I treated my new 2021 R-dynamic to a Hybrid Solutions ceramic spray recently.
It looked good but seemed to attract more dust/pollen than before, though that is pretty subjective.
I considered getting a professional ceramic coating which the installer says should cut down on dust and water spots.
Now I am reading about graphene coatings being the latest thing and better than ceramics.
Does anybody have direct experience with graphene?
Supposedly, graphene is better at avoiding dust-attarcting static.
I would likely go fo a DIY spray on finish vs professional ($1000) job.

 

I used Mequiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax on my Mazda CX 5 when it was brand new. I first clay barred the car and then gave it a coat. About 2 weeks later I gave it another. So far it is holding up well after almost 2 years, but the car is also garaged when not in use and not subject to really harsh conditions. I suppose I'll give it another maintenance coat the next time I wash it.

After watching a lot of YouTube videos on the new graphene products I decided to use that type on my new 2021 F Type. I first hand washed the car with a mild solution of Dawn dishwashing soap and then gave it a clay bar treatment using a Mother's kit after giving it the baggie test and feeling very minor roughness to the paint. The clay bar made the paint like glass. I didn't give it any additional polishing.
I applied one coat of Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro To The Max liquid wax per their directions. The car looks great. After the next wash I am going to add a coat of the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro Flex Wax which is a spray wax.

One caution regarding the clay bar is to use a very light touch with plenty of lubricant and try and avoid the high spots like the ridges on the hood. I had minor marring of the paint there but a few seconds with a fine polish eliminated the spots from the clay bar.

Dust resistance is a high requirement for me. I live in the mountains and the roads are dusty. Add to that, there has been construction in my neighborhood for the last couple of weeks and now both cars have a coating of very fine dust. I can blow most of it off and it seems that driving the cars will cause some of the dust to blow off too, but I don't get a feeling that either product is dust repellent. More like so slick that much of the dust won't stick. I did notice that a few bug splats on the Jaguar came off super easy with a squirt of QD spray and a microfiber towel. Probably easier than any other wax I have ever used so I think both the ceramic and graphene coatings will do a good job protecting against bug splats, bird bombs and tree sap.

On a brand new car, I don't really think a pro job that costs hundred of dollars is necessary. A good hand wash and clay bar and possibly decontaminate with iron remover should prep the paint for a hand application of one of the new type waxes. Unless your factory paint job is really crap. Personally I am scared to death of an orbital polisher although in the hands of a pro (and someone with insurance should they burn your paint) would make the job easier. But the application and removal of the ceramic and graphene waxes I used really didn't need much elbow grease so hand application was an easy task.

I like the Turtle Wax Graphene product better than the Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax, but it is also more expensive. The liquid wax was about $33 and the spray Flex Wax which is a maintenance type wax was about $24 while the Meguairs ceramic spray wax was only about $17. With the Meguiars, after you hand apply the first coat and let it cure, maintenance is a spray on while you rinse and dry type product so you are only buying the one spray bottle.

 

I'm intrigued by the new graphene products but haven't tried one yet. I treated my car when new with wash/clay/cQuartz, and repeated that once since. I think I'm due again. I've been told that I should not have had to reapply when I did, but I may not have let the cQuartz cure quite enough before buffing. It was a new product to me so it's expected I may have not applied it optimally. Previous cars got a Menzerna polymer glaze. When I tried that, it was the best product I'd ever used, but the ceramic seems more durable. My car is currently covered in pollen but I know as soon as I wash it the neighbor will run his tractor next door and send a cloud of dust my way. It's a common pattern.

I'll try a graphene product once the last of my cQuartz is gone.

 

I just rinsed off the pollen yesterday.
The car was shining.
Left to go for a long run today and got side-swiped by a truck sliding into my lane.
The moral of this story is -- it really sucks!!

 

I don't think there's any argument there. Sorry to hear about the mishap.

 

There are hours worth of YouTube videos comparing some of the new wonder coatings. Many of them do torture tests on a section of the vehicle like a hood and subject it to not only the usual car wash products, but all kinds of harsh chemicals like wheel cleaner. While this may show which products are most durable under extreme and not likely to be encountered by the average driver, they aren't very realistic.

There are some ceramic products that get quite expensive and come in fancy boxes. They may be the most durable, but if other products are 1/4 of the price and extremely easy and quick to apply, are the expensive boutique products really better ?

What I gathered from watching the videos is that both the ceramic Si02 based consumer grade and graphene based consumer products are quite good these days. Ease of application seems similar and durability is very good on both under normal conditions including salt spray in winter driving. I don't think acid rain is a problem anymore.
But the graphene products seem to be slicker and on dark colors appear to enhance the depth of the color a little more. I can attest to how slick and non-stick the surface is after just one coat of the Turtle Wax graphene. And the ease of use was excellent. I can remember the old days of applying Simonize or similar paste waxes by hand and you'd practically get tennis elbow after waxing a couple of large vehicles.

I'm a big fan of 303 Aerospace products but their graphene wax didn't seem to perform that well. In addition, some testers commented on the fumes and that it should be applied in an open garage or well ventilated area. I used the Turtle Wax in my garage with the door open and noticed no objectionable odor or fumes at all.

I think the bottom line is that for the guy who likes to wash & wax his own vehicles and doesn't want to spend big money for a professional job, if you are starting with a new car or one that has had any needed paint correction performed first, you will be quite pleased with either the Meguiars or Turtle Wax products.
I used to turn up my nose at Turtle Wax, believing that it was just a Walmart grade product for the masses and one that was used as a prize on the TV game shows, like "you have won a year's worth of Turtle Wax". But they have really upped their game in the last few years. They probably had or have a ton of money available for R&D after so many decades of selling mass quantities of their products.

 

Damn! Brand new car and some mentally defective meat stick who doesn't know what a side view mirror is used for screws up your beautiful car

 

Dust and pollen stick to a cars finish based on gravity (it settles on it) and electrostatic force (it is attracted to it based on electrostatic charges). Static attraction is stronger on good insulators and dissipates when then surface is either conductive or you deionize it to neutralize the charges. Static dryer sheets that you use in your dryer to eliminate static cling work by depositing a layer of fatty oil over the clothes to give you the impression youve softened the fabric and to prevent static because they are slightly conductive. Static charges are created from friction between two insulators. A surface moving through air has friction with the air and that causes electrostatic charges. So unless you can constantly deionize your car or keep it moist or oily, that pollen and dust is gonna stick. Sorry

 

I have and use both on all my cars. After paint prepping, etc., I applied CQuartz ceramic coating as directed and after curing a few days, I then used Adam's UV Graphene Ceramic Spray Coat as a secondary top coat, as well as every 6 months or so as a touch up. The ceramic should be there pretty much semi-permanently, and the graphene touch up just adds to the luster and the shine. I watched a ton of videos regarding and made the decision to go this route. I'm very pleased.

 

The Adams products are also highly regarded and I don't think you could go wrong with any of their products. They may not be quite as easy to find as products like Turtle Wax or Meguiars at local retailers but like many things today, they are just a click away from online dealers.

Aarcuda's explanation is interesting. I am dealing with fine dust and at times of the year, pollen that blankets almost everything outdoors. I don't think finding a product that will repel those substances is possible, but if I can keep a lot of it from sticking so a simple wash without a lot of rubbing will remove it, that will be acceptable.

 

Interesting thread...

The PO of my car must have spent as much time running the car through the local car wash as she did driving it. My paint was heavily swirled and holographic. I made the commitment over the winter to do a full polish paint correction. Bought all the stuff and researched what everyone was using. Ended up using the Meguiar 106/206 polishing products which were excellent and easy. Did a lot of research on the coating products and ended up going with a high quality carnauba wax and finisher. My research indicated that the Concours folks were still using carnauba on their competition show cars for depth of shine. Thoughts were that ceramic lasts longer, but carnauba gives a better look. Since my car sees infrequent use and only in good weather, that made sense to me. Very pleased with the results, but would be interested to read other's experience. Would certainly consider a different product if it improved the look!

 

I purchased my F-Type with 8000 miles on the clock. I spent 50 hours in paint correction and a home application of ceramic coating. The car looks great. However, since then I've discoverd 303 graphine spray which I use about every 2nd or 3rd wash. I can do that because it is so incredibly easy to apply and remove. It's extrementy forgiving. The first time I applied the graphine coating I did only the drivers side of the car and backed it out into the sun. To my amazement, the difference was immediatly opvious (actually I could see the difference in my garage too). Now I've been a car guy for a long time and have used many products that say they'll leave a glass-like or wet-like finish but 303 Graphine Spray is the FIRST product that I've used to live up to that claim. I HIGHLY recommend this product and no, I am not receiving compensation from 303. This is just my honest opinion.
Dennis

 

Many of the YouTube videos tests of the graphene products commented on the depth of color, especially those who tested it on a dark colored car. It is the only product I have used so far, but the ease of application was greatly appreciated and after getting several comments from strangers regarding the color (BRG) I tell them that it was painted at the Emerald City Paint & Body Shop in the land of Oz.

Carnauba wax was the gold standard for decades. It is not easy to apply compared to many modern waxes though and does not have the longevity. I wonder if the serious car collectors who display their cars at shows and still use Carnauba do so because their paint jobs in many cases are the old enamel or lacquer paints and don't have a clear coat like modern cars ?

Now if the construction crews would hurry up and finish the job in my neighborhood and wash down the streets, I would wash my car and apply a second coat. It is so covered with dust at the moment that I am afraid to touch it. And it has been garaged and only driven twice in the last week. My neighbors who park on their driveways have cars that look like they just got back from a Baja 500 run.

 

Thanks, I'll try the 303 on the wife's Toyota.

 

My two cents, for what it's worth...formerly detailed cars not necessarily for a living but would consider myself to have been semi-pro and had some pretty good success.

Ceramic (i.e. SiO2 or Ti02 based coatings primarily) have been around a long time and are very well understood. There are a wide variety available from extremely DIY friendly ones (the ceramic waxes and sealants available) up through pro level coatings. For my money, Cquartz UK is the ideal balance of serious Ceramic coating and DIY-able-ness. For something slightly more intensive, GTechniq (Crystal Serum Light topped with Exo) or Gyeon (Mohs) are very hard to beat. Up from that, you're into Cquartz pro and the others. They perform well, have been proven to last a LONG time, and for the most part do what they say they'll do. You do need to be extra careful about water spotting and my personal advice for a long time was that ceramic coatings were perfect for garage queens, but I would definitely not recommend them on a daily driver due to the fact that most are just not willing to keep up with the extra maintenance. Ceramic coatings are always falsely advertised as reducing maintenance effort. They make it easier to get dirt off, but absolutely increase the amount of maintenance work it takes to keep it looking good.

Graphene was supposed to be (emphasis on supposed to be) revolutionary in the coating world. It's still being touted as such. However, as a few have mentioned in this thread, the real world tends to fall a little short of what the claims are. To me, it's still a buzzword. Graphene itself is not new, but it's automotive application is and I think it still has a little ways to go before it can be considered to be on the same level as the tried and true ceramic stuff.

 

Thanks jcat.

 

These guys rated 26 of them and included both short term and long term products. Both the Adams and the 303 were in the test with the Adam's coming out on top.

 

OK boys and girls, let's take a trip to the Windy City for an indepth look at ceramic vs graphene.

 

He's pretty thorough. Lots of people mix up waxes and polishes with long term coatings.

 

His testing methodology was pretty thorough, although his selection of harsh chemicals was pretty weak (pun intended). I'm not sure the strength of the hydroflouric acid he used but expect it was fairly dilute.

The discussion with the guy from Dr. Beasely's was interesting but could have been edited down from the 22-ish minutes. The discussion from with the other guy was largely buzzwords and hand-waving.

Interesting, but not worth the hour. For those not willing to spend that, the end result is that in the specific comparison, the graphene was no help. In the technical discussion, it seems that there is promise for the material, but it needs further development to really break out. Perhaps other products are farther along than the one tested.