Ceramic vs. Wax - Can We Cut To The Chase?

[pilotpip]

LSP is forum short hand for "Last Step Product". Your waxes, sealants, and coatings.

[Neatfreak2000]

Don't know what LSP means but.....

Well I did it - applied a ceramic sealer for the first time. Here are my thoughts:

1) First and foremost, shine. No difference whatsoever between it and wax. So in that sense a waste of time. Now my only decision going forward is do I continue the ceramic sealer route or go back to wax. If someone could say that future ceramic applications would add more layers of protection I may stick with it (since I now know shine is a mute point as suggested in earlier replies).

2) I used a ceramic sealer by NexGen. Anyone know about it/used it? I selected it because they say it has the most Si\whatever of anyone else on the market. It was pretty easy to use.

3) I used Formula 88 to first wash the truck and then as a clay lub. At the end of claying I noticed my clay bar was starting to break apart as if it was disintegrating. Pieces were falling off and it wasn't as pliable as in the beginning. Is this something normal for a claying job or was the Formula 88 breaking it down? The clay I was using was from a poplar brand that everyone is aware of.

4) So now what? I have this ceramically clean shiny truck (just as shiny as wax - sorry I had to say it again), is there anything else to do or do I just wait for it to get dirty and just wash each time until time to re-ceramic/wax it?

By the way - how do you guys clean your microfiber towels? The wife says ain't no way they going in the washer/dryer - whether I detail her car or not! :-)

Yep. Just wait for it to get dirty, wash, then as a final step use a high silica content QD or sealer. Easy.

In wash mine in the normal wash. A micro fiber shouldn’t get really dirty from washing the car. The mitt should but if you rinse that out in you ‘clean/soap’ bucket when done it’s fine to go in the wash. Tap cold or warm water, microfiber cleaner and then dry on very low/no heat.

And it’s ‘moot’ point. :-)

[acuRAS82]

I believe you misinterpreted my posting.

My posting represented my opinion regarding
the correlation, if any, between LSPs and shine.
Nothing more; nothing less.


Just curious:
When you bend the light with an LSP, does it
add to; lessen; or have no affect on the existing
level of shine? TIA


Bob

Oh sorry, Bob.
Not sure how I could have misinterpreted your post,
for it is so crystal clear
Like the shiny paint after polish
No LSP to be found here

But when I see the bend of light
That covers my paint soon after
Especially in the dawn dusk and night
It fills my heart with laughter

For a paint with 90% shine
After a dedicated correction
Looks good, but somewhat benign...
I’ll take an LSP if I plan on winning the election.


When my LSP bends the light it may or may not impact the shine, but it tends to play with reflections. Thanks for checking in.

[BudgetPlan1]

I’d venture to say I’m in the minority of the people on this forum who hardly sees a difference between the looks of different LSPs.

I don’t know if it’s just my eyes or what, but they just all look the same to me. I haven’t ever bothered to try and pick up on the nuances though, because I like to live in my little world of blissful ignorance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll bet you'd surprise yourself if you saw identical vehicles, side-by-side under consistent lighting all wearing different LSP's. Put those same cars at different corners of the parking lot and look at them individually and they'd probably look pretty much the same.

Unfortunately not often can ya do that in your garage so ya just gotta take your chances aesthetically

When my LSP bends the light it may or may not impact the shine, but it tends to play with reflections. Thanks for checking in.

I get this. It's usually the edges, panel transition areas where ya notice it.

[PaulMys]

When my LSP bends the light it may or may not impact the shine.....

I always thought it was the amount of beer I may have had (allegedly) consumed that "bent the light".

[FUNX650]

Thanks for checking in.

Sure thing. Not a Prob. Much obliged.
Now...swing three chickens o’er yer head.




Bob

[acuRAS82]

Sure thing. Not a Prob. Much obliged.
Now...swing three chickens o’er yer head.




Bob

https://images.app.goo.gl/T1V5qRcsEjEEF6nU7

[Coatingsarecrack]

I believe you misinterpreted my posting.

My posting represented my opinion regarding
the correlation, if any, between LSPs and shine.
Nothing more; nothing less.


Just curious:
When you bend the light with an LSP, does it
add to; lessen; or have no affect on the existing
level of shine? TIA


Bob

I agree that a large percentage of shine comes from paint prep but why come when i speed shine or Ech20 on top of a freshly wash car it looks glossier?

When I add Cosmic it definitely seems shinier. Beadmaker guys rave about the shine/gloss.

What causes this? Not trying to be argumentative just curious as how this is explained.

Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike Phillips]

(and I still don't know the difference between "glossy" and "shine")

Gloss is first created by a smooth surface. You can have a shiny car that has a rough or textured surface and there is some level of gloss, but gloss is MAXIMIZED by maximizing the smoothness of the surface.


I see and show this all the time in my classes. All these cars in my September 2018 detailing class have shiny paint. Pretty easy to see under diffused florescent light.

BUSTING AT THE SEAMS! NEW RECORD FOR CARS IN THE GARAGE!
































(That was a damn good class. Try to find ANY other car detailing class on Planet Earth where strangers get to train on this many cool cars)



But ALL these cars looked dramatically better AFTER they were all clayed, then polished and then had some type of LSP applied.

Happens at every class. I don't bring in cars that don't need help.


But like mentioned, the end results are determined by the prep work. After that, I would say a quality ceramic coating creates a GLASSY appearance. A quality synthetic sealant or wax creates a glossy appearance. I would give a quality coating the edge over final gloss, clarity, depth and shine as compared to waxes and sealants but the difference is not HUGE, it's more than subtle though.


In the real world, a car with a correctly applied ceramic coating and the washed carefully will look better and the "look" will last longer than a sealant or wax. If a person isn't going to wash the car carefully, the coating will still last longer but it won't "look" good longer.


And one of the best articles I've written about this topic is this one,

How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach


It's the TOWEL or MITT that is KEY to keeping your car scratch-free -Mike Phillips







How long anything lasts and how long anything looks good will always come down to the the surface is touched.

Anyone that has read what I have written on this forum for any length of time knows the two topics I talk the most about are,

Abrasive Technology - How you perfect the paint.

Touching the paint - How you take care of the paint after perfecting it. --> Washing drying wiping.


Like the Hokey Pokey, that's what it's all about.

[Neatfreak2000]

Gloss is first created by a smooth surface. You can have a shiny car that has a rough or textured surface and there is some level of gloss, but gloss is MAXIMIZED by maximizing the smoothness of the surface.


I see and show this all the time in my classes. All these cars in my September 2018 detailing class have shiny paint. Pretty easy to see under diffused florescent light.

BUSTING AT THE SEAMS! NEW RECORD FOR CARS IN THE GARAGE!
































(That was a damn good class. Try to find ANY other car detailing class on Planet Earth where strangers get to train on this many cool cars)



But ALL these cars looked dramatically better AFTER they were all clayed, then polished and then had some type of LSP applied.

Happens at every class. I don't bring in cars that don't need help.


But like mentioned, the end results are determined by the prep work. After that, I would say a quality ceramic coating creates a GLASSY appearance. A quality synthetic sealant or wax creates a glossy appearance. I would give a quality coating the edge over final gloss, clarity, depth and shine as compared to waxes and sealants but the difference is not HUGE, it's more than subtle though.


In the real world, a car with a correctly applied ceramic coating and the washed carefully will look better and the "look" will last longer than a sealant or wax. If a person isn't going to wash the car carefully, the coating will still last longer but it won't "look" good longer.


And one of the best articles I've written about this topic is this one,

How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach


It's the TOWEL or MITT that is KEY to keeping your car scratch-free -Mike Phillips







How long anything lasts and how long anything looks good will always come down to the the surface is touched.

Anyone that has read what I have written on this forum for any length of time knows the two topics I talk the most about are,

Abrasive Technology - How you perfect the paint.

Touching the paint - How you take care of the paint after perfecting it. --> Washing drying wiping.


Like the Hokey Pokey, that's what it's all about.

What’s the difference between a sealant and a ceramic?