Ceramic Coating
Discussion
I had mine done and it made a huge difference. All the swirl marks were removed with machine polishing for a mirror like finish, then a 5 year coating applied. Water now just runs off the car and it looks amazing.
If you clean the car yourself it's important to use a ph neutral product or you will remove the coating.
If you clean the car yourself it's important to use a ph neutral product or you will remove the coating.
I've always done it myself, its very rewarding and you can buy all the gear you need to do it multiple times over a 'pro' who does it once.
I use Lustrous Plus graphene sealant which lasted 14 months before I purposely stripped it off the paint to reapply a fresh coating. One £45 bottle will last me around 5 years maybe more if I only use it on my car.
I use Lustrous Plus graphene sealant which lasted 14 months before I purposely stripped it off the paint to reapply a fresh coating. One £45 bottle will last me around 5 years maybe more if I only use it on my car.
Needs a bit more info: New car? Paint condition, what other other surface prep are you having done, what ceramic coating?
Ceramic coatings are well proven ( hyrophobic qualities, protection and deep gloss) but they arent all equal, the surface prep will play a huge part in finish, effectivess and longevity of performance.
Pics required
Ceramic coatings are well proven ( hyrophobic qualities, protection and deep gloss) but they arent all equal, the surface prep will play a huge part in finish, effectivess and longevity of performance.
Pics required
Had mine done a couple of years ago. They had the car for three days and did a full prep removing skirts etc before the coating was applied.
It made a huge difference when I washed the car. I snow foamed the car, shampooed it with PH neutral shampoo and rinsed it off. Car was ridiculously easy to keep clean.
Since then I’ve changed my car and without me asking the dealer applied their own ceramic coating. No prep work done and the car has swirl marks and doesn’t bead anywhere close to my previous Gtechniqu coating.
As long it’s done well I think it’s worth it.
It made a huge difference when I washed the car. I snow foamed the car, shampooed it with PH neutral shampoo and rinsed it off. Car was ridiculously easy to keep clean.
Since then I’ve changed my car and without me asking the dealer applied their own ceramic coating. No prep work done and the car has swirl marks and doesn’t bead anywhere close to my previous Gtechniqu coating.
As long it’s done well I think it’s worth it.
My experience is that it's not worth it.
Getting the car polished/paint corrected or whatever you want to call it, yes.
Ceramic coating, no. The cheap spray-on consumer products are so good now & themselves last for 9motnhs+. If you use one as a drying aid every time you wash the car, you will end up with exactly the same finish as a ceramic coated & regularly washed/maintained car.
Getting the car polished/paint corrected or whatever you want to call it, yes.
Ceramic coating, no. The cheap spray-on consumer products are so good now & themselves last for 9motnhs+. If you use one as a drying aid every time you wash the car, you will end up with exactly the same finish as a ceramic coated & regularly washed/maintained car.
Properly applied ceramic coating is worth it. Cleaning the car is like washing your dishes, the dirt comes straight off. I purchased a GT4 that already had it applied and just used to top it up with G-tech ceramic spray. It is ideal to have when the car is new without needing much paint correction.
G
G
DaveCWK said:
My experience is that it's not worth it.
Getting the car polished/paint corrected or whatever you want to call it, yes.
Ceramic coating, no. The cheap spray-on consumer products are so good now & themselves last for 9motnhs+. If you use one as a drying aid every time you wash the car, you will end up with exactly the same finish as a ceramic coated & regularly washed/maintained car.
Same. I had a brand new 2019 MX5 corrected at coated with Carpro Finest Reserve and it looked incredible when done, you don't realise how much depth and gloss is taken out of the paint by the microscratches and swirls, but the hydrophobic properties were only retained with three to six monthly use of a "Carpro Reload" detailing spray sort of thing, which was almost impossible to apply without re-swirling the car and if you're doing that every six months anyway why bother with the coating?Getting the car polished/paint corrected or whatever you want to call it, yes.
Ceramic coating, no. The cheap spray-on consumer products are so good now & themselves last for 9motnhs+. If you use one as a drying aid every time you wash the car, you will end up with exactly the same finish as a ceramic coated & regularly washed/maintained car.
It provided absolutely zero protection against swirls and bird crap marks, dirt hosed off easier when it was freshly done and coated with the spray but after a month or two it was pretty meh.
I'd get it corrected again with a standard sealant or cheap ceramic coating maybe, but the expensive ones are snake oil IME.
Thre is no doubt a very good one works well if applied correctly, they do need some tlc afterwards though.
As suggested the spray on wipe off type products these days are excellent but you still have to contact the paint to apply them, if your doing that regularly you are going to inflict marring.
I've been holding off trying one myself but do like the look of the car pro stuff, it's the fuss of the application that puts me off.
As suggested the spray on wipe off type products these days are excellent but you still have to contact the paint to apply them, if your doing that regularly you are going to inflict marring.
I've been holding off trying one myself but do like the look of the car pro stuff, it's the fuss of the application that puts me off.
They are very impressive, but not a 'silver bullet'. The car will still need careful and regular washing to get the best out of it.
I coated my CLS with Carpro Cquartz UK 3.0 nearly two years ago, car lives outside and used daily and its holding up well. I did my 4S a few weeks ago.
The main problem is what to do with scratches... the CLS got scraped by a branch in a hedge as I avoided an oncoming truck on a narrow road, and the only way to deal with the light scratches on the front wing was to repolish and recoat the panel, then leave to cure which is faffy.
I wonder sometimes if a good sealant is the way forward for a daily as its far easier to re-do, and can just be polished and topped-up as and when. Nothing like as long-lasting though, and the "dipped in glass" look is fantastic!
I coated my CLS with Carpro Cquartz UK 3.0 nearly two years ago, car lives outside and used daily and its holding up well. I did my 4S a few weeks ago.
The main problem is what to do with scratches... the CLS got scraped by a branch in a hedge as I avoided an oncoming truck on a narrow road, and the only way to deal with the light scratches on the front wing was to repolish and recoat the panel, then leave to cure which is faffy.
I wonder sometimes if a good sealant is the way forward for a daily as its far easier to re-do, and can just be polished and topped-up as and when. Nothing like as long-lasting though, and the "dipped in glass" look is fantastic!
Inline5 said:
Carpro reset has been my go to shampoo,but tried Labocosmetica Purifica for the first time at the weekend and think this will be my choice going forward,very impressed
Two things. One - a pH neutral shampoo is not necessarily needed and not using one will not strip off the coating. If it did, the coating would be pretty rubbish! A good ceramic coating should allow dirt not to stick, so you shouldn't need aggressive surfactants to remove the dirt, which is where pH neutral shampoos come in. They are gentle and do the job...mostly. However, sometimes they need to be decontaminated and this requires alkaline and acidic products.
Of course, Labocosmetica Purifica is not pH neutral in the slightest! It is pH 1 or very acidic.
I've had the last 2 cars done and it's worth it for the ease of washing and maintenance, it isn't going to stop stone chips etc that's where PPF comes in.
However, you will need to maintain the ceramic coating, it will eventually get clogged and you will need to perform a maintenance wash - you'll know when this is needed as the water won't bead as well as it did when first applied.
Lots of people say you need to use PH neutral shampoos and snow foams etc and equally lots say it's only on the car for a short time it doesn't matter. I've found PH neutral shampoos a bit poor at removing stuck on grime etc, I generally use a decent pre-wash, snow foam and shampoo on every wash, then iron out every few washes.
I've got a good video which details how to revive a clogged coating: -
1. Alkaline snow foam - rinse
2. Shampoo with acidic based shampoo
3. Mineral deposit remover sprayed one/buffed in - rinse
4. Iron out and buff - rinse
5. Tar remover on lower panels - rinse
6. Ceramic booster
However, you will need to maintain the ceramic coating, it will eventually get clogged and you will need to perform a maintenance wash - you'll know when this is needed as the water won't bead as well as it did when first applied.
Lots of people say you need to use PH neutral shampoos and snow foams etc and equally lots say it's only on the car for a short time it doesn't matter. I've found PH neutral shampoos a bit poor at removing stuck on grime etc, I generally use a decent pre-wash, snow foam and shampoo on every wash, then iron out every few washes.
I've got a good video which details how to revive a clogged coating: -
1. Alkaline snow foam - rinse
2. Shampoo with acidic based shampoo
3. Mineral deposit remover sprayed one/buffed in - rinse
4. Iron out and buff - rinse
5. Tar remover on lower panels - rinse
6. Ceramic booster
Edited by Freakuk on Friday 31st May 08:55
Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff