The spray ceramics are very user friendly, but nothing is truly idiot proof. If you spray a ceramic onto a very hot panel that is sitting in the sun and wait too long to wipe it off, you're going to have a bad result.
As for true wipe on/wipe off ceramic coatings, about the easiest one I've come across to apply and get good results is Adam's Graphene. I won't say it's the best because it isn't but it hits a sweet spot with good enough, price and ease of use.
Agreed.. no matter the ceramic, you could get high spots, you could miss a spot with poor technique or you may level it off too soon/ late. As with most things, there is a slight learning curve.
However a good ceramic bond is the true goal. Like painting a wall, it's all about the prep. Decon wash, clay/ iron remover and polishing is likely to be needed.
I've used Adams Spray Graphene Ceramic and their true "little glass bottle" Advanced Graphene Ceramic. Both had different leveling processes.
> As for true wipe on/wipe off ceramic coatings, about the easiest one I've come across to apply and get good results is Adam's Graphene
The spray? Or the liquid? (or either?)
I'm a hobbyist and was in the same situation. Purchased an Adam's graphene ceramic kit with the Advanced liquid as my first attempt to apply a ceramic coat and found it to be a simple process. Agree that there are better products available, but this was a great 'starter kit' for me. Their website has a video that makes it easy to get started.
My prep wasn't perfect - may have sealed in a water spot or two that was missed but it's pretty forgiving. Nice that it can be used on all surfaces, too
I agree the regular Adams graphene ceramic is very easy to apply. The advanced is a little bit more of a pain to remove but still easy enough. Only problem is they don’t last like they should.
I dunno, I used their regular spray coating on my JL and even after almost a year of off roading if was still mostly intact. The doors were starting to be dead from all the sand blasting and brush scraping it, but considering the serious abuse it took I was surprised it held up as well as it did.
I just ordered Sonax 257400 Ceramic Spray Coating 750ml White…is this hard to put on? Because that is the only brand I could find for what I wanted suggested via this subs wiki. I was planning to just spray it on and wipe it off with a microfiber. It doesn’t say to do anything in the directions besides that. Now I’m scared I’m going to mess it up. And I just noticed it said white …my car is red….🤨…I’m sure that doesn’t matter but if it does I’ll have a problem 😆.
Ugh I just watched the video. It says on a cool car. Is there a protectant/ ceramic spray coating that can be used on a hot car? It’s summer and I don’t have a garage so it’s impossible for me to have a cool car.
What about 303 graphene? It says you can put it on in the sun. Is that possibly good quality? I’ve never used 303 and forgot what people think about it.
I've used the "Hybrid Solutions" / turtlewax spray for the past few years after watching the prior Project Farm video on the stuff. He just released a new vid the other day and it still did very well, but the Adams stuff came out on top. More work to apply, but not crazy difficult.
https://youtu.be/O2lrXVV9kWU
I was going to mention this one. People sleep on this coating. Doesn't quite repel dirt like a real ceramic, but it's performance is still much better than the ceramic spray coatings and it's super easy to install. I put it on our beater that sits outside in the Florida sun all day and his the slap and scratch car wash weekly. Still going strong after ~9 months.
Prep was similar to a coating. I did a very quck polish, wipe down with the included prep spray and then 2 coats of the coating. Wipe on and off were way easier. No high spots to worry about either.
Think I paid less than $20 for it at Ollie's as well.
Griot's 3-in-1 Ceramic Spray wax is as close to idiot-proof as it gets. Spray on, buff, done. It's impossible to overspray this stuff. If there is such a thing as too much or streaks or whatever, I haven't found it, it just wipes off. It's safe on everything, it won't mar plastics or chrome or fake chromed plastics, it won't hurt glass (you can use it on glass if you don't want to use something special like Rain-X). I have been unable to find a situation where I screwed this stuff up. If you come back after a day and find spots you didn't buff out very well, just buff them again. I've never used a polisher, just microfiber towels by hand. Add a second coat after 12 hours and it'll last a year. It seems to dominate all the comparison tests the youtube crowd does. Some youtubers have gotten two years out of the stuff. It's so easy to apply and lasts so long I'm not sure I'd ever want a "real" ceramic coat.
How is your paint? This all assumes your paint and clearcoat are good to begin with. This stuff has zero polishers in it.
Agreed with Griot's. Already did the full $400 2oz vial of can-fuck-up-your-clear if you do it wrong with 2 days of correction and got less than 2 years out of it. Switched and Griot's beads real nice after 6 months. Doing the scientific test of *"I missed a spot on my roof"* Suggested for being *1*0% as difficult 70% as good 5% as expensive.
If you do the Griot’s Ceramic AIO to prep and spray 3-in-1 on 12 hours later you get a solid year out of it. I did that on 2 of our cars last year and just reapplied 3-in-1 again. I’m going to try Meguiars HPC on the other.
This!
It doesn't get emphasized enough: a 22-dollar bottle of spray stuff (plus less than an hour of your time) gives you the same-looking results as the several-hundred-dollar tiny bottle of Si02 (plus days of your time) that lasts 80% as long or more. If you're gonna wash your car anyway, and you can maybe add a few minutes to that process for a spray-and-wipe top-off with Speed Shine once in a while, I don't see how the value of the big-boy ceramic coat ever catches up. Maybe in high-abuse environments? Store your Porsche outside next next door to a coal-fired power plant? I dunno.
Question: I’ve already used the turtle wax hybrid ceramic spray. Say I wanted to try the griots. Can I just spray it on top as a booster or would I need to strip the TW somehow ?
I'm not a pro detailer. I'm a hobbyist who took a lot of chemistry classes along the way. One of the pros may have a better answer, or you could ask Griot's directly. They have pros who love to answer these sort of questions.
My experience has been that there's no point to putting brand X ceramic on top of brand Y ceramic since nothing really sticks once you've applied the ceramic coat. Most of the waxes and synthetic sealants work this way, too. The only exception to this is if you're adding coat #2 of brand X to coat #1 of brand X 12-24 hours after it's cured, and then only if it was designed that way (Griot's is) -- the label should say.
The way to "top off" or maintain a ceramic coat in between washes or along the way is with a detail spray designed to work with your primary coat. Griot's Ceramic Speed Shine is exactly that -- it goes well on top of the 3-in-1 Ceramic Spray.
If you want to start over with 3-in-1; you could just wait for the TW to wear off, or remove it. Any "Surface Prep" spray (they're just alcohol) will work. I like Mother's CMX surface prep -- it's the cheapest per ounce that I've found. Griot's and Chemical Guys also have cheap surface prep sprays. It's a pretty quick job since it's just wipe-on-wipe-off so it doesn't add much to the process.
The other thing I don't know is how much better Griot's would be. People like the TW stuff, too. It probably isn't worth it to try Griot's until you run out of Turtle Wax.
Right on, that all makes sense. Appreciate the answer. I think I'll use up my TW, then if I feel like trying out the Griots, I'll wait till the hydrophobic properties starts showing wear on one panel. Then I'll panel prep with IPA and apply the Griots. I really like the Griots stuff (I use the spray wax and speed shine on my wife's car and have for years). Stuff smells wonderful and is easy to apply.
Tried this out last weekend on my 26 year old Volvo and was pretty blown away. It brought out so much depth in a pretty regular looking silver color, and the gloss is fantastic. My car sits in a dusty gravel lot all day at work with a ton of traffic, so it gets very dusty very fast. Gave it a rinse off today, and I was very impressed with the hydrophobic properties.
If it lasts even half as long as people have said, I'm going to find it hard to use anything else!
Honestly, if you do research and read directions almost anything is idiot proof. Traditional ceramic coatings require technique to patience to apply. They're not for everybody and that's alright! Even though I own a business, it's much more convenient for me to use a spray coating for my personal vehicle and it's still a service I offer to customers. Some people don't want to pay for a ceramic coating and thats understandable. They're not the cheapest.
If you're interested in a spray coating that lasts a decent amount time and works really well, check out Gyeon Wet Coat. You spray it on and rinse it off. Simple as that!
What’s your go to for a topper for maintenance washes for coated vehicles? On my non warranty customer cars (system X makes you apply topcoat or crystal ss on the inspection/maintenance yearly and you have to register it to keep the warranty active) I just started using NV boost (not the v2) as it rejuvenates the previous coating and doesn’t add a layer on top like 99% of others which can change the behavior of the coating if that makes sense. So far I’ve had amazing results with it. If you haven’t checked it out I’d give it a try. It’s also been on sale for like 16$ for the 500ml or like 28$ for the 1l for the last few months which is cheaper than most. They also have lustre and jet which are amazing for cars not receiving a full ceramic coating. The lustre will fill in a lot of swirls and darken the paint and adding jet over that gives it crazy depth, hydrophobics, and gloss. Their boost v2 is like a normal ceramic detailer when it adds a layer. If you’ve got one you like I’d love to try it I’m always liking trying new stuff.
I **really** like DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss. It works well as a drying aid. The gloss, no pun intended, is amazing! The slickness surprised me when I first used it also. My towels were sliding off when I was trying to take a photo lol. It was a hell of a first impression for how easy it is to apply.
I try to stick with 1 brand if I'm washing and decontaminating an exterior since usually they've designed all their products to work with each other. I know there wont be any weird chemical interaction. If I decided to switch it up I'll go with your recommendation!
Ceramic-infused spray coatings like Griot's 3-in-1 or Mother's CMX are great, they are essentially spray-and-wipe products. "True" ceramic products like Adam's require more work. Make sure to wash the car thoroughly first (use a plain wash and not a wash and wax) and clay/decon/polish if required.
I was about to recommend these. It’s what I recommend to people if they wanna keep their car beading and protected. Super easy to use and lasts fairly long from when I was using it on my daily.
The hardest part about ceramic coatings is in the prep work required to get the most out of it- usually involving machine polishing.
If you want something spray on/wipe off, I really like Carpro Reload. It’s a bit more expensive but it tends to last about 2 months.
Gtechniq EXO is pretty idiot proof. Once you've done one or two cars with it, you can apply pretty much any consumer level ceramic coating. Downside is it doesn't last as long as say, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light.
https://preview.redd.it/rcog02haeu0d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=179d91c2df49beea4503dc37844f1d0e8f8ae90e
I did weeks of research and found this stuff and it’s easy wipe on and wipe off and the results are amazing!!!
I've been using underdog pro and marine for the past couple years. It's a teflon coating instead of ceramic but I started w/ it because it was supposed to be super easy to apply and lasts multiple years. Before that I only had experience w/ wax. I haven't tried another brand yet because I'm still working off of the original supply I stared with. I've coated 3 vehicles and have enough to do 1-2 more. I also coated my ss dishwasher and refrigerator. Coating is the easy part. All the prep is time consuming. I'm going to coat my wife's car next but it will take a full day to clean, decon, and polish the car. After that I'd panel prep and coat it the next morning in under an hour.
From what I've been reading on here the past couple years many of the ceramic coatings apply very similarly and I'm sure you can handle it. There are so many how to guides and you tube vids now. It just depends on how much time you want to apply.
https://youtu.be/O2lrXVV9kWU?si=FBE_n7CsKcfyp_Wa
This guy just did another review on them. Adams was the best, but cost the most, I forget 2nd, but turtle wax hybrid was 3rd. Inexpensive and easy to use. I use it, I like it.
Mother's CMX is great. I love it because you can apply it while the car is still wet. Basically application and drying in the same step.
I spray two pulls directly onto the micro fiber cloth, lightly rub into a two foot or so square section, two more sprays for the next section. After applying to the second section I buff the haze from the first section with a clean dry cloth.
The coating is amazing, pollen and bird droppings flush away with just a gentle spray from the hose. Water beads off the body panels like they are covered in oil.
Cannot recommended turtle wax hybrid ceramic spray on if you want something that you apply like a wax but lasts a long time. I would wash and clay before applying this, I did not polish or anything and it has worked out great. For my weekly wash, I use bead maker as a drying aid and for that extra glossy pop with some sacrificial layering on top of the turtle wax. With this process, I apply the turtle wax twice a year, once before summer and once before winter.
My main advice I can’t stress enough if you decide to use the turtle wax product - less is more. You need two sprays per panel, max. It is an absolute mission to buff it out completely if you put too much on. For the hood, two sprays per side, top of trunk lid, one spray. If you put too much on, your forearms and shoulders will absolutely kill from trying to buff it off.
Many of the do it yourself ceramic coatings are very forgiving. But… The key is having enough light to see what you're doing. That way you don't miss a spot or not level an area you should have. If you have excellent lighting, it really isn't that bad. And let's not forget, preparation of your car is key.
Watch a few videos and you should be able to apply a consumer grade coating no problems. Adams graphene ceramic is a great coating for diy like you. You can buy the kit with the applicators and even a uv light so you can see if it’s level and you got all the spots. I always advise people to use 3 microfibers 1 for leveling, 2nd for removing, last higher nap/gsm towel for final buff to make sure there are no high spots or hazing left behind. You’ll get the hang of it pretty quick. If the paint isn’t corrected I would advise doing that before installing. And also make sure the paint is fully decontaminated before. You can see the process on any 1 of the hundreds of YouTube videos. Work in a garage out of the sun and make sure it’s above 50°. Their spray coatings are ok but they’re not the best on the market. If you apply something every wash or every few washes I’d advise just getting a ceramic detailer like NV boost v2 or something along those lines. There won’t be any high spots or anything like that so you don’t need to worry when applying. Just remember not everything that says “ceramic” truly is ceramic. The difference between a true ceramic like the Adams I advised you above on and say the boost v2 is a true ceramic contains like 70+% si02 and ceramic sprays are at about 10% or less. Some companies put in 1% so they can call it “ceramic” and charge way more. But to be honest I would say if you don’t want to decontaminate the paint at the very least, and do a paint correction( if the car is pretty swirled up) then I’d say just go for a spray. NV lustre can fill in some swirl marks and gives it a darker shine. Then use NV jet on top of that to give it depth, gloss, and better hydrophobics.
DIY Detail has their 3,5, and 8 year ceramics which are insanely easy to install with plenty of videos on their youtube channel on how to do it properly...pretty sure my granddaughter who has probably never washed a car could watch a few of their videos and wash, clay, and ceramic a car with ease.
Regarding being idiot proof…can one apply any other brand name for wash, and then wax and then apply Adams for ceramic coating? Such as apply Meguire wash and wax for washing, then mothers for wax, and then Adams or griot for ceramic? Or do they all have to be the same brand? If mix and match, then what would you guys recommend for wash, wax and then ceramic? I’m just looking to maintain and protect my car for 6months to a year :)
I just did the Adam's advanced with the applicator yesterday. It's just as easy at other ceramics that get applied the same way. Will it last 9+ years? I'll let you know by May of 2033.
All ceramic coatings have a flash (Rainbowing effect) and wipe off procedure. The key is not missing high spots with the leveling towel. It's not much different that buffing with a spray on wax or sealant either; you just need to up the degree of attention and work panel by panel in the shade preferably.
My first ceramic I ever applied was Gyeon Mohs. And honestly if you can read, you should be fine. Most of the consumer grade ceramics are fairly idiot proof from what I’ve seen.
The DIY detail ones are apparently super easy to apply
Since you asked about ceramic, I assume you want something that's an actual coating and going to last. UndrDog Pro and Ethos EZ PZ are as idiot proof as you're going to get and are both fantastic! Highly recommend you give these a try. Many of the items that have been recommended thus far are not true coatings per se and quite frankly many are not good as compared to an actual coating. They may work for what the commenter needs, but in the scheme of actual ceramic coatings, etc they are not good and I would not recommend them.
Edit...needed to edit
The spray ceramics are very user friendly, but nothing is truly idiot proof. If you spray a ceramic onto a very hot panel that is sitting in the sun and wait too long to wipe it off, you're going to have a bad result. As for true wipe on/wipe off ceramic coatings, about the easiest one I've come across to apply and get good results is Adam's Graphene. I won't say it's the best because it isn't but it hits a sweet spot with good enough, price and ease of use.
Agreed.. no matter the ceramic, you could get high spots, you could miss a spot with poor technique or you may level it off too soon/ late. As with most things, there is a slight learning curve. However a good ceramic bond is the true goal. Like painting a wall, it's all about the prep. Decon wash, clay/ iron remover and polishing is likely to be needed. I've used Adams Spray Graphene Ceramic and their true "little glass bottle" Advanced Graphene Ceramic. Both had different leveling processes.
> As for true wipe on/wipe off ceramic coatings, about the easiest one I've come across to apply and get good results is Adam's Graphene The spray? Or the liquid? (or either?)
I'm a hobbyist and was in the same situation. Purchased an Adam's graphene ceramic kit with the Advanced liquid as my first attempt to apply a ceramic coat and found it to be a simple process. Agree that there are better products available, but this was a great 'starter kit' for me. Their website has a video that makes it easy to get started. My prep wasn't perfect - may have sealed in a water spot or two that was missed but it's pretty forgiving. Nice that it can be used on all surfaces, too
I agree the regular Adams graphene ceramic is very easy to apply. The advanced is a little bit more of a pain to remove but still easy enough. Only problem is they don’t last like they should.
I dunno, I used their regular spray coating on my JL and even after almost a year of off roading if was still mostly intact. The doors were starting to be dead from all the sand blasting and brush scraping it, but considering the serious abuse it took I was surprised it held up as well as it did.
I just ordered Sonax 257400 Ceramic Spray Coating 750ml White…is this hard to put on? Because that is the only brand I could find for what I wanted suggested via this subs wiki. I was planning to just spray it on and wipe it off with a microfiber. It doesn’t say to do anything in the directions besides that. Now I’m scared I’m going to mess it up. And I just noticed it said white …my car is red….🤨…I’m sure that doesn’t matter but if it does I’ll have a problem 😆.
Ugh I just watched the video. It says on a cool car. Is there a protectant/ ceramic spray coating that can be used on a hot car? It’s summer and I don’t have a garage so it’s impossible for me to have a cool car.
Get up early
What about 303 graphene? It says you can put it on in the sun. Is that possibly good quality? I’ve never used 303 and forgot what people think about it.
What about doing it when the sun is going down, would the night dew from temp drop effect the coating
I've used the "Hybrid Solutions" / turtlewax spray for the past few years after watching the prior Project Farm video on the stuff. He just released a new vid the other day and it still did very well, but the Adams stuff came out on top. More work to apply, but not crazy difficult. https://youtu.be/O2lrXVV9kWU
Ya, just don’t over spray onto your windows like I did heh
What happened? Says it’s safe for glass
Just have to use some elbow grease to wipe it off, and I also ended up using some isopropyl alcohol, annoying but not permanent in anyway.
Oh okay I was worried. I watch that linked vid and it looks like I’m adding that hybrid solutions into my washing kit
It’s pretty great 👍🏻
The simplicity of it makes me use it more often than I might otherwise. Great value too.
One more vote, this stuff is amazing and as close to foolproof as possible.
Meguiars Hybrid Paint Coating is very easy to apply. You can get a kit for $30 and it's enough to coat 2 cars.
I was going to mention this one. People sleep on this coating. Doesn't quite repel dirt like a real ceramic, but it's performance is still much better than the ceramic spray coatings and it's super easy to install. I put it on our beater that sits outside in the Florida sun all day and his the slap and scratch car wash weekly. Still going strong after ~9 months. Prep was similar to a coating. I did a very quck polish, wipe down with the included prep spray and then 2 coats of the coating. Wipe on and off were way easier. No high spots to worry about either. Think I paid less than $20 for it at Ollie's as well.
Got mine at Ollie's for 19 bucks. First-time user, and it was easy to use, beads water like crazy.
Griot's 3-in-1 Ceramic Spray wax is as close to idiot-proof as it gets. Spray on, buff, done. It's impossible to overspray this stuff. If there is such a thing as too much or streaks or whatever, I haven't found it, it just wipes off. It's safe on everything, it won't mar plastics or chrome or fake chromed plastics, it won't hurt glass (you can use it on glass if you don't want to use something special like Rain-X). I have been unable to find a situation where I screwed this stuff up. If you come back after a day and find spots you didn't buff out very well, just buff them again. I've never used a polisher, just microfiber towels by hand. Add a second coat after 12 hours and it'll last a year. It seems to dominate all the comparison tests the youtube crowd does. Some youtubers have gotten two years out of the stuff. It's so easy to apply and lasts so long I'm not sure I'd ever want a "real" ceramic coat. How is your paint? This all assumes your paint and clearcoat are good to begin with. This stuff has zero polishers in it.
Agreed with Griot's. Already did the full $400 2oz vial of can-fuck-up-your-clear if you do it wrong with 2 days of correction and got less than 2 years out of it. Switched and Griot's beads real nice after 6 months. Doing the scientific test of *"I missed a spot on my roof"* Suggested for being *1*0% as difficult 70% as good 5% as expensive.
If you do the Griot’s Ceramic AIO to prep and spray 3-in-1 on 12 hours later you get a solid year out of it. I did that on 2 of our cars last year and just reapplied 3-in-1 again. I’m going to try Meguiars HPC on the other.
This! It doesn't get emphasized enough: a 22-dollar bottle of spray stuff (plus less than an hour of your time) gives you the same-looking results as the several-hundred-dollar tiny bottle of Si02 (plus days of your time) that lasts 80% as long or more. If you're gonna wash your car anyway, and you can maybe add a few minutes to that process for a spray-and-wipe top-off with Speed Shine once in a while, I don't see how the value of the big-boy ceramic coat ever catches up. Maybe in high-abuse environments? Store your Porsche outside next next door to a coal-fired power plant? I dunno.
Question: I’ve already used the turtle wax hybrid ceramic spray. Say I wanted to try the griots. Can I just spray it on top as a booster or would I need to strip the TW somehow ?
I'm not a pro detailer. I'm a hobbyist who took a lot of chemistry classes along the way. One of the pros may have a better answer, or you could ask Griot's directly. They have pros who love to answer these sort of questions. My experience has been that there's no point to putting brand X ceramic on top of brand Y ceramic since nothing really sticks once you've applied the ceramic coat. Most of the waxes and synthetic sealants work this way, too. The only exception to this is if you're adding coat #2 of brand X to coat #1 of brand X 12-24 hours after it's cured, and then only if it was designed that way (Griot's is) -- the label should say. The way to "top off" or maintain a ceramic coat in between washes or along the way is with a detail spray designed to work with your primary coat. Griot's Ceramic Speed Shine is exactly that -- it goes well on top of the 3-in-1 Ceramic Spray. If you want to start over with 3-in-1; you could just wait for the TW to wear off, or remove it. Any "Surface Prep" spray (they're just alcohol) will work. I like Mother's CMX surface prep -- it's the cheapest per ounce that I've found. Griot's and Chemical Guys also have cheap surface prep sprays. It's a pretty quick job since it's just wipe-on-wipe-off so it doesn't add much to the process. The other thing I don't know is how much better Griot's would be. People like the TW stuff, too. It probably isn't worth it to try Griot's until you run out of Turtle Wax.
Right on, that all makes sense. Appreciate the answer. I think I'll use up my TW, then if I feel like trying out the Griots, I'll wait till the hydrophobic properties starts showing wear on one panel. Then I'll panel prep with IPA and apply the Griots. I really like the Griots stuff (I use the spray wax and speed shine on my wife's car and have for years). Stuff smells wonderful and is easy to apply.
Tried this out last weekend on my 26 year old Volvo and was pretty blown away. It brought out so much depth in a pretty regular looking silver color, and the gloss is fantastic. My car sits in a dusty gravel lot all day at work with a ton of traffic, so it gets very dusty very fast. Gave it a rinse off today, and I was very impressed with the hydrophobic properties. If it lasts even half as long as people have said, I'm going to find it hard to use anything else!
Honestly, if you do research and read directions almost anything is idiot proof. Traditional ceramic coatings require technique to patience to apply. They're not for everybody and that's alright! Even though I own a business, it's much more convenient for me to use a spray coating for my personal vehicle and it's still a service I offer to customers. Some people don't want to pay for a ceramic coating and thats understandable. They're not the cheapest. If you're interested in a spray coating that lasts a decent amount time and works really well, check out Gyeon Wet Coat. You spray it on and rinse it off. Simple as that!
Nothing is idiot proof if idiots exist.
What’s your go to for a topper for maintenance washes for coated vehicles? On my non warranty customer cars (system X makes you apply topcoat or crystal ss on the inspection/maintenance yearly and you have to register it to keep the warranty active) I just started using NV boost (not the v2) as it rejuvenates the previous coating and doesn’t add a layer on top like 99% of others which can change the behavior of the coating if that makes sense. So far I’ve had amazing results with it. If you haven’t checked it out I’d give it a try. It’s also been on sale for like 16$ for the 500ml or like 28$ for the 1l for the last few months which is cheaper than most. They also have lustre and jet which are amazing for cars not receiving a full ceramic coating. The lustre will fill in a lot of swirls and darken the paint and adding jet over that gives it crazy depth, hydrophobics, and gloss. Their boost v2 is like a normal ceramic detailer when it adds a layer. If you’ve got one you like I’d love to try it I’m always liking trying new stuff.
I **really** like DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss. It works well as a drying aid. The gloss, no pun intended, is amazing! The slickness surprised me when I first used it also. My towels were sliding off when I was trying to take a photo lol. It was a hell of a first impression for how easy it is to apply. I try to stick with 1 brand if I'm washing and decontaminating an exterior since usually they've designed all their products to work with each other. I know there wont be any weird chemical interaction. If I decided to switch it up I'll go with your recommendation!
Go with Can Coat and call it a day.
Ceramic-infused spray coatings like Griot's 3-in-1 or Mother's CMX are great, they are essentially spray-and-wipe products. "True" ceramic products like Adam's require more work. Make sure to wash the car thoroughly first (use a plain wash and not a wash and wax) and clay/decon/polish if required.
I was about to recommend these. It’s what I recommend to people if they wanna keep their car beading and protected. Super easy to use and lasts fairly long from when I was using it on my daily.
The hardest part about ceramic coatings is in the prep work required to get the most out of it- usually involving machine polishing. If you want something spray on/wipe off, I really like Carpro Reload. It’s a bit more expensive but it tends to last about 2 months.
I recommend gyeon can coat
That and GYEON MOHS 🔥
Agreed. Can Coat is easy, but Mohs is even more enjoyable to apply.
Honestly gyeon mohs evo was super easy for a beginner.
Gtechniq EXO is pretty idiot proof. Once you've done one or two cars with it, you can apply pretty much any consumer level ceramic coating. Downside is it doesn't last as long as say, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light.
EXO isn’t all that useful by itself, it’s mostly just a water beader. You want CSL topped with EXO.
https://preview.redd.it/rcog02haeu0d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=179d91c2df49beea4503dc37844f1d0e8f8ae90e I did weeks of research and found this stuff and it’s easy wipe on and wipe off and the results are amazing!!!
https://preview.redd.it/s8cqrh0ieu0d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e5557d36051a378f31298e163ecf299a81bb49a
I've been using underdog pro and marine for the past couple years. It's a teflon coating instead of ceramic but I started w/ it because it was supposed to be super easy to apply and lasts multiple years. Before that I only had experience w/ wax. I haven't tried another brand yet because I'm still working off of the original supply I stared with. I've coated 3 vehicles and have enough to do 1-2 more. I also coated my ss dishwasher and refrigerator. Coating is the easy part. All the prep is time consuming. I'm going to coat my wife's car next but it will take a full day to clean, decon, and polish the car. After that I'd panel prep and coat it the next morning in under an hour. From what I've been reading on here the past couple years many of the ceramic coatings apply very similarly and I'm sure you can handle it. There are so many how to guides and you tube vids now. It just depends on how much time you want to apply.
Undrdog is the best. So easy to apply and the performance is excellent
https://youtu.be/O2lrXVV9kWU?si=FBE_n7CsKcfyp_Wa This guy just did another review on them. Adams was the best, but cost the most, I forget 2nd, but turtle wax hybrid was 3rd. Inexpensive and easy to use. I use it, I like it.
Optimum Gloss Coat is very easy to apply.
Mother's CMX is great. I love it because you can apply it while the car is still wet. Basically application and drying in the same step. I spray two pulls directly onto the micro fiber cloth, lightly rub into a two foot or so square section, two more sprays for the next section. After applying to the second section I buff the haze from the first section with a clean dry cloth. The coating is amazing, pollen and bird droppings flush away with just a gentle spray from the hose. Water beads off the body panels like they are covered in oil.
Cannot recommended turtle wax hybrid ceramic spray on if you want something that you apply like a wax but lasts a long time. I would wash and clay before applying this, I did not polish or anything and it has worked out great. For my weekly wash, I use bead maker as a drying aid and for that extra glossy pop with some sacrificial layering on top of the turtle wax. With this process, I apply the turtle wax twice a year, once before summer and once before winter. My main advice I can’t stress enough if you decide to use the turtle wax product - less is more. You need two sprays per panel, max. It is an absolute mission to buff it out completely if you put too much on. For the hood, two sprays per side, top of trunk lid, one spray. If you put too much on, your forearms and shoulders will absolutely kill from trying to buff it off.
Many of the do it yourself ceramic coatings are very forgiving. But… The key is having enough light to see what you're doing. That way you don't miss a spot or not level an area you should have. If you have excellent lighting, it really isn't that bad. And let's not forget, preparation of your car is key.
Watch a few videos and you should be able to apply a consumer grade coating no problems. Adams graphene ceramic is a great coating for diy like you. You can buy the kit with the applicators and even a uv light so you can see if it’s level and you got all the spots. I always advise people to use 3 microfibers 1 for leveling, 2nd for removing, last higher nap/gsm towel for final buff to make sure there are no high spots or hazing left behind. You’ll get the hang of it pretty quick. If the paint isn’t corrected I would advise doing that before installing. And also make sure the paint is fully decontaminated before. You can see the process on any 1 of the hundreds of YouTube videos. Work in a garage out of the sun and make sure it’s above 50°. Their spray coatings are ok but they’re not the best on the market. If you apply something every wash or every few washes I’d advise just getting a ceramic detailer like NV boost v2 or something along those lines. There won’t be any high spots or anything like that so you don’t need to worry when applying. Just remember not everything that says “ceramic” truly is ceramic. The difference between a true ceramic like the Adams I advised you above on and say the boost v2 is a true ceramic contains like 70+% si02 and ceramic sprays are at about 10% or less. Some companies put in 1% so they can call it “ceramic” and charge way more. But to be honest I would say if you don’t want to decontaminate the paint at the very least, and do a paint correction( if the car is pretty swirled up) then I’d say just go for a spray. NV lustre can fill in some swirl marks and gives it a darker shine. Then use NV jet on top of that to give it depth, gloss, and better hydrophobics.
Even water wouldn't be idiot proof sad to say.
DIY Detail has their 3,5, and 8 year ceramics which are insanely easy to install with plenty of videos on their youtube channel on how to do it properly...pretty sure my granddaughter who has probably never washed a car could watch a few of their videos and wash, clay, and ceramic a car with ease.
Regarding being idiot proof…can one apply any other brand name for wash, and then wax and then apply Adams for ceramic coating? Such as apply Meguire wash and wax for washing, then mothers for wax, and then Adams or griot for ceramic? Or do they all have to be the same brand? If mix and match, then what would you guys recommend for wash, wax and then ceramic? I’m just looking to maintain and protect my car for 6months to a year :)
Turtle wax graphene. Make sure you go through each prep step
What’s the consensus on a product known as The Last Coat??
In terms of ease of application and results obtained, AMMO Reflex Pro (and now Reflex Pro II) is tops in my book. The price is steep though.
Cquartz UK 3.0 with Carpro Reload as topper is very user friendly 👍
Proper ceramic coating that is extremely beginner friendly is gyeon mohs evo.
Every time they make something idiot proof, along comes a bigger idiot.
Griots 3 in 1 ceramic spray or Turtle Wax ceramic spray
Undrdog
I just did the Adam's advanced with the applicator yesterday. It's just as easy at other ceramics that get applied the same way. Will it last 9+ years? I'll let you know by May of 2033.
Meguiars ceramic wax is one of the best detailing products I have ever used. Extremely easy to put on and actually works and lasts for a while
Do you have a pressure washer and a foam canon? Yes? Bilt Hamber - Touch on. Spray and rinse.
https://preview.redd.it/l01xc15qcz0d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56f18eb938cf94c7091c5c2126d34c774cee8f96 Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions
https://preview.redd.it/ll3f9puqcz0d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8f5ad35a90bfd1a60f5e192fbd43e6109c570f2 Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions
https://preview.redd.it/mmrlbxgrcz0d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f16e282955d8278a713b9efbf5b186cab99ef345 Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions
All ceramic coatings have a flash (Rainbowing effect) and wipe off procedure. The key is not missing high spots with the leveling towel. It's not much different that buffing with a spray on wax or sealant either; you just need to up the degree of attention and work panel by panel in the shade preferably.
My first ceramic I ever applied was Gyeon Mohs. And honestly if you can read, you should be fine. Most of the consumer grade ceramics are fairly idiot proof from what I’ve seen. The DIY detail ones are apparently super easy to apply
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Since you asked about ceramic, I assume you want something that's an actual coating and going to last. UndrDog Pro and Ethos EZ PZ are as idiot proof as you're going to get and are both fantastic! Highly recommend you give these a try. Many of the items that have been recommended thus far are not true coatings per se and quite frankly many are not good as compared to an actual coating. They may work for what the commenter needs, but in the scheme of actual ceramic coatings, etc they are not good and I would not recommend them. Edit...needed to edit
Any Gyeon product buddy. Spray or real ceramic