Ceramic Clear Coat ?
04-13-2019, 06:23 PM
#1
AudiWorld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Ceramic Clear Coat ?
While searching online for car care products for my new A3, I saw this product - Xtreme Nano 9h Ceramic Clear Coat. It’s
a spray on and wipe off product that claims excellent protection and shine for up to 2years. It’s accompanied by
CitraClean Ceramic Prep Car Wash (removes wax, silicone, etc before applying ceramic coat). Any thoughts on these products or on the ceramic coating vs. traditional wax? Thanks!
a spray on and wipe off product that claims excellent protection and shine for up to 2years. It’s accompanied by
CitraClean Ceramic Prep Car Wash (removes wax, silicone, etc before applying ceramic coat). Any thoughts on these products or on the ceramic coating vs. traditional wax? Thanks!
04-14-2019, 08:22 AM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
I posted this on a previous thread regarding coatings. This was with regard to a professional application, but same rules apply:
---------------------------
I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Big time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
------------------------------------
---------------------------
I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Big time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
------------------------------------
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CCFunk (06-25-2019)
04-16-2019, 06:15 AM
#7
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Location: Sugar Hill, GA
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I posted this on a previous thread regarding coatings. This was with regard to a professional application, but same rules apply:
---------------------------
I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Big time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
------------------------------------
---------------------------
I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Big time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
------------------------------------
Ultimately, the coating is the 'cheap' part where as the prep and paint correction is where you don't skimp.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
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