Ceramic coating suggestions

[RowdyAudi01]

Hey all,

Fathers day is coming up and my dad got his first new vehicle in 20 years! I was going to polish and ceramic coat it. I haven't used ceramics yet because I'm old school and have been waxing for so long but this seems like the time to turn the corner.

It is a black honda ridgeline. I have a black jeep grand cherokee I will probably do after. Does anyone reccomend a specific product? It seems they all have different life spans and some have been around a lot longer than others. I have been on a griots kick because it matches my pretty g9 but I am not a loyalist to any particular brand. I just want to give my dad the best finished product that will give him a good year of protection in the northeast!

[dpevans]

Your question is like asking what is your favorite color/brand of underwear, I personally like the easy of use of Ethos Graphene cause I can do it in my garage on a warm day, I am two years in with no visible signs of deterioration. I had Adams and Renny Doyle professionally applied and they both held up well. I think next time I was going to try a GTechinq EXO kit. I bought the C4 for plastic and love the results.

[RowdyAudi01]

dpevans I know haha My problem is always having too many options and i get stuck in the wormhole of not making a decision and proceeding

[dgage]

I think the good thing to know is that if you go with a quality one, you’ll be good. I think your main decision is a 1+ year coating (lite and easy) or 2+ year coating. Gyeon CanCoat and CQuartz Lite are both very good lite coatings that will easily get you a year if the vehicle is maintained properly. Then for full coatings there are many, many options though the most popular (not necessarily best) is CQuartz UK 3.0. I ended up going with Gyeon CanCoat for a lite coating and liked it. And then went with CQuartz UK 3.0 with SiC on top. Can’t go wrong with those or many others.

[The Guz]

I don't think ethos graphene has even been out 2 years. Most of the US manufacturers have been out for almost a year. That is either here nor there.

Mike Phillips like to say pick an established brand and go with that. With that said there are many good coatings available to the consumer today. A majority of them are much user friendly. Sometimes a coating lite is a good option for those looking to get into coatings. The two I typically recommend are Gyeon CanCoat and Cquartz Lite as in my experience they have both performed very well and are more durable than their claims. Both are apply and wipe off with no need to worry about flash times. Both are more forgiving when it comes to high spots which will happen but it is not the end of the world.

Also don't focus to much on the number of year claims. Durability is all over the place as it takes too many factors to consider. Most of these claims are lab claims and mother nature is the true tester.

You always have the option to purchase one of the Autogeek house brand of coatings. I am putting this out there but the application of the DP GR4 graphene is easy and it is slick. Poorboys is also nice and one of the slickest coatings I have used. Even slicker than Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light and Cquartz SiC.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike Phillips like to say pick an established brand and go with that.

Yep and I'm sticking to that answer. It's worked well for years.

You always have the option to purchase one of the Autogeek house brand of coatings. I am putting this out there but the application of the DP GR4 graphene is easy and it is slick.

I'm packing right now for SDC. I'm taking the DP GR4 Graphene Coating to show in my wetsanding class. First I'll wetsand, then cut and polish then panel wipe and instal the GR4.

Who's going? Southern Detailer's Conference - June 5th & 6th - Lexington, Kentucky


Most coatings leave the paint feeling rubbery and most people don't like this when it comes to their car's finish. Thing is, most people don't know they don't like their car's paint to feel rubbery until AFTER they apply a rubbery feeling coating and then go to wash it and DRY it for the first time. That's when I discovered this characteristic on my own car.

Microfiber towels also do not slide over rubbery feeling paint surfaces, a real negative if you want to use a spray and wipe product.

[RowdyAudi01]

I am thinking I like the Cquartz UK edition.

The directions listed on the product page of autogeek

Wash and dry vehicle. Use CarPro Iron X to decontaminate the paint.
Remove any polishing oils with CarPro Eraser.
Apply Cquartz UK Edition with the supplied applicator.
Spread Cquartz UK Edition in a criss-cross or circular motion until surface feels dry.
Buff off using a CarPro Suede Microfiber Cloth.
Use CarPro Reload after 30 minutes to prevent water spotting during dry time.
Full hardness is achieved in 24 hours.


Not sure if their directions just mention their products pretty heavily or if there is a reason for it.

My impression was

Wash (heavy soap wash to cut)
Clay bar
Polish
Polish oils should come off with microfiber rag as i go?
then take over on the ceramic coating directions

Is that the wrong idea? Is the reload something they are saying to use during ceramic dry time or during maintenance washes?

[WhiteShadow89]

No real reason for it. Generally speaking, people like to stick with products from their coatings brands because it is the same brand. Perhaps there may be some formulation that makes their products work better, but a lot of these products are pretty interchangeable. CarPro will mention Iron X and Eraser, Gtechniq mentions W6 and panel wipe, truth is either of the recommendations work lol. From a maintenance perspective, you do want to make sure you are using ph neutral products.

Prep:
-Decontamination wash: Foam (if you have it), Shampoo, Iron/Fallout spray and clay. For claying I would definitely recommend a Nano Skin fine grade mitt or pad. Way quicker than traditional clay.
-Correct the paint: Ideally use a buffer. This step is dependant on the condition of your body work, could be one or multiple steps. You will end up most likely using a compound like M105, or at the very least a polish that has some cut.
-Rinse off any dust/residue, dry and final inspection to make sure you are free of etching and any marks that can be corrected.
-Panel Wipe/Eraser
-Apply coating: I do recommend CarPro's method of application. I also do it for Gtechniq, it is efficient in time and product application. Should be working in nothing larger than a 2ftx2ft box and buff. You will want to have two stacks of microfiber buffing towels. One to buff the box area-to just outside, and a second stack for buffing just inside the box area to way outside.
-Once done with application let dry in a garage, undisturbed for 24 hours. Try to avoid washing your car for 2 weeks.

For coating choices I agree with Guz and Mike. Pick a coating brand that has been around. CarPro CQuartz UK and Gtechniq CSL + EXO would be my top two choices.

[RowdyAudi01]

Sounds fair enough whiteshadow.... I have a buffer. since his car is brand new I am hoping a clay and polish will get it where it has to be.. We shall see though

[crownline08]

I would use the Eraser after polishing to ensure all oils are removed

4 criss-cross passes would be sufficient. I would think if you kept going until it feels dry it has already flashed and removing high spots will be difficult.

Reload is for both applications within 1 hour of applying coating and as a maintenance every couple of months

I used the Cquartz SIC on my 2004 Volvo and had amazing results. People as shocked when I tell them its an 04