Best Home applied Ceramic Coating / Wax

[CMacC]

I've always waxed my cars in the past, but it seems that ceramic coatings are the new thing!

When I buy a new car, I tend not to go for the dealer applied protective coatings, because the paintwork always seems to require some correction, even on a new car

I have a garage, so the car can be protected from the elements - What is best in terms of protective coatings - and are ceramic coatings hard to apply compared to way?

[nickfrog]

It's not very difficult but nowhere near as easy as a liquid sealant like Fusso F7 for instance. https://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/soft99-fusso-coat-...

Should give you 6 months protection, particularly if you garage the car.

[Haltamer]

I'm currently very impressed by the Fusso Coat I recently applied (~1 Month ago) - Still looks, and has the water behaviour of waxed yesterday; I look forward to see how long It'll last.
(Fusso Coat in this case being their hard paste wax: https://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/soft99-fusso-coat-... )

With the ease of application and being £20 a tin, I'd say Fusso Coat may well be the best option, and dispensing with ceramics. (Certainly for a home job)

That being said, I've not tried any ceramic coatings yet (Though the dealer applied ones I've seen have always been very underwhelming)

[designforlife]

i really like the in2detailing ceramic wax... very easy to apply and buff off by hand, and lasts a good while.

[Alex_225]

I recently applied two coats of Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid to my E Class, then followed up with a coat of Red Mist.

Really easy to use and the beading is great. Will last me a while and will probably just reapply at the start of winter.

[CMacC]

I've always used Autoglymn wax - and seems to require a polish and paint correction annually, with a wax top up and bit of polish in between, which I am happy with - are any of the alternatives to wax going to give a big benefit?

Sad as it is - I do enjoy waxing and detailing a car

[Alex_225]

Nothing sad about it, a lot of people get a sense of satisfaction from detailing. Me being one of them.

Is it the Autoglym HD wax you're using? I've not used it personally but have heard nothing but good things from it.

You may want to try some alternatives to see if you like them as much.

Collinite 845 is a good liquid wax that lasts really well, only £20 a bottle. No frills but is extremely good.

Dodo Juice waxes are really nice to use, some last longer than others but one of my favourite ranges. Just not overly cheap.

There's loads of brands to try, Poorboys, Chemical Guys etc. There's plenty I've not even had a look into.

Check out Detailing World, just prepare to spank your wallet! haha

[swisstoni]

Given the virtual lab conditions required of the early ceramics (not to mention the aggro if you ‘missed a bit’) I have stayed old school so far.

Perhaps things have moved on.

[Cambs_Stuart]

I've always used finishkare high temp paste wax for the last couple of years.
This stuff:

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/finishkare-1000p-hi...

Easy to apply, and as long as you don't let it dry out in the sun, easy to buff.

[nickfrog]

CMacC said:

are any of the alternatives to wax going to give a big benefit?

Yes, longevity. A decent sealant, even at under £20, will give you up to 6 months... as opposed to 6 weeks if you're lucky, probably far less in winter.

[Sy1441]

Modern ceramic coatings aren’t to difficult to apply however it’s not something i’d Attempt unless you have a level of detailing experience.

[andygo]

I have used Gtechniq c2 with good results. Especially good on my alloys, makes them a breeze to clean. I'm super fussy about them, and it makes the micro iron filings from the brake dust easy to rinse off.

Its super easy to spray on and buffs off easily as well.

The whole car beads nicely and even when dirty, a decent bit of rain has the car looking pretty clean with no intervention.

[nickfrog]

C2 V3 is excellent too although won't last quite as long as Fusso IME.

[gweaver]

I must have had a bad batch of C2v3, because it basically didn't work. I've tried several other spray sealants since then and they work well, especially the new Turtle Wax one which is very durable and cheap.

I have Gtechniq C5 on the wheels and the results justify the cost - it saves so much time spent cleaning the wheels. For the body I think Fusso Coat is the way to go on the paintwork, spray sealant for the rest.

Ceramic on the bodywork seems like a lot of work and expense, especially factoring in the top coats and regular maintenance regimes that are recommended.

[nickfrog]

gweaver said:

I must have had a bad batch of C2v3, because it basically didn't work.

Did you cleanse the paint thoroughly with a cheap paint cleaner like Meguiars Crystal first? It won't bond if there is any residue of wax or other sealants. Then again, could be a bad batch.

[gweaver]

nickfrog said:

gweaver said:

I must have had a bad batch of C2v3, because it basically didn't work.

Did you cleanse the paint thoroughly with a cheap paint cleaner like Meguiars Crystal first? It won't bond if there is any residue of wax or other sealants. Then again, could be a bad batch.

Bilt Hamber Auto Wash, polish with Gtechniq P1 and panel wipe. Durability was very poor. I've heard of others having poor results around the same time.

The new Turtle Wax Sealant Hydrophobic Wax is cheap and works really well. We gave the GFs new to her (8 years old) Suzuki a pre-wash, shampoo and a quick going over with the sealant and the results and durability have been really impressive. No special prep required.

[nickfrog]

Cheers, good to hear, will give it a go.

[AllyBassman]

gweaver said:

Bilt Hamber Auto Wash, polish with Gtechniq P1 and panel wipe. Durability was very poor. I've heard of others having poor results around the same time.

The new Turtle Wax Sealant Hydrophobic Wax is cheap and works really well. We gave the GFs new to her (8 years old) Suzuki a pre-wash, shampoo and a quick going over with the sealant and the results and durability have been really impressive. No special prep required.

Picked a bottle of the Turtle Wax sealant for £5 after John from the Forensic Detailing channel on Youtube gave it a glowing review.

I have to say, as a drying aid, it works really well and the beading it creates is mighty impressive.

I use Auto Glym HD wax and find it to be very good - but I am just about to buy a bottle of Collinite 845 and try applying it with my DA - exciting times! :-D

Just to add to the thread, it's not sad to look after your car, as a hobby I find it extremely satisfying to detail my car as best I can. Friends and Family see me as a sad-act, but then ask me to give their Cars the same treatment?

[AMGSee55]

I do the Alfa twice a year using Auto Finesse Tripple. It’s an all in one product which I know is lazy in a sense, but it looks and feels good to me and works beautifully with a dual action polisher.

[gweaver]

CMacC said:

I have a garage, so the car can be protected from the elements - What is best in terms of protective coatings - and are ceramic coatings hard to apply compared to way?

Going back to the OPs original question, yes they're harder to apply compared to waxes. I seemed to get it right first time though..
The carrier solvents can also be nasty, so a well ventilated garage is a plus. Gtechniq, Carpro and Gyeon are the big names, TAC systems is another.

In terms of "best", I decided that a relatively cheap test would be best, hence trying Gtechniq C5 on the wheels. Cost was £20 and I think it was worth it - the wheels are still a doddle to wash a year later, so it's saving me time and money on nasty wheel cleaning chemicals.

If you want to scratch the itch I'd suggest doing just the wheels and seeing how you go. IMHO it's the best cost/benefit ratio you'll see for a coating on a car. You can get C5 for about £20 or a sample of Carpro CQUK for about £15 (the sample might be enough to do a set of wheels if applied carefully).

Alternatively, get a shorter duration coating like Gyeon CanCoat or TAC Moonlight for the car body (I've not tried either) and see if it works for you. I think they are both about £30-35. If you enjoy waxing the car you might find that it takes the fun away.

One more thing, there's quite a difference between ceramic coatings and sealants with ceramic in the name. I think C2v3 for instance is a spray sealant, whereas C1, C5, CSL & Exo are definitely coatings. The main difference to the user being the application and durability.