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  1. #11
    Super Member Rsurfer's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by rover137 View Post
    Hi all

    I am about to do my first ceramic coating and wondering how you tell if your coating is failing if you regularly use toppers?

    Planning on using CarPro Elixir with most (if not all) washes as a drying aid to also assist with lubrication.

    If you always have an additional layer of protection on top of your coating - how do you tell if it is failing or not?

    Another option, is to do a 50/50. This will give you a good comparison on how both products are doing.

  2. #12
    Super Member BudgetPlan1's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Might sound kinda goofy but when a coating is reaching end-of-life ya just kinda 'know' that something isn't quite right. Toppers seem slightly less effective, fall off a bit w regards to longevity.

    Stuff just doesn't seem as good as it was when viable; hard to quantify i guess but overall less pleasing...a feeling that your regular maintenance regimen isn't working as well anymore and since maintenance hasn't changed, then it has to be something else.

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  4. #13
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Yeah, all good points. I will continue with using my topper as planned until about 2-3 months before the suggested life of the coating and check its 'health'. A chemical decon is also a way to check in on the health yeah?

    What do you mean by 50/50?

    I guess 'topping' less regularly is another way - so that when you perform a maintenance wash before your next top you have likely removed the topper and are just seeing the raw coating properties. I am planning on using Elixir as a drying aid weekly- which will likely never result in maintenance washes revealing the coating on its own as Elixir (lasts 4 weeks) will always be there.

    Anyone here ever cut Elixir 1:1 with any success?

  5. #14
    Super Member The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Enjoy the weekly maintenance regiment with the occasional chemical decontamination.

    You will know when it’s time to polish and re-coat as you will get those pesky love marks.

    As budget mentioned the topper won’t be as effective once the coating comes to its end of life.

    Don’t overthink it. Wash, top and enjoy.

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  7. #15
    Super Member Rsurfer's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    rover137
    What do you mean by 50/50? Anyone here ever cut Elixir 1:1 with any success?


    Top half your hood and leave the other half alone, or top the hood and leave the roof alone. Look at the water behavior on both panels.

    Since your using Elixir as a drying aid, why cut it more?

  8. #16
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Enjoy the weekly maintenance regiment with the occasional chemical decontamination.

    You will know when it’s time to polish and re-coat as you will get those pesky love marks.

    As budget mentioned the topper won’t be as effective once the coating comes to its end of life.

    Don’t overthink it. Wash, top and enjoy.
    Also good advice - it's easy to overthink these things I guess.

    Good point about the love marks - they will happen with my soft black paint and another reason i am going the 'Lite' coating route.

  9. #17
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by Rsurfer View Post
    rover137
    What do you mean by 50/50? Anyone here ever cut Elixir 1:1 with any success?


    Top half your hood and leave the other half alone, or top the hood and leave the roof alone. Look at the water behavior on both panels.

    Since your using Elixir as a drying aid, why cut it more?
    I thought that is what you meant re 50/50. I might just do an experiment like this - maybe on the roof as it is more so out of site to me than the bonnet (hood).

    Cost reasons mainly. I will be coating both our cars - while I wash mine weekly (it gets more love), the other gets washed maybe 1-2 times a month depending on time. Not a huge difference in cost in the grand scheme of things really considering how much I have sunk into this hobby in such a short amount of time!

  10. #18
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by BudgetPlan1 View Post
    Might sound kinda goofy but when a coating is reaching end-of-life ya just kinda 'know' that something isn't quite right. Toppers seem slightly less effective, fall off a bit w regards to longevity.

    Stuff just doesn't seem as good as it was when viable; hard to quantify i guess but overall less pleasing...a feeling that your regular maintenance regimen isn't working as well anymore and since maintenance hasn't changed, then it has to be something else.
    To a degree that makes sense but I’m not sure I buy that. I think with you it is more psychological where the coating is actually still doing just fine but you’ve reached your limit of not putting another coating on the car so you feel you have to do something.

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  12. #19
    Super Member BudgetPlan1's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by dgage View Post
    To a degree that makes sense but I’m not sure I buy that. I think with you it is more psychological where the coating is actually still doing just fine but you’ve reached your limit of not putting another coating on the car so you feel you have to do something.
    :lol: A year or 2 ago, perhaps but I'm getting to the point where personal cars won't need anything for a while. 2 are (will be) PPF'd, wife's daily was done in 2019 (coating) and with how little that car drives, 3 more years is likely. And my daily might not be able to take any more; since I got in in June of 2017 it's had 22ple for 2 months, Kamikaze for 2 years, SPS Graphene for 1 year, PA Primer + Cosmic Spritz for 3 months and now is half Kamikaze, half Ethos Graphene. Might respray the hood this Summer though as there ain't enough Dr Colorchip on the planet to fix what's happened to it over the last 65k miles.

    As long as the hood is such a mess, really have no interest in the car as far as coating it w/ something else goes...it's now essentially a 'transportational screwdriver'...a mere tool/utility item.

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  14. #20
    Super Member Coatingsarecrack's Avatar
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    Re: How to tell if ceramic coating is failing (regular toppers)

    Quote Originally Posted by BudgetPlan1 View Post
    :lol: A year or 2 ago, perhaps but I'm getting to the point where personal cars won't need anything for a while. 2 are (will be) PPF'd, wife's daily was done in 2019 (coating) and with how little that car drives, 3 more years is likely. And my daily might not be able to take any more; since I got in in June of 2017 it's had 22ple for 2 months, Kamikaze for 2 years, SPS Graphene for 1 year, PA Primer + Cosmic Spritz for 3 months and now is half Kamikaze, half Ethos Graphene. Might respray the hood this Summer though as there ain't enough Dr Colorchip on the planet to fix what's happened to it over the last 65k miles.

    As long as the hood is such a mess, really have no interest in the car as far as coating it w/ something else goes...it's now essentially a 'transportational screwdriver'...a mere tool/utility item.
    Gasp! Say it ain’t so, Joe.....


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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