I've only heard of Car Pro Quartz and Blackfire Pro.

I've been using a product called Clear Seal by Zaino Bros.

What product(s) would you recommend and why?
Thank you

 

You have asked a very open-ended question. There are a ton of products on the market. Give us more information so people can give you a more focused answer.

- What is your budget? Are you looking for a cheaper spray product or a pricier true ceramic coating?
- What do you want out of the product? Ease of application? Longest durability? Greatest shine?
- Have you applied a true ceramic coating before?
- What is your maintenance routine? How do you wash the car and how often? What products do you use?

 

I was a Zaino guy for years, it's a synthetic/polymer sealant kinda deal. I remember using Clear Seal...easy to use, good shine if somewhat artificial but the protective qualities were somewhat lacking...ended up with etched water spots in our C5 despite being ensconced in 3 to 5 layers of Z5/ZFX, ClearSeal. I've since moved to coatings for the protection and ease of maintenance.

Lotsa solid choices out there. 3 out of 4 of our cars (daily's and toys) are DIY coated and 1 we went ll the way with pro-applied Paint Protection Film on entire car, then coated on top of that. You can go with a ceramic sealant, very easily applied, a coating-lite kinda deal (also very easily applied) or a full-on DIY ceramic/glass/quartz coating. Just depends on how far down the rabbit hole ya wanna go.

If pondering a true coating, some 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.

 

I read all that, but only saw this word. I have used it once in my entire life. Well done, sir! LOL

 

😁 With as much Z5, Clear Seal & Z8 I slathered on that thing each season, it seemed like a good description.

...back in the days when I would get the $129 Zaino kit each Spring and shake my head on how much $$ I spent on it/car care.

Doh!

 

I would not attempt to recommend one product over another - there are too many criteria as replies have indicated. What works for one person may not work for another person based on their expectations. I don't have experience with a multitude of products as others have. I've used three different products on 4 different Corvettes and will only share my preferences:

Car Pro C Quartz UK 3.0 - my least favorite. Of the three products I have used, this was my least favorite. I had problems with numerous high spots on multiple panels. I had no problems with 2 previous products used, so I am not inclined to believe it was faulty technique. It may have been related with less than optimal flash time (although I experimented with various flash times). I wonder if the product I used may have been defective. My opinion is the gloss was not as brilliant as other products. The product has held up well for over a year. That may be misleading as the car is garaged and I use a "boost" every 4 months.

Sonax cc36 - the first coating I ever used. I rate this highly. The only downside is this is a 2 step application - base coat and then protective coat. However, applying the 2 coats was EZ and not time consuming or labor intensive. The product applied easily and no issue at all with high spots. I sold this Corvette last year. The current owner keeps it garaged and I must say it is one of the best looking Vettes I have ever seen. The current owner raves over the minimal effort to keep the car immaculate looking. I would use Sonax again w/o hesitation.

Blackfire Pro - have used on 2 Corvettes, one of which belongs to a friend of mine. It was a breeze to apply. Gloss is great and durability is very good so far - a little over I year since applied. Again, garage kept and use boost once/quarter. The friend of mine is tickled to death with the look of his GS and says he gets compliments frequently as to the appearance.

I'm sure others will say the same - overall success of ceramic coating application is largely dependent on the prep work. Use the proper tools and take your time and do all the prep steps depending on the condition of your paint. Using any of the coatings supplied by the major car care companies will give you good results.

 

If we are diving in, I agree with rcharrison1 prep is king and on Cquartz, just not a fan out of the 25+ products I tested, it just did not cut it. The shine was not as great as many others and durability was less than satisfactory.
As a pro detailer that specialized in Ceramics and tested a plethora of products, I settled in on 3,
Kamikaze was the absolute easiest to work with for the DIY, great shine and decent durability. It still looks outstanding 3 years later.
Feynlabs Ceramic Lite - I developed a Zaino combination of products that made the cars I did, not just gorgeous, but stunning. Feynlabs Ceramic Lite was the only ceramic coating that I would say it duplicates Zaino with a "stunning" finish. When you look at my test car, the panel with Feynlabs makes the rest of the car look OK. It is a bit more difficult to work with, as you don't have the time to work it like you do Kamaikaze, but a panel at a time and using their leveler works really well.
Ceramic Pro - Decent shine, very good durability and a factory backed warranty, but not a DIY product. It needs a trained professional to install it.
Anything advertised on FB is pure junk and steer clear of it.
My neighbor swears by F11 and his car looks flat. I mean an OK shine, but he was telling me today he has to recoat it after every couple of washes.
I could rattle on about all the other products I have tried and tested.
For my testing, I had a hood and 2 flat fenders from a local body shop. I split it into small squares, I created a map, if you will, of what product I used on each section, as washing will remove that tape we used.. Applied the product(s), took pics, then let them sit for 20 days to ensure each product was fully cured. Took before pics, then began to wash the panels using Gyeon's Bathe2.
First thing in the morning before we started on the cars we would wash the panels and take pics. At the end of two weeks of washing, for the third week we would wet the panels and toss a very fine sand on them and put them in the sun to dry.(I wanted to see how each product would hold up in winter/rainy conditions). Rinsed off the sand and then washed the panels.
Many of the products were gone after the two weeks. All but the above 3 were gone after the third week.

Obviously garage queens are not subject to the extreme tests I did, but I was delivering cars to customers where their expectations were extremely high, and I charged appropriately. I never had a car come back with an issue in the 3 years I did ceramics before I sold the shop(probably 700-1000 cars). Many customers I am still in contact with and they are extremely happy still with the end result, in fact several want me to come to their house and refresh or check out the durability.( I can't due to a non-compete clause) I still talk to the new owner and only one person has come back in unhappy, but he was taking his car to a very nasty car wash that beat the crap out of the paint. The conditions of his warranty was not to take it to an automated car wash.

 

I want to address the "slathering" just in case someone misconstrues it is as putting an inordinate amount of product on the paint. With Clear Seal you use very, very little then follow up with Z-8 or Z-6. I could do a C-6 Corvette in 6 moderate squirts of Clear Seal. I put a 12 month warranty on my Zaino finishes and had many customer not come back until well beyond that with a finish that still looked decent, meaning better than nothing, but after 18 months not much on the market will still look good.
Love your posts and you and I think alike, so in the spirit of being positive, I wanted to address this just in case

 

Yeah, sometimes (OK...usually) my word choice seeks to entertain my own brain without realizing the implications if taken literally. Zaino was *definitely* where I learned the "Less Is More" principle...so little product was needed to complete the task at hand. I remember the first time I used Z5 w/ ZFX thinking "There's no way this .5 oz of product is gonna do the whole car" so I "went my own way" and ended up with a black car that looked like a Zebra...oops. Some of us need to learn the hard way. The Clear Seal "Wipe On, Walk Away" was a very nice product once you realized that yes, just wipe it on and walk away...no fuss, no muss.

Zaino sure was *the stuff* notably on this forum back in mid-2000's...I remember it was almost a contest to see who could do the most layers with some folks getting upwards of 20+ layers over the course of a month or 2. I never made it past 6 in a given season and really never understood the folks who thought it was a long, difficult process; mix, apply, remove...got to the point where is was nearly mindless and always quick.

I may have to give the Feynlab Ceramic Lite a try; it seems as if it has been 're-positioned' since I last used Feynlab. Back in 2017 or so, it was their entry-level coating and I thought it was noted in their marketing material that Ceramic Lite was their original Ceramic but now seems to have moved more towards a lighter ceramic with the notable plus of being able to be applied to entire vehicle before going back and removing....maybe it's kinda in the same class as Gyeon CanCoat & CarPro Cquartz Lite with friendlier application process? Their Ceramic Spray Sealant is also a very good product in my experience, the equal of IGL Premier without the the cost. Gotta hand it to Feynlab...at least as far as consumer-available products go, they seem to keep the price much lower than other, bigger mfg's...definitely great value for the money. Very nice folks too, made in the good ol' USA! The fleet vehicle I did in their Ceramic 2.0 back in February 2018 is still doing well, just saw it in back this morning.

Interesting stuff all-around although my need to try every coating that comes down the pike is waning somewhat, just not economically feasible for a hobbyist to satisfy my curiosity at this point. My cars were all done/re-done this Summer so I'm good to go for the next 3 years (at least) based upon how the products have performed in the past, how I maintain them and how they are used...took a few years to nail it down, find '*my* stuff but just sailing along now. As mentioned, plenty of good products out there, just gotta find what works for you. And since picking up the 2016 Cayman S, I find myself wanting to drive cars as opposed to maintaining them so coatings are right up my alley for my needs.

Heading down to Esoteric next week to go through their 1-day "Enthusiast Detailing Course"...should be interesting to find out just how much I "think I know" that I really don't...likely a lot I'm totally lost when it comes to things like interiors, engine bays and, well, anything that doesn't involve paint. Hopefully it'll re-invigorate my interest but if nothing else, I'll get to use every machine Rupes has and I always have fun regardless every time I go down there...enjoyable experiences every time..

 

They are less than 30 minutes from my office. I was going to offer my business services to them to see if I could score a new client.

 

Prep is the most important and time consuming step no matter what product you choose.

I have focused on Adam's ceramic products. On my 2016 Long Beach Red Vett I used their 9H ceramic coating this past spring.
See the updated application & removal instructions. Everyone comments on the shine.

Last week I used the Adam's ceramic spray on my 2008 Silver/Gray Rav4 because of the 4hr dry time vs 24-48. Shines better than new. Couldn't be happier.
Interested to see how it holds up over the Virginia winter.

For maintenance I use the ceramic boost, ceramic waterless wash or a ceramic based wash such as the new Adam's Ceramic Wash and Coat every few washes.

 

I love the scent of that Adam's Detail spray pink in color smells really good.

 

That is the best thing about Adam's products. The scents! I still have unopened bottles of their seasonal detail sprays I need to run through. They all smell awesome.

 

1) Want to Bump THIS Important Thread That should stay towards the Top .............

I am still wanting to conclude What to use as my Final/Last Polish on What Specific Pad
for my C6 2012 Inferno Orange Vette.

I used Meg's M100 & JESCAR Correction Compound to remove 98% of the Scratches
& Clear Coat "Chips"

Then I used Meg's 205, Menzerna (old bottle) 4000 (now 3500) and settled on Car Pro
Essence

Budget Plan has suggested Angel Wax Redemption and Scholl's S40 however Im having
trouble finding USA dealers and then their shipping is $$$$$$ (versus free shipping from
AutoGeek or Amazon)

AS I already made the mistake of buying Pinnacle Sorveign Wax (25% off) I'd like to
use it, but could easily be moved to "something else"
I also own Black Fire SiO2 Sealant & Beadmaker

As my Vette is mostly a Garage Queen and Fair Weather driver....Ive chosen to not use
a Ceramic Product

Thanks to ALL

Respectfully, Chuck S Auburn,WA

 

 

I was somewhat nervous about applying a ceramic coating with all the comments about requiring professional prep and application. With my '66 I had the advantage that the finish was new and had been on for over 9 months. So... since Feynlabs was one of the ceramic originators and didn't see any bad reviews anywhere, I did Ceramic Lite. On a C2 the tiny bottle allowed me to do 2 coats everywhere with some left over. I don't have anything else to compare the results to but it was easy for a non-professional and I think the results are stunning. I encourage my friends to glide their fingers across the finish and everyone's jaws drop. So easy to apply and to this inexperienced eye it's stunning.

For application I bought the little sponges used for applying tire finish. I cut a small section of chamois that i wrapped around the sponge. Applied drops to the chamois and wiped a small surface as directed. Let it dry for the specified time, wiped off, and done. I'd highly recommend Ceramic Lite..... but again I have no experience with anything else. But so pleased I doubt I'll try other products. Now..... should I do my new F250..... geez it's BIG. Cheers

 

Why ceramic? Not sure it's worth the higher cost of a ceramic coating vs other paint protection products that provide the same durability & gloss for less money.

 

My Ceramic Lite kit with their Pure Wash soap and ceramic aluminum wheel treatment was about $150 to my door! I’m sure others have more knowledge of durability and longevity. I was after protection and how folks said the car stayed cleaner and easier to wash. The beading when I wash with the Feynlab soap.... well I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a pleasure driven, ‘66 L72 427, family heirloom. The ceramic treatment is a very cheap investment that will last years given how it’s used. I’d recommend anyone buy a kit and do a small area on your car for comparison. I’m certain you’ll be astonished at this technology. No idea if the Feynlabs products are superior to other ceramic coatings, but it’s way superior to any traditional waxes I’ve used.

 

Feynlab is some very nice stuff, great bunch of folks and made in the USA.

 

I may give it a try after I use up the rest of the Zaino products I have.