoadRunner]

Well, it depends on how deep into paint correction/protection you want to go.

The biggest complaint I see with folks who use ceramic (or any nextgen paint protection) is due to not doing proper surface prep.

Ceramic is particularly troublesome because the only way to get it off, is to polish it off. So, if you leave water spots or swirls on the surface and then ceramic over it, you have just locked those in until you polish off the ceramic, polish out the blemish and then apply ceramic again.

My new car/1st time ceramic regimen is:

1. Decon wash (use a strip wash - somethings like Adams Polish Strip Wash or CarPro Reset or Chemical Guys Clean Slate)
2. Remove metals (cars are shipped by rail, you have rail dust in your paint - Adams Iron Remover, CarPro IronX Snow)
3. Wash it again
4. Clay (your choice on the clay. Some are more aggressive than others. I just recently tried some of the synthetic clay mitts and like how easy they were.)
5. Wash it again
6. Polish
7. Prep surface for ceramic - wipe down with Isopropyl Alcohol.
8. Ceramic - I have used CQuartz UK and Adams Graphene. I like the Adams product. It's a little more forgiving on the application. Adams also provides a handheld UV light so you can see exactly where you applied, which is nice. The graphene also beads more than the CQuartz, IMHO.
9. Every 3 months or so (depending on conditions) hit your ceramic with a Ceramic reload/booster.

Spray on ceramics are kinda a joke. You'll get 30-45 days of beading and then they will be gone.

Also helpful to ceramic your wheels. Really helps on brake dust/trail dust removal.

Have fun!

Thank you....this was VERY helpful!

 

[PacNWJLGecko]

Planning on Cquartz UK 3.0 on my Gecko Green JL when it comes in finally. Headed to my detailer once it comes in.

 

[Strommen95]

Spray on ceramics are kinda a joke. You'll get 30-45 days of beading and then they will be gone.

Your post offers very good advice for anyone wanting to use a real Ceramic Coating. With that said, what sprays have you used? Griots 3n1 lasts me 3-4 months not garaged in the Northeast. I'm sure it would fare better in a friendlier environment. The gloss is outstanding too. Between the cost, ease of use and results I'd have to strongly disagree with your statement.

 

[MatthewAMEL]

Your post offers very good advice for anyone wanting to use a real Ceramic Coating. With that said, what sprays have you used? Griots 3n1 lasts me 3-4 months not garaged in the Northeast. I'm sure it would fare better in a friendlier environment. The gloss is outstanding too. Between the cost, ease of use and results I'd have to strongly disagree with your statement.

I haven't used any of the spray products on my own cars.

You may also note my opening sentence was " Well, it depends on how deep into paint correction/protection you want to go. " - I understand that my approach isn't for everyone.

I like Griots stuff, I use their 'Best In Show' car wash as my bucket soap. If you read the 3-in-1 directions, you'll see they say almost exactly what I posted. They want you to remove old wax/sealant, clay, polish, and then apply. They also note that between applications, you should remove old 3-in-1 with their 'Foaming Surface Prep'. As ceramic residue will build up.

 

[fdFifty]

I've been using the Turtle Wax hybrid solutions ceramic and it has been awesome. I easily got 6-8 months of protection through this last western PA winter with a single application. If you take time to surface prep and properly decontaminate it will stick around a lot longer.

I like it because it seems to last just the right amount of time and can still be removed with a few passes of a good strip wash if you want to start fresh.

A true ceramic will definitely last longer but be mindful that if you spend time on trails and contact a lot of branches, a true ceramic isn't going to hold up any better than a spray sealant. As others have mentioned above, it is not easy to remove if it gets really scratched or traps any contaminants. For my uses, the turtle wax sealant offered the best balance of protection with ease of application/ touch up.

 

[Strommen95]

I haven't used any of the spray products on my own cars.

You may also note my opening sentence was " Well, it depends on how deep into paint correction/protection you want to go. " - I understand that my approach isn't for everyone.

I like Griots stuff, I use their 'Best In Show' car wash as my bucket soap. If you read the 3-in-1 directions, you'll see they say almost exactly what I posted. They want you to remove old wax/sealant, clay, polish, and then apply. They also note that between applications, you should remove old 3-in-1 with their 'Foaming Surface Prep'. As ceramic residue will build up.

Nothing against your approach, just your statement. Suggesting the Ceramic Sprays last 30-45 days is blatantly false even with poor prep work. Any directions for wax or sealant will suggest strip washing and polishing. Most people don't. That doesn't mean the products won't last in less than optimal conditions.

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