Will a ceramic coating hold up to Midwest winter?

**Payton34** · 11-03-2017, 11:11 AM

I have been using Klasse Paint sealant topped with pinnacle royal sovereign wax for about 10 years and love the results but been reading about ceramic coating and thinking of trying one out next spring. I am thinking of Wolfgang Uber ceramic or Optimum ceramic coating but I am skeptical on how well they hold up to midwest winters and salt. If it can truly last 2-3 years without having to clay and polish in the spring it would be worth it.

Currently every spring I use Iron X then clay followed by Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion, Klasse All in one, Klasse sealant glaze and finally Royal Sovereign wax. Also after each wash I use Optimum instant detailer and glossifier. In the fall I do Klasse All in one then Klasse sealant and Sovereign wax before winter. I also wash in winter after salt whenever possible. Even after the regular washes every spring I do the baggie test and the paint will have iron particles and plenty of contaminants. Many ceramics say they last 2-3 years but I am skeptical on that in northern states. Are there Ceramic coatings that will hold up to midwest winter that I would be able to avoid a complete clay, polish and recoating in spring?

Also this is a daily driver garage kept and I only put on 6000 miles a year.

**MattPersman** · 11-03-2017, 11:30 AM

Some areas and conditions promote much heavier paint contamination than others.

Will one hold up yes. Will you have a lot of contaminants on the paint come spring. Only time will tell. I️ will say, likely yes. Will they come off easier? Hard to say. Could you just wash with snow soap then trix and be clean ? According to some yes.

If you are wanting to use optimum products after each wash then I️ would suggest the opti gloss. No reason to jump all over the place. Any reason you would pick Uber at 100 bucks on sale compared to coatings like Cquartz or UK that are half that ? Even Mohs or CSL are less money

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**BudgetPlan1** · 11-03-2017, 12:29 PM

Depends on the coating...the first coating I ever tried (coating 'A', Spring 2016) failed on vertical panels of vehicle after NE Ohio winter on daily driver (10k miles), always garaged at night; did the whole 'decon wash' process in Spring to no avail.

Another of our cars that was coated (Coating 'B') in Oct 2016, daily driver, sits outside 8 months of year, 7500 mostly winter miles, made it through with flying colors this Spring, still looking great and performing 'as new' at one year anniversary. Granted the survivor product was pricier 'combo' than the failed coating but the one that didn't survive a winter was no bargain either compared to some other offerings.

Winter is tough; I had also applied Coating A to our 'fair weather car' (Spring 2016) that is stored each winter but still gets driven in rainy weather 'in season' and it made it to one year anniversary in pretty decent shape.

Coating A was WG Uber by the way...just saw that in your OP.

**zmcgovern45** · 11-03-2017, 12:30 PM

Not having to polish is a direct result of how you maintain your car. You should wash regularly to avoid water spotting and other surface staining, and wash properly to avoid surface defects. This will eliminate the need for polishing annually regardless of what type of LSP you use.

The rate at which decontamination is required is also a product of how often you clean your car. The more frequently your vehicle is washed, the less likely particles are to bond to the paint. Also, if the environment your vehicle lives in is subject to heavy contamination, you're pretty much guaranteed to need to decontaminate annually or more. Through my testing, a coated vehicle will accumulate less bonded contaminants than an uncoated vehicle, so your decon time will be reduced.

Keep in mind, water beading is not an indication of protection. Water beading indicates high surface tension. Surface tension can and will be altered by a variety of environmental factors, road salt included. It is quite common to expect a decrease in hydrophobic properties on all areas where salt/dirt/grime builds up (very likely on vertical panels, such as behind the wheels and also on the rear of the vehicle). It is very easy, however, to increase surface tension with a coating topper that can be applied during or after washing in only a few minutes time.

**02whitetundra** · 11-03-2017, 01:23 PM

I've had several coatings on my vehicles and I'm pretty much done with them. You're still getting traffic film on the car that eventually needs to be buffed off. And by doing that, you're also removing the coating. Shows up especially on white paint.

**machz** · 11-03-2017, 01:24 PM

I have a new black Audi s5 sport coming in 2 weeks and I plan on coating with CQUARTZ then during the winter I will be using hydro2 lite at a wash bay to keep the protection. I have used Hydro2 on several cars and the stuff is magic for a spray on so I figured it can't hurt to use it throughout the winter.

**Rsurfer** · 11-03-2017, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by machz

I have a new black Audi s5 sport coming in 2 weeks and I plan on coating with CQUARTZ then during the winter I will be using hydro2 lite at a wash bay to keep the protection. I have used Hydro2 on several cars and the stuff is magic for a spray on so I figured it can't hurt to use it throughout the winter.

I would use Reload over CQuartz every other week during the winter. Hydro2 is a great waterless wash/QD, but not as durable as Reload.

**machz** · 11-03-2017, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by Rsurfer

I would use Reload over CQuartz every other week during the winter. Hydro2 is a great waterless wash/QD, but not as durable as Reload.

Really ? I have both and to be honest Hydro2 lasts way longer and I don't have to do it every week. Are you thinking of ECHo2? That's the one used for waterless wash.

**Payton34** · 11-03-2017, 02:14 PM

Optimum wa smy 1st choice but I read good reviews on the Uber so it was a possability.

**lane5515** · 11-03-2017, 02:14 PM

I live in Fargo, ND and will never go without a coated car again. I personally like CQuartz the best and I have used Pinnacle Black Label, Optimum Gloss Coat and CQ UK. The winters are brutal here - salt and beet juiced roads leave cars with a film that is white and flaky. Coated paint, plastics and wheels are so much easier to clean and maintain.

I do have a heated garage with a floor drain so I am able to wash my vehicles in the winter. After washing I follow up with a QD mixture of ECH20 + Reload + Distilled Water. In the spring bonded contaminates are far less than a non coated car. Like Zach said, proper maintenance is the key.