Ceramic Coating - Should I take the plunge?

[LSX Maestro]

Ok so I have a few questions and want some open discussion on pros/cons of a Ceramic Coating, not necessarily a specific brands though I'm 99% sure I'd go with Adam's new 9H Paint Coating.  

 

First off, what happens if your car gets damaged, let's say rear ended or whatever and body work needs to be done.  Will the bodyshop sanding blow right through the coating? I've heard that some cars can have finish problems as Ceramic Coatings are so hard and the heat from sanding can drive it deeper into the metal/primer and the paint can have fish eye problems.  Does this mean any body panels will need to be polished/compounded first to remove the Ceramic Coating before hand? 

 

Secondly, what happens when the coating's hydrophobic properties wears off in lets say 2.5 years and strong washes/decon and Ceramic Boost doesn't revive it anymore.  Can you move right to a strip wash/clay/decon/light polish and Re-Coat? Or will you have to FULLY polish and make sure there is NO Ceramic Coating left on the paint? 

 

Third, let's say I sell my coated truck in 2 years with the coating still going strong, do I owe the owner the decency to give him a quick run down on maintenance and what may happen in the next year or so? What happens when a non-detailer or clean vehicle focused person buys a coated vehicle when the coating is failing?  Because the coating isn't really gone, you just can't see the benefits anymore.  

 

And what maintenance does a coating need? I'd expect regular washes with Strip Wash or another aggressive soap like Carpro Reset that's designed to clean the nanoparticles and restore the beading.  Then a light clay/decon 1-2 times per year? Is that all? 

 

Thanks

[nasastang]

• Should not be any issue with body shop work being done, sanding/polishing/compounding should remove most coating no problem.
• A coating near or at its end of life should only need a polish to remove it. I know M205/Jescar can. So Adams correcting/finishing polish should do the trick. But can always test an area to confirm its removed.
• That is up to you really,  I personally would tell the person/dealer I was selling to it is coated. Is if I was selling it myself, I would give the person some tips on caring for it. But like you said some people do not care about that kind of stuff and who knows if the dealer would pass it on anyways.
• Maintaining my coatings I usually do a decon wash 2 times per year(definitely after winter). Something like Strip Wash/Reset/Iron and Tar Remover and a light claying if any build up. For regular washes I just use the good ol' Adams Car Shampoo.  At least once every couple months top it with a product like Ceramic Boost/Reload etc. On my personal vehicles I usually use a topper after every wash, just cause.

 

[shane@detailedreflections]

A body shop sanding the coating will absolutely remove it without issues. None of the coatings are hard enough to withstand that. Sand it off. Then polish out the sanding marks and start over. 

 

By by the time your coating wears off, you’ll want to do a full polish anyway. In my opinion it’s a non issue. So to replace the coating when the coating wears, you want to do the whole process again to reinstall. 

 

I would tell them it was ceramic coated (as it may add value in their eyes) and how to maintain it. As for the what may happen, the coating simply doesn’t work like it once did. It’s not like the paint will fall off the car surprising them. I’d simply tell them it’s coated in x coating and maintained this way. The coating typically lasts however long and you’re this far into its lifespan. Let them ask questions from there. Keep in mind that most people won’t maintain it correctly anyway. 

 

The maintenance depends on the coating. At minimum it’s a thorough decon once or twice a year. Adjust depending on how much it’s driven and conditions. Some coatings require a spray topper. Some don’t. Some require a full reapplication of a top layer. Some don’t. Once you settle on a coating, the maintenance is easier to discuss. 

 

Hope this helps. 

[tlbullet]

LSX..i was gonna ask same questions. I just recieved my new CC kit yesterday and will be applying it this weekend.  

 Shane u say once it fails (maybe 2 yrs), i will need to polish and re apply.  Do you think the SK w finish polish (fp) will do the job or will i need COrrecting polish first then FP?

  And will a light claying once or twice a year cause swirl marks/scratches?? 

  I grabbed a gallon of WnW and plan on using that for washing w the premium foam gun. 

 Ill try to post some pics of the application process.    Afraid of getting high spots on the coating ????

[LSX Maestro]

Thanks for the info so far. Seems there’s no real downside besides the more tedious application which I don’t mind at all. 

 

So to be clear, at the end of the Adam’s coating, polish it with correcting and re-apply or take a new path.  First response said “You can always test to see if it’s gone” when finished polishing, how does one do that? Considering the hydrophobic properties are gone and a product like Ceramic boost is going to make it feel coated for at least another few weeks. 

[shane@detailedreflections]

To see if the coating is gone, put water on the surface and see how it reacts. If water stays, it’s gone or ready to go in a different direction. 

 

And claying shouldn’t cause damage as long as you use enough lubrication. 

 

Use a lot of lights to check for high spots. Buff more than where you applied the coating so when you spread it you get it all. And be thorough in your prep. 

[VetteDream]

LSX, I just coated my C7 a few weeks ago and am very happy I did it.  Great questions you asked, as I was wondering about a few of the same things.  

 

As you mentioned, the tedious prep was the biggest part of it, and took many hours.  As far as maintenance, I would add that I just received Ceramic Paste Wax, as I took advantage of the sale last week.  I know opinions vary on Ceramic Boost and the jury is still out on Ceramic Paste Wax.  Based on my personal experience, I dislike CB, but I find CPW to be easy to use, and it appears (at least to me) to add a little gloss.  Throw in the protection it adds on top of that, and I think the combination of the new 9H formula and CPW adds up to 2-3 years or more, depending on conditions.  I may use CB after several washes, before I wax again, but I am guessing the wax will prolong the need for it quite a bit. 

[tlbullet]

12 minutes ago, VetteDream said:

LSX, I just coated my C7 a few weeks ago and am very happy I did it.  Great questions you asked, as I was wondering about a few of the same things.  

 

As you mentioned, the tedious prep was the biggest part of it, and took many hours.  As far as maintenance, I would add that I just received Ceramic Paste Wax, as I took advantage of the sale last week.  I know opinions vary on Ceramic Boost and the jury is still out on Ceramic Paste Wax.  Based on my personal experience, I dislike CB, but I find CPW to be easy to use, and it appears (at least to me) to add a little gloss.  Throw in the protection it adds on top of that, and I think the combination of the new 9H formula and CPW adds up to 2-3 years or more, depending on conditions.  I may use CB after several washes, before I wax again, but I am guessing the wax will prolong the need for it quite a bit. 

What would your reason be for disliking the CB??  Im going to CC my car tomorrow!  I already have the CB on hand.    Going to wash with WNW then maintain with CB for now.   

[VetteDream]

11 hours ago, tlbullet said:

What would your reason be for disliking the CB??  Im going to CC my car tomorrow!  I already have the CB on hand.    Going to wash with WNW then maintain with CB for now.   

 

For me CB is sticky/tacky and not easy to work with.  I used it after CC, as suggested, and it does leave the surface slicker.  However, it streaks, and is so tacky that it leaves sticky lint along the edges of panels after you wipe it off.  Admittedly, I used too much after ceramic coating, spraying several times directly on each panel.  What I have found is that if you spray a little bit onto a MF towel, wipe it on, let it streak, then use a second towel to wipe it off, it is easier to use.  Even doing that, I still get lint residue after using it.  You will immediately feel how sticky it is when your towel sticks to the surface the first time you use it, and you have to apply a lot of pressure to keep that from happening.  Again, that happens with light misting onto the towel or panel.  Don’t get fooled by the video of Adam doing the Porsche, where he sprays CB 3-4 mists in the small 2x2 area.  That amount will be very difficult to deal with.   Others really like CB and even use it on non-coated cars.  I just don’t like any product that requires so much pressure to work it off.  I would think that its nature would introduce fine scratches if there is any dust/dirt present at all, since so much pressure is required.  It is nothing like working with DS or WW, for example.  BTW, I used new Adam’s single soft MF towels each time, so it wasn’t the towels.  As I said, it does leave the surface slick in the end, and it may add a little gloss as well.  

 

EDIT:  I am in SC, and temps have been high 80’s to mid-90’s with very high humidity.  

Edited June 3, 2018 by VetteDream

[LSX Maestro]

2 hours ago, VetteDream said:

 

For me CB is sticky/tacky and not easy to work with.  I used it after CC, as suggested, and it does leave the surface slicker.  However, it streaks, and is so tacky that it leaves sticky lint along the edges of panels after you wipe it off.  Admittedly, I used too much after ceramic coating, spraying several times directly on each panel.  What I have found is that if you spray a little bit onto a MF towel, wipe it on, let it streak, then use a second towel to wipe it off, it is easier to use.  Even doing that, I still get lint residue after using it.  You will immediately feel how sticky it is when your towel sticks to the surface the first time you use it, and you have to apply a lot of pressure to keep that from happening.  Again, that happens with light misting onto the towel or panel.  Don’t get folded by the video of Adam doing the Porsche, where he sprays CB 3-4 mists in the small 2x2 area.  That amount will be very difficult to deal with.   Others really like CB and even use it on non-coated cars.  I just don’t like any product that requires so much pressure to work it off.  I would think that its nature would introduce fine scratches if there is any dust/dirt present at all, since so much pressure is required.  It is nothing like working with DS or WW, for example.  BTW, I used new Adam’s single soft MF towels each time, so it wasn’t the towels.  As I said, it does leave the surface slick in the end, and it may add a little gloss as well.  

Wow interesting.  I have not heard any Adam's product be that hard to use.  

 

I'm pretty much decided on Ceramic Coating my truck and Camaro as soon as possible at this point.  I'm ready to stop waxing every other weekend. Hoping Ceramic Boost works well for me, if not, I'll test Reload on it as well. 

[blcksilv08]

5 hours ago, LSX Maestro said:

Wow interesting.  I have not heard any Adam's product be that hard to use.  

 

I'm pretty much decided on Ceramic Coating my truck and Camaro as soon as possible at this point.  I'm ready to stop waxing every other weekend. Hoping Ceramic Boost works well for me, if not, I'll test Reload on it as well. 

Boost can be a little tricky to remove sometimes compared to say Detail Spray but there's a lot more going on with Boost than Detail Spray.  Humidity and temperature can be a huge factor using Boost.  Some guys actually spray it on, spread it with a microfiber applicator and then wipe off with a clean towel.  I go with the mindset that less is more, you really don't need to use much because after the first couple wipes there is plenty of product in the towel.  I almost treat it like using H2O Guard and Gloss.