Best ceramic coating product?

[sybergeek]

I just got my X5 and did DIY ceramic coating using "Adam's Polishes Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating - 10H Graphene Coating". Quite pleased with results. It's simple process : Apply, wait, Buff. How long to wait will depend on Temperature & Humidity. For me in Houston, TX at 95F temperature & 60% humidity .. I waited for approx 1 minute between applying & buffing. For colder temperature need to wait longer.

Details are at this YT video :

[iceburgh]

I'm not sure I know exactly what is the best despite probably having committed 10 hours to research and even having had a few premium coatings on my cars in the last 5 years. However, I think a few things need to be mentioned:

1) Prep, prep, prep - the best coating in the world placed on a poorly prepped car will not perform well.
2) Ceramic coatings still require maintenance. A poorly maintained and "clogged" coating is capable of looking as bad, if not worse, than untreated paint.

The best reviews for longevity that I have come across are from Scott HD on YouTube. He's created multiple test panels where he coats a hood with 20+ coatings to test failure over time. He's done similar tests with spray coatings as well. He hasn't updated his master google sheet since last year, but this is probably the most comprehensive test(s) I have ever seen: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1825525040 / https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1114103081 Pretty much every other review you will come across is significantly more superficial.

It is pretty clear that DIY has caught up to the professional market based on his reviews (IMO). There is some nuance, but it seems like in a lot of cases you are paying for the warranty by going to a professional installer (and likely someone that will do the prep correctly). Otherwise if you have the time and resources to do at least a 1 step polish, you will likely get professional level results by doing this at home with Gyeon MOHS or one of the similarly high ranked products in these tests.

[spammysammich]

Originally Posted by DanG

I use Groit’s 3 in 1 Ceramic wax. Lasts one year. Easy application.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/polish-...SACEgK7zfD_BwE

Agreed but note that in their promotional video and instructions they say it can be used as a drying aid. I would not recommend using one of their more expensive drying towels to do this. It rendered my pfm almost useless for drying. I think I might be able to salvage it with repeated washes in Rags to Riches or a long soak in it. I'd rather have dedicated, cheaper microfiber towels set aside for ceramic use (application/buffing/drying) and keep the pfm on water removal only.

[DrVenture]

Originally Posted by TboneS54

I hate this question. No, you don't need the "best ever" coating. Quality, enthusiast or "pro-sumer" type peoduct like Gyeon range or carpro et al will more than suffice. The final look will be more determined by your paint correction/prep.

If I am putting on ceramic coating this is going to my biggest priority.

My understanding is that ceramics excel at longevity, but other sealants may be better in terms of depth and gloss. I may be wrong.

I've been using 4-Star Ultimate Paint Protection for years, nothing is easier to apply and wipe off, that I have ever used. A bottle will do like 20 cars, it goes on so thin.

[Ralph III]

Hello OP,
I'm a former Detailer (14 yrs) but still keep up with the industry which would include testing out products. So, I'll offer a few opinions.

Don't overthink it and don't buy into all of the hype of ceramics. Because nothing trumps taking proper care of a vehicle! An enthusiast could maintain their vehicles paint equally well as any product on the market today, with regular washing and waxing alone. That's just not practical for most of us, so this is where sealants and ceramics come into play, as they offer protection for much longer periods of time. In regards to ceramics, as I often say, they just allow people to neglect their paint for longer periods of time.


My routine is a follows.

1) I wash our vehicles regularly and I typically use a spray wax or an Si02 infused drying aid. Then every few months I will apply a sealant. I continue to use these waxes/sealants because they offer a very deep shine unlike ceramics. The best sealants I've used and still use are Wolfgang Paint Sealant and Menzerna Power Lock 4. Both of those are well respected in the detailing world and among enthusiasts. I was given some 4-Star Ultimate and it appears to be a good product also; although I prefer the former two. All three are equal in absolute ease of use and none of them leave any streaking. Wolfgang offers it's Sealant in a Si02 infused version as well and it gets excellent reviews although I haven't tried it out yet. That's my typical maintenance routine.

2) I perform a paint correction every year using my rotary buffer, clay mitt, and a polish, such as Meguairs M205 or a Sonnax Profiline product... Glaze (2/6) or Final (1/6). This insures that the paint always looks it's best. I will then start my routine of protecting that finish with waxes/sealants/ceramics. Otherwise, as good as ceramics are, they cannot make your paint look better than a proper correction. So, I have no use for ceramics that last more than one year given I will be making a correction each year.

3) In regards to ceramics and as you have inquired. I use and I'd recommend Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Spray. It's supposed to last up to one year and I've had excellent results with it. It can also be used as an enhancer. Dimitry tested durability to 104 washes as seen HERE. They also make a professional grade called Profi which he tested to over 1000 washes. These products are quite affordable, although the Uber price has apparently gone up, but they are also very easy to apply.

Good luck,
Ralph

[Kstoff125]

There is a night and day difference between ceramic sprays, waxes, etc and a ceramic coating.

A true ceramic coating is a solvent based product (vs water based, which are sprays and waxes) and most ceramic coatings are made by a few companies, and they all perform very well. Each has their differences depending on what the company is trying to accomplish. Typically the harder and thicker the coating the lower the gloss and depth…it is a small trade off.

3D car care makes a great product but so do many others. Ceramic coatings are true semi-permanent, they will all last several years.

Talk to any body shop tech and they will tell you ceramics are the biggest pain in their you know what, as it has to be sanded off, which makes painting panels a pain.

I mainly use 3D products (I work for the company) but when it comes to ceramics; P&S, Adams, etc are all good. The application of the ceramic is easy, it’s the paint correction that is key (which has been mentioned in this thread).

The bottom line, you will know when a car is ceramic coated. It is a legit product.

Here are a few pics of my F82 M4, which has the 3D ceramic coating applied. It’s very noticeable, especially when it rains.

Hope this helps.

[tracer bullet]

I'll agree the ceramics are netter than the waxes. I was a Zaino user for like... 2 decades. I still use it on one of my cars since I have some left after moving to using ceramic on my newest car. I took that newest car on a short road trip, and covered the front in dead bugs. I was ready to get the specialized bug remover out, wash gently so I didn't create scratches, and so on. But just spraying the front with a garden hose got rid of them - nothing special needed. I've never in my life seen that happen before, and that was the moment I was converted.

Agree of course it's gotta be maintained, I still wash as frequently as always, and I do a half assed "topper" of ceramic spray afterwards. So I still treat it about like I have any other product. But the ceramic certainly performs better.

[Ralph III]

Originally Posted by Kstoff125

There is a night and day difference between ceramic sprays, waxes, etc and a ceramic coating...A true ceramic coating is a solvent based product (vs water based, which are sprays and waxes)...I mainly use 3D products (I work for the company) but when it comes to ceramics; P&S, Adams, etc are all good. The application of the ceramic is easy, it’s the paint correction that is key (which has been mentioned in this thread).

The bottom line, you will know when a car is ceramic coated. It is a legit product.

Hello Kstoff,
I am going to respond to your post, because I feel it was a direct response to my previous post to the OP. You seem to be insulted that there are traditional methods and inferior products that are capable of protecting an automotive finish equally as well as expensive and professional grade ceramic coatings?

1) First, any product that contains a sufficient amount of Si02 in it is "legit" and it qualifies to be called a ceramic product. This would include water based sprays as well as solvent based products. The later just has significantly more active ingredients and thus it lasts much longer. Otherwise, a shorter lasting ceramic spray is still a ceramic product, just as a baby duck is a duck.

2) I clearly made a distinction between Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Spray and their "professional" version called Profi. The later of which is a solvent based product advertised to last 3 years but with some folks claiming up to 5 years as Mike Phillips states in his review as found HERE. He in part states...

"It spreads over the paint super easy and wipes off super easy too...It is important to watch for the rainbow flashing effect as this takes place in a window-of-time of about 30 seconds to 60 seconds. This is the real-deal and if you wait too long, the coating will start to bond to the paint as as the solvents evaporate or flash-off, the coating will be in the process of drying and thus bonding to the paint and then it will become difficult to wipe-off.

I have conversed with Mike Phillips quite a number of times over the last decade as we are both professional Detailers and as we have used many of the same products/procedures. If you work for 3M then you should be quite familiar with who Mike Phillips is.


3) I personally do not recommend long lasting and expensive professional grade ceramic coatings because they can be counter productive. I prefer to make paint corrections on our vehicles once a year in keeping the finish looking it's absolute best. This is something that a ceramic coating cannot accomplish despite all the miraculous statements and advertisements.

Please see the pic of our nearly two decade old 2007 530xi. It is a daily drive, it has never been garage kept, and it has 263,000 miles on it. Disclaimer, I did paint the hood, front bumper, and side mirrors two years ago as with this image. Otherwise, the rest of the paint is original and it still looks as good and nearly new today. I've maintained it over all of these years, as with the rest of our vehicles, via the simple methods described.

4) I do now recommend incorporating products such as "Wolfgang Uber ceramic spray" which is advertised to last up to 1 year. It clearly offers greater protection than traditional waxes/sealants and I find it to be excellent as part of an overall regiment. I honestly don't know why anyone would ever need anything that lasts longer unless they truly despise taking care of their vehicles. I don't have anything against a professional grade ceramic coating. I think the advancements in automotive care over the decades has been fantastic. I just don't recommend going with an expensive professional grade ceramic coating because it's still going to need care and correction. I find that to be a waste of money considering there are other products and regiments that can easily accomplish the same results but at a fraction of the cost.

It's perfectly fine to disagree with any of the above. I'm just offering an opinion as a former professional Detailer with 14 years of experience and another 40 years of personal experience.

[Kstoff125]

Ralph III I apologize if you took my post as insulting ceramic sprays. I was simply trying to articulate that the ceramic coatings were a solvent based product and do work very well and last much longer (measured in years vs months) compared to water based products.

Ceramic sprays also work very well. Products from P&S (bead maker) and 3D (GLW ceramic detailer or Bead it Up) are examples of these products. The products you mentioned also work very well.

Again, I was simply trying to add value to the thread by outlining the difference between ceramic coatings and ceramic infused water based products.

[Ralph III]

Originally Posted by Kstoff125

Ralph III I apologize if you took my post as insulting ceramic sprays. I was simply trying to articulate that the ceramic coatings were a solvent based product and do work very well and last much longer (measured in years vs months) compared to water based products.

Ceramic sprays also work very well. Products from P&S (bead maker) and 3D (GLW ceramic detailer or Bead it Up) are examples of these products. The products you mentioned also work very well.

Again, I was simply trying to add value to the thread by outlining the difference between ceramic coatings and ceramic infused water based products.

Hey Kstoff,
No problem what-so-ever! I just feel it's important to offer some clarification for others who may read a thread at times, so they do not come away with improper details.

In regards to Bead Maker, it is the gold standard of toppers or as an LSP and extremely popular. It however isn't Si02 infused that I am aware of. So, it's mostly meant to be an enhancer and not a longer term protectant.

The 3M products that you mention on the other hand are Si02 infused. So, those products are a sealant and consequently will last much longer. They however do not make any claims to durability? So, I don't consider them to be in the same class as Wolfgang Uber Si02 Silica, which I often recommend and personally use. It's advertised to last 6 months on average which I can see being extended out to 1 year with a proper routine. Dimitry tested it to over 100 washes which is fantastic. I'd stand to be corrected if the 3M products can be shown to last as long and very interested if they did.

Otherwise, all of the products that have been mentioned, including long term ceramic coatings, are all good products and they all have a place. I typically stress a good wash and sealant routine versus a long term ceramic coating though.

Take care,
Ralph

[SigmaShift]

The best composite coating is Crystal Serum Ultra, I apply it to a lot of my customers cars.

The best overall coating? Most likely would be C6 Diamond Gloss. It utilizes the latest ceramic tech, such as refined detonated nano diamonds. It actually makes a massive difference. It's professional install only.

[Game]

Has anyone tried CarPro’s DQuartz Go?

[Chad11491]

Originally Posted by Game

Has anyone tried CarPro’s DQuartz Go?

it's just ok. I used it and topped it with SiC. SiC is very slick, but Dquartz Go was pretty grabby by itself.

The rest of my car is Gtechnic CSL and EXO v4 that's about 3 years on, and I polished the car when it was new and those coatings applied.

The Dquartz/SiC parts (trunk and rear spoiler) aren't any glossier or have any more "pop" in the looks nor do they shed water any better than the 3 year old Gtechnic coatings on the rest of the car. I'm used to brand new coatings having a bit more pop in the looks and water performance when new and taper off over time, so it was a bit disappointing to me that the Gtechnic coatings perform as good or better a few years on. That's not to say the Carpro stuff is bad, but If I were to use it again, I'd use CQUK topped with SiC.

[Game]

Originally Posted by Chad11491

it's just ok. I used it and topped it with SiC. SiC is very slick, but Dquartz Go was pretty grabby by itself.

The rest of my car is Gtechnic CSL and EXO v4 that's about 3 years on, and I polished the car when it was new and those coatings applied.

The Dquartz/SiC parts (trunk and rear spoiler) aren't any glossier or have any more "pop" in the looks nor do they shed water any better than the 3 year old Gtechnic coatings on the rest of the car. I'm used to brand new coatings having a bit more pop in the looks and water performance when new and taper off over time, so it was a bit disappointing to me that the Gtechnic coatings perform as good or better a few years on. That's not to say the Carpro stuff is bad, but If I were to use it again, I'd use CQUK topped with SiC.

Almost relieved to hear that. I've heard similar comments about it.

Ended up going with Gyeon Mohs (again) and going to do two coats. Was very impressed with it when I had it on my G87.

[jsf721]

Lots of very good ones. I’ve used Gyeon mohs , Gtech EXO, IGL , optimum and Underdog.

All very good and I’d reccommed you learn to polish like a pro before you lock in the swirls.

Most high solids ceramics are very good. Honestly never used a bad one.