Anyone tried Ceramic coating
Discussion
I have (as a strict amateur) put ceramic coatings on my own motorcycles and cars but none of which were fibre glass though I don't expect that to make much of a difference.
I used the CQ.Uk 3.0 stuff and it was great, very easy to work with and made the colour pop afterwards.
On older vehicles though I would expect even more effort to have to be put into the prep of the car.
I gave all mine a very light machine polish with a Cheap DA after a good clean. This left the paint in its best condition which was then sealed in with the ceramic coating.
The cleaning and prep probably took as long if not longer than the coating which was pretty straightforward.
Given the bikes have very flexible body panels (fairings) in plastic and of course the cars have plastic bumper panels (although firmer than the bike panels) the coating works just fine on them hence why I would expect My issues with fibreglass.
I've also had a professional apply a coating to my current car the Gtechniq 9 Yr gtee one which as part of a full detailing cost about £1250. In comparing the 2 I think the cheaper self applied version made the colour pop more but was less resilient and would probably need the wipe on top.coat applied annually whereas the Prof job is largely the same today as when applied.
If you can get your paintwork upto a good standard then I would go with a coating without hesitation so long as your familiar with the drawbacks.
1. When washing your car it really needs to be dried as well or the water beading can leave a lot of water marks. Rain less of an issue but washing does.
2. It doesn't protect against stone chips but does help with swirl.marks.
That's about it.
I used the CQ.Uk 3.0 stuff and it was great, very easy to work with and made the colour pop afterwards.
On older vehicles though I would expect even more effort to have to be put into the prep of the car.
I gave all mine a very light machine polish with a Cheap DA after a good clean. This left the paint in its best condition which was then sealed in with the ceramic coating.
The cleaning and prep probably took as long if not longer than the coating which was pretty straightforward.
Given the bikes have very flexible body panels (fairings) in plastic and of course the cars have plastic bumper panels (although firmer than the bike panels) the coating works just fine on them hence why I would expect My issues with fibreglass.
I've also had a professional apply a coating to my current car the Gtechniq 9 Yr gtee one which as part of a full detailing cost about £1250. In comparing the 2 I think the cheaper self applied version made the colour pop more but was less resilient and would probably need the wipe on top.coat applied annually whereas the Prof job is largely the same today as when applied.
If you can get your paintwork upto a good standard then I would go with a coating without hesitation so long as your familiar with the drawbacks.
1. When washing your car it really needs to be dried as well or the water beading can leave a lot of water marks. Rain less of an issue but washing does.
2. It doesn't protect against stone chips but does help with swirl.marks.
That's about it.
Hi
Did a full polish on the Griff using the eccentric machine thingy and all the different polishes. Really worth doing and very diy able. Also very relaxing, oddly.
Then added ceramic coating.
It was bleeding shiny before the ceramic coat, so not sure I really noticed the difference.
I have post polished a couple of bits, bird crap.. I have used AutoGlym extra gloss since then.
Honestly, I wouldn’t bother with the ceramic, I don’t see why it is better than the Autoglym, plus the supposed long life of the ceramic doesn’t work for me, as I fiddle with it anyway.
I always worry about large claims, 'too good' claims of performance are mostly fallacious. (Heats the room in 2 minutes, costs nothing, free Tesco voucher,etc).
My thoughts.
Nic
Did a full polish on the Griff using the eccentric machine thingy and all the different polishes. Really worth doing and very diy able. Also very relaxing, oddly.
Then added ceramic coating.
It was bleeding shiny before the ceramic coat, so not sure I really noticed the difference.
I have post polished a couple of bits, bird crap.. I have used AutoGlym extra gloss since then.
Honestly, I wouldn’t bother with the ceramic, I don’t see why it is better than the Autoglym, plus the supposed long life of the ceramic doesn’t work for me, as I fiddle with it anyway.
I always worry about large claims, 'too good' claims of performance are mostly fallacious. (Heats the room in 2 minutes, costs nothing, free Tesco voucher,etc).
My thoughts.
Nic
Out of interest Which ceramic did you use ?
I have def found they lift the colour and then protect against swirls marks which waxes and detail sprays etc just cannot do. They do seem to have less impact on slivers, whites and some other lighter shades where as strong colours seem to benefit more. I should also have added that I would also wax on top of a coating for best effect.
I have def found they lift the colour and then protect against swirls marks which waxes and detail sprays etc just cannot do. They do seem to have less impact on slivers, whites and some other lighter shades where as strong colours seem to benefit more. I should also have added that I would also wax on top of a coating for best effect.
Ceramic coating is fantastic, but it is imperative that the paint is corrected before application which is where the real skill lies. Ceramic is great as it maintains the finish of the paint, protects against swirls, and crucially makes the car so much easier to clean. If applied correctly and with good quality products, it’s a world away from rubbish like Lifeshine/Supagard.
Hi, used Q2 can coat.
The paint had already been DA polished, two goes over, cutting then polishing. So, was flat and swirl free. Then just cleaned well and dried.
The Q2 is liquid, but any left on the cloth dries hard, so something in there is drying hard. It comes with spray nozzles which block, they give you 4. I just opened the bottle and covering the lid with a micro fibre cloth tipped some onto the cloth, then rub on, then immediately change cloth to clean one and dry off.
It definitely made the colour and lustre better.
Nic
The paint had already been DA polished, two goes over, cutting then polishing. So, was flat and swirl free. Then just cleaned well and dried.
The Q2 is liquid, but any left on the cloth dries hard, so something in there is drying hard. It comes with spray nozzles which block, they give you 4. I just opened the bottle and covering the lid with a micro fibre cloth tipped some onto the cloth, then rub on, then immediately change cloth to clean one and dry off.
It definitely made the colour and lustre better.
Nic
Ceramic coatings are the Emperor's new clothes of the detailing world.
An over hyped, money spinning exercise that professional detailers love, because they can charge hundreds.
What are we up to now …. Diamond ceramic coatings? Give it 6 months and a new Holly grail to push will surface.
An over hyped, money spinning exercise that professional detailers love, because they can charge hundreds.
What are we up to now …. Diamond ceramic coatings? Give it 6 months and a new Holly grail to push will surface.
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