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There are many different ceramic coatings available for paint protection, the two I have tackled since I got my Z06 last year being Blackfire Crystal Seal and then later CQuartz Finest, CQuartz Finest only available to professional installers. I am not a professional installer. Both can wreak havoc on your paint job if you haven't the patience and care it takes to apply them. In this pic of the car, I had just completed CQuartz Finest earlier and was changing to Carbotech brakes, applying CQuartz to rims and calipers as it was an opportune time. Carbotech + ceramic coating = significant brake dust reduction.
Having said that, I believe Blackfire Crystal Seal is the easiest to apply in the industry and CQuartz Finest the hardest, the differentiator between the two being their drying time with CQuartz drying very quickly whereas BlackFire takes a bit longer and has amazing self leveling properties. I highly recommend Blackfire products as they are clear and not color based, something that may contribute to discoloration in those hard to get areas over time. Also, in my situation, both have been applied over a complete covering of XPel Ultimate as I had heard nothing but positive about this 'dual-protection' process and there are statements by both company CEO's stating that application of ceramic coating does not hurt the 'self-healing' properties of XPel whatsoever.
Application of both is relatively the same. First, ensure your car's paint is cleared of any dirt or environmental deposits. You don't want sap drips underneath your ceramic coating, just as an example, as it will be there for a year or two once the mistake is realized. Don't apply in the direct sun as it dries to fast, yet similarly, ensure that there is adequate lighting where you do the application. I actually found that Blackfire was EASILY applied in the morning sun, whereas CQuartz just dried way to quickly. If it dries quickly you may have to tackle smudging similar to this which is easy if only an hour or two later...not so easy if discovered the next day.
When you apply, CQuartz, apply only a few drops to your applicator (included with packaging) and cover an area (typically a panel) in a cross hatch pattern. Myself, for both CQuartz and Blackfire, I wiped parallel, then up and down over the same area, and then parallel once again, ensuring there was enough that I could just identify the coating on the surface and wet. This way, I felt it would be best for self-leveling properties and found that this worked great. The goal here is to ensure that you don't miss even the smallest area, and you also don't have excess in any areas (as might be seen where your wipe stops and the cloth is lifted) as these are somewhat difficult to repair after curing is complete.
I would then wait 10-12 minutes and wipe it off by hand. I don't buff during this process and buffing really isn't recommended with XPel, however, I admittedly do a light buff (no pressure) the next day after curing is complete just for that added shine. I did the same cross-hatch pattern to wipe. As I applied 2 coats, I would do a panel, let it sit while I did another, return to that panel and wipe, do a third panel, returning to the second and wiping and so on, and repeat the process for the second coat. When all was complete, I would shut all the lights off in the garage and go over the entire car with a small LED flashlight which is great for identifying smudges.
When all is said and done, your best bet would probably be Blackfire Crystal Seal as it is pretty much mistake proof. It's curing time allows you to ensure a very level coverage and, in fact, I even resorted to simply spraying the product directly on the panel and then evening it out without difficulty. I also STILL use things such as BlackFire Wet Diamond Waterless Wash and Wet Diamond Polymer Spray just for quick detailing.
Last but not least, the coating of CQuartz Finest is still fresh and was only done before covering her up for the winter but BlackFire was not and I can attest to its 'staying power' just a bit. We traveled through the very fluctuating weather conditions across the US and back across Canada just after receiving the car and that car, during that three week trip, was only hit with spray water in a car wash twice, the rest of the time being simple hand cleaning. Blackfire Crystal Seal did its job.
This picture was at the Grand Canyon (Northern Rim) in the am which meant there had been no wiping down of the car since we entered Utah the day before....so this car had gone through all of Utah, to the Grand Canyon and I would normally be wiping it down when this picture was taken...not on this day.
Agree totally with what Todd wrote and each circumstance is different. Where I would love to have spent the time prepping and correcting my finish prior to getting into all of this, time was not on my side and XPel had to go on. My pictures, admittedly, show the grain of the XPel, along with the shine that can be achieved. My situation was DIY where my car was received at a point where I did not have the time to spend on prep and correction so the entire process for me (Xpel/ceramic) is based on a new car finish.
Having said that, the end result (even as a DIY with extenuating circumstances) is absolutely amazing and show quality as I think one might agree! Not bad for a vehicle with 14000 miles in 4 months! Plus that, I could never afford the 4-6K to get the ultimate finish out of my car so I achieved a great savings as DIY in my case!
I really appreciate the feed back and thoughtful responses. My twin brother is getting the Mustang GT 350r next week so we will be getting a package deal to get both cars done.
I am very happy with mine! The way the water beads up and rolls off is crazy! I still have a fresh application (opti-coat) on mine but so far it's the bees knees
Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Paint Coating...about $79.99...nano ceramic coating. Will do about 10 complete applications. Now on my C7 11 months........C7 looks awesome. Great shine and reflective qualities. There are many different brands available. Proper paint preparation (cleaning and prep polishing) is the key to a successful result using these products.
The DIY'er can achieve premium results that any top detailer can do for a fraction of the price. Having the proper equipment to polish and apply is extremely helpful and necessary. No need to spend $$$$ thousands of dollars at expensive detail shops when you can do it for a few hundred $$ or less. Typical DIY'er cost is less than $150 for the products and materials. This is a very labor intensive process, but well worth the time required.
If your paint is corrected and perfectly polished, the coating or LSP isnt going to be very noticeable. Sure it might add another 1% on top, but the gloss they put down is really only noticeable on paint that is not perfect. Think about it, if you put wax on a mirror, does it reflect more? No, but if you put it on a rougher surface, like an apple, its *much* shinier.
At that point, the idea is to get the most protection and any of the top brands will do a great job. I have 22PLE on my Vette and Opti-Coat on my daily driver.
If your paint is corrected and perfectly polished, the coating or LSP isnt going to be very noticeable. Sure it might add another 1% on top, but the gloss they put down is really only noticeable on paint that is not perfect. Think about it, if you put wax on a mirror, does it reflect more? No, but if you put it on a rougher surface, like an apple, its *much* shinier.
At that point, the idea is to get the most protection and any of the top brands will do a great job. I have 22PLE on my Vette and Opti-Coat on my daily driver.
Have to be careful getting "corrected" that is just a nice term for sanding off part of your clear coat. Talked to several people in the business and say they would not do it unless they did. Problem is knowing how much is going to be taken off--paint shop doing my car is re clearing the entire car. Shine is very deep now. Being assembled now and final clean up will sit in the garage under cover for a couple of weeks to finish outgassing then will seal and apply wax before going in for major engine work.
Have to be careful getting "corrected" that is just a nice term for sanding off part of your clear coat. Talked to several people in the business and say they would not do it unless they did. Problem is knowing how much is going to be taken off--paint shop doing my car is re clearing the entire car. Shine is very deep now. Being assembled now and final clean up will sit in the garage under cover for a couple of weeks to finish outgassing then will seal and apply wax before going in for major engine work.
Depends on the method used. A rotary will take off a lot more clear than a dual action, but may be necessary if defects run deep.
Best course of action, do what I did with both my daily driver. Tell the dealer not to touch the car when it comes off the truck, pick it up dirty and deliver it to a pro to apply a coating. He carefully washed it and we looked at it under lights - zero defects, so he simply used the paint cleaner necessary for the coating on a finishing pad.
My Vette was not much different, although I didnt have a pro do the work. It was also ordered from the factory, and delivered to me dirty with no paint defects.
Now my Wife's car, came with the DISO - dealer installed swirls option, lol. I was able to correct it with a dual action and microfiber pads, probably only took off 1/100th of the clear.
Have to be careful getting "corrected" that is just a nice term for sanding off part of your clear coat. Talked to several people in the business and say they would not do it unless they did. Problem is knowing how much is going to be taken off--paint shop doing my car is re clearing the entire car. Shine is very deep now. Being assembled now and final clean up will sit in the garage under cover for a couple of weeks to finish outgassing then will seal and apply wax before going in for major engine work.
This isn't the case when somebody knows what they are doing.
Sanding on an OEM finish is completely unnecessary, and not recommended as a way to "flatten" the paint.
Modern paint correction polishing should be only removing 3~5 microns of clear coat, and the modern Vettes have on average about 60 microns of clear. Using somebody who has a PTG that can measure on non-metallic substrates is wise, but very few have them given the cost (about $3k for the gauge).
Sanding is not a part of modern paint correction polishing. You may have just been using the term "sanding" as a reference to removing material, but many people out there (including body shops) still think of old-school methods that required sanding to remove imperfections.
This isn't the case when somebody knows what they are doing.
Sanding on an OEM finish is completely unnecessary, and not recommended as a way to "flatten" the paint.
Modern paint correction polishing should be only removing 3~5 microns of clear coat, and the modern Vettes have on average about 60 microns of clear. Using somebody who has a PTG that can measure on non-metallic substrates is wise, but very few have them given the cost (about $3k for the gauge).
Sanding is not a part of modern paint correction polishing. You may have just been using the term "sanding" as a reference to removing material, but many people out there (including body shops) still think of old-school methods that required sanding to remove imperfections.
Sanding, fine abrasives in liquid suspension---all the same in this context. Point is that paint/clear is being removed which it is. You do make a good point. The more I learn about OP the more I understand how important skill and processes are in this not just in the factory but in a state of the art paint shop. Will be posting pics of mine when I pic it up.
Please do. If they clear and wetsand it, the finish will be a mirror with no orange peel. Thats something a polisher cannot achieve with a factory finish.
Please do. If they clear and wetsand it, the finish will be a mirror with no orange peel. Thats something a polisher cannot achieve with a factory finish.
Yes will do--have seen it just after the clear was applied the day before---it will be just awesome (kind of sad seeing my car apart except the doors). Talked to them and they tell me it is noticeably better than the factory which I am very happy about. Going to be tough letting it sit to finish outgassing before putting sealer and carnauba on it....
Yes will do--have seen it just after the clear was applied the day before---it will be just awesome (kind of sad seeing my car apart except the doors). Talked to them and they tell me it is noticeably better than the factory which I am very happy about. Going to be tough letting it sit to finish outgassing before putting sealer and carnauba on it....
If the detailer is actually removing body panels to detail the car, I am sure you have paid a fair amount of $$$$ for the service, which in most cases, a car of this caliber; the removal of body parts is totally unnecessary to achieve superior results.
I guess there is a "spin" to any salesman and there are consumers willing to pay the steep prices for this type of work. While photos may be posted of the end result, they will not prove very much. In order for the job to be properly evaluated and judged, a person would need to see the work completed in person, upfront and personal. Any car can look great within any photo, even if the detail work is rated as good.
If the detailer is actually removing body panels to detail the car, I am sure you have paid a fair amount of $$$$ for the service, which in most cases, a car of this caliber; the removal of body parts is totally unnecessary to achieve superior results.
I guess there is a "spin" to any salesman and there are consumers willing to pay the steep prices for this type of work. While photos may be posted of the end result, they will not prove very much. In order for the job to be properly evaluated and judged, a person would need to see the work completed in person, upfront and personal. Any car can look great within any photo, even if the detail work is rated as good.
I am a self-made multi-millionaire and can afford anything I want to buy.
However, I wouldn't waste funds for someone to pull body parts off my C7 to make it shine and have a good finish. The finish from the factory with good detail work is fine for me. The C7 is not a Ferrari.
Wealth comes in many ways, and wasting money on crazy things doesn't make sense to me.
12-05-2015, 06:25 PM
Ceramic Coating
