I am looking at ceramic coatings, both DYI and professionally applied.
Recommendations for DYI?
I understand that t of the finish, and they vary greatly in ease of application, longevity of the finish and percentage of the key ingredient.
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@Panhandle Bob I had it put on my new Macan not sure if I like it yet. If you use any spray detailers they are not supposed to be good for the ceramic coating. Had it done by the Porsche Dealership for the price I’m not too impressed I took it back to have some issues I had with it but then again I’m a little OCD.
One of my son’s friend who works at another Detail shop looked at it and he wasn’t very impressed with the job they did either so maybe that’s why I don’t know if I like it yet.
Interesting.
So if you have the ceramic coating on the car you shouldn't use a spray and wipe quick detailer. Can you wash the car or are you supposed to just rinse it off and that's it?
I guess then that when the hydrophobic effect diminishes, you just reapply the ceramic coating? I would think that if it diminishes you might need to wash and clay bar the car and then reapply the ceramic?
Ceramic coatings. They can be great but you need to make sure you do a FULL paint correction and polish, then make sure it's poison clean (wipe down with alcohol) before application. If you don't do that it doesn't matter how good the ceramic is, it'll look like crap. You have to remove it and start over, and it's a be-otch to get off. Application itself can go from difficult to easy, but the easier it gets the less coating you are getting and the shorter time it will last.
A real honest to god ceramic coating will not be adversely affected by a spray detailer. There are some spray detailers that are made to help maintain a ceramic coating. I coated my MINI and I stopped using a spray detailer, I'd just hose it off with the garden hose. At a cars and coffee it was remarkable how it wouldn't get dusty on the drive over. Most of the time just a quick pass with a dry cloth and it looked fab. I'd never do that on a non-coated car because it'd scratch it, but it didn't scratch the coating. I sold the car 2 years after I did it, and it still looked fabulous.
i used Sonax Spray and Shield,,spray on, rinse off..impressed with the results(it wont work on crappy paint) now i use optimum spray detailer to touch it up...there are hundreds of products out there..looked into ceramic but wanted $1200,ouch no thanks
As Micael said, a full paint correction and polish should be done before the car is ceramic coated. And there are certainly varying degrees of quality on ceramic coatings and the people who apply them. I did my own full paint correction and polish then had a shop do the ceramic coating on my truck. It's been over two years and the water still beads off.
I give the truck a full wash and detail at least twice per month. The soap I use has additives that work well with the ceramic coating and also add another very thin layer of ceramic back onto the truck. I just started using it and so far I am very happy with it. Prior to that I used a ceramic coat spray booster to finish the truck. I've been lazy a few times and instead of a full wash I used a waterless wash to wipe down the truck and it has no effect on the ceramic coating.
A ceramic coat when done properly will bring you back the same amount of money you paid to have it done when you sell your car because the paint will look that nice. I'm guessing this is going on the Speedster so that won't matter.
Robert
Actually I am looking at it for the Cayman S.
The Speedster needs a whole paint job, or maybe a wrap in a "patina" wrapper.
@Panhandle Bob Just got back from a drive in the speedster. Don’t get me wrong the Macan looks great just had some issues with the Porsche dealership had to take it back it had polishing compound under The ceramic coating they had to strip it off and start all over again. Haven’t had it that long to let you know how it last. I think if you get the right person and a good paint correction you will probably love it.
@Former Member posted:@Panhandle Bob Just got back from a drive in the speedster. Don’t get me wrong the Macan looks great just had some issues with the Porsche dealership had to take it back it had polishing compound under The ceramic coating they had to strip it off and start all over again. Haven’t had it that long to let you know how it last. I think if you get the right person and a good paint correction you will probably love it.
I think the best coatings are lasting about 5 years. There are a lot of different coatings out there but Adam's Polishes has the best one on the market at the moment. Adam’s UV Ceramic coating is rated at 9H on the Moh scale of mineral hardness. The scale range rates from 1-10, making the 9H rating extremely durable in even the harshest conditions. Normal clear coat typically rates between 2H and 4H. But the single biggest determining factor in your coating is the prep work.
I have it on my Ram 2500 and my wife's Macan.
I used Artdesine BX graphine. Here is a good video of a professional and his comments. He also review a ton of the coatings on this channel
As others have said, full process to paint correct. If you have the time and the right stuff, doing it yourself is the only way to make sure it doesn't look bad. I have been a big fan of Adam's products https://adamspolishes.com/
It is expensive but it is all high quality.
The biggest thing to me is equipment and time. I have a Porter Cable polisher is that is oscillating and orbiting but impossible to burn your paint. You would need to wash with Dawn soap, clay, wash with automotive soap, polish (sometimes a few stages), wash again, alcohol clean, apply coating.
I recently paint corrected my Tundra. It took 3 whole days to do the inside and outside.
I have a Craftsman oscillating/random orbit polisher. It's probably twenty years old. My friend Jim borrowed it for his black 911, and it came out great.
I've never had enough balls to use it, it is one thing I never learned. How about it, Chris?
@DannyP posted:I have a Craftsman oscillating/random orbit polisher. It's probably twenty years old. My friend Jim borrowed it for his black 911, and it came out great.
I've never had enough balls to use it, it is one thing I never learned. How about it, Chris?
Whaaaaaaat??? 
@DannyP, I used to have one exactly like that and it was easy except for the cord getting in the way. I now have a cordless one from Griot's that I love. The "oscillating/random orbit" feature makes it almost impossible to damage your paint. I rarely use mine anymore since I switched from wax to ceramic, but don't be afraid of it. By the way, you didn't get your from me, did you? I can't remember what I did with it when I got the cordless one. If you did, it's more than 30 years old.
Mine is not from you, Lane.
I would think throwing the cord over the shoulder makes it a non-issue. But the cordless sounds nice.
Even that gets old. The cordless is smaller and lighter and more easily managed in tight areas. I have two batteries so that I have a charged one as backup.
@DannyP posted:I have a Craftsman oscillating/random orbit polisher. It's probably twenty years old. My friend Jim borrowed it for his black 911, and it came out great.
I've never had enough balls to use it, it is one thing I never learned. How about it, Chris?
Easy peasy, Danny. Just remember don't lift in the corners if you're going over 80.
My 2 cents…
I have a detailing business, and I can tell you that “True” ceramic coatings are the real deal. They protect your cars paint for years when properly maintained.
I use GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Light, and GTECHNIQ EXO V4 (The EXO V4 layers stack on top of the CSL). These two products cost about $110.
There are “Hybrid Ceramic” products that apply like regular wax, and they are more user friendly for the basic weekend warrior. They last for about 6 months (better than carnuba wax) and are a good product, but don’t compare with a True ceramic coating.
As mentioned above, the paint correction and prep is key. If you don’t get out all the fine scratches, halos and swirls before you apply the ceramic products, you are basically sealing in all of the imperfections. The process takes a few days to do because the prep is tedious and there is a 12 hour cure time that is recommended.
I have had ceramic on a truck that sits outside year round and all I do is pressure wash it with water once a week and dry it with a microfiber towel. I put it on a year ago and its still beads like I did it yesterday. I use a detail spray maybe once a month (doesn’t harm the ceramic one bit).
When I read or hear people complain about how much a professional auto detail costs, I don’t think people realize that what you are paying for. What you are paying for is the detailers expertise, their time, the products used, and the equipment they have to do the job correctly (ie. Polishers, pressure washers, air compressors, vacuums, carpet cleaners, lighting, micro fiber towels, brushes, applicators etc.).
Hope this helped.
P.S. I get my Speedster in about 4 weeks from Vintage Motorcars, and I plan on doing a 4 stage paint correction and ceramic coating as soon as I get it home. I can’t wait.
Good info. Where do you live?
I’m in Redondo Beach CA
