I apologise for asking because I am sure there have been plenty of threads on this subject. Which ceramic coating should I use? How much should I pay? Is it worth doing? How long does it really last? Can you lead me to the threads on ceramic coating

 

You are correct.. so many choices now its crazzzzzy.. use the advance search and narrow down to C7...

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...rchid=77185474

I have been staying with Carpro products... CQUARTZ UK 3.0 for ceramic.. always remember, ceramic coating is the last 10% of the process to coating... I am doing the wifes car right now and just spent 2 days on the first stage of paint correction, now starting stage 2... after that is done and sprayed down with an IPA cleaner that it will get coated.. This is on a 6 month old Mercedes Benz loaner car and the paint "looked" ok until I started the frist stage, that is when you really see all the scratches..

Every one of the new products says "we are the best now" there may be some newer and better, the professional ones us "weekend garage warriors" can not get as you have to be a pro...

Hope this helps

 

Sort of like the car warranty business or Medicare. Just too confusing and definitely too much work for my taste. Think I’ll just wash and add good poly sealant. After that I’ll just use quick detail. This other stuff is no for me. Thank you for your explanation.

 

I'll echo what cowboy casey said. The key is in the prep. You have to prepare the paint properly, which almost always involves some level of paint correction.

My question to you, are you looking for a reliable shop to perform this service, or are you planning on doing it yourself?

If you're doing it yourself, I'd recommend CQuartz Lite: https://amzn.to/2LUoIRC

 

I've been curious about something that I haven;t seen addressed by anyone. How do you remove a ceramic coating if you decide to go back to a sealant or if you have an accident and need to some painting work done? Do you have to sand it off or can it be removed by a solvent?

 

This is why I won't put a ceramic coating on any of my vehicles but hey, I'm just crazy like that.....the risk/reward is just not there for ME.

 

In another month or so the Florida Inferno will be reduced and it time to detail the car without being burned to a crisp. I noticed that I was almost out of Zaino so I tried to research all this Ceramic stuff. I got a headache. Too much work for me. If I had a local place that would do it without charging thousands of $ I might let them but no. So I just order the old time Zaino to give it the usual treatment.

 

I had mine professionally done here in Florida. Not sure what brand they used but it’s been a year now (I don’t garage it) and it looks as good as the day I had it done. Water just rolls right off! It came with a lifetime warranty as long as bring it in for annual maintenance which I just did. I paid around $1200 which included all the prep work and cleaning and two coats on the car.

 

How much does the annual maintenance cost?

 

It needs to be buffed off with a polisher, you aren't going to get it off by hand.

A white Lake County pad and a finishing polish will take a coating right off with a DA. Its quick and easy.

As for maintenance, you need not be required to do any, but I occasionally wash with Gyeon Bathe instead of my regular Meguiars car wash, and then you can occasionally add a maintenance product to provide a sacrificial layer above your ceramic coating. For that, any SiO2 spray will work, but I use a Kamikaze Top Coat and a plush MF rag in the drying step after I wash.

 

$99. About the same as a good detailing which is included.

 

Applying most ceramics is fairly easy, wipe on with an applicator, buff off residue by hand. The key is prepping the car. You want to remove any swirl marks and have the surface completely clean to apply it properly.

Basically you need to clay bar, apply a chemical decon (tar/iron remover), wipe clean with an alcohol solution, then use a polisher to remove all swirls. This is because once the ceramic is on, they're sealed under there. I only had to use a white pad and finishing polish as I had under 500 miles.

If I were getting a pro to do it, I'd have them work out the OP in the factory paint, but otherwise I did not attempt that far.

Then just applied Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM Coat.

 

I had my ride done within a week of ownership. $640.00 with veteran's discount in Southern Arizona. They used C.Quartz.

 

Notice this at a local detail shop for what it's worth....

 

vader86 has the steps down. But let me dive in on this As a pro detailer that does nothing but ceramic coatings, there is some misinformation here. Although you are correct everyone's coating is the best. I have tested roughly 25 coating products and settled on Ceramic Pro, Feynlabs, and Kamikaze Miyabe and ISM. I found all the others simply did not have the durability, or the shine I wanted to deliver to my customers. I tell people if you saw it advertised on Facebook, it is junk. I notice many have Cquartz, it is a good product, just did not meet my testing standard for my shop.
Feynlabs is my go to product as it makes the colors look deeper and richer. Plus if you have a metallic it really brings out the metalflake in the paint and creates an illusion of 3D. Ceramic Pro because they back their warranty, especially a lifetime warranty, and Kamikaze becasue of it's durability, ease of use and the shine. However I am replacing Kamkaze with Feynlab's Ceramic Lite as they have made the product easier to use than when I first started using it.
Everyone is correct Paint Prep is the #1 thing to be done. The coating will bring out paint defects, especially on darker cars.
Here is a post I did over in the Detailing Section of the Forum that while it looks complicated for paint correction. It includes some tricks, ie. multiple pads that make the difference between a decent job and one that is stunning.

On a car that is ceramic coated you should always wash it with a wash made for ceramic coatings. I know the 55 gallon drum of Meguiar's at Costco is cheap, but it leaves a layer on the coating and will take away the qualities of the ceramic. I recommend Feynlab's Wash, or Gyeon's Q2M Bathe. One of the big differences between a regular car wash and a ceramic car wash, is the ceramic car washes contain a very, very mild acid that will remove any contaminants that may have gotten stuck to the coating. They also contain a tiny bit of the coating to help keep it fresh. While not cheap by any stretch Polish Angel High Gloss is the ultimate in a ceramic detail spray. Although many sites say it has been discontinued, it is still available on the Polish Angel site. While I am a fan of Feynlabs products, their first version of the detail spray was very difficult to use. I think I have V2 and will be trying it on my test car this week.
To remove a ceramic coating you do not have to sand it off, as stated you can use a compound like Meguiars 105 to remove it.
So all of the above sounds complicated but it is no different than a Zaino'd car or a Meguairs coated car, just different products.
Hope that helps

 

Awesome post! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

 

Went with Ceramic Pro on XT5 and my C7, love it. Would never wax car again.

 

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