If you’re considering investing in one of these coatings, it’s important to get the facts straight. So we have taken some time putting together some questions and answers for you. About the truth around automotive Ceramic Coatings. What are they? What are their benefits? How long do they last? Can I DIY apply these coatings? and why would you choose a Professional Installer?

What are they?

A Ceramic Coating such as CArPro cQuartz, cQuartz Finest or Nanolex Si3D is a liquid polymer that are applied by hand to the exterior of a vehicle. This coating chemically bonds with the vehicle’s factory paint, creating a layer of hard protection. In many cases, the coating will be several times harder than the clear coat that has already been factory applied to your vehicle.

What are their benefits?

It is a premium wax alternative. A Ceramic Coating creates a permanent or semi-permanent bond with a vehicle’s paint, meaning that it won’t wash away or break down and does not require repeated application every few months.

A Ceramic Coating adds additional protection to your car’s exterior and helps keep it looking like-new with very little maintenance. Here are the main benefits.

Cleaning made easy – One of the best features of Ceramic Coatings is that it is hydrophobic, which is the technical way of saying it repels water. This means that the chemical bond of the coating that is applied to the vehicle is tighter and more compact than water or dirt chemical compounds. When a vehicle has a hydrophobic Ceramic Coating, water will bead on the surface and slide off more easily. This also means that dirt and dust will have a harder time bonding to your vehicle’s paint. And when you wash your car, contaminants can be removed with less effort and less risk of damaging your paint.

Protection from UV/Sun damage – A vehicle that is often exposed to the sun will be subjected to its harmful UV rays. Over time these rays can break down the finish causing dull paint, this known as oxidisation. 

Protection from chemical etching – Chemicals present in naturally occurring substances such as bird droppings and tree sap can cause permanent etching or ghosting in the clear coat, Ceramic Coatings are resistant to these chemicals and will keep your paintwork pristine.

Deep Glossy Shine – Everyone wants their paint to pop, with a deep glossy shine. A good Ceramic Coating enhances the reflective properties of your car’s paint and clear coat, adding depth and clarity of your paint.

How long do they last?

Typical wax products offers gloss and the hydrophobic effects to but in most case, not the longevity. Ceramic Coatings, depending on brand can last for years. Traditional carnauba wax normally last 6-10 weeks. More expensive ceramic waxes can last up to six months.  Wax although offer gloss tend not to look as sharp as Ceramic Coatings and wax’s do not provide the same level of protection from bird droppings or tree sap.

Can I DIY apply these coating?

Yes, there are many products available on the market for those DIY owners. CarPro cQuartz UK and Nanolex Si3D are both available to purchase online and can be applied at home. Just be sure to follow the instruction and make sure your paint in cleaned and prepped before application. If you choose to go the DIY route, consider that you will not be covered by any warranty which most professionally applied work would offer.

We would recommend you to check out this video on YouTube, showing step by step on HOW TO APPLY CQUK COATING.

Why would you choose a Professional Installer?

The main reason to choose a brand approved Professional Installer is that they apply these coating every day. They know how to work with them, and they know how to get the best looking finish to your vehicle. Often the preparation of a vehicle is overlooked when considering professional installers. If your paint is dull or scratched, you do not want to put a strong protective coating on it. Locking in those damaged or affect areas. 99% of all cars have some defects that a Professional Install would have to address before applying the Ceramic Coating.

I generally start by cleaning the wheels as most wheel cleaners work best when the wheel is dry, but this is not always the case. Spray a light coating of the cleaner on the wheels and let it soak and work away for about 5 – 10 mins. I use this time to setup the rest of the gear I need to wash the car, hoses, water blaster etc….Once the wheel cleaner has fully soaked in I use a wheel brush to agitate the brake dust, this step is to make sure all the brake dust has been affected and loosened by the wheel cleaner. Before washing off the cleaner use another wheel or tyre brush to give the tyre a quick scrub. The last step is to wash the cleaner off. Water blasters are ideal for wheel cleaning as they can cut through built up brake dust left on the wheel.

Recommend CarPro Product – CarPro – Iron X – Iron Filings and Contaminants Cleaner – 500ml

Recommend Chemical Guys Product – Chemical Guys – Signature Series Wheel Cleaner

The pre wash is an extra step to some people but vital to others, The goal of the Pre Wash is to reduce the amount of contact you have with your vehicle’s paint. The less scrubbing or washing you do the less chance there is that you will rub dirt into your vehicle’s paint, which in turn creates swirls and scratches. The Foam will loosen the dirt and then flow off when you spray it down. This step is one of the most important steps if you want to reduce the amount of damage that could be caused to your paint when you wash it down later.

You generally need a water blaster with a snow foam lance or a straight hose attached foam gun and a foam wash product. Put 4 or 5 cap fulls of the wash product into the snow foam bottle and fill it up with warm water. Next step is to coat the car in a nice thick layer of foam. It will not take long to completely cover the car, repeat this and coat the car several times until your mixture of wash product and water is gone. Make sure to coat the wheels and under the wheel arches too.

Recommend CarPro Product – CarPro – Reset – Intensive Car Shampoo – 500ml

Recommend Chemical Guys Product – Chemical Guys – Honey Dew Snow Foam Cleanser

Step 3 – Let it Soak

Now that you have coated your vehicle from head to toe, you just need to let the foam do its job. While it’s soaking it is a good time to make sure the foam has worked its way in everywhere. Take a detailing brush and rub the foam over and into any small areas, badges, logos, vents etc… This will make sure that foam gets a chance to soak into dirt all over the vehicle.

Step 4 – Two Bucket System

Now that the Pre Wash Foam has soaked into all the dirt, you are ready to wash it all off. This is one of the more important steps, as its the main step where you have the most contact with the car, and brings with it more potential to scratch or put swirls into the paint. The foam will have loosened the dirt in the last step and this step is just to make sure you wipe it all off. But when you wipe it off you want to make sure it stays off and does not go back on to your sponge / wash mitt and then get wiped back onto the vehicles paint, this is usually the main cause of swirls on most vehicles paint. The two bucket system will drastically decrease the possibility of putting dirt back on your vehicle and reduce any chance of damaging your paint. It’s pretty simple, one bucket is for your clean sponge / wash mitt to pick up water and wash product and the other bucket is to clean your sponge / wash mitt and remove the dirt you just wiped off the car, then you put your clean sponge back in the clean bucket and keep repeating until the job is done.

Recommend CarPro Product – CarPro – Merino Wool Wash Mitt

Recommend Chemical Guys Product – Chemical Guys – 2 Bucket Wash Kit 

Step 5 – Spray it Down

Once you have wiped every square inch of your vehicle, its time to spray all your cleaning products off. Its a pretty straight forward step, I generally start on the roof and work my way vertically down the vehicle to the tyres, But each to their own on this one.

Step 6 – Drying

This step for most is where they let the car air dry. We are after that showroom shine finish and to get that you need to dry of your vehicle. You will need either a microfiber drying towel or chamois. Both are fine, it’s just down to what you prefer to use. One thing to note when you buy towels or chamois, make sure they are very bright in colour, this will help to show up any dirt still left on your car. Ideally when you dry off your car the towel or chamois should not be dirty, it should only be wet if it’s dirty then you need to alter how you did the last few steps as the car is still dirty. This is another major factor in creating swirls in your paintwork, as the dirt on the towel just gets rubbed back into the paint as you move along your vehicle.

Recommend CarPro Product – CarPro – Fat BOA – Green Plush 800gsm Microfibre Drying Towel – 60 x 35cm

Recommend Chemical Guys Product – Chemical Guys – Huge SUV Microfiber Drying Towel

Step 7 – Quick Detailing Spray

The next step is to increase the protection of the paint during regular waxing. Doing a full polish and wax is not always ideal as it takes a lot of time, so in between major waxing, it is good to use a Quick Detailer product to help maintain the protection that the wax already provides. I have two microfiber towels for this process, a polishing cloth which is usually blue and a buffing Cloth which are usually yellow. Spray on your detailer product, spraying it on a few panels at a time, rubbing it in with the blue polishing cloth. I will work my way all over the vehicle before switching to the buffing cloth. The buffing cloth with brings out that showroom shine you have been after.

Recommend CarPro Product – CarPro – Reload – Silica Spray Sealant – 500ml

Recommend Chemical Guys Product – Chemical Guys – Hybrid V7 Spray Sealant & Quick Detailer – 473ml

This entire process takes me around 2 hours. And the results last for the majority of the week with regular driving, until the next wash. And if you have spent the time on polishing your vehicle, a routine like this would help you to prolong its new finish.

The Detail Depot. Official distributors of Chemical Guys, Car Pro and Dodo Juice in New Zealand.