davey_b

Looks awesome!!! Did you do it yourself of have it done professionally? How have you found the finish with regards to dirt? We live out in the country and cars get mucky quickly.

Psy Wagon

I performed the polishing and application myself. When it comes to cleaning I have done a bit of testing. (not my first coated car but my first with MOHS)

Most coatings are hydrophilic and not hydrophobic so to really get the best water beading and easiest maintenance I would say topcoat it with GYEON CanCoat or WetCoat every few months. Stick with one and don't layer different top coats.

You will still need to actually WASH the car, by safe, hand washing methods, but it will stay cleaner longer and be much easier to clean when the time comes. The depth and gloss of a coating really start with proper paint prep and polishing, so factoring that into your plan as you are is a good idea. Any other questions let me know.

davey_b

Thanks for the info. My wife has a 10 year old Mazda 2 that she's going to replace later this year so I'm thinking I might do some decent paint prep on that and then coat it (looking at this stuff at the moment: https://max-protect.co.uk/ultimate-nano-coat-v1.html). That'll give me an idea of what is involved and if I make any mistakes it'll not be the end of the world. I'm planning get a sub 2 year A8 over the summer so job 1 when I got it would be to coat it and also when my wife get a new car I would do the same for her.

davey_b

Just watched this, put some doubt in my mind

https://youtu.be/93MmQhNwqxk

ybnormal07

I looked into ceramic coatings last year and decided it wasn't worth the cost for my useage. I think if you had a vehicle that you rarely drive or is perhaps a show car, this would be the route to take. The mere fact that scratches can't be buffed out turned me off.

Psy Wagon

Flat out false. You can polish coatings to remove scratches and reapply in sections. No need to do the entire thing.

I would say quite the contrary. Coatings are GREAT for daily drivers because it makes cleaning so much easier and protects against the elements and microabrasion much better than waxes or sealants. To each their own.

uberwgn

^^^ +1 on all of this. I coat every car. NEVER have had an issue and the cars have NEVER looked so good with such minimal on-going maintenance.

AMDG75

Agree with the latter two comments, not entirely with the first. Have Opticoat pro, both on top of Xpel Ultimate and where car not X-pelled: water still beads up like it did after application 4 years ago; looks great next to cars in the parking lot lacking any coating . X-pel makes a lot of sense if you don't want to see paint chips on your hood every time you wash the car.

ybnormal07

Could you please point me to where this process is described? All of the information I was able to discover indicates a need to remove the old coat and put on a new coat in the event of a scratch. Given the time, effort, and cost of applying this, it seemed onerous and cost/time inneficient. I'm all for a great and long lasting shine, which is why I looked into it in the first place. If there is new/better information out there, I would appreciate being able to educate myself on it. Specifically, information how you can polish these types of coatings to remove scratches. Thanks!

lauwersp

I was just about to pull the trigger on a ceramic/glass coating for my 2013 S8, but I've decided to try something in the middle and am happy to report on it if you guys want me to. It's still on the way and I need the weather to break a bit before I use it.

It's called Hydrosilex Recharge and compared to a real ceramic coating it's extremely cheap, easy to apply, and has great reviews. It's a ceramic coating and it lasts 6-8 months, although they recommend that you do it much more frequently so it can layer. The good news is that unlike waxing, where you need to dry your car before the Saturday afternoon commitment to then carefully hand apply way, you can actually spray it on your car wet and it's hydrophobic properties actually seem to help you "dry" the car. Whether you apply it wet or dry, it's spray on and rinse off. It also is welcome on any surface of the car, so you don't need to worry about taping anything off.

They say each time you use it it's a $3 to $5 cost. I bought 2 32oz bottles from them for $118 to get the free shipping.

What it is NOT: Apparently it really doesn't offer much in terms of scratch resistance.

What I'm not sure about: Depth of shine. A good ceramic coating will really deepen the shine. I'm not sure whether Hydrosilex will affect the shine and by how much.

I think everyones decision depends on your goals. My PRIMARY goal is paint protection with hydrophobic properties so dirt and grime stick less and the car is not only easier to clean, but sorta self cleans in rain. The added ability to be able to add this protection to every surface including wheel wells etc. is extra benefit. My S8 looks really great so I feel like the bang for the buck with a real ceramic/glass coating over this isn't a huge advantage. If your goal is scratch protection and maximum hydrophobic properties, you'll need to ante up for the best class of coating, but I think that's around $1K to 2K depending on your area, who does it, and how many coats you want. Real coatings that claim 3-5 years (or more) are only warrantied if you "maintain" them, which to my knowledge means maintenance coats of the product and I'm not sure the planned cost for that. My S8 has 70K miles on it and my GL550 has about 60K. It makes more sense to me to use this product (assuming it works as above) and do a ceramic/glass coating on a brand new car.

I'm anxious to try it.


Full Disclaimer: I know these are vids from the manufacturer and no... I have no connection or relationship to them. I have yet to try the product itself so I make no personal claim (yet) to it's performance.

On a related note: I also installed a wall mounted industrial power washer in my garage. Happy to post details/photos if anyone is interested in that as well.