Ceramic treatments
Discussion
I've used Armor Shield 9, GardX. Autogylm Lifeshine (Carbon) etc on some cars and they are easy to apply on a prepped car despite all the professionals only warnings.
I now exclusively use Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray after each weekly wash, because it takes no time at all the apply. You can use it on paint, trim, wheels, glass, plastic etc and the gloss is about the same as the stuff above.
I now exclusively use Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray after each weekly wash, because it takes no time at all the apply. You can use it on paint, trim, wheels, glass, plastic etc and the gloss is about the same as the stuff above.
I've just finished decontaminating and DA polishing the paint on a car we bought last week. For now I've just used some Autoglym EGP as I had half a bottle, it's really easy to put on and buff off and seems to last reasonably well. However, this is just a temporary measure as I plan to strip it off at some point and give the car some kind of ceramic treatment (then maintain it with the Turtle Wax stuff mentioned above).
Having done wet sanding, 2/3 stage polishing and I've sprayed a fair few cars too in the distant past, I'd like to think I'd be up to putting a ceramic coating on a car: Why is it often claimed to be a 'professional only' job though? Can it turn out blotchy or just not seal evenly? Is there any benefit to putting it on with a soft DA pad or should it only be done by hand?
I was thinking of the Gtechniq C2 v3 though any other recommendation would be gratefully received.
It's a light silver/blue metallic C Class Mercedes, so has quite hard paint anyway, but it's the water repelling properties and protection over winter that I want from it.
A couple of pictures of my last week or so of detailing it:
The dealers put their number plates on completely on the piss, so I'm in the process of sorting it out. Monkeys drilled two extra holes for self tappers completely wonky. It already had the AMG badge on it, so I'm not attempting to remove it and risk scratching the paint behind incase it triggers anyone.
I had a similar looking one for work until I retired last month, though it only got washed once a year (whether it needed it or not ). This one is petrol, a few years older, though half the mileage and it'll get looked after much more. 
Having done wet sanding, 2/3 stage polishing and I've sprayed a fair few cars too in the distant past, I'd like to think I'd be up to putting a ceramic coating on a car: Why is it often claimed to be a 'professional only' job though? Can it turn out blotchy or just not seal evenly? Is there any benefit to putting it on with a soft DA pad or should it only be done by hand?
I was thinking of the Gtechniq C2 v3 though any other recommendation would be gratefully received.
It's a light silver/blue metallic C Class Mercedes, so has quite hard paint anyway, but it's the water repelling properties and protection over winter that I want from it.
A couple of pictures of my last week or so of detailing it:
The dealers put their number plates on completely on the piss, so I'm in the process of sorting it out. Monkeys drilled two extra holes for self tappers completely wonky. It already had the AMG badge on it, so I'm not attempting to remove it and risk scratching the paint behind incase it triggers anyone.
I had a similar looking one for work until I retired last month, though it only got washed once a year (whether it needed it or not
). This one is petrol, a few years older, though half the mileage and it'll get looked after much more. Edited by OldSkoolRS on Monday 27th June 19:22
I think most coatings now are very much "DIY".
Years ago there were issues with curing times and flash times etc and ensuring it was even.
But these days most of the consumer grade stuff is safe for anyone to use. Apply, let cure for a few minutes and the buff off.
I think the key thing is to keep the car dry and out of the elements for the first 24 hours.
I am planning to do my car once the current wax has given up.
Years ago there were issues with curing times and flash times etc and ensuring it was even.
But these days most of the consumer grade stuff is safe for anyone to use. Apply, let cure for a few minutes and the buff off.
I think the key thing is to keep the car dry and out of the elements for the first 24 hours.
I am planning to do my car once the current wax has given up.
vikingaero said:
I've used Armor Shield 9, GardX. Autogylm Lifeshine (Carbon) etc on some cars and they are easy to apply on a prepped car despite all the professionals only warnings.
I now exclusively use Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray after each weekly wash, because it takes no time at all the apply. You can use it on paint, trim, wheels, glass, plastic etc and the gloss is about the same as the stuff above.
The Gard X that was "applied" to my car when I bought it was worse than useless. Whatever had been applied had been done over the top of bird muck, tar spots and dirt that was evident on the test drive, before any treatment. I had to give it a proper clean myself, thus removing any protection it gave. I now exclusively use Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray after each weekly wash, because it takes no time at all the apply. You can use it on paint, trim, wheels, glass, plastic etc and the gloss is about the same as the stuff above.
That (and the rip off cost) was the reason I refused the option of 'paint protection' that was (rather forcefully) pushed when we bought our used car recently. The salesman did give up once my wife told him that she didn't expect to see me for the next three days as I'll be busy polishing it better than it would have been when new. 
No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).
No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).OldSkoolRS said:
That (and the rip off cost) was the reason I refused the option of 'paint protection' that was (rather forcefully) pushed when we bought our used car recently. The salesman did give up once my wife told him that she didn't expect to see me for the next three days as I'll be busy polishing it better than it would have been when new. No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).
They were so desperate to sell the GardX, they increased the price of my px to cover it. I have since spent a good few days getting it to my standard, as I told them I would. No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).Red9zero said:
OldSkoolRS said:
That (and the rip off cost) was the reason I refused the option of 'paint protection' that was (rather forcefully) pushed when we bought our used car recently. The salesman did give up once my wife told him that she didn't expect to see me for the next three days as I'll be busy polishing it better than it would have been when new. No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).
They were so desperate to sell the GardX, they increased the price of my px to cover it. I have since spent a good few days getting it to my standard, as I told them I would. No point putting it over dirt, bird crap, tar, etc which I'm sure they would have done (in about 10 minutes if that).Paint protection at dealers is so horrificly commission priced £300-400+ - valeter gets nowt, salesman gets x, sales manager gets x, dealership gets x, snake oil salesman gets x, snake oil company gets x. As an illustration, I recently bought 50 lots of Autoglym Lifeshine (with 1, 2 & 3 bottles, spray nozzles, applicator sponges etc) for £60 from FaceBook. That will last me a lifetime!
Edited by vikingaero on Wednesday 29th June 10:30
OldSkoolRS said:
I'd like to think I'd be up to putting a ceramic coating on a car: Why is it often claimed to be a 'professional only' job though? Can it turn out blotchy or just not seal evenly? Is there any benefit to putting it on with a soft DA pad or should it only be done by hand?
I was thinking of the Gtechniq C2 v3 though any other recommendation would be gratefully received.
There are plenty of consumer grade ceramic coatings that are effective and durable. It is possible to make a mess, and the pro grade coatings need to be sanded off if applied badly. The consumer coatings can often be compounded or polished off. Usually it's hand application, but some can be applied with an airbrush.I was thinking of the Gtechniq C2 v3 though any other recommendation would be gratefully received.
I'd suggest doing the wheels with GTechniq C5, then decide if you want to try ceramic on the bodywork. GTechniq C1, CarPro CQuartz Lite & Gyeon Cancoat are the obvious options for the novice. The manufacturers all have videos showing the application process.
I did the wheels with C5, but I'm happy to wax or spray seal the body every few months rather than use a ceramic coating.
C2v3 is more of a spray sealant - it's not really a ceramic coat. When I tried it, it had zero durability. I probably got a bad batch.
Don't get sucked in by the marketing. There are true ceramic coats, and then there are waxes and spray sealants with the words graphene, ceramic and hybrid in the name. In my humble opinion that's mostly snake oil.
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