Contaminants on Ceramic Coating

[Speedy!]

It's more a time thing for me, well and how it looks/performs. I used to do the entire machine polish 1,2,3 followed with a sealant and it would look good for a couple months, but was way too much work.

From memory I paid $600 to have the Hellcat done back in 2017. I wouldn't pay $1500 though, especially now. There are consumer grade products available now that work 80% as well as the pro stuff and cost about $100. I used Gtechniq Cyrstal Serum Light (consumer) on the Camaro and didn't wash it for about a year. It was practically a daily driver. I have a video on that. We did Mrs. Speedy's car with the same CSL back in 2019 and it still looks phenomenal today and we rarely have to wash it either. Just run it through the touchless about once every month or two.

https://amzn.to/3GLd8D7 that's the stuff. I got the 50ml bottle so I'd have extra. We used about 3/4 on Mrs. Speedy's car and it had completely hardened when I opened it up over the weekend to see how much was left. Lots of ceramic in it.

I'm 5 years on the Hellcat on this pro level Crystal Serum ceramic and it is claimed to last 7 years or longer if garage kept. Other than something getting on the horizontal surface it's performed great. I almost never wash it, but I'll be doing the DIY consumer stuff when this wears off, if it ever does.

 

[Speedy!]

Well it's this.

Whatever crap they are selling today is all about bonding either chemically or physically to the original surface.

Whether it be wax or some ceramic miracle finish...

If the molecular structure isn't correct... it won't work and nothing will protect nothing from bleeding thru and attacking the base coat though down to the metal at some point.

Its all chemistry and no one to date has been able to define to the molecular level that ceramic is better than an old car wax.

I've never had a car be so easy to keep clean and resist scratches so well and that's good enough for me. The rest I can care less about.

 

[Speedy!]

PS here's the filter I use. Best money I've spent on car detailing products. I got it in 2017 and haven't had to refill the resin yet. TDS meter said 11ppm when I used it last week. I use it with a pressure washer which they claim extends the life of the resin.

https://amzn.to/3x1D1Kp

 

[jonx96]

@Speedy! On your wife’s car do you still get water beads on the lower part of the doors and the back hatch? Everything else on the explorer beads great besides those spots. I am debating what I will do with the redeye. I have thought about using Adam’s graphine or the stuff you use but am unsure.

 

[jonx96]

if anyone has satin black hoods you will for sure need to use your home water softener or what speedy posted.

 

[Speedy!]

As far as I can tell hers beads up great. In researching my problem with the Hellcat several detailing articles suggested the ceramic gets "clogged" and needs a decon wash to clear it up and bring it back to full performance. I checked her car with the baggie test and it's still super slick so whatever got on the Hellcat didn't get on her car (yet). For all I know it's over spray from the local car plant or something that I got in to while out riding around, who knows.

With your harsher environment yours may need that decon deal on the lower parts?

For what the DIY ceramic costs and how easy it is to put on it's almost a no brainer for me. Even if it only lasted a year it would still be worth it for us.

On your RE you'll want to be sure to properly prepare the surface so it lasts though. From memory we used panel wipe on her car, then clay bar, and then panel wipe again. Took like 45 minutes tops. Coated, let it dry 2 days, and off the the races.

 

[jonx96]

I hit it with iron remover spray. I think it was adams. I should do it again and monitor. Last time was the tail end of our winter. I think the winter and salt on the road clogs the ceramic extremely quick. I also have a bottle of spray ceramic or cermiac booster from chemical guys. The stuff is messy but it gives it a pretty good slick feeling and additional shine for a few weeks.
I used some DIY stuff on the Jeep and it has been better than whatever the dealer used on the explorer.
The DIY stuff I used is only rated for 2 years though. I think the stuff you posted may be better by looking at it and comparing reviews.

 

[Speedy!]

I think the Gtechniq CSL is also 2yr but it's been a while since I looked. A lot depends on how the vehicle is stored, etc. If it sits outside all the time will probably last for a lesser amount of time. Mrs. Speedy's is 3yrs and still going strong, but garage kept ,etc.

Other info I read stated that beading (or not) didn't have any impact on the protective properties of a ceramic coating. I don't know either way on that but if not how do you know it still works would be my question. Oddly the Hellcat still bead water great even though the horizontal surface was very rough. No idea on that one. Maybe whatever got on it was oily?

 

[jonx96]

I think the Gtechniq CSL is also 2yr but it's been a while since I looked. A lot depends on how the vehicle is stored, etc. If it sits outside all the time will probably last for a lesser amount of time. Mrs. Speedy's is 3yrs and still going strong, but garage kept ,etc.

Other info I read stated that beading (or not) didn't have any impact on the protective properties of a ceramic coating. I don't know either way on that but if not how do you know it still works would be my question. Oddly the Hellcat still bead water great even though the horizontal surface was very rough. No idea on that one. Maybe whatever got on it was oily?

That's what baffles me about the rough feeling. If the ceramic was clogged on your car it should have stopped beading well before the point you are at.

This Adams product is the only one I could find that claims the same level of hardness and lasts as long as professional. But maybe there is a fine print saying if you clean and hit it with booster spray weekly. IDK
Graphene Ceramic Coating™ Advanced - Adam's Polishes (adamspolishes.com)

 

[Speedy!]

Right, which is why I had hoped someone had experienced it before. From what I've experienced comparing the Hellcat to Mrs. Speedy's, something got on my car plain and simple. Since I don't hand wash it very often I'm not sure how long it had been there. I ordered some stuff to hopefully take care of it without having to clay bar the surface, but we'll see. Either way I'll get it sorted and keep a close eye on it going forward.

I've been using a foam gun for a while and really like it but today ordered a foam cannon for the pressure washer. I always pressure wash the cars when washing them anyway so figured I'd upgrade my process.

 

[DavidKFla]

If you like it and it is worth the money to you then stay with what works. The place that did mine was $600 back in 2018. They told my they use different products now and it was like $1500, HELL NO!

Cost for me is maybe $25 a year if that. I wax my car once a year and hand wash it 2-3 times a month and I like it. Detailer and wax normally last a couple of years or more so even if everything cost me $50 a year it would be a huge savings

Also a silver car isn't going to show stuff like a darker car

Detail guy today asked me if the Challenger was ceramic coated. I told him no and he asked me what I used on it. CarPro reload and carnuba wax...

 

[Speedy!]

You need to fire that detail guy if he can't tell the difference

Ceramic literally looks like a clear shell on top of the paint. It's pretty nuts. This assumes a good product and properly applied of course.

 

[DavidKFla]

You need to fire that detail guy if he can't tell the difference

Ceramic literally looks like a clear shell on top of the paint. It's pretty nuts. This assumes a good product and properly applied of course.

Here's what reload is.

https://www.carpro-us.com/protectio...BAi-jiBu4KV3bDSGjuNk9ZkLgqVGO53RoCAhUQAvD_BwE

 

[Speedy!]

That stuff looks pretty good and may be a great replacement for me as a detail spray on top of the ceramic.

 

[BULL]

Did I miss the answer to yes or no (specifically) on the claybar or not?

 

[MikeD1]

Are you using a filter when you wash your car? That was key for me. I dont recall ceramic or anything else preventing water spots. Our water here is awful with lime and minerals.

Long time user & promoter (unpaid as usual) of the SpotLess DIC-20 DI water system

Water spots are due to rian & the usual contaminates that are on the surface of the car.
Even with the screened carport, the wife's car gets wet when it rains & is windy.

 

[Speedy!]

Did I miss the answer to yes or no (specifically) on the claybar or not?

I'm not sure yet but will find out. Something got on the Hellcat that's for sure. I'm determining what will get it off.

 

[Prange]

Long time user & promoter (unpaid as usual) of the SpotLess DIC-20 DI water system

Water spots are due to rian & the usual contaminates that are on the surface of the car.
Even with the screened carport, the wife's car gets wet when it rains & is windy.

I'm also a believer in the deionizers. I only use it for the final rinse.

Here's the one I've been using for the past 3 years:

https://www.portablewaterdi.com/shop/deionizers/mixed-bed-deionizer-standard-model?SKU=OTG2-SDI

 

[PaVaSteeler]

Got news for ya...even with properly applied top quality ceramic coating, you're going to get swirls, let alone contaminants. There's a well detailed post (pun intended) on another site chronicling an owner's efforts at removing the ceramic and its swirls about three years after application.

Ceramic coatings are not silver bullets; spend thousands to have your car professionally detailed and coated, but run it through a regular car wash, and after three years it will look like it was never coated. Yea, it may be hydrophobic, but that doesn't mean its diamond hard and prevents anything from sticking or marring it.

Many professional ceramic shops require annual "maintenance" of the coatings as part of the warranty. If you've been following that maintenance, then the contaminants on your paint might indicate the shop hasn't been fulfilling it's side of the bargain.

 

[Speedy!]

@PaVaSteeler I got facts for you Mine's 5 years old, has no swirls, gets run through a touchless car wash, still looks like new, and didn't cost thousands of dollars.