The Ceramic bandwagon

[gfh77665]

What exactly does "Ceramic" mean in real life? The word "Ceramic" seems to be attached to nearly everything, especially detailing products. Is this just another version of the "nano-whatever" marketing fad? Or does it actually mean something?

 

[KoboldTaco]

Nope, function. In tint, ceramic is used to reject heat better than semi-metallic and it won't interfere with your key fob.

Brake pads - good for smaller cars, and trucks. Semi-metallic handle heat dissipation better and are more gooder on larger trucks etc IMHO.

So the answer I think is, it depends on the use and your desired outcome.

 

[gfh77665]

I can understand those applications, brakes, YES, but what I don't understand is all the detailing products. I passed a "Ceramic carwash" today. Seriously?

 

[bcbouy]

ceramic,graphene,all a waste of money on a daily driving machine in my opinion.it doesn't protect the finish from scratches and dings.all it does is keep the paint shiny.at a huge cost.i have a bottle of cquartz i've yet to put on anything.i may do one of my boats with it one day.

 

[Treburkulosis]

Most of the available to the public stuff is all a hoax. The only Ceramic coatings I would trust is Cquartz pro or finest reserve "you have to have a license to buy it" Modesta "you have to have a license to buy it" Shine Supply Beadlock or Koch Chemie C0.02. For a excellent driver coating go with the teflon Modesta as I call it Undrdog Pro.

 

[Treburkulosis]

Here is some bandwagon pictures after its fresh wash. Took me 30 minutes including the wheels and blowing it off.

 

[Pull Ya]

I think the key is to do your homework. If you want to save a few bucks and buy a cheap alternative you should expect diminished results. There are acceptable alternatives to the "pro only" ceramic coatings but you have to pick and choose carefully. If you have a hard time, talk to someone you trust and have proven over time to give accurate advice. There seem to be as many "experts" out there as there are "ceramic products".
Jay

 

[tron67j]

I never really worried about coatings and stuff. This is a picture of my truck, lighting not the greatest as it is inside at night with a led ceiling light. I have only washed it with Turtle Wax car wash, no wax or any coating ever. 2018, bought new in 2019.

 

[19Slick69]

I have to agree with BcBouy, waste of time on daily drivers. I've been detailing cars since the 70's. Have seen almost everything out there, within reason. Rusty Jones, PolyGlyCoat, now Ceramic coatings. I've tried two different products, one from Meguiars, the other TEC582. All require a wash, paint clean (buff) then their product application. Bottom line, is it the buffing, paint cleaning that gives the 'slick' feel after all said and done, or is it the ceramic application? Hard to say, but subsequent washes and most airborne dirt will wash right off. Heavier debris on paint will require a thorough wash and away goes your ceramic coating. For show vehicles, yes, for daily drives I would lean to...'no'...and stick with a normal vehicle wash/wax routine. Just my opinion

 

[Treburkulosis]

I have to agree with BcBouy, waste of time on daily drivers. I've been detailing cars since the 70's. Have seen almost everything out there, within reason. Rusty Jones, PolyGlyCoat, now Ceramic coatings. I've tried two different products, one from Meguiars, the other TEC582. All require a wash, paint clean (buff) then their product application. Bottom line, is it the buffing, paint cleaning that gives the 'slick' feel after all said and done, or is it the ceramic application? Hard to say, but subsequent washes and most airborne dirt will wash right off. Heavier debris on paint will require a thorough wash and away goes your ceramic coating. For show vehicles, yes, for daily drives I would lean to...'no'...and stick with a normal vehicle wash/wax routine. Just my opinion

Its all in the prep. It truly is. What you see as the end result is all in the hours you put into the paint correction and polish. It also comes down to what pads and compounds you use. For mine I used a mixture of stuff as the day I was doing the cutting it was storming so it was constantly changing. I started with Koch Chemie H9 and then it stopped working so I went to 105 meguiars that worked for a panel and then stopped. I then had to bounce around between Meguiars 101 and Rupes blue corse with switching from a red meguiars microfiber pad to a Rupes blue wool pad. My final ultimately was Koch chemie F6 as essence wasn't nearly as clear under the light. I opted to use a Rupes yellow foam pad vs a meguiars black microfiber because it is not metallic and was a lot more clearer. I always suggest with coatings for DD Undrdog all day long. It was designed to hold up to a DD. If you can maintain a ceramic coating then Cquartz Pro all day long. The Finest Reserve and Modesta I would only suggest on a high end vehicle and or letting me maintain it for you. It really seems like its a lot of work and yes to the beginner it can seem overwhelming. Especially when you drop 2-5k on a cars paint. In the end its about washing it correctly, blowing it dry, and keeping the coating moisturized. That is all it takes.

 

[Ramfanski]

I find the Adam’s grapheme products to be very affordable and easy to use. I use the advanced spray. I like it better than any other wax I have used. I do it every other year. I used the regular spray on my previous pickup and liked it.

The boost is great after a wash.

With a white vehicle, it gets gets tiger stripes after rains. The coatings make it very easy to spray clean. It also makes getting sap off very easy. Waxes do too, but they just don’t last like the graphene spray.

 

[ppine]

I have tried the new ceramic coating. It is easy to apply, and looks good. They may provide some paint protection.
It could be my imagination, but it seems to attract things like dust and tree pollen. The Delmonico Red is hard to keep clean. It may just be the color, but the ceramic may have something to do with it. What do you think?

 

[Treburkulosis]

I have tried the new ceramic coating. It is easy to apply, and looks good. They may provide some paint protection.
It could be my imagination, but it seems to attract things like dust and tree pollen. The Delmonico Red is hard to keep clean. It may just be the color, but the ceramic may have something to do with it. What do you think?

What product did you use? I know with the Koch Chemie and Undrdog products they are great repellants to dust as well.

 

[Treburkulosis]

Here is mine. Almost a year in. Koch Chemie C0.02

 

[G/T jonny]

Treburk, your picture in post #6 of the reflection with the red brick house- that’s amazing. Did you wet block the factory paint to get rid of the orange peel?

 

[Treburkulosis]

Treburk, your picture in post #6 of the reflection with the red brick house- that’s amazing. Did you wet block the factory paint to get rid of the orange peel?

I did some wet sanding in the really bad spots. Rotary took care of the rest. Then it was getting out 11 years worth of scratches. It took everything that day because it was storming and the humidity kept changing. I finally got it cut and then I used Koch Chemie F6 to polish it out. I had like 40 hours in paint correction and about 3 hours of polishing. Total time with two layers of Koch Chemie C0.02 I had about 55 hours in the paint. Then 48 hours of cure time. People always swallow their bubble gum when you coat them 3-4k to do it all with the coating. This is what I was dealing with.

 

[Treburkulosis]

Here is another coated vehicle. My wifes 21 Jeep Cherokee L. It is not ceramic coated it had Undrdog which I speak highly of. Here is after its bi weekly rinse off.

 

[gfh77665]

I have tried the new ceramic coating. It is easy to apply, and looks good. They may provide some paint protection.
It could be my imagination, but it seems to attract things like dust and tree pollen. The Delmonico Red is hard to keep clean. It may just be the color, but the ceramic may have something to do with it. What do you think?

It is! I absolutely love the Delmonico Red, so much so I insisted on it, but it is very difficult to keep clean. When clean though its the richest color out there.

 

[Treburkulosis]

It is! I absolutely love the Delmonico Red, so much so I insisted on it, but it is very difficult to keep clean. When clean though its the richest color out there.

Seriously look into Undrdog. Run a real quick polish with Koch Chemie F6 and then coat it with Undrdog. You won't be disappointed I promise.