Ceramic Coatings
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 157
Likes: 38
From: Mount Pleasant SC
Ceramic Coatings
I am sure this has been discussed many times before me, but what are some recommendations for good DIY ceramic coatings? Detail centers in my area charge an arm and a leg to do this and I am too cheap for that. Thanks!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,509
Likes: 946
From: Western New York
I don't have your answer but if you go in the forums General Corvette Section then Car Care there is a lot of threads about Ceramic Coatings. There is a few guys that seem to be really into ceramic coatings and give some reviews on different brands.
Last edited by Borntorun04/17; May 28, 2018 at 09:27 AM.
Instructor
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 117
Likes: 29
From: California
Hey I just did this to my daily driver.. mostly a practice run for later when I get my Grandsport.
N' it came out FANTASTIC!
My Viper has the CQuartz ceramic coating and it's 1000x easier to maintain than the daily that got waxed 2x a year.
It's not hard and it's not rocket science. It's just labor intensive and literally took 3 days to finish. But I did take my time and didn't rush the job.
97% of the work is prepping the paint/clearcoat. Applying the ceramic coating was the easiest and the least labor intensive step.
I used
I got the Harbor Freight Dual Action Polisher ($69) and light/medium foam cutting pad and it worked just fine.
The work flow is:
N' it came out FANTASTIC!
My Viper has the CQuartz ceramic coating and it's 1000x easier to maintain than the daily that got waxed 2x a year.
It's not hard and it's not rocket science. It's just labor intensive and literally took 3 days to finish. But I did take my time and didn't rush the job.
97% of the work is prepping the paint/clearcoat. Applying the ceramic coating was the easiest and the least labor intensive step.
I used
I got the Harbor Freight Dual Action Polisher ($69) and light/medium foam cutting pad and it worked just fine.
The work flow is:
- Strip the finish of waxes and everything. I washed the car with a multipurpose cleaner (Simple Green) and then hit it with a Clay Bar & Lube spray (
)
Do this outside in the Sun light. - (in the Garage) Polish with the Dual Action Polisher. This is by far the most labor intensive step. The trick is to determine the right compound polish and cutting pad to use for your paint. This is the only place where the pro's have the edge. They have all the different grades of polishes and cutting pads to test with to determine which combo is best for the condition of the paint/clearcoat. This is also where the "color correction" gets done. The goal is to remove all the scratches and swirls (n any other defects) without doing any damage. I got into a little pickle on this step. I ordered what I thought was going to be the right polish and cutting pad and it got back ordered.. so I went to Oriellys and bought a light/medium polishing compound by Mothers. Turned out it wasn't really recommended for use with Polishing machines.. which just meant that it heated up and broke down too fast. It worked OK everywhere except the hood. On the hood, also used McGuires Scratch-X 2.0 and that did a pretty good job of removing the swirls. I basically worked with the polishes and cutting pad I had on hand and it all worked out great.
- (in the Sun light) Clean the surface AGAIN of any left over oils and gunk from the polishing step. There are all kinds of product$ for this step OR you can make your own diluted Isopropyl Alcohol solution for practically no $$. Which is what did and it worked fine.
- (Garage) Apply the CQuartz. Follow the instructions. It goes on super easy. By far the easiest step.
- (in-between step.. after about an hour) - if you're going to add a top coat like
, this is the time to do it (but do follow their instructions). OR hit it with a silica based
Detailing Spray like .. which is what I did. Also note Gliss can be used instead of CQuartz.. research and decide for yourself. - Let it cure for 24 hours.. Don't drive it, just let it sit in the garage.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,931
Likes: 207
From: Sumter SC
For a consumer coating I would go with Gtechniq for it lasting the longest of a consumer coating and Kamikaze for the gloss and glass look. For ease of application, Optimum Gloss Coat because it is self-leveling. If you want professional I grade IGL is the way to go.
Follow steps above for paint prep, polishes like Meguiar's M205 can be found easily at your local Walmart/Harbor Freight. I use IGL F1/F3 combo on an IGL yellow pad and I love that combo before coating! I am an IGL Kenzo Certified Installer in SC.
Follow steps above for paint prep, polishes like Meguiar's M205 can be found easily at your local Walmart/Harbor Freight. I use IGL F1/F3 combo on an IGL yellow pad and I love that combo before coating! I am an IGL Kenzo Certified Installer in SC.
Last edited by Innovate; May 28, 2018 at 04:33 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,723
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From: NE OH
St. Jude Donor '09-'10
I ran thru about 20 coatings looking for what worked best for me, namely great self cleaning and a deep, nuanced and complex gloss. In the end, Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM fit the bill, crazy good stuff for consumer level, easy application. 22ple HPC was a close second, a *very* good choice as well with the most bizarrely easy application of any I tried. Not as complex as the Kamikaze look, more of a molten glass type of gloss.
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Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,183
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From: Castle Rock CO
St. Jude Donor '15
I ran thru about 20 coatings looking for what worked best for me, namely great self cleaning and a deep, nuanced and complex gloss. In the end, Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM fit the bill, crazy good stuff for consumer level, easy application. 22ple HPC was a close second, a *very* good choice as well with the most bizarrely easy application of any I tried. Not as complex as the Kamikaze look, more of a molten glass type of gloss.
I did try Gyeon Skin on another vehicle and I am impressed with it. It is only a week coated at this point, but happy with results. I had better results in terms of application with the Gyeon Skin topcoat than the Kamikaze ISM coat. The ISM coat is worth the extra effort, though, as it produces a more carnauba like appearance.
I would recommend either, but would put Kamikaze at the top.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 5,515
Likes: 646
From: Silicon Valley and Yosemite, CA
I ran thru about 20 coatings looking for what worked best for me, namely great self cleaning and a deep, nuanced and complex gloss. In the end, Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM fit the bill, crazy good stuff for consumer level, easy application. 22ple HPC was a close second, a *very* good choice as well with the most bizarrely easy application of any I tried. Not as complex as the Kamikaze look, more of a molten glass type of gloss.
|As a Pro detailer, I would say BudgetPlan1 and myself have tried just about every coating on the planet. From a consumer perspective the Kamikaze line is heads and shoulders above anything else I tested. From a Pro perspective Feynlabs is up and coming and has simply impressed me with it's quality and final finish. Way above Ceramic Pro, or Kamikaze.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,723
Likes: 1,089
From: NE OH
St. Jude Donor '09-'10
|As a Pro detailer, I would say BudgetPlan1 and myself have tried just about every coating on the planet. From a consumer perspective the Kamikaze line is heads and shoulders above anything else I tested. From a Pro perspective Feynlabs is up and coming and has simply impressed me with it's quality and final finish. Way above Ceramic Pro, or Kamikaze.
With the amount of new products appearing daily, it's an endless quest.
I'm kinda curious as to what the next potential game-changer will be...new coating releases are so frequent now it's kinda getting mind-numbing.
That said, Feynlab has always impressed me with their organization and products. On a consumer level, their Ceramic + Topcoat combo is a great, not too $$ option and has *the* most brilliant gloss of any I have used. Very easy to use as well.
I wonder if self-healing will trickle down to consumer levels at some point?