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Background:
For my needs ceramic coatings have more cons than they do pros.
It attracts dust- high energy surface, the same reason that it repels water, it attracts dust. An issue on dark colors.
Reduces shine. If you want the quality mile deep clarity and gloss, ceramic wont cut it because its effectively a low grade clearcoat that you are applying by cloth.
Rough surface. Not as slick as caranuba wax.
You cant apply any other wax on top of it.
Its a bear to remove when its finally lost its effectiveness.
Now:
Just applied a new type of coating that eliminates most of those problems. I was skeptical. The difference is that its a 2-part coating. The first layer is like all the other ceramic coatings, with one small difference, you can apply it thinner and eliminate streaks. But then there is a second layer that adds the gloss and slickness.
Net result is that I have the gloss of a quality wax and the durability of ceramic. I needed this durability because I have a some organic contaminants that were happily bonding with the wax. The bonus is the insane water repulsion . Lets put it this way, after using a blower to get the water away from the car, I can dry the whole thing with just one paper towel (never do that it will scratch paint)
Its a German product not too well known yet, (the company is) Sonax CC36
I still use the regular ceramic coating for the wheels as it has performed amazingly well in that application. In fact, its going on 2 years and brake dust just beads off it with only water. Weak soap and water when very dirty.
I use Sonax wheel cleaner and have been pleased. Just finished the 5L jug and going to start with a higher concentration formula of Sonax wheel cleaner in 5L.
Still on the fence about the ceramic treatment for my next car.
I too am very pleased with the Sonax wheel cleaner product so their reputation works for me personally.
I expect to have a paint correction detail session later this year and will be looking for a surface coating to protect it when finished. How hard was this system to apply? I know that some ceramic coats are difficult due to potential build up and surface streaking.
I agree Sonax is a no-nonsense company and they dont try to rob folks on emotions. Many brands are repackaged lowend stuff. The classic is Mr Pink soap from chemical clowns. Its bubblegum sentenced pink dish soap- great idea lets make it appetizing to pets and children. And to what end, a car to smell fruity. Triple the price.
So anyone interested in applying ceramic coating and getting flawless results- i can show you how. Its not easy but I can make it super easy. Just start a thread and we can do a step by step tutorial.
Will ya look at the shine and panache of this thing:
I too am very pleased with the Sonax wheel cleaner product so their reputation works for me personally.
I expect to have a paint correction detail session later this year and will be looking for a surface coating to protect it when finished. How hard was this system to apply? I know that some ceramic coats are difficult due to potential build up and surface streaking.
I'm looking forward to seeing your vids.
Too bad you are not my neighbor, I have enough left over to do your car.
Doing the wheels with ceramic coating was the best thing I ever did, no need for wheel cleaner anymore.
I agree Sonax is a no-nonsense company and they dont try to rob folks on emotions. Many brands are repackaged lowend stuff. The classic is Mr Pink soap from chemical clowns. Its bubblegum sentenced pink dish soap- great idea lets make it appetizing to pets and children. And to what end, a car to smell fruity. Triple the price.
So anyone interested in applying ceramic coating and getting flawless results- i can show you how. Its not easy but I can make it super easy. Just start a thread and we can do a step by step tutorial.
Will ya look at the shine and panache of this thing:
i recently applied Kamikaze Miyabi and Kamikaze ISM on top of that. Not easy, but stunning results. Of course, I spent about 10 hours with a D/A polisher doing a paint correction. Application was a bit tricky, trying to determine when to remove the excess. With a little practice, anyone can do it.
i recently applied Kamikaze Miyabi and Kamikaze ISM on top of that. Not easy, but stunning results. Of course, I spent about 10 hours with a D/A polisher doing a paint correction. Application was a bit tricky, trying to determine when to remove the excess. With a little practice, anyone can do it.
That is the beauty of this Sonax spray, there is no variation in drying time, remove it right away. And because its a spray, its a very light coating to begin with. And the second top coat is durable for 2 years. Which also is wiped away instantly.
The polishing, which is actually the thing responsible for the shine must by done by machine.
Its a 10-20 hour job. But most rewarding. I would really encourage an XK owner to get a machine and start. Just do one panel a weekend if you have to. It will make you love the car that much better. And only then do you realize there isnt a single flat panel on this car- just incredible curves. Adding one more pic for inspiration.
I paid $60, when there was a coupon for it. Otherwise its $80 on amazon
I order car cleaning supplies from this site. No affiliation other than a customer. They do free shipping and often have sales with free shipping. Worth signing up on this email list.
We have all known that clearcoat can vary dramatically from manufacturer to manufacturer. Our Xks for instance can be scratched by using the wrong fabric, whereas sandpaper wont touch the clearcoat on the black BMW paints on the top models. Because it has ceramic added to the clearcoat.
The problem is that because there are more of those cars (i.e. hard clearcoats) a polish maker has to choose between please the majority of the extreme small minority like us. Even worse, most of the better polish manufacturer are German, who are naturally more exposed to the hard paints.
All polishes work on the principle of creating scratches. Exactly like sandpaper. In fact the same exact abrasives that make sandpaper make polishes. So even the finest scratches by the finest polish does show on our cars to the discerning eye.
THIS is the pad you want for the curves of an XK. https://www.schollconcepts.com/en/sh.../spiderpad-neo
It is a game changer. It has the features of a finishing/jeweling pad. But it also has cut. Basically it provides the cut where your superfine polish cant. And this is the way you want to do it, let the pad do the cutting instead of the polish.
Finally a good ceramic coating
