"Wax" for PPF?

[Norville]

Ed's been pushing on me to get it ceramic coated too, but I'm still slow to embrace the idea of paying someone $1500 or whatever to protect the stuff that protects the paint. A few people have recommended Graphene Ceramic Coating, linked below, which I may try. Anyone here ever use it?

https://adamspolishes.com/products/grap ... %20a%20PPF

I used this on our Grand Cherokee and I am not impressed. It was easy to apply, but I left a few high spots. I’ve done real, little bottle ceramic coating before and not had this issue. It also seems to attract dust (we have a lot of dirt roads).

Applying a ceramic coating is not difficult, much of the high detailer price is for paint correction. If your PPF is fairly new and swirl free, just ceramic it yourself for $100 and an afternoon in your garage. There are a couple of coatings specifically for PPF now.

My 911 came w PPF and an unknown ceramic coating that didn’t have great hydrophobic properties. Finishing my wash with Obsessed Garage Drying Aid has fixed that.

[blueline]

I agree with Ken's assessment that a big big part of the high price is due to the much needed paint correction on new cars. I imagine that is why I continue to opt for the ceramic coatings on any new car. On close inspection, they generally all need some level of correction and unless you know what you're doing, any at home paint correction could easily end up botching the paint, making things worse.

And I also agree that it's fine, even desirable, to ceramic coat on top of PPF and/or paint. (I only PPF the critical areas of my cars, so some ceramic will be over paint and some over PPF - all fine.)

Besides, ceramic is part of the paint correction outfit's process. One goes with the other - I don't think they're easily separable because not doing ceramic during the process will result in a finish that won't look as good as it should.

I guess this mea culpa post makes me a hypocrite to a degree about ceramic since I continue having it applied when a car is new. Might as well go with the flow.

I also think that doing ceramic yourself after the initial pro paint correction/ceramic process is a great idea. I tried it once on my truck but it was several years ago and I'm not sure if the product was any good. Plus, my truck is a bit on the old side.

And right on queue, here is a sponsored article in the latest e-brake news feed concerning the need for paint correction and other.

https://www.pca.org/news/chasing-paint- ... n-porsches

PS - the e-brake article is a good and enlightening read regarding Porsche's paint process and the characteristics of the paint when new.

[Slowpoke]

I ceramic coat my cars, and it helps to keep it cleaner longer and easier to wash. I've tried several brands though the years. My next one I plan on trying on my 991 PPF is 303 Graphine. I also use Collinite 845 Insulator Wax on as the last step, this helps to protect the protection I'm protecting to protect my PPF, which is protecting my paint.
However, since I do it myself, the cost is minimum and at least I know it's being done right...check out autogeek for your supplies if not available near you.

[blueline]

I ceramic coat my cars, and it helps to keep it cleaner longer and easier to wash. I've tried several brands though the years. My next one I plan on trying on my 991 PPF is 303 Graphine. I also use Collinite 845 Insulator Wax on as the last step,

this helps to protect the protection I'm protecting to protect my PPF, which is protecting my paint.

However, since I do it myself, the cost is minimum and at least I know it's being done right...check out autogeek for your supplies if not available near you.

Big smile from that. Tks!

[Tom]

I've never been a ceramic coating over ppf guy, but after hand washing the car and using Griot's Best of Show Spray Wax, my car was still rough to touch. Synthetic clay will become part of my wash routine from now on --love this thing-- but wondering if a ceramic coating would prevent this....

[blueline]

I've never been a ceramic coating over ppf guy, but after hand washing the car and using Griot's Best of Show Spray Wax, my car was still rough to touch. Synthetic clay will become part of my wash routine from now on --love this thing-- but wondering if a ceramic coating would prevent this....

I know I tend to downplay some of the extensive products used to protect paint and to do other things such as prevent or correct a rough-feeling finish as you pointed out, but many of them do work as advertised.

Clay does the job (I used to use it a lot 10, 15 years ago) so it works but it's a labor-intensive process that takes time, and time is a priceless commodity for me. The synthetic you used in your video seems much easier and much quicker so maybe I'll try that.

As for ceramic coatings, one of their attributes is to minimize that rough feel on paint or PPF. My experience has been that it does work in that respect, so I'd answer yes to your question.

Beyond that, I wonder if claying a previously ceramic coated finish removes the ceramic coating? It seems as though it would. Maybe it's prudent to stick to one or the other - ceramic or clay? Just a guess - maybe someone knows more about that.

Edit: I will add that carefully going over a clean car with a product like Speed Shine will do wonders for that silky feel you are looking for. A high lubricity product such as Speed Shine is a huge part of the success that clay will impart.

[Slowpoke]

I have used a similar clay mitt to remove fall out from the car. Did the Ceramic Coating, PPF, but at the end of the day, if you drive your car for any length of time, park it outside uncovered, you will eventually have to do that all over again.
It does get tiring, but this is the one test that made me say...life is just too short for this!
Let me know if you would want to do the test...or maybe PM me, since this might affect others that read this.
It's a very simple test, and some of you may know it already, but the caveat is:
You may not want/care to do all this protecting stuff, and just stick to the normal routine of wash, polish and wax then call it a day.
You guys let me know.
PS. Tom this test may tell you your cars surface is not as smooth as you think/feel...IF you want to be really anal about it.
It cured my analism...LOL!

[Norville]

I've never been a ceramic coating over ppf guy, but after hand washing the car and using Griot's Best of Show Spray Wax, my car was still rough to touch. Synthetic clay will become part of my wash routine from now on --love this thing-- but wondering if a ceramic coating would prevent this....

PPF is fairly soft, and “stuff” can stick in it more readily than paint / clear coat. Clay will remove this contamination, but is an abrasive process so should be done once or twice a year.

I say try ceramic coating. I just did my new rolling storage unit (half ton crew cab pickup). Decontamination wash, iron remover, polish a couple of spots and two coats of ceramic took me six hours on Saturday. A 911, being half the size will go quicker if you don’t have a lot of polishing to do.

IMG_2298.jpeg (3.13 MiB) Viewed 1529 times

[Slowpoke]

GTechiq is good stuff, I used it before. I also used Carpro CQuartz, either one will do the job.
That was some work you did Norville, ceramic coating a truck!
I did one once, but it was a single cab...black, and it took me longer than six hours for sure. I also waited two days and did a second coat, and Collinite waxed it as a final step.

One place on the vehicle you may definitely want to seal is your windshield, and Diamonite has a good product, they say it will last up to 6 months depending on how often you use your wipers and the amount of snow or rain gets on your windshield. It supposedly have a sheeting effect as you drive...review says better than Rain-X, which isn't saying much in my opinion.
Then again, some here my never drive their baby in the rain or snow, but if you do, you might want to think about sealing the windshield for better visibility. I'm thinking of trying this on our shower glass...tired of squeegeeing after every shower.

[blueline]

GTechiq is good stuff, I used it before. I also used Carpro CQuartz, either one will do the job.
That was some work you did Norville, ceramic coating a truck!
I did one once, but it was a single cab...black, and it took me longer than six hours for sure. I also waited two days and did a second coat, and Collinite waxed it as a final step.

One place on the vehicle you may definitely want to seal is your windshield, and Diamonite has a good product, they say it will last up to 6 months depending on how often you use your wipers and the amount of snow or rain gets on your windshield. It supposedly have a sheeting effect as you drive...review says better than Rain-X, which isn't saying much in my opinion.
Then again, some here my never drive their baby in the rain or snow, but if you do, you might want to think about sealing the windshield for better visibility. I'm thinking of trying this on our shower glass...tired of squeegeeing after every shower.

Thanks for the windshield sealing reminder - I haven't done it in centuries. (Well, maybe years...) And yes, my experience with Rain-X is so-so at best - I have some that's been sitting unused in the cabinet for a lot of years. Going to look into the Diamonite you mentioned - that's a new one for me. Griot's has a glass sealant that has gotten good reviews. I might try theirs.