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Well, I have been reading lots and watching lots of videos, of several different products to use, most all have been said on here. I am very very apprehensive and cautious on applying this to my garage kept 2005 Z51. I have had it now going on 2 yrs and I did the usual prep work we all know how to do and what is involved. I currently have about 3 coats of pinnacle signature series II carnauba wax applied. Due to the limited driving of it, I have washed it maybe 3 or 4 times in the two years, but I apply a carnauba based spray detail wax to it sparingly. I believe in the less I touch the body, the less chances I will cause the very fine spider like thin scratches we all get. At any rate, I am thinking of applying a coat of a ceramic coating. Since I am a garage kina guy, I know now to detail and maintain my vette, and this ceramic stuff is swiping across the car care like wild fire, I want to do my vette. It is simple, I want to use one product, the easiest one to apply, even a 3rd grader will not mess up, that's me a 3rd grader, and give me the glow and shine I have seen in the pictures and videos. Any suggestion will be great, and budget is not a problem.
Last edited by c6vetteinhouston; 06-13-2019 at 11:55 AM.
For me and my individual preferences, Kamikaze has exceeded my expectations and is what is on my personal cars. 22ple is a very, very close 2nd...excellent products as well.
Kamikaze offers a bit more complexity and depth of appearance than 22ple and the Zipang offering with its "...semi self-healing characteristics, meaning that the appearance of small swirls or imperfections in the coating surface will reduce when exposed to heat.", is a nice plus. Not a suit of self healing armor by any means but a nice benefit.
The Kamikaze stuff just plain works for me and I enjoy using it.
However...
First thing you should do is decide what YOU want out of a coating; things to consider:
1. Durability, longevity
2. What kind of appearance? i.e. hard, candy-like gloss or deeper, warmer wax-like glow
3. Ease of application important?
4. Climate; what might work nice in Arizona (dry) might not be so nice in New Jersey (rain/snow)
5. Do you like beading or sheeting?
6. Are self-cleaning characteristics important to you or are you gonna wash your car weekly regardless?
7. How much do you wanna spend?
8. Daily driver or hobby car?
While quartz/glass/ceramic coatings are all in the same general category with respect to LSP’s, there are subtle differences in them and you may as well go with one that is strong in your primary areas of concern.
And FWIW, claims of hardness, scratch resistance and such are, IMO, way over-marketed with coatings. While they may provide some minor resistance to light marring, it's a harsh world out there and many things (jewelry banging paint around door handles, boxes hitting trunk areas while loading, leaning on hood of vehicle with grimy sweatshirts, etc) *will* leave a mark. Problem with coatings is the only way to remedy those marks/marring is to re-polish (removing coating) and re-coating that area, generally an entire panel as many coatings don't lend themselves well to spot fixes. If you're horribly OCD-ish about having a totally defect free car for 2 years, a coating may not be the best way to go...
Longevity is likewise impossible to truly predict due to variations in climate, vehicle usage and maintenance habits. Claims listed on packages/advertisements are generally somewhat, uh...optimistic. Not always, but usually...
I live in NE Ohio so all ny findings/thoughts are based on that climate. The characteristics of a coating that matter most to me are:
1. Great Self Cleaning Abilities: Our cars see rain and often get rained on in the morning and then sit outside in the sun in the afternoon; don’t like waterspots. I like clean cars but don’t like cleaning cars.
2. Durability and resistance to environmental contamination like water spots and bird bombs. Don’t wanna have to worry about running home and immediately dealing with removing things that would otherwise etch bare paint. Like hard water spots did to our Corvette during the Zaino years. Also has to last cuz I don’t wanna be hauling out compounds and polishes every Spring, given reasonable maintenance.
3. Appearance: Well, stuff has to look good. Has to accentuate body lines, curves and hard edges. It needs to make me stop and admire it when walking towards it, walking away from it or catching a glance in the garage when I take out the garbage.
Have tried a few different coatings, watched 'em over the course of 20k-40k miles in NE Ohio, variety of vehicle usage and maintenance patterns.
To be honest, of all the coatings I've tried, there were really no bad products but some did particular things a little better/different than others so I went with the one (s) that excelled in areas I found important.
Read, research, try a few if you can.
YMMV. Keep in mind that what may be best for me may not be best for you. Lotsa varying considerations.
If you like reading, kept some notes and thoughts on coatings I have used over the past 2-3 years. 20+ different coatings, 15+ different toppers/boosters used in about 36 different combos. Can find 'em here if interested:
Given your desire for easy to use, 1-product only (as opposed to a combo of items) 22ple HPC would be a nice choice. Excellent self cleaning, easiest coating out of any I have used to install/apply, molten-glass type of gloss. Can maintain with their excellent VS1 Final Coat on occasion as well. It's great stuff.
Last edited by BudgetPlan1; 06-13-2019 at 12:28 PM.
I have tried Blackfire, Kamikazi Miyabi and Kamikazi ISM coat.
As far as ease, both the Miyabi and BF are just dirt simple. Wipe on in the cross-hatch pattern, wait a minute or so, and wipe off with two towels. One for the bulk of it and another to get off any remaining smudges, then throw both towels away. Recommend you get some 300-350 gsm towels, I use Rag Company.
ISM was a little more of a pain and easier to mess up, it was a softer glow along with the BF. Miyabi is a brighter shinier appearance that I prefer. Hydrophobic qualities are about the same.
What most won't tell you is that ceramic coatings is primarily for people who daily drive their cars. If you have a garage queen like myself and only take it out to a car show or cruise in, then I believe your wasting your time & money! This is just my opinion.
What most won't tell you is that ceramic coatings is primarily for people who daily drive their cars. If you have a garage queen like myself and only take it out to a car show or cruise in, then I believe your wasting your time & money! This is just my opinion.
Mine stays in the garage also and is not a daily driver. Ceramic Coatings also help with keeping it clean and scratches. Mainly for me was keeping it cleaner longer. Less washing.
What most won't tell you is that ceramic coatings is primarily for people who daily drive their cars. If you have a garage queen like myself and only take it out to a car show or cruise in, then I believe your wasting your time & money! This is just my opinion.
I agree with this. A couple of the Rupes Polishers training guys said that coatings are best for the daily driver that has scratches and dings on it. Like, the wife's minivan that probably won't ever get properly corrected/detailed. Just coat it and forget about it. For the daily drivers owned by people who do care, sealants are the way to go (that's my choice for my daily). For show cars, weekend drivers, garage queens, etc., wax is still king for best appearance and minimal protection (my choice for the Z06).
I don't put much faith in the "ceramic coatings help scratch resistance". I mean, maybe a tiny bit, but it isn't an armor shield. If anything, extra-extra care needs to be taken to NOT scratch a ceramic coated car. Much harder to do a quick spot correction to take out a scratch. It would drive the OCD in me crazy not being able to remove a scratch because I couldn't do it without stripping the whole panel and re-coating it.
Look it comes down to preference. I like waxing but not all the time. The feel and gloss of the ceramic coating is like no other. Just went for a ride yesterday barley anything on the paint couple little bugs. All I did was touch them with my finger and they fell off. I'm very OCD with my Z being clean 24/7. I really found myself washing way to much. The ceramic stops a lot of the dirt dust and bugs from sticking plus what does stick comes off very easy. Less washing means less scratching.
Definitely preference. A high gloss looks good on a "non-color" like white, silver, or black. My daily is coated in a polymer sealant and topped with a gloss-producing spray product. Looks like it is covered in glass. Glossy looks great on pearl white. However, as everyone knows, nothing gives a "color" like blue, red, green, etc. the depth and warmth of a wax. Nothing else makes the metallic qualities pop out. Since my C5Z is not a daily, and I want the color to look the best it can at all times, carnauba wax is the obvious choice. It is durable Collinite 845 layered with Griot's Best Of Show paste, so it could literally last a year anyway. LOL
I had someone at a show clam that I was lying about my paint. He didn't believe it was the OEM color.
06-13-2019, 11:33 AM
Ceramic Coating
A high gloss looks good on a "non-color" like white, silver, or black. My daily is coated in a polymer sealant and topped with a gloss-producing spray product. Looks like it is covered in glass. Glossy looks great on pearl white. However, as everyone knows, nothing gives a "color" like blue, red, green, etc. the depth and warmth of a wax. Nothing else makes the metallic qualities pop out. Since my C5Z is not a daily, and I want the color to look the best it can at all times, carnauba wax is the obvious choice. It is durable Collinite 845 layered with Griot's Best Of Show paste, so it could literally last a year anyway. LOL
