Too Many Coatings Choices

[clm65]

I could use a little help picking out a coating for a new truck. I think I want a ceramic coating, but I’m open to other options. There are so many choices, I’m just not sure which way to go. The truck is dark blue metallic, and will pretty much live in the Florida sun. I’m looking for something that provides excellent paint protection, lasts long, and is easy to apply. I’m fine with re-applying the coating every year, but would prefer not to have to do much more than wash it regularly and maybe use an occasional decontamination product. Price is not a big factor (within reason), and the more hydrophobic and glossy, the better. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

[dgage]

The. most popular over the last few years has been CQuartz UK 3.0 and so it is still the leading consumer coating that I’d recommend. It isn’t the slickest so if you want some more slickness, you could add CQuartz SiC, which adds slickness and chemical resistance (water spots). Those are traditional ceramic coatings so would give a solid 2 years of protection if well-cared for.

Another option that I’d recommend is a coating lite product such as CQuartz Lite or Gyeon CanCoat Evo, which I really like (CanCoat) for ease of application and capability. Both of those would get you over 12 months and maybe 18 months depending on how cared for.

Well cared for means washed well with good soaps and good wash media (towels/sponges). 2 bucket method with 1 mitt or multiple mitts/towels per wash so dirty wash media never goes back on the paint. Soft drying towels or blower to dry to limit the amount of touching the paint. With a coating you’ll also need to decontaminate the paint every 6 months or so to ensure hydrophobics are their best. A decontamination wash usually includes a coating-safe stronger car wash and iron decontamination.

[Silly Rabbit]

I'm sure Gyeon Cancoat will get some votes on this.

[dgage]

The. most popular over the last few years has been CQuartz UK 3.0 and so it is still the leading consumer coating that I’d recommend. It isn’t the slickest so if you want some more slickness, you could add CQuartz SiC, which adds slickness and chemical resistance (water spots). Those are traditional ceramic coatings so would give a solid 2 years of protection if well-cared for.

Another option that I’d recommend is a coating lite product such as CQuartz Lite or Gyeon CanCoat Evo, which I really like (CanCoat) for ease of application and capability. Both of those would get you over 12 months and maybe 18 months depending on how cared for.

Well cared for means washed well with good soaps and good wash media (towels/sponges). 2 bucket method with 1 mitt or multiple mitts/towels per wash so dirty wash media never goes back on the paint. Soft drying towels or blower to dry to limit the amount of touching the paint. With a coating you’ll also need to decontaminate the paint every 6 months or so to ensure hydrophobics are their best. A decontamination wash usually includes a coating-safe stronger car wash and iron decontamination.

[CleanIT]

There are a lot. dgage summed it up very well. I've only used Optimum Gloss Coat and Gyeon Can Coat. Both are super easy to apply. I like both of them.

[clm65]

The. most popular over the last few years has been CQuartz UK 3.0 and so it is still the leading consumer coating that I’d recommend. It isn’t the slickest so if you want some more slickness, you could add CQuartz SiC, which adds slickness and chemical resistance (water spots). Those are traditional ceramic coatings so would give a solid 2 years of protection if well-cared for.

Another option that I’d recommend is a coating lite product such as CQuartz Lite or Gyeon CanCoat Evo, which I really like (CanCoat) for ease of application and capability. Both of those would get you over 12 months and maybe 18 months depending on how cared for.

Well cared for means washed well with good soaps and good wash media (towels/sponges). 2 bucket method with 1 mitt or multiple mitts/towels per wash so dirty wash media never goes back on the paint. Soft drying towels or blower to dry to limit the amount of touching the paint. With a coating you’ll also need to decontaminate the paint every 6 months or so to ensure hydrophobics are their best. A decontamination wash usually includes a coating-safe stronger car wash and iron decontamination.

Just watched the application video for the Gyeon Cancoat Evo on the AG website. Looks incredibly easy to apply. They only advertise 6-12 month longevity in the video (up to 6 months according to the AG product description), but as simple as it seems to apply, I can certainly handle 2x per year. I've been looking at the CQuartz UK 3.0 as well. That looks promising as well. Thanks for those recommendations!

[The Guz]

I could use a little help picking out a coating for a new truck. I think I want a ceramic coating, but I’m open to other options. There are so many choices, I’m just not sure which way to go. The truck is dark blue metallic, and will pretty much live in the Florida sun. I’m looking for something that provides excellent paint protection, lasts long, and is easy to apply. I’m fine with re-applying the coating every year, but would prefer not to have to do much more than wash it regularly and maybe use an occasional decontamination product. Price is not a big factor (within reason), and the more hydrophobic and glossy, the better. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

With proper care the coating can perform for a long time. In sunny areas a coating can make it to 2-3 years easily while still looking good. It is all about maintenance.

A majority of the gloss is going to come from the polishing process. Most coatings will appear the same in terms of gloss. If I gave you a panel with multiple coatings, you would not be able to tell me which is which. Yes some will give more of that glassy type appearance. And coatings have come a long way in terms of application.

You could look into any of the Autogeek house brands as they are easy to work with such as the blackfire pro black edition or the DP GR4 graphene coatings. As a matter of fact Wolfgang has 30% going on their own site that Autogeek can match.

These coatings are all easy to work with. You can not go wrong with any of these. These are my personal notes from testing them.

Gyeon Pure Evo - will darken paint with candy gloss
Gyeon Mohs Evo - slick. will not harden the applicator
Cquartz UK 3.0 - will darken paint.
CQuartz SiC - slick. will not harden the applicator
DP GR4 Graphene - will darken paint
Poorboys Ceramic - slick
Blackfire Pro Black Edition - cures hard on the applicator. Will sheet a little more than bead. Darkens the paint.
P&S Legend - not the most user friendly but surprisingly durable
Adams Advanced Graphene - slick. some complain about the tacky wipe off when leveling. Very hydrophobic
Adams Multi Surface Graphene (Original) - very user friendly
Gtechniq CSL - similar to mohs evo but not as hydrophobic as mohs evo. Tends to sheet more
22ple HPC - easy to work with and candy gloss. Will need a couple bottle as it is recommended to apply two layers
22ple Insanity - easy to work with and crisp gloss. Will need a couple bottle as it is recommended to apply two layers
3D Ceramic - Tacky and not that hydrophobic. Poor self cleaning effect.
Glassparency Graphene - similar to Adams original graphene with just a little more sheeting compared to it.

Coating Lites:

Gyeon CanCoat Evo - Very easy to work with and will exceed expectations
Cquartz Lite - applies like a typical coating but very durable. Not a slick coating.
IGL Poly - Easy to work with. Decent coating.
P&S Sole - Easy to work with. Peppermint scent. Good hydrophobics.

[clm65]

Thanks Guz! Awesome info! Interesting that you noted several of the coatings darken the paint. The truck is an F150 with Antimatter Blue paint. It is on order and due to be built later this month, so most of my experience with this color is from what I see and read on the web, and briefly seeing a few on the road. It is a dark blue and looks great in the sun, but it actually looks black when in the shade or at night. So I am afraid of the darkening effect the coating may have. I don't know if you have any experience with Antimatter Blue ford paint, but I may be better off sticking with a coating that doesn't have that effect. Thoughts?

[PDC]

I’ve got 3 friends who brought their cars to the local shop for full correction and Feynlab Self-Healing Ceramic and all I can say is ‘wow’. Unbelievable wetness, depth and gloss. One friend was all too happy to ‘stress test’ the finished product by taking a dry terry-cloth dish towel and rubbing it across the hood intentionally inducing toweling marks and marring. Then he grabbed a soft MF dowel dunked in hot tap water and with one pass, the marred area looked brand-ass new. If you have the coin, Feynlab Self Healing is close to the top of the food chain.

Me? I’m a real DIY kind of guy. I corrected the wife’s SUV and applied Adam’s Graphene Spray Ceramic Coating last year and it looked great. This is our 4-season car that gets driven all winter. This year, I did a single stage correction - mainly to remove all of last year’s coating - and re-coated it with Wolfgang Spray Ceramic. I honestly believe the WG nudged out the Adam’s in ease of application, ease of wipe off and finished product. It just looks wetter and glossier than the Adam’s Graphene did. If you bucket wash and detail it with the WG SiO after each wash, it continues to look day-1 fresh week after week after week.

I was pleased enough that I used it on my weekend car-show cruiser. It’s a Black 2-stage Base/Clear car and I am literally knocked out. I did a ridiculous 2-stage correction that shaved years off my life before applying the WG. And I did 2 coats - applying the second coat in the opposite direction for each panel. But it looks unreal.

If you don’t ever want to ‘F’ with it again, pay someone to apply a self healing serum-based ceramic. If you don’t mind light single stage correction and re-application once a year, I am a big fan of the Wolfgang Spray Ceramic maintained with the WG SiO Spray Sealant after each wash.

[luckydawg]

Sic or UK gets my vote
The Sic is a fantastic product- just be careful when you open the bottle