Ceramic coating
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,655
Likes: 24
From: Charleston SC
Ceramic coating
just got my car coated today and love the results. I had planned to do it my self but tore my rotator cuff so 8 hrs of buffing is out for a while they used Cquartz and it looks amazing
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Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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It can't be compared to plastic films, which protect against rock chips. A ceramic coating will not.
Think of it as an incredibly long-lasting, incredibly hydrophobic wax or coating, which can last 5 years or so if well taken care of. It makes the car incredibly easy to clean and keep looking nice.
There are consumer versions, which you can DIY, and professional versions only available to certified installers. The latter are more difficult to apply, and can really be messed up if you don't know what you're doing, but they last longer.
I had a professional paint correction and CQuartz Finest applied by a pro for about $1K.
Think of it as an incredibly long-lasting, incredibly hydrophobic wax or coating, which can last 5 years or so if well taken care of. It makes the car incredibly easy to clean and keep looking nice.
There are consumer versions, which you can DIY, and professional versions only available to certified installers. The latter are more difficult to apply, and can really be messed up if you don't know what you're doing, but they last longer.
I had a professional paint correction and CQuartz Finest applied by a pro for about $1K.
Last edited by Foosh; Apr 18, 2017 at 12:50 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 782
Likes: 264
From: San Diego
The key to keeping black paint looking good (in my opinion), is to deter the micro-scratches from occurring -- they look like spider webs and swirls in the right light. Ceramic coating does that, but you have to know how to wash your car properly.
I was at a dealer recently and checked out a new black stingray on the showroom floor. The paint (clear coat) looked terrible, maybe from just one wash.
A pro will spend hours prepping the paint before applying cquartz finest, and it will be wonderfully glossy. Then it's up to you to keep it that way.
I paid $1k.
I was at a dealer recently and checked out a new black stingray on the showroom floor. The paint (clear coat) looked terrible, maybe from just one wash.
A pro will spend hours prepping the paint before applying cquartz finest, and it will be wonderfully glossy. Then it's up to you to keep it that way.
I paid $1k.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2016
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From: Santa Rosa California
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Looks good! You really need some type of coating on a black car. I had mine done with Opticoat.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25,583
Likes: 16,942
The key to keeping black paint looking good (in my opinion), is to deter the micro-scratches from occurring -- they look like spider webs and swirls in the right light. Ceramic coating does that, but you have to know how to wash your car properly.
I was at a dealer recently and checked out a new black stingray on the showroom floor. The paint (clear coat) looked terrible, maybe from just one wash.
A pro will spend hours prepping the paint before applying cquartz finest, and it will be wonderfully glossy. Then it's up to you to keep it that way.
I paid $1k.
I was at a dealer recently and checked out a new black stingray on the showroom floor. The paint (clear coat) looked terrible, maybe from just one wash.
A pro will spend hours prepping the paint before applying cquartz finest, and it will be wonderfully glossy. Then it's up to you to keep it that way.
I paid $1k.
One other note that just occurred to me, is that having a ceramic coating makes it VERY easy to take care of subsequent swirls that will inevitably occur later from things like people brushing against your car. I've found that just a light application of liquid wax in the swirl area will remove them easily because the swirl is likely in the ceramic coating layer as opposed to the paint clear coat.
Awesome results.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,655
Likes: 24
From: Charleston SC
My car is a daily driver otherwise I might have just stuck with Zaino since I have had great luck with their products.
Last edited by FD2BLK; Apr 18, 2017 at 01:13 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 3,076
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From: Northville Michigan
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Looks great but i just don't know if Arctic White would benefit as I have a pretty good gloss but as most of us are always in search of good, better, best etc etc etc etc. Never Satisfied! 
