Your thoughts on "Ceramic" auto wax

[tallyho8]

I just spent way more money than I should have buying some of that highly advertised new ceramic auto polish. I have tried about 6 different kinds of auto waxes on my car and not really being able to tell any difference between the cheaper ones and the more expensive ones. My car looks very good after I use any of them but it still does not have that "brand new" look.

The ceramic wax is supposed to make it look even way better than new. Looking at it I could not tell the difference between it and any of the other waxes. When I rub my hand over the area that has the ceramic wax it feels rough, almost like a really fine grit sandpaper. The other part of the car feels smooth.

Has anyone found the ceramic wax to look way better on their car than a regular wax job?

 

[Big Barn]

My last vehicle was "pro" ceramic waxed before delivery with some sort of warranty.

My opinion is to save your money and wax your vehicle once a year with ANY quality mainstream wax.

 

[i7win7]

Truck washes have some chemical they call a brightener. 30 min after wash it really does look brighter. Should be decal safe with all the lettering on commercial trucks. Still need to wax it

 

[oosik]

I wax my vehicle twice a year with a quality wax. Right now it's - Meguiars. That had better be sufficient ............

 

[s219]

What brand/model vehicle and year? Any paint correction work done? I have tried a few ceramics, but only on new vehicles with pristine shiny clearcoat.

Ceramic by itself will not make a vehicle look shiny or new. The main point of ceramic is protection, not shine. In fact, the really good ceramics are not optically perfect and can even cause distortion if not put on right. If you are after shine, then the first step would be a good polish. What you follow it with is not as important.

 

[JohnDeereJoey]

The rough feel you describe is not normal. Consider bringing the vehicle to a reputable detail shop, and get their opinion on what happened and how to remedy. I suspect this will require at minimum a strip wash, and at worse a complete machine polish.

A strip wash can easily be do-it-yourself. A professionally done machine polish can get pricey depending on the level of paint correction you desire. Polishing can also be do-it-yourself, but beware the wrong polish and machine polisher in the hands of a rookie can really mess up paint!

 

[JohnDeereJoey]

What brand/model vehicle and year? Any paint correction work done? I have tried a few ceramics, but only on new vehicles with pristine shiny clearcoat.

Ceramic by itself will not make a vehicle look shiny or new. The main point of ceramic is protection, not shine. In fact, the really good ceramics are not optically perfect and can even cause distortion if not put on right. If you are after shine, then the first step would be a good polish. What you follow it with is not as important.

Totally agree!

 

[tallyho8]

What brand/model vehicle and year? Any paint correction work done? I have tried a few ceramics, but only on new vehicles with pristine shiny clearcoat.

2013 Genesis Coupe. Below are 2 photos. The first one was in 2013 when it was brand new. the second one was before I applied the ceramic coating a few days ago

 

[coobie]

I just spent way more money than I should have buying some of that highly advertised new ceramic auto polish. I have tried about 6 different kinds of auto waxes on my car and not really being able to tell any difference between the cheaper ones and the more expensive ones. My car looks very good after I use any of them but it still does not have that "brand new" look.

The ceramic wax is supposed to make it look even way better than new. Looking at it I could not tell the difference between it and any of the other waxes. When I rub my hand over the area that has the ceramic wax it feels rough, almost like a really fine grit sandpaper. The other part of the car feels smooth.

Has anyone found the ceramic wax to look way better on their car than a regular wax job?

Your vehicle surface should not feel rough.I use a product called IRON OUT it removes rail dust and contaminates.Then clay bar the vehicle then wax or ceramic coat.

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[oosik]

OK. So where is the picture AFTER the ceramic was applied to the Genisis?

 

[Gem99ultra]

The problem is that you waxed your entire car with the ceramic polish. All the TV commercials I see are with the presenter taping off half the hood and waxing only that part. I assume from what I see in the commercials that it is intended for waxing only 1/2 the hood.

I keep wondering what would happen if they waxed the entire automobile, but I've never seen that happen so I assume its a 1/2 hood only wax.

PS Commercials don't lie, right?

 

[ray66v]

Modern paint does not need to be sealed, which is the primary function of auto wax. So actual sealing and waxing is not necessary.

Most "wax" today is primarily made up of silicone, and really not doing much besides making it bead water.

That being said, many people are still going to do it. The critical step is not to just apply the slippery chemicals. It is to do the deep cleaning that should be done periodically, and is often skipped for the easy part.

Things like brake dust are going to adhere to the finish regardless of what you have on it. So, use of a clay bar, or synthetic cloth to remove those foreign particles is the first step.

Then, using a finish cleaner will remove minor surface scratches, and scuffs. There are lots of products that do this, depending on the level of wear, Meguiars is readily available to the consumer. They have two or three finish cleaners in their product line. Crystal finish is a good middle of the road product for most people. This part requires the use of some elbow grease. Don't try to do it all at once if you are not ready to do some work.

Then, if you really want to, you can apply the slippery product, or actual wax of your choice, and pretend it was necessary.

I don't think the ceramic coatings are worthwhile. I don't use them on my cars, and I can get them wholesale.

 

[Tinhack]

Ceramic is for coffee mugs not cars. It's another product to relieve the money from your pocket. Most of the auto-care products are sold to save your time, not your paint.

My last career before retirement was building, painting and restoring antique and classic cars. And I've always been under the hood of my own cars. I'd have to go out and look at the bottles to get the names of the restoration products I used. But for protection and shine it's hard to beat Carnauba Wax. The very best comes in a paste form--Wipe On, Wipe Off. For the best protection and shine it will require yours or someone else's labor.

 

[Avenger]

Project Farm did a comparison of these Ceramic coatings.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Surf City Garage products are the best I have ever used. Carnauba wax that leaves NO white residue on black plastics. You can wax your plastic with it. Best results when done washing and waxing is to go over it with a polymer detail spray. They have ceramic too. Tire dressing that leaves NO slime on your hands. Great products

 

[kcflhrc]

I came across "Chemical Guys" Products, I will never use anything else

 

[ovrszd]

Ceramic is for coffee mugs not cars. It's another product to relieve the money from your pocket. Most of the auto-care products are sold to save your time, not your paint.

My last career before retirement was building, painting and restoring antique and classic cars. And I've always been under the hood of my own cars. I'd have to go out and look at the bottles to get the names of the restoration products I used. But for protection and shine it's hard to beat Carnauba Wax. The very best comes in a paste form--Wipe On, Wipe Off. For the best protection and shine it will require yours or someone else's labor.

When I was a teenager I asked a guy in town that always had his cars shining what was the best wax to use? He said "Elbow grease Richard, elbow grease". I've never forgotten that.

 

[dodge man]

I haven’t jumped on the ceramics bandwagon yet. I have been using synthetic waxes for several years. I like Zano but I think it’s overpriced and it has no cleaning ability what so ever. I have been getting most of my stuff from Griot’s Garage lately and they offer a ceramic that I may try.

I agree with others a rough surface means you need to clay bar. My normal procedure is to take the tar and oil off with mineral spirits first, then clay bar, then wax. I also normally use a Porter Cable power buffer. Power buffers are not near as difficult to use or as hard on the paint as they are made out to be.

Paying for ceramics to be applied? I own a 2010 Challenger and frequent a forum. The people that pay for it seem to like. If you pay over a $1000 for something are you going say it sucks?

Someone else posted and I somewhat agree waxes don’t really seal a car and form this protective barrier. What you are mostly doing is getting the surface really clean a and maybe getting fine scratches out. It also sort of slicks up the surface and make it easier to clean.

 

[fried1765]

Modern paint does not need to be sealed, which is the primary function of auto wax. So actual sealing and waxing is not necessary.

Most "wax" today is primarily made up of silicone, and really not doing much besides making it bead water.

That being said, many people are still going to do it. The critical step is not to just apply the slippery chemicals. It is to do the deep cleaning that should be done periodically, and is often skipped for the easy part.

Things like brake dust are going to adhere to the finish regardless of what you have on it. So, use of a clay bar, or synthetic cloth to remove those foreign particles is the first step.

Then, using a finish cleaner will remove minor surface scratches, and scuffs. There are lots of products that do this, depending on the level of wear, Meguiars is readily available to the consumer. They have two or three finish cleaners in their product line. Crystal finish is a good middle of the road product for most people. This part requires the use of some elbow grease. Don't try to do it all at once if you are not ready to do some work.

Then, if you really want to, you can apply the slippery product, or actual wax of your choice, and pretend it was necessary.

I don't think the ceramic coatings are worthwhile. I don't use them on my cars, and I can get them wholesale.

I compounded and waxed my (new to me) 13 year old 251 hour Kubota L48 TLB last Summer.
It looks almost new, and current value is more than twice the current value of my Mercedes E-350!
Car?
Why wax a car?

 

[crashz]

Its 70 degrees outside. I think I'm gonna leave work early and go wash and wax the truck...