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Speed bumps along the “Road” to Ceramic Coating


UTVol

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Fellow travelers,

 

Come and grab a pint of ale and sit by the fire to warm yourself as I lay out the story of the journey so far.

 

So this trip started back in October for me out here in the Front Range of Colorado.  I got in my car and swung through the chemical decontamination and two bucket wash area before getting back on the road to the town of Clay Bar.  Once I got to town I found a nice uninsulated garage attached to a house to protect the vehicle from the elements.  The only issue is that our shelter did not really address the frigid temperatures and family events that distract from continuing my quest for Advanced Graphene Ceramic greatness.  Fighting through various family members to finally find solace in taking a using some waterless wash to get the dust off followed by a diluted alcohol strip-spray to all of the vehicle.  In preparation for the coming snowy tundra and frigid  temperatures predicted along my quest I went to the depot of weapons and home goods to  obtain a propane jet heater in order to keep the vehicle and area at a reasonable temperature while finalizing the Clay Bar and Polishing side quests to produce the mirror perfect paint reflection and contamination free glass areas. This physical decontamination process and compounding repeated many times to remove 95% or so of the love marks that have been created in this painted armor on my stead. Being my first encounter with this German made AMG Cardinal Red armor, I was quite impressed at the amount of clay bar and compound steps need to be performed.  Waning from the sheer intensity and likely perfectionist attitude  I decided to finish with a double pass of polishing over the entire vehicle, glass and armor alike. 

 

Here I find myself finishing these quests and sitting here staring at this beautiful stead.  Armed with my Mr. Heater 60,000 BTU forced air heater and partially insulated garage containment with insulated garage doors, I  am being forced to make some decisions about the future of my journey and how and when to continue it.   At this point I have been able to say that the heater has made the garage even too warm on some of the warmer days we have had here at 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit with lows in the low double digits at night outside. Now I seek the knowledge of my fellow travelers of this road or any of the honorable expert knights from the House of Adam’s Polishes, who have blazed this treacherous path and paved it with products and processes that even a mere apprentice like myself can travel this road with ease.

 

Now that the darn horse trader that I bought this trusty stead has sent a messenger crow.  He has agreed to fix his failed attempt at the passenger side tinting of glass that is separating at the bottom of the glass.  Upon the reading of the message and weather forecasts that are predicting more snow blowing in to this area, I debate how to potentially delaying my quest.

 

On one hand, assuming the roads clear in the near future (including the 1/8 mile of un-plowed ice sheet referred to as neighborhood way),  I could gently drive my unprotected stead to the horse trader for repair ensuring that the horse trader does not “forget” or reverse his decision due to some type of time limit or warranty thing.  This would minimally require that repeat some of the strip wash, claybar, and surface prep stages before starting the application of the Advanced Graphene Ceramic 60ml bottle.  I have concerns about the rocks and debris  along the road behind me back to the horse trader and the potential damage that these hazards could have on my trusty stead.  If going this route should I throw some wax or something over the armor before making that journey or just take the chance?

 

Now in the other hand, I could brandish my Mr. Heater and warm the area up, do the surface prep spray wipe down and attempt to apply 1 or 2 coats of the Advanced Graphene Ceramic coating allowing a min of 24hrs to cure but expect a minimum of 1 week before it sees the outside at all.  Doing this all during the winter months on the front range of Colorado means that I doubt we will have many days that are 60 degrees or more outside. I think we may see highs similar to the temperatures reported in the above description. Will the product be able to cure in this condition?  Would I need to run the propane heater to maintain some temperature level during the entire curing time? 24hr? 1 week? 

 

Lastly I have the third option of just pausing my quest while this winter weather has engulfed our position.  Waiting out this storm under the protection of the garage will all time for the weather to return to warmer temperatures and only really needing to do a light wash (maybe) and a surface prep wipe down.  The warmer temperatures will ensure that the coating behaves the best, according to the videos and blogs. It would potentially endanger my working with the horse trader, not sure of the chances there.

 

So fellow travelers and honorable knights, I request any information, experience, and/or advice you may have in navigating these tricky speed bumps on the road to this hardened glossy ceramic nirvana. 

 

Regards,

Sir UTVol, first of his name.

 

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Hi John,
You have proven that you have a knack for writing and I enjoyed your article.   My first concern is about the storage of your chemicals and ensuring that they do not freeze or overheat.  If it is possible for you to keep your chemicals in a climate controlled environment, it would be best for their longevity.

 

While I cannot tell you about the curing time for extreme cold, I do know that when it is below 50, there is a noticeable difference in using the chemicals.  That has little to with the point that I live in South Carolina and anything below 50 is generally unacceptable.

 

The next concern would be if you do take it out is what is used on the roads in Colorado.  Some of the road deicing products can be harsh and can be gritty which could easily mar the paint surface when you do a waterless or rinseless wash.   Other than waiting for a warm period to when you know you can do a proper wash or moving to a warmer climate, I'm not sure what else to suggest.  However, we have many members from the colder areas, including one of our moderates. @falcaineer who lives in Colorado and may be able to provide some additional insight, including directions on how to get to the Adam's headquarters in Colorado. 

 

The car looks great and I'm not saying that because it is Red, but it most certainly does help.

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