Buttery Wax vs Ceramic Boost

[Rolling_history_teacher]

So I just had 3 layers of ceramic put on my car yesterday and the guy mentioned that I should put a coat of wax on in the next few weeks or so. I was originally going to go with the Buttery Wax based on recommendations, but then stumbled across the Ceramic Boost. Is there a benefit of one over the other, given that I just had the ceramic put on yesterday?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[shane@detailedreflections]

You could use a wax over your coating, but why?  Coatings tend to be silica based and waxes are plant or polymer based. Waxes will change the contact angle which is where the hydrophobic property comes from. If you use a product over your coating, you’ll have the best results with a ceramic based product (boost, ceramic wax, etc.). 

 

One of the benefits of a coating is less maintenance required (not maintenance free). Adding a short term wax like Buttery (which has a SHORT lifespan) is counterintuitive. 

[camaro2ssblack]

Your guy gave you some bad advice.  I would never wax over a coating.  

[falcaineer]

As @shane@detailedreflections said, why? The only wax from Adam's I'd consider applying over a coating is the Ceramic Paste Wax for the reasons Shane outlined. Well, that, and that's what it's designed for...to be applied over a ceramic coating. Otherwise, I'm not sure why he would give you that advice. Ceramic Boost is a maintenance product that will enhance your coating and can be applied monthly or so, but that's not a wax. 🤔

[shane@detailedreflections]

Can I also ask what coating was installed on your car?  I’m curious as to what product was used and if the installer was just someone who installed it versus an authorized/accredited installer?

[Rich]

You don't need wax after the ceramic coating.  Ceramic boost once in a while is all you need.  But if you are sure in your mind that you must wax your ride, pick up the Ceramic wax for the longest lasting protection.  

I agree with Chase. Your buddy gave you some bad advice.  I'm wondering why you needed 3 coats of ceramic coating. 

[enoch7fa]

Ha!! car dealers and detailers that work at and for car dealers are applying ceramic coating and making bank these days. Usually they keep it a 2 or 3 days and put multiple layers on them I just had a few neighbors with new cars get it done before they brought the car home.  this is the stuff I was sort of talking about on another topic post.  is applying more coats of ceramic coating a waste?  does that go for the spray coating also?  and if more layers of coating or spray wax or adding ceramic paste wax to the spray coating improve durability? help us out adams

[shane@detailedreflections]

Let’s clear up some confusion on the layers of coating and if they’re useful. 

 

Some coatings are designed to function in layers. So yes, some may require layered application. Adam’s is not designed that way as it’s s consumer grade coating. 

 

Our flagship coating is a three layer process. A very hard base layer which provides the durability and two coats of a slightly softer (remember hardness isn’t the be all of coatings) that’s more hydrophobic and essentially a “sacrificial” top coat which may be removed/repaired/replaced as needed. 

 

Adam’s has provided clear instructions on the use of their coating and wouldn’t speak to other brands of products and their application. It’s always a good idea to follow the instructions and guidelines for whatever products you’re using. That documentation was written by those that know the most about the product. 

 

Dealers do make a killing selling coatings. But it has nothing to do with the number of layers or how long they keep the vehicle for. It has everything to do with that a bunch of prep steps are skipped since “it’s new.” Even new cars benefit greatly from polishing and decontamination. 

[Rolling_history_teacher]

Whew, that's a lot of answers!

Okay, so it was 3 layers of Kenzo ceramic, done by a local installer. He is highly recommended in the local Porsche group, and does really good work.

When describing in my initial post, I was off on my timeline. His recommendation was after 3-4 washes go over it with wax; the justification being that sitting out all day in the elements the softer coatings mentioned by Shane would eventually just get worn down. So I suppose that after a bit it would be best to reinforce the softer layers with wax.

[shane@detailedreflections]

21 minutes ago, Rolling_history_teacher said:

Whew, that's a lot of answers!

Okay, so it was 3 layers of Kenzo ceramic, done by a local installer. He is highly recommended in the local Porsche group, and does really good work.

When describing in my initial post, I was off on my timeline. His recommendation was after 3-4 washes go over it with wax; the justification being that sitting out all day in the elements the softer coatings mentioned by Shane would eventually just get worn down. So I suppose that after a bit it would be best to reinforce the softer layers with wax.

 

Kenzo is a decent product. I’d think it’s more durable than 3-4 washes. I wonder if he’s just being overly cautious. If you’re going to use wax, use ceramic wax. It’ll play well with the coating and maintain contact angles and all the technical stuff. 

 

For our flagship coating we typically throw down a quick finishing polish to smooth/correct any issues and reapply a single layer. We do that at the cost of a standard service rather than coating install variant. If a client has spent enough up front to put the coating on, I won’t work them over for another big bill for annual maintenance when it takes my guys an extra hour or so to apply the top layer again.

[Rolling_history_teacher]

1 hour ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

Kenzo is a decent product. I’d think it’s more durable than 3-4 washes. I wonder if he’s just being overly cautious. If you’re going to use wax, use ceramic wax. It’ll play well with the coating and maintain contact angles and all the technical stuff. 

 

For our flagship coating we typically throw down a quick finishing polish to smooth/correct any issues and reapply a single layer. We do that at the cost of a standard service rather than coating install variant. If a client has spent enough up front to put the coating on, I won’t work them over for another big bill for annual maintenance when it takes my guys an extra hour or so to apply the top layer again.

Okay, cool, this helps. Yeah, I took it as just wanting the coating to last as long as possible. He mentioned when the car is sitting outside at work, if it rains he'd rather the rain sit on the wax than directly on the coating. Not because the coating was weak or anything, just that extra little bit of protection on my investment.

I hadn't considered how wax would interact with the ceramic coating; still new to going this extra bit for my cars. This one is 4 weeks old and I want to keep it looking fresh for a nice long while. My others weren't bad by any means but a wax was extremely rare for them.