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Professional Ceramic Coating - Which Would You Choose?

Vettel-ish

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Suggestions please... I enjoy cleaning my car and really appreciate a good deep shine. I ordered a silver Mach 1 which is due in about 2 months, and was thinking the first thing to do would be drive it straight home the 5 miles from the dealer and do some kind of paint protection and shine before any normal wear happens, including pulling the birdsnest handling package wheels and coating them inside and out.

I donā€™t want to spend hundreds on pro ceramic coating or try to fix any manufacturer sloppiness to make it show-winning condition. I just want a really shiny car that lasts. Iā€™ve used the Adams spray ceramic and it looks great at first but doesnā€™t seem to last very long.

So knowing that - whatā€™s the minimum prep work that I could get away with, and what products should I consider for the coating? Iā€™m OK with spending all day in the garage if itā€™s necessary.

Thanks in advance experts!
Ship the car to me :) I will do it.

Best thing you can do it watch youtube. Obsessed garage and AMMO nyc are the best out there for my liking. Buy their stuff its top notch and go to town. Doing the research vs paying someone is up to you. I love doing it and and mind learning something new. I dont do it for the money. Doing a GMC terrain right now and I am 15 hours in. Total job is like $1200.00.
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Mikepol2

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And yes prep is more important than the coating. Are you going to paint correct/polish?

Decon soap, iron remover, clay bar, dry. I that order. Do wheels First.
OK great thanks for the suggestions and yep I want to DIY, not pay someone. I guess my main question besides what products to use, was what prep is necessary since it will be a brand new car... I guess the only chance it will have had for any swirl marks or other damage would be during dealer prep before I pick it up. So would paint correction be needed? Was thinking clay, wash, polish, ceramic, without paint correction? Also I have no polishing equipment and don't know what to use.
 

kilobravo

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Iā€™m OK with spending all day in the garage if itā€™s necessary.
Mike: First, I second Andy's recommendations right down the line. That said...

- Not many owners have the proper tools for proper paint correction and odds are you don't..no offense. If you do have a good DA polisher or two and know how to use it/them, that's a huge step in the right direction.

Without those, you can't "correct the paint" and you will essentially be coating the car "as is" and will have to accept any imperfections in the paint. For many, that is acceptable when compared to the cost of a thorough and proper correction job, ESPECIALLY on a brand new car.

BUT you can still coat the paint with the best coating you can afford and be dilligent about taking your time, and double wiping off each section with separate towels.

However, it took me a couple days just to do my first coating on the wife's car with C.Quartz and another two days to coat the Shelby.

So, as long as you are willing to put out the time and energy, it can be done for basically the cost of the pads, compounds, throw away towels and coating. BUT, you gotta have the stuff.

- Applying a professional grade coating CAN be done without tools and only requires, a bit of obsessive disorder, patience, and attention to detail. <smile> Going on is nothing, it's the removal that causes problems when areas are not fully buffed clean. The old "high spot" thing. A full, double buff with clean and cleaner towels worked best for me.
 

Mikepol2

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Mike: First, I second Andy's recommendations right down the line. That said...

- Not many owners have the proper tools for proper paint correction and odds are you don't..no offense. If you do have a good DA polisher or two and know how to use it/them, that's a huge step in the right direction.

Without those, you can't "correct the paint" and you will essentially be coating the car "as is" and will have to accept any imperfections in the paint. For many, that is acceptable when compared to the cost of a thorough and proper correction job, ESPECIALLY on a brand new car.

BUT you can still coat the paint with the best coating you can afford and be dilligent about taking your time, and double wiping off each section with separate towels.

However, it took me a couple days just to do my first coating on the wife's car with C.Quartz and another two days to coat the Shelby.

So, as long as you are willing to put out the time and energy, it can be done for basically the cost of the pads, compounds, throw away towels and coating. BUT, you gotta have the stuff.

- Applying a professional grade coating CAN be done without tools and only requires, a bit of obsessive disorder, patience, and attention to detail. <smile> Going on is nothing, it's the removal that causes problems when areas are not fully buffed clean. The old "high spot" thing. A full, double buff with clean and cleaner towels worked best for me.
OK thanks! So what I don't think I heard from either of you is "paint correction is necessary on a brand new car."

I love to wash and wax, and dabbled in learning detailing in the early 1990's. Parking the car for 2-3 days worth of work doesn't bother me. But right now I have two buckets and that's about it.

So sounds like I need a polisher, pads, and compound, then a ceramic kit. I'm OK with a $100-ish ceramic kit, and would like to find the polishing equipment and material for $200 or less if possible. If you or Andy have any opinions there on specifics I am all ears.

Thanks again guys!
 

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Vettel-ish

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ction job, ESPECIALLY on a brand new car.

BUT you can still coat the paint with the best coating you can afford and be dilligent about taking your time, and double wiping off each section with separate towels.

However, it took me a c
OK thanks! So what I don't think I heard from either of you is "paint correction is necessary on a brand new car."

I love to wash and wax, and dabbled in learning detailing in the early 1990's. Parking the car for 2-3 days worth of work doesn't bother me. But right now I have two buckets and that's about it.

So sounds like I need a polisher, pads, and compound, then a ceramic kit. I'm OK with a $100-ish ceramic kit, and would like to find the polishing equipment and material for $200 or less if possible. If you or Andy have any opinions there on specifics I am all ears.

Thanks again guys!
Again going back to will the car "need it". I have a felling it will however does not mean you need to do it. KB and I are on another planet for this kind of stuff. 95% of the population will never see what we might see. Again does not mean it wont look amazing. We are just trying to gauge how crazy you want to get.

Wash and wax has changed more in the last 5 years than in the last 30 combined.

I have a major appreciation to Matt from OG and Larry from AMMO.
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/
https://www.ammonyc.com/product/ammo-reflex-pro-pre-sale/

Both sell what you will need and both have taught me what I know today. Their you tubes have how to that will guide you along the way.

Ammo reflex is a bit different than a "coating" It will not have major repercussion if not applied correctly. If you put on a "glass" coating and do it wrong you will have some issues.

If you like to wash / wax the car maybe a coating is not right for you. If you were a customer of mine I would recommend a high end sealant or wax as you like the tough the car. Most coatings I apply are for folks that want to wash the car 5 times a year. Just a thought.
 

Bikeman315

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OK thanks! So what I don't think I heard from either of you is "paint correction is necessary on a brand new car."
The answer Mike is most likely. My Oxford White GT/CS was two weeks old when I brought it to my detailer. I like you figured no big deal it's a new car. And it's white. I was soooo wrong. My guy put the lights on and showed me the paint. It took the better part of a day to perfect it. If you want perfection like Andy would do & KB did then you are in for quite a bit of time and expense. But you can still do it yourself and come through with a fantastic job. Good luck whatever way you choose to do it. :like:
 

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Andy: I would just add to your comments that as a VERY frequent washer/waxxer, I might appreciate the coating even more because it becomes effortless. AND, I don't have to put a detail spray or Beadmaker on it after every wash.
 

Vettel-ish

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Andy: I would just add to your comments that as a VERY frequent washer/waxxer, I might appreciate the coating even more because it becomes effortless. AND, I don't have to put a detail spray or Beadmaker on it after every wash.
Yeah for sure we are the same, however I dont want a new guy trying to coat a car and have issues. Not that its hard but it can be. Cant stress enough on the decon stage.
 

Mikepol2

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OK this is all great, I feel much better now. I think I'm between you guys and the just-wash-it,-it's-good-enough crowd. Even with 5 miles on it will definitely clay, will research buying a polisher, and find a ceramic / coating that's not too hard for beginners to apply. Time is not an issue. Appreciate all the insight gurus!!
 

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Vettel-ish

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OK this is all great, I feel much better now. I think I'm between you guys and the just-wash-it,-it's-good-enough crowd. Even with 5 miles on it will definitely clay, will research buying a polisher, and find a ceramic / coating that's not too hard for beginners to apply. Time is not an issue. Appreciate all the insight gurus!!
There is a new product called auto scrub thats better than clay. Not as harsh. Its like a soft rubber. That car wont need clay. However it might need iron remove if it came by rail.
 

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Jeez for some of those prices listed youā€™d be better off getting ppf which actually will prevent rock chips where as ceramic will 100% not and anyone who says it does is mistaken. Ceramic is good and all but most of the belief behind it is marketing, it does not prevent scratches. It can help to some extent similar to waxes. But at the end of the day itā€™s just a really glorified wax that makes washing the car easier. I would not spend 2K for ceramic coating but thatā€™s just my opinion. And yes Iā€™ve had both professional grade ceramic and do it yourself ceramic such as CQuartz. At the end of the day they had similar results.
 

Mikepol2

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Jeez for some of those prices listed youā€™d be better off getting ppf which actually will prevent rock chips where as ceramic will 100% not and anyone who says it does is mistaken. Ceramic is good and all but most of the belief behind it is marketing, it does not prevent scratches. It can help to some extent similar to waxes. But at the end of the day itā€™s just a really glorified wax that makes washing the car easier. I would not spend 2K for ceramic coating but thatā€™s just my opinion. And yes Iā€™ve had both professional grade ceramic and do it yourself ceramic such as CQuartz. At the end of the day they had similar results.
Well at this point my goal is to DIY my new car and put whatever elbow grease and time is needed for as close to pro ceramic results as I can get for $250-$300. What really got me thinking about all this stuff are the Mach 1 handling package wheels... the thought of trying to clean brake dust off them is terrifying! šŸ˜‚
 

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Jeez for some of those prices listed youā€™d be better off getting ppf which actually will prevent rock chips where as ceramic will 100% not and anyone who says it does is mistaken. Ceramic is good and all but most of the belief behind it is marketing, it does not prevent scratches. It can help to some extent similar to waxes. But at the end of the day itā€™s just a really glorified wax that makes washing the car easier. I would not spend 2K for ceramic coating but thatā€™s just my opinion. And yes Iā€™ve had both professional grade ceramic and do it yourself ceramic such as CQuartz. At the end of the day they had similar results.
PPF and ceramic serve two different functions. PPF is for protection and ceramic for easy maintenance over a much longer time than wax (years vs. months). You are certainly correct in your assessment of the way some ceramics, especially consumer products are merchandised. But I believe that pro grade ceramics are a lot more than just glorified waxes. My car has both so I feel that Iā€™m covered.
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