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Thread: RFI- ceramic car finishes

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jason M View Post
    This was a hand applied $300 job.
    Hmm, I would be skeptical at that price point. Ceramic coating takes several man hours to apply. And the ceramic itself costs begin around a hundred dollars or so. That price to me suggests a good surface prep and then a coating with one of the new ceramic sprays. The sprays have much less of the ceramic material suspended in a detail spray that’s much easier to apply and leaves a glossier finish. The difference is in a) the price is usually $15-40 for 12-16 oz of spray vs $100+ for 1.7 oz of ceramic (if it didn’t come in a small glass bottle like below, it’s not a true ceramic coating) and, b) the endurance of the coating. Most sprays realistically last for 1-3 months and a true coating can last for years; some even advertise 7-9 years.

    The starting condition of the paint, what the vehicle is, and used for goes into my decision making process re ceramic. @TGS is 100% correct in his statement above. What I would add is the main benefit of ceramic is that it builds up a layer of ceramic between the paint and everything else. It’s very hydrophobic. The significance of this is the bird poop, sap, etc doesn’t stick to the paint. So you can rinse the paint off with water and the crap sheets off with the water. Ceramic makes washing the car muuuch easier. It’s a game changer for black vehicles. I had my F-150 coated and it sometimes looks freshly washed after it rains.

    I think for most vehicles the spray is the way to go. I use the spray and a ceramic car wash on the wife’s Toyota. I shouldn’t have to reapply since the soap acts as a booster. It’s surprisingly a cost effective cleaning aid; I’m never going back!

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  2. #12
    Glock Collective Assimile Suvorov's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TOTS View Post
    I think for most vehicles the spray is the way to go. I use the spray and a ceramic car wash on the wife’s Toyota. I shouldn’t have to reapply since the soap acts as a booster. It’s surprisingly a cost effective cleaning aid; I’m never going back!
    ]
    You are saying the cheaper ceramic spray is a good option?

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    You are saying the cheaper ceramic spray is a good option?
    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    You are saying the cheaper ceramic spray is a good option?
    I think it is. The spray has a lot of the benefits of true ceramic, you just have to reapply more often. Which I think is fine since most people like a freshly washed vehicle at least every couple of months. Most people don’t have high dollar daily drivers and probably won’t want to pay for the paint correction and surface prep required for a true ceramic coating. The hybrids/sprays don’t seal and dry as hard as the true ceramics so you can just apply after as much/ little prep as you want. Of course, more is better; I would at least recommend clay barring the paint. As TGS stated, all ceramic does is provide a barrier around your paint that nothing sticks to. Most professionals wash with a spray foam with surfactants that pull the dirt off the paint. Then they pressure wash the foam off. The result is less touching of the paint and no scratches during the cleaning process. I can also do this with a spray. Sometimes I just pressure wash and no soap is needed. One difference I DO see is that with the ceramic, water spots tend to wipe off easier. With the spray, they still stick and have to be removed with another wash and/ or wax. Which I do regardless of product used, so…

    After a lot of YouTube research on the topic, I found Turtle Wax hybrid ceramics to be a good value. It seems to work just as good as the well established boutique brands (Adams Polishes, Griots, Chemical Guys, etc) at about half the price. I’m currently using this coupled with the matching ceramic wash. This acts like a booster and prevents the need for re-applying the coating.

    https://www.turtlewax.com/products/h...ating-16-fl-oz

  4. #14
    I absolutely love the Meguiars ceramic spray. I don't look at it as a commercially applied coating, but only as a way to quickly and easily "wax" the car. It seems to hang for about 4 months or even longer if garage kept daily. It's so easy you could do it once a month if needed. Only $20 a bottle is a bonus. One bottle will do a Subaru Crosstrek about 4 times after the initial application. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

  5. #15
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    Any new developments in this area? Based on the above, the spray and booster wash products are probably fine for my use case. (Daily drive, garage kept but not babied)

    Thanks

  6. #16
    Member TGS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik View Post
    Any new developments in this area? Based on the above, the spray and booster wash products are probably fine for my use case. (Daily drive, garage kept but not babied)

    Thanks
    Not really new, but with the mothers day 10% discount I ordered a bottle of the Reflex Pro Enamel coat from AMMO.

    My impression is that it's between a sealant and professionally applied ceramic. Longer lasting/stronger than a regular synthetic sealant, but doesn't have the risk of screw-up of professional ceramic applications done at home by amateurs. I like that in his Q&A/tutorials, he doesn't make any outlandish claims about its capability like most ceramic companies. It seems to perform extremely well, and regardless of the guy's prices he does indeed put a lot of thought and development into his products.

    I plan to follow it up with the Reflex Pro Top Coat (spray version) after washes in between the once per year application. Previously I was just using sealants that needed reapplication every 3-6 weeks, which was fine because the car was housed outside when I bought it and required frequent washes/reapplications anyway. Since it has a garaged life now, I figured this made more sense.

    I've been happy with some of AMMO's products, so I wanted to give it a shot now that he has the 10% coupon code going. He also makes a version specifically for wheels which has a higher heat resistance, but I figured I'd just use this since it's probably "good enough" and it's not like I'll use up the whole bottle anyway....I'd be throwing away a ton of unused product if I bought both.

    "Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer

  7. #17
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    Thanks. What do you think of the Mother's Day bundle? Good deal or adding stuff not needed (I have microfiber towels, e.g.).

  8. #18
    Member TGS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik View Post
    Thanks. What do you think of the Mother's Day bundle? Good deal or adding stuff not needed (I have microfiber towels, e.g.).
    I think most of the products in the mothers day bundle are doing the same thing as stuff that could be sourced elsewhere for much cheaper. Ditto his "SKIN" protectant, which is just a 6 month duration sealant but costs 3-4 times as much as others. As for the wheel soap, paint soap, interior detailer...I mean, those are sort of dime-a-dozen on the market, and I can't imagine his do anything that nobody else's can accomplish for less money. I have a bottle of the "Hydrate", but I can't really find a good reason to use it even if it works well at its intended use.

    The ones where I personally think it makes sense to spend the extra is the Mud tire gel (as long as you want a satin look, that is), Spit Emergency shine (haven't seen a QD/spray wax that comes close), and the Frothe hoseless wash...there's other hoseless washes but nothing that's in the same league as this. I'd say the "Obey" glass cleaner as well....I'm sure you can get something comparable if you shopped around and tried a bunch of products, but it works really well for me and so I called it quits when I tried it and have decided to stick with it.

    He gets a little eccentric with how he markets his stuff, as his wife is a dermatologist or some sort of associated scientist....so he seems to draw quite a bit of inspiration from her work. His hoseless wash is basically soap mixed with shaving cream, for instance, because it turns out that shaving cream is an excellent lubricant to lift debris away from paint without scratching while the remnant evaporates away after the bulk of the product is wiped off. Most other hoseless washes are essentially just quick detailers, and are a pretty surefire way to fuck up your paint cleaning anything more abrasive than a thin layer of dust from sitting in the garage for a week.
    "Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer

  9. #19
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    Thanks!

  10. #20
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    I can only offer that AMMO does make good, if expensive, products. I’m not paying anymore than Adam’s or Chemical Guys though! Adam’s seems to be having a lot of 25% off or bogo sales lately.

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