Ceramic coatings

One look at a properly applied Ceramic coated car and you will never own a car without it.Same applies to PPF.

 

Put halo on the ppf and csl on the rest I had this on my first 458 spider, I always apply ceramic coat myself and its so easy to do and the paint is so soft it takes nothing to correct it, I use a d/a with a mf finishing pad and 3800 paste, they charge a fortune to do it and they never take as much care as you will on your pride and joy

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Now I have full pff so halo only

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I have my cars PPFed and coated on top of the PPF and I've had them get dirty/ rained on/ and taken a few days to clean them off- no water spots.

 

I share your enthusiasm for ceramic coating. I will say that CeramicPro is heavily marketing driven with the amount of layers they put on. Adding extra layers is almost entirely just pure profit for little benefit. The point of the additional layers is actually to just make sure you don’t miss any spots that may have got wiped off when applying the first layer.

I would suggest trying other brands too just for curiosity’s sake. I have two cars with ceramic pro (one silver, one gold), one with Gtechniq Crystal Ultra, and one with Cquartz Finest. I’m most impressed with the Gtechniq, although the differences aren’t that big.

 

There are a ton of videos describing water spotting tendencies with ceramic coatings. Coating manufacturers also make water spot products specifically for use with their coatings. Our regional top shop has specifically warned me off of ceramic because I am on well water. Around here they can charge $2500 (varies some) for ceramic coatings so profit is extreme. The other thing that bothers me is the vast number of coatings out there and even a single product has many versions. They list the latest and greatest as the "best". Just seems like semi-permanent coatings are too much voodoo at this time.

Here's the last video I watched showing water spots on ceramic. The shops around have a water spot disclaimer. You typically cannot polish ceramic yet a sealer with wax is just a buff back to perfection. Saying there are no downsides to ceramic is not consistent with the data available. I am not trying to change anyone's mind. If you are concidering doing it then at least do the research to make the best decision.

 

Do you mean $2500 including a full paint correction and then ceramic? Ceramic coating comes in a bottle usually either 15 or 30ml. Costs anywhere from 75 to about $350 for top of the line Kamikazee Zipang Coat. Drip it on to an applicator and wipe onto the car, then wipe off with a towel. Takes an hour for a coat. Some products can be layered so you can do two coats some only allow one. If someone is charging 2500 just for that it would be a crime. Car has to be corrected first of course so 2500 for a correction and ceramic is about right.


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Then there are criminals about! It is what it is. Some would say the same about $500k for a production Ferrari. Its all relative and this hobby comes at a cost. Not interested in ceramics at this time and would shy away from a car with it but that's just me.

 

I think some of this is placebo. I have friends that have it and say it's not bid deal. Many of this may depend on color. But in reality if you aren't driving the car more than 3k a year might not be needed. A good wax goes a long way.

 

ceramic is a scam and it defies rule number 1 of detailing - always treat the paint with the least abrasive formula you can find. ceramic needs to be wet sanded to be removed. if you are gonna use ceramic put it on ppf and not the paint. the only situation i wld put it directly on the paint is for a car thats 5 to 10 yrs old and has lived outside. ceramic cld be the last stretch before you decide to repaint. putting ceramic on the paint of a garage queens makes absolutely no sense as the ceramic's value is protecting from the elements.

 

My formula is basically PPF ( XPEL ) followed by CQuartz Finest.

Use Snow shampoo with a Karcher , rinse. Then blow dry.

But I also use filtered water ( ZERO water spots )

Less you touch the car the better.