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Hello. I had my interior detailed today (after recently having been exposed to paint dust at a body shop while getting partially repainted). I was asking what I should protect the paint with in three months when the new paint is fully cured. Their first recommendation was a "ceramic" coating that could cost hundreds of dollars. They also said there's a cheaper "quartz" coating that costs less. Then, of course, there's good old fashioned wax.
Does anybody have recommendations? I tried to research ceramic paint coatings and I found all sorts of conflicting info out there. Some said it's a scientific miracle and others said it's snake oil.
So, for a car that spends most of its life in the garage, should I just stick to wax? Or is it the opposite--would one of the modern coatings last forever on a car that spends most of its time indoors?
One of the detail shops nearby ran a special in March on ceramic coatings. They do require a re-treatment every six months to maintain their full effectiveness. The beauty of that special was that once paid, the maintenance applications were free for life (life of car, or detail shop I suppose). I had my Harley done for $500. It looked better after it was done at 18k miles than it did the day I picked it up. It's been well-worth it so far.
Even on my outdoor parked car, the cQuartz is working as advertised. It's 2 years old now. I had no illusions this will be "lifetime".
Just spraying the car off with a hose makes it look like almost as waxed. I'm impressed.
This is my car after a rainfall.....the surface is slick enough where the rainfall darn near washes the car.
Not sure what there's not to like. All of my car buddies with cQuartz (Vantage, S2000, Camaro 1LE, etc) are all similarly pleased.
Thank you gentlemen. I have to wait until at least July, but it sounds like cQuartz is the way to go.
CQuartz is a great product I believe it is rated for 3-5 years I think for protection. I have Opti-Coat Pro Plus on my car and it looks amazing everyday. I also garage my car so it is mostly kept out of the elements. My GS had the regular Opti-Coat non detailer version and it held up well to the elements and help to bead the water and shine. I would say the same that I don't think they are all lifetime but it does come down to the the detailer. You can order the CQuartz on autogeek.net for a 25%off discount usually.
Hello. I had my interior detailed today (after recently having been exposed to paint dust at a body shop while getting partially repainted). I was asking what I should protect the paint with in three months when the new paint is fully cured. Their first recommendation was a "ceramic" coating that could cost hundreds of dollars. They also said there's a cheaper "quartz" coating that costs less. Then, of course, there's good old fashioned wax.
Does anybody have recommendations? I tried to research ceramic paint coatings and I found all sorts of conflicting info out there. Some said it's a scientific miracle and others said it's snake oil.
Your average ceramic coatings do not cost hundreds of dollars when you do them yourself. Getting them done by detailers will cost hundreds if not over a thousand dollars. I would just do it yourself if you are concerned about price, they are not hard to apply at all.
Before you apply a ceramic coating you will want to make sure your finish is swirl, pollen, scratch free because once it is on it is going to basically lock all that in for a few years which may mean a polish before coating. You do have to really clean the surface before applying the coating especially if you polish it so that means dawn, panel wipe so it adheres properly.
You can get Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light for around $59 on Amazon, they have combo's that include CSL, EXO, and Panel wipe for a little over $100 which is a very good deal. Make sure to get several microfiber rags to wipe if off, normally using a 3 rag wipe process is best. CSL is supposed to last around 5 years. You more it is outside and gets washed, the less time they normally last.
There are some sealants/waxes that last a long time and offer more protection then your avg sealant/wax. Blackfire Wet Diamond is excellent, easy to apply, great durability, Zaino is still good though a bit pricey and a 2 step process, Collinite 476S is a excellent wax that is unique in that it outlasts and outprotects most sealants. GTechniq EXO is good stuff too.
A couple of buddies have suggested Meguiars Fast Finish. It's a synthetic polymer wax that's ridiculously easy to apply and remove (wipe on wipe off) and it lasts for up to a year.
They seem VERY impressed with it...though I have not used it yet.
When the time comes I definitely won't be doing the work myself. I'm going to want the whole car buffed, clayed, stripped, etc. and I'd really rather leave that to the pros.
Ceramic Paint Coating?
