[Agrsiv]

I have read through pages and pages of what and what not to use to protect my car, and I am more confused than when I started. I will say that I don't like waxing my vehicles (it's just not fun), but the camaro just looks sooo good when she shines. It is under a month old, is my daily driver, and is not garaged. I was leaning towards ceramic, but there are just as many negative comments about ceramic as there are positives. I guess I am wondering in what ways (if any) would I be better off going with something else? I am looking at minimal maintenance.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Gunkk]

You didn't mention your budget.

If you have the cash, a full car self healing Paint Protection Film topped with a durable hydrophobic coating, while expensive, is VERY low maintenance. And will look good for a long time.

[SnakeEyeSS]

Down the rabbit hole. The more you learn, the more you'll want to do.
TLDR:
Meguiars ultimate fast finish every 4 months(takes less than 10 minutes) after a cleansing wash(easy to get: chemical guys clean slate is on Amazon, or Wal Mart has a turtle was wash that you mix to desired level of PH) Simple, fast, easy. I would suggest a NanoSkin but you probably don't want to spend that extra 30-60 minutes).

I used the UFF in a rush and without prep in July and can't believe how well it is still beading.


Details:
If you are only hand washing before the application, try to find an automatic wash that doesn't use harsh chemical, but you might not be able to. They generally work because they use harsh chemicals. (And that might weaken or stop the protection.) The thing is many may lie to gain a customer, so only ask what the brands of soap they use are. Then research the soap, and hope the carwash has the mixtures right.

You'll get a lot of people recommended botique or expensive stuff, and some of it works, some isn't any better than what is carried at a local store. Most of us that try all the different stuff just do it because we like trying stuff. But most of it disappoints me.

Modern paint sucks, and the drive through carwash that are growing so fast isn't doing it much good.

[Demon War Horse]

Ceramic lasts the longest. Waxes last about 3 months outside on a daily. Also look at McKees 37 high def paint sealant. It will last about six months. Ours are ceramic coated and topped with McKees. Feel free to pm me for additional details. Meguiars also makes great over the counter products.

[Agrsiv]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like ceramic is what I am going to go with.

[Agrsiv]

Originally Posted by SnakeEyeSS

Down the rabbit hole. The more you learn, the more you'll want to do.
TLDR:
Meguiars ultimate fast finish every 4 months(takes less than 10 minutes) after a cleansing wash(easy to get: chemical guys clean slate is on Amazon, or Wal Mart has a turtle was wash that you mix to desired level of PH) Simple, fast, easy. I would suggest a NanoSkin but you probably don't want to spend that extra 30-60 minutes).

I used the UFF in a rush and without prep in July and can't believe how well it is still beading.


Details:
If you are only hand washing before the application, try to find an automatic wash that doesn't use harsh chemical, but you might not be able to. They generally work because they use harsh chemicals. (And that might weaken or stop the protection.) The thing is many may lie to gain a customer, so only ask what the brands of soap they use are. Then research the soap, and hope the carwash has the mixtures right.

You'll get a lot of people recommended botique or expensive stuff, and some of it works, some isn't any better than what is carried at a local store. Most of us that try all the different stuff just do it because we like trying stuff. But most of it disappoints me.

Modern paint sucks, and the drive through carwash that are growing so fast isn't doing it much good.

I agree with enjoying trying different stuff and also agree that I almost always end up disappointed.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by Agrsiv

Thanks for the replies. It looks like ceramic is what I am going to go with.

Consider some water spot protection as well.

[Burly]

My 2 cents, if you can’t garage it, don’t ceramic coat. You’ll be unhappy with the eventual water spots and the cost/effort of trying fix them.

[24v]

Originally Posted by Agrsiv

Thanks for the replies. It looks like ceramic is what I am going to go with.

The thing with ceramic is that you want your paint as perfect as possible before the coating is applied. If you don't have the tools or skill to get it there it can be very costly to have someone else do it for you. The actual application of the coating isn't the hard part at all. But, once the paint is coated you have essentially locked in any blemishes that were not removed before the coating was applied.

[24v]

Originally Posted by Burly

My 2 cents, if you can’t garage it, don’t ceramic coat. You’ll be unhappy with the eventual water spots and the cost/effort of trying fix them.

Can't you just polish them off? Not sure why the ceramic would have any effect on something that happens on top of it.

[Agrsiv]

Originally Posted by 24v

The thing with ceramic is that you want your paint as perfect as possible before the coating is applied. If you don't have the tools or skill to get it there it can be very costly to have someone else do it for you. The actual application of the coating isn't the hard part at all. But, once the paint is coated you have essentially locked in any blemishes that were not removed before the coating was applied.

I do have the tools and ability to polish the very few light swirls that the dealership left for me, but thanks for the warning.

[Burly]

Originally Posted by 24v

Can't you just polish them off? Not sure why the ceramic would have any effect on something that happens on top of it.

You can polish them off but you’ll end up removing coating too, then you would ideally have to reapply coating in that area. Blending the coating can be hit or miss, Ive seen reapplied areas stand out.

[Intimidator]

Omgosh...my car has had PPF and Ceramic coat since last Winter and has had Zero water-spots. Same with my son's Subie Blue BRZ.
Each manufacturer has a Silica Ceramic sealant/topper which lasts 3 to 6 months, and they can even be used as a detail spray to keep the shine going for us anal people!
I have now also used Adams 9H Ceramic coat and Jax Wax 9H Ceramic on my son's car, Carbon Fiber parts, and 4 sets of rims.
Both companies also have very nice toppers...Jax Wax has it's Ceramic Detailer and Adams has it's Ceramic Boost 2.0.
All other Companies have the same...I'm just using Jax Wax now since I get 20% off, and get my stuff next day!
Either have the car buffed and polished or do it yourself after an iron remover...then Coat it...or pay to have it all done...it's a good investment!

[Glen e]

There are 100 ways to do this, I choose easy, but effective.

I think some people are making it harder than it really is. If you want a specific way that you can get a good looking, protected car, in an apartment complex or wherever , do this:

1. Take it somewhere or you can wash the car with Dawn dishwashing detergent or a citrus shampoo.

2. Then "wax on /wax off" a good finishing polish like carpro essence gloss enhancer. Put it on just like you did your dad's car, buff it off , you can do this by hand. Make sure you get all the polish off before you proceed. Buy six good microfibers, the kind that are a couple bucks each. You only do this polish step annually.

3. Then buy some blackfire SIO2 spray and put it on essentially like Windex. A little goes a long way. No need to use a lot. A couple spritzers per panel. Do this every couple months, after the car is clean. I actually run through a touchless carwash that's set on strictly rinse, before I put mine on.

4. Then every week to 10 days or so ,learn to do a rinseless...... Blackfire rinseless is fine, McKees, wolfgang, frankly without splitting hairs, all rinseless products are essentially the same. link in my sig to a document I wrote on how to do a rinseless. Also, Make up a Windex bottle of rinseless and use that for bird bombs, a quick wipe down etc.…


This car was done exactly the same way as I listed above. Is this enough gloss for you?