Ceramics, sealants and waxes

[daves8]

I had my calais ceramic coated with Opti Coat from brand new 5 years ago. The car is black and got a lot of swirl marks from using a car wash cafe for a couple of years.

the car is about to go into semi retirement and live in the garage, coming out for the occasional Sunday drive. I had the car paint corrected, as I was going to sell, but haven’t had a coating put on beyond the wax they used.

I am thinking of just using a sealant this time as I will hand wash, and it won’t be used as a daily.

Are the self application ceramics any good, or useless for beginners like me? Was thinking of maybe putting some on my SRT too, but it uses the same car wash cafe now.....

thoughts?

 

[dgp]

I think it’s like anything, it requires practice. I have been detailing my own cars for years, and have recently (last 5 years) used opti-coat, kamikaze and final inspection ceramic coatings. Probably the easiest to apply was final inspection, but best result was kamikaze.
It is all in the preparation though.

 

[eman1]

Gyeon has a DIY ceramic coating called Q2 one. Carcareproducts.com.au has heaps of options.

I previously had the car coated in opticoat but I’m waiting for my Menzerna power lock sealant now to arrive to try this time.

Keep in mind it’s all about the prep work.
-good wash
-clay bar
-paint correction
-clean using a product like Gyeon prep to remove old waxes and sealants, oils etc.
- application of sealant or ceramic coat.

 

[panhead]

The self applied ceramics will do a good job and will probably be better than what many people pay a dealership to do at a fraction of the cost.

You'll need to strip off the wax first and clay bar the entire car to ensure no particles or contaminants have stuck to the car since the paint correction.

Then the application for most home use ceramics is usually fairly simple and apply two coats.

As dgp and eman1 has already said, it's all in the prep.

If it's not a daily driver and isn't going to spend much time in extreme conditions the wax will do just as good a job.

A good wax will last 10 years on a garage queen if careful washing techniques are used.

Carnauba is a very hard coating so use a wax that has a very high percentage.


Ceramic coats don't stop swirls, it's how you treat the painted surface that minimises them.





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[Forg]

^ To clarify what you mean by that last sentence, ceramic coats will reduce how much new swirlage you suffer once they're applied, won't they?

We had some car-park paint damage that I took to a panel-beater place which started as a detailer & expanded into a panel-beater when the owners saw a gap in the market for a business that could cater to some customers' desire to have their car's appearance maintained beyond the day they leave the panel-beater. Because I was there for a minor insurance job & with a 4.5yo car, I don't think the guy thought I was a potential customer, so I don't think what he was saying was a load of BS designed to sell me a product.
However, what he was saying was that where he'd give the professionally-applied coating stuff maybe 5 years with proper care, he was saying that the stuff a novice can apply at home is still maybe a 2 year proposition. He did, however, say that for most of that time, they would look as good as each other; but he also said what dgp said, and that you need a bit of practice to get it right.

As an aside, the orange Mazda3 had left it's paint on the Commodore & not taken too much of the Commodore's paint away; so insurance paid for $200 of the $2k ceramic coating I had applied to the Redline. I know I could've got it done more cheaply (there's a guy I know via Performance Forums who does about the best job you've ever seen as a side-earner only every few weekends & at a fraction of what these businesses charge), but it was really a matter of convenience. I washed the car for the first time last Monday - OMG, that stuff is brilliant, those yellow dots (I assume insect poo) just hose off, and the microfibre drying cloth now takes the paint all the way to dry from totally soaked in one swipe!

I also washed the Volvo, which was painted 15yrs ago & only really leaves the garage on average once every 3 weeks, and VERY MUCH noticed that the paint on the roof has swirls in it & felt/looked … well not matte, maybe 'satin'. Not good though!
This thread is definitely to my interest WRT that car, as I'm thinking I might obtain some product from … ah crap, Car Care Products has moved!! Ah wait, Leichhardt isn't too bad.

 

[mpower]

sealant for daily, wax for garage queens.

 

[panhead]

^ To clarify what you mean by that last sentence, ceramic coats will reduce how much new swirlage you suffer once they're applied, won't they?

Ceramic coats do absolutely zip when it comes to swirls if the paint surface is washed with coarse brushes and the like, don't fall for the advertising BS.

The advantage ceramic has over a high quality wax and I don't mean that Mequiars stuff sold at Supercheap Auto is the ceramic will last longer on a daily driven vehicle compared to wax.

Both coatings need to be washed with care using products that minimises contact with the surface if you wish to minimise swirls.

Ceramics also need maintenance and usually that is on an annual basis, it is also harder to correct the surface once applied.

Ceramic is good for a daily but it's not the 'Holy Grail' as the people who manufacturer it would like you to believe.

Wax with a high Carnauba content is easier to deal with and makes a better alternative for a garaged vehicle that's only driven on a nice sunny day.

Avoid cheap liquid waxes as they are usually made up with filler used to hide the swirls for a few weeks then wash out after a few washes.

I'm not against ceramic coats and they will do a good job on a daily and a garage queen but it isn't needed for the latter and it won't protect the paint surface if the owner doesn't treat it with respect.






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[Fu Manchu]

I like waxes. I like using the hybrid ceramic sealants and true ceramics are a beautiful thing.

Each has pros and cons suited to individual situations.

Nova Evo is a great ceramic coating suited to most people because it doesn’t go off too fast, so is easier to use for the inexperienced or when a ceramic needs to be applied on warmer days.

I feel the finish of a ceramic coated car will look way better than a wax. However that would be only if a proper paint correction has been done first.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I've been using Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid Wax for a few years. It lasts for a few months on my daily but I dont mind applying it every now and then when I get a chance.
It is basically half wax and half synthetic sealant

 

[[paradox]]

Both coatings need to be washed with care using products that minimises contact with the surface if you wish to minimise swirls.

Ceramics also need maintenance and usually that is on an annual basis, it is also harder to correct the surface once applied.

Ceramic is good for a daily but it's not the 'Holy Grail' as the people who manufacturer it would like you to believe.

this.
my car is currently coated with gyeon duraflex, and proper maintenance is still absolutely essential.

i never had my VE coated, and by the end of it i wished i did. so the first thing i did with my VF was to get it done.
from "brand new" the car still required 6hrs of correction before the ceramic could be applied.
so would i suggest doing your own, probably not. the correction is the hard part.

18 months on, i can see swirls again, being a black car probably doesnt help. im trying to organise it to go back in for some maintenance.
they definitely are not the holy graile i expected it to be.