[Jdelgado92]

wow there's definitely more to keeping our cars looking beautiful than i thought and i definitely want to try out all these products you guys mentioned.

@Nor Cal Zl1 and Glen e , i am new to detailing my car and keeping her swirl free so i will gladly take you up on that offer to ask you guys questions when needed

annnnd for my first question what do you guys think about ceramic coating? are there any cons?

[Jdelgado92]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

Holy cow...I didn't know these places were a thing...how interesting. I don't think I'd want my R8 going through there.

During the winter months, I use one of those touchless automatic wash places. Prior to the bad weather, I put a few coats of protection on the car, and then reapply in the spring. Swirl marks be gone!

yea youd be surprised at how many expensive cars roll through there. ive seen ferraris, even a rolls royce.

what exactly is a touchless? i dont think ive seen one around here

[TSloper]

Touchless is the equivalent of an automated pressure washer. Nothing but soap and water touch the vehicle. They work decently enough but the soap is not particularly gentle to whatever protection you may have applied prior. It beats using the regular car washes as far as swirls and scratches go.

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by Jdelgado92

wow there's definitely more to keeping our cars looking beautiful than i thought and i definitely want to try out all these products you guys mentioned.

@Nor Cal Zl1 and Glen e , i am new to detailing my car and keeping her swirl free so i will gladly take you up on that offer to ask you guys questions when needed

annnnd for my first question what do you guys think about ceramic coating? are there any cons?

I am experienced with Kamikaze, Blackfire, and the Gtechniq lines of coatings. There are pros and cons to coatings I will try to cover.

Coatings are the most durable of the protections available. Properly cared for they last years. They add a layer that is above the clear coat, and will take most of the wash induced swirls instead of the clear coat. They are also hydrophobic, and much more resistant to dirt and things sticking to the surface to begin with. That said they are easier to keep clean, and wash etc.

The pro's would be durability, ease of cleanliness. With most coatings it is best to use products designed by the same manufacturer, to prep, and perform the after care. If you decide on a coating this reduces the need to collect way too may supplies and some of work to discover what works. Believe me there are about a million cool products, its a real black hole when you jump off into it with no direction, everyone of them has a standout product.

Coatings are a time saver, but if you end up liking detailing they don't play well with many products so more or less once its applied you just wash it, and use a dedicated coating topping every few months.

Cons would be it can be more difficult to apply, although I have found the Kamikaze line to be easy and virtually fool proof. The paint does need to be polished and properly prepped before installing a coating.

It is also more expensive, but if your sticking with a particular brand it is not as bad as collecting the next best great thing and your supplies would be simple and few. You may also consider having a professional install the coating, and them properly take care of it yourself.

Properly taking care of any finish at a minimum is using the two bucket wash, or two bucket rinseless wash. Top quality clean microfibers and wash media. The proper soap for the applied protection LSP (last step product).

If your new to all of this you need to decide how far to take it and ask a lot of questions, otherwise your going to end up with a $1000 or more in products, but in reality use about $200 of them, One of the best ways I found to limit this was to stick with one product line, system. But if I look into my garage I failed miserably with my own advice.

Here is a thread about the Kamikaze products on my ZL1.

Keeping a paint job looking sharp really boils down to proper polishing and washing methods. Be sure to check my att link for better pics of the Kamikaze coating but here is a couple of primer shots.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435906

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Jdelgado92

what exactly is a touchless? i dont think ive seen one around here

Originally Posted by TSloper

Touchless is the equivalent of an automated pressure washer. Nothing but soap and water touch the vehicle. They work decently enough but the soap is not particularly gentle to whatever protection you may have applied prior. It beats using the regular car washes as far as swirls and scratches go.

The one I use, features a large carrier and a spayer arm that articulates around the vehicle and spray it with soap/water until clean.

I know the soaps aren't great, but the only reason I really use it is for the undercarriage spray and to get the salt scum off on above-freezing days.

[Glen e]

Nor cal, thanks, nothing i need to add!

[Jdelgado92]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal ZL1

I am experienced with Kamikaze, Blackfire, and the Gtechniq lines of coatings. There are pros and cons to coatings I will try to cover.

Coatings are the most durable of the protections available. Properly cared for they last years. They add a layer that is above the clear coat, and will take most of the wash induced swirls instead of the clear coat. They are also hydrophobic, and much more resistant to dirt and things sticking to the surface to begin with. That said they are easier to keep clean, and wash etc.

The pro's would be durability, ease of cleanliness. With most coatings it is best to use products designed by the same manufacturer, to prep, and perform the after care. If you decide on a coating this reduces the need to collect way too may supplies and some of work to discover what works. Believe me there are about a million cool products, its a real black hole when you jump off into it with no direction, everyone of them has a standout product.

Coatings are a time saver, but if you end up liking detailing they don't play well with many products so more or less once its applied you just wash it, and use a dedicated coating topping every few months.

Cons would be it can be more difficult to apply, although I have found the Kamikaze line to be easy and virtually fool proof. The paint does need to be polished and properly prepped before installing a coating.

It is also more expensive, but if your sticking with a particular brand it is not as bad as collecting the next best great thing and your supplies would be simple and few. You may also consider having a professional install the coating, and them properly take care of it yourself.

Properly taking care of any finish at a minimum is using the two bucket wash, or two bucket rinseless wash. Top quality clean microfibers and wash media. The proper soap for the applied protection LSP (last step product).

If your new to all of this you need to decide how far to take it and ask a lot of questions, otherwise your going to end up with a $1000 or more in products, but in reality use about $200 of them, One of the best ways I found to limit this was to stick with one product line, system. But if I look into my garage I failed miserably with my own advice.

Here is a thread about the Kamikaze products on my ZL1.

Keeping a paint job looking sharp really boils down to proper polishing and washing methods. Be sure to check my att link for better pics of the Kamikaze coating but here is a couple of primer shots.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435906

so going from what you said, the only real cons are the cost and applying it?

the main reason i would get the ceramic coating is to protect the car against rock chips and random scratches but i would also love the perks that come with it like making the car shinier and making it easier to wash and swirls of course. i spoke with some one at a car shop and he told me the price to get clear BRA on parts of the car would run me about the same as getting the whole car ceramic coated. thats the main reason i was leaning towards the coating instead.

and thats a very beaitiful zl1, thats pretty much i would like my cars paint to look forever

[Glen e]

Coatings protect against marring and some microscratching, but they won't stop a rock or a scratch at all. You need film for that. Search XPEL.

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by Glen e

Nor cal, thanks, nothing i need to add!

No problem, be sure to add any input if you think of something different, or have some other tricks to offer up. Be sure guys, to read through Glen's write ups linked in his signature. There is some great stuff in there as well.

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by Glen e

Coatings protect against marring and some microscratching, but they won't stop a rock or a scratch at all. You need film for that. Search XPEL.

Exactly. Your going to want to install a film in the high impact area's such as the front bumper, side mirrors, and any other possible area's. I know on the 5th gen the rear gills were another area to get hit by rocks from the front tires. Not sure about the 6th.

Also note that the proper sequence should be polish the area's before installing the film, install the film, and then coat the car. Most coatings are too slick for the film to stick to. Also insure that the coating can be applied to the film, as some can, and some can't. If the coating can't be applied to the film, Blackfire crystal seal works very well over the film.

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by Jdelgado92

so going from what you said, the only real cons are the cost and applying it?

the main reason i would get the ceramic coating is to protect the car against rock chips and random scratches but i would also love the perks that come with it like making the car shinier and making it easier to wash and swirls of course. i spoke with some one at a car shop and he told me the price to get clear BRA on parts of the car would run me about the same as getting the whole car ceramic coated. thats the main reason i was leaning towards the coating instead.

and thats a very beaitiful zl1, thats pretty much i would like my cars paint to look forever

Yes the initial cost, and application. But later it saves massive amounts of time, and greatly reduces the products that you use to take care of the coating. I just use the products in my linked thread pictured on a towel on my hood. I used the following products to do my car.

Porter cable polisher with lake county orange and white pads.
Menzerna FG400 for the initial polishing/swirl removal. Orange pads.
Blackfire SRC finishing polish. White pads.
Gyeon prep spray to prep the paint for coating
Kamikaze Miaybi coat

After care
Gyeon Bathe +
Kamikaze overcoat

Added bonus of Kamikaze infinity wax... probably a little OCD... not needed.
Here are product links in order of the above.

In any case if you DIY you need the polisher see link.
http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable...value-kit.html

Menzerna polish fantastic product.
http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-fast-gloss-fg400.html

Blackfire finishing polish
http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-sr...ng-polish.html

Kamikaze Miyabi pro kit. includes prep spray, coating, applicators, overcoat coating topper. From there you just need soap.
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/kamikaze-miyabi-pro-kit/

Soap
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/gyeon-q2-bathe-plus/


You also need two buckets and top quality microfibers, along with proper microfiber car products.
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/complete-wash-kit/

This is just an example of where I am at money wise on my set up, although I have a bunch of conventional products that I am using up on my company vehicle. For me the time saved surpassed the investment.

[TSloper]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

The one I use, features a large carrier and a spayer arm that articulates around the vehicle and spray it with soap/water until clean.

I know the soaps aren't great, but the only reason I really use it is for the undercarriage spray and to get the salt scum off on above-freezing days.

Up north there isn't anything wrong at all with that. The salt is nasty and corrosive. Plus hand washing a car in the winter just isn't practical for most. Delta Sonic does a nice business.

[Jdelgado92]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal ZL1

Yes the initial cost, and application. But later it saves massive amounts of time, and greatly reduces the products that you use to take care of the coating. I just use the products in my linked thread pictured on a towel on my hood. I used the following products to do my car.

Porter cable polisher with lake county orange and white pads.
Menzerna FG400 for the initial polishing/swirl removal. Orange pads.
Blackfire SRC finishing polish. White pads.
Gyeon prep spray to prep the paint for coating
Kamikaze Miaybi coat

After care
Gyeon Bathe +
Kamikaze overcoat

Added bonus of Kamikaze infinity wax... probably a little OCD... not needed.
Here are product links in order of the above.

In any case if you DIY you need the polisher see link.
http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable...value-kit.html

Menzerna polish fantastic product.
http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-fast-gloss-fg400.html

Blackfire finishing polish
http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-sr...ng-polish.html

Kamikaze Miyabi pro kit. includes prep spray, coating, applicators, overcoat coating topper. From there you just need soap.
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/kamikaze-miyabi-pro-kit/

Soap
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/gyeon-q2-bathe-plus/


You also need two buckets and top quality microfibers, along with proper microfiber car products.
http://www.esotericcarcare.com/complete-wash-kit/

This is just an example of where I am at money wise on my set up, although I have a bunch of conventional products that I am using up on my company vehicle. For me the time saved surpassed the investment.

now these items look legit unlike the ones from pep boys

it definitely works on your red zl1 so i will give this a try when it gets warmer.

how often do you go back and start from the very beginning? and also what do you use to prevent rock chips ?

[JD555]

Ok come on it was not bad here today. I washed mine. It was cool but no wind. fill your bucket with warm water.