Ceramic coating vs sealant.

**AutowerxDetailing** · 07-25-2016, 08:32 PM

I've been using GG AIO and Paint Sealant on my Night Blue GTI, and in general it looks great.

There is a saying that goes something like "Find what you like and use it often." Sounds like your GG AIO is doing a good job of keeping your GTI looking great. A ceramic coating is going to replace the need to polish and add protection all the time; however, if you do accumulate wash damage you will need to polish away the coating to restore the surface. If you like to frequently polish and wax your car then a coating will, IMO, be a waste of time and money.

Since this is a DD and I usually cover it at night (after a careful dust removal), I do see some minor marring in bright sun.

Depending on your washing methodology and frequency, installing and removing your car cover is a likely cause of the minor marring you see in bright sun.

So my question is, will a ceramic coating like Mckee's 37 Paint Coating protect better against this abuse? and will more than one layer help?

Not really. Coatings in general will help mitigate light swirls but there is currently no coating on the market that will resist 100% of potential wash induced marring. Layering is only recommended if the coating is meant to be layered. Otherwise you might just be removing some of the previous layer with each subsequent layer you install. I've seen some companies recommend something crazy like 8-10 layers and that will supposedly make the car resistant to all kinds of damage. It doesn't... No matter how thick, or hard, or slippery, or whatever the coating is once it is cured there is no way to completely eliminate wash induced swirls. Think about it. You are dragging roughly shaped particles of dirt, micro rocks, and SAND (aka silica) across your paint. If one of these particles isn't fully encapsulated in some sort of soap or within the nap of your wash media IT WILL SCRATCH the paint and/or coating no matter what.

Also, is it recommended to use wax on top of a ceramic coating?

Generally wax will actually inhibit the beneficial characteristics of a high quality ceramic coating. Coatings have better dirt release, chemical resistance, and self cleaning properties compared to most waxes. While I think coatings are definitely one of the best forms of protection for your paint, especially on daily drivers, if you plan to keep waxing your vehicle you might be better suited by your original game plan of periodic sessions with your GG AIO.

**chet31** · 07-26-2016, 12:20 AM

I agree with Nicholas. Tried a "permanent" coating, but it gets swirled, bird-bombed, tree-sapped, etc. just like clear-coat. Couple that with the fact the sealants are so easy to use and so durable, I just use sealants. I can get my car 80% corrected, use a sealant, then not feel bad when I try to correct it further at a later date. Or nature intervenes and I need to correct a panel sooner rather than later.

**GSKR** · 07-26-2016, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by ekennett

Welcome Dave. I think you will have a lot better results avoiding marring if you lose the car cover. Any little bit of dirt that gets between the cover and the paint will cause scratches as the cover moves. Some people are pro car cover, I'm in the "I will never ever in my life use a car cover for any reason" camp.

Coatings help prevent scratches only insofar as they make the car easier to clean. I think all that stuff about added thickness and hardness is garbage. Coatings make the paint more hydrophobic and slippery preventing the adhering of grime.

agree.

**GSKR** · 07-26-2016, 06:45 AM

Stack 2'coats of hi temp wax and you will have what your looking for.nice shine big time durability quicker and cheaper.This product was mentioned over and over from a forum member.I decided to try it for 17.99 and was highly impressed.Doing this for such a long time now,I think a majority of the products are relatively the same and yield ok results.But this product is talked about on autopia.simple no back breaking removal no streaks and can be applied to the glass as well,but not the windshield.Ive done 10 cars with this stuff and extremely pleased.check out some utube videos on this stuff.

**bossbrew** · 07-26-2016, 11:28 AM

Great info everyone. I think that I'll probably stick with method I've been using, and try to be more careful with the cover. But when we sell the house in a few years...

**DanielM** · 07-27-2016, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by vobro

I don't believe a coating will help you in your situation. At best they help with washing or drying marks and dragging, pulling and moving a cover is a form of mechanical abrasion. As for layering wax as a to take the blunt of trauma well I just don't think that is possible. Coatings,wax and sealants are for protection from the elements not ourselves

I actually just asked this question on another forum. If I apply a 12 month sealant every 4 months am I not getting the same help with washing and drying drag?

**DanielM** · 07-27-2016, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Nicholas@Autowerx

There is a saying that goes something like "Find what you like and use it often." Sounds like your GG AIO is doing a good job of keeping your GTI looking great. A ceramic coating is going to replace the need to polish and add protection all the time; however, if you do accumulate wash damage you will need to polish away the coating to restore the surface. If you like to frequently polish and wax your car then a coating will, IMO, be a waste of time and money.

If you keep reapplying a sealant ever 4 months why would you still need to use an abrasive polish? A lot of sealants allow for re-coating or can easily be removed using a non abrasive cleaner.

I asked the same question and was wondering if a coating is just a long lasting sealant?

I have a DD that is street parked and was looking for if a coating would help from people brushing against my car, flying wheel debris or small twigs falling from a tree. Obliviously, it looks like a no.

**bossbrew** · 07-27-2016, 02:50 PM

I think that the difference is in the sealant vs ceramic coating. A sealant is sort of a synthetic wax which is not as hard as the clear coat. A ceramic coating is very hard, similar to the clear coat, and would need to be polished to get the marring out. A sealant can just be cleaned and re-coated. Correct me if I'm wrong...

**DanielM** · 07-27-2016, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by bossbrew

I think that the difference is in the sealant vs ceramic coating. A sealant is sort of a synthetic wax which is not as hard as the clear coat. A ceramic coating is very hard, similar to the clear coat, and would need to be polished to get the marring out. A sealant can just be cleaned and re-coated. Correct me if I'm wrong...

That is what I would l am trying to find out. From my readings it is said "Hardness can help aid in some levels of protection, but on the scale of 1-3 microns which is the average thickness of a coating, it doesn't directly do much. There is little to no evidence that coating hardness plays a role in scratch resistance. The " https://itsbetterwaxed.com/blogs/det...prevent-swirls

So is the only real benefit longevity? I would think applying a sealant every 4 months would be slicker than a 1x coating.

Also, is the mirror finish over hyped? You can't apply a glaze under a coating like you can a sealant.

And lol because I just recently bought GG 1 one step and have the exact same question.

**bossbrew** · 07-27-2016, 03:29 PM

Well, I do like the GG One Step. I think that I'll run a test to compare dust attraction using the GG One Step as a base. Then I'll use GG Paint Sealant on one area, Natty's White paste on another, and 3M Perfect-It paste wax on the 3rd. Then I'll check to see if one area attracts and holds more dust.