Ceramic coating
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,131
Likes: 162
From: Woodstock Ontario
Have had a number of my friends did the PPF & ceramic coating spending a fortune. Almost all of them kept their Vettes on average of 3 to 5 years so to my thinking you did it for the next owner. My 12 yr. old GS convertible with 110,000 km just gets waxed twice a year and looks as good as the day I bought it. Waiting for my HTC and will probably do the same as my GS (just my opinion)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 5,767
Likes: 2,968
From: Rural NW Georgia. GO DAWGS!
2024 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Several things are certain when it comes to this topic:
1. People who use a shop to apply ceramic can give you many different reasons why it's the best way to do it and why it's worth it.
2. People who apply ceramic themselves can give you many different reasons why it's the best way to do it and why it's worth it.
3. People who think wax is better than ceramic can give you many different reasons why they are correct, why it's the best way to do it, and why it's worth it.
4. People who think allowing the dealer to do any of this work are _____________________________.
People in group 1 spend a lot more money for paint protection than people in groups 2 and 3, but they spend very little time in their driveways or garages polishing, etc.....
People in groups 2 and 3 save a lot more money than people in group 1 and get the enjoyment of making their Corvette look great themselves.
People in group 4 are _________________________________.
1. People who use a shop to apply ceramic can give you many different reasons why it's the best way to do it and why it's worth it.
2. People who apply ceramic themselves can give you many different reasons why it's the best way to do it and why it's worth it.
3. People who think wax is better than ceramic can give you many different reasons why they are correct, why it's the best way to do it, and why it's worth it.
4. People who think allowing the dealer to do any of this work are _____________________________.
People in group 1 spend a lot more money for paint protection than people in groups 2 and 3, but they spend very little time in their driveways or garages polishing, etc.....
People in groups 2 and 3 save a lot more money than people in group 1 and get the enjoyment of making their Corvette look great themselves.
People in group 4 are _________________________________.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 437
Likes: 164
In my experience, ceramic doesn't have depth. I only get that with wax products. .. But ceramic lasts longer and is easier to apply. ...
I took my car to a detailer/ceramic coater in the fall. ... He uses a product called "the last coat" and puts that over wax.. . .that is he waxes the car to give the paint depth, then applies a layer of ceramic coating for "easy clean" protection. .. Seemed like an odd way to go but the results are fantastic. ..
I'll see how it holds up over the winter as the car is never garaged. ..... I've been "washing" it with Waterless car wash and using ceramic detailer after.
I took my car to a detailer/ceramic coater in the fall. ... He uses a product called "the last coat" and puts that over wax.. . .that is he waxes the car to give the paint depth, then applies a layer of ceramic coating for "easy clean" protection. .. Seemed like an odd way to go but the results are fantastic. ..
I'll see how it holds up over the winter as the car is never garaged. ..... I've been "washing" it with Waterless car wash and using ceramic detailer after.
For those who don’t like coatings I would recommend a sealant called Ultima Paint Guard Plus super hydrophobic and self cleaning, bugs, tar, etc is easy to clean off. Before you apply any protection on your car you want to make sure your paint it properly decontaminated. Think your car is clean? After washing out your hand in a plastic baggie and run it over the surface, unless it’s a new car you are going to feel a pretty rough surface. You have to use detailing clay or a synthetic clay mitt or towel to remove that, it will prevent your product from bonding to the paint. You should also use an iron removing product to dissolve microscopic iron particles that get down in the pores of the paint.
Wax is a dust collector but if you just enjoy waxing your car once a month I get it. Do yourself a favor, try Pinnacle Souvern wax. Incredible looking and very pleasurable to apply, it’s a show car wax so you won’t remove and light scratches like you will with a cleaner wax which has abrasives.
Personally coatings are for me. I have a lot of experience with a lot of different brands. Are they scratch resistant, no. They may be a little more scratch resistant than the factory paint but they aren’t bulletproof. You take something that scratches really easily and add 10% more scratch resistance what are you really gaining? The whole scratch resistance subject is someone misinforming people and should never be used as a selling point. There are a couple self healing coatings out there which will heal light scratches put in the finish by improper washing. But again that’s very light scratches. Pull too close to a bush and get scratches they aren’t going to heal.
The biggest thing you can do to help the finish if your car is proper washing technique. Go to YouTube and look up Mike Phillips , Autogeek, video on properly washing your car. He goes over waterless washing, Rinseless washing, and traditional washing. 90% of scratches and swirls come from improper washing techniques. If you aren’t using two buckets when you wash your car do yourself a favor and watch the video!
There is a lot of misinformation out there about coatings. You can get a good coating and get a solid three years out if it without boosters. The boosters, six month maintenance, etc. are companies trying to recoup the money they aren’t going to get from you coming in every 6-8 months to clean up and re wax the car for you. I use a detailer on my coated vehicles about every six months. It’s quick and easy and amps up the gloss a bit and restores the hydrophobic properties back to day one. I don’t have to do it to make the coating last. I don’t have to do any prep work before I apply it other than washing.
