Looking to ceramic coat my wife's XC60. I am confident on my paint correction and prep, but not familiar with which brands are the "go to" at this point. We have 15 months left on the lease and I would like this to be the last detailing.

Suggestions?

 

Are you intending to try this yourself or have a detailing shop do it?

I have an appointment with a local detailer who uses Gtechniq products. I've seen these in other posts on the forum, and Gtechniq sells their products for DIY application. I am not sure whether all are available to DIY'ers - some may be sold only to detailers.

I have also seen references to Kamikaze ceramic coatings.

 

Don't laugh..... spend $12 and put on Nu Finish once-a-year car polish. It not only lasts as long as they claim, it looks great. My detailer counseled against ceramic coating because, if you have an accident that requires paint matching, they can't remove the ceramic.

 

Yes they can remove the ceramic. It's just a glass coat over the clear coat and will come off with a polisher. Moses, I studied this for awhile when I did my Jaguar. So my 2 cents - The finish is beautiful but isn't bullet proof as I assume you know. The ceramic can scratch so you'll want to put a "Sacrificial" layer over the top every few weeks (think of those Turtle Wax spray and wipe wax products.)

THIS WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR: After watching several videos and reading several articles, the biggest issue with ceramic coating that I found ridiculous is the small amount of work time you have and doing 18 square inches at a time. This can lead to all sorts of issues. So I paid up and went with a product that allowed me to do an entire hood at once. Came out great in my opinion. Easily worth the money for me.

https://www.esotericcarcare.com/kami...i-coating-kit/

 

I suggested the Nu Finish since he's not keeping the car long term and it is very easy to apply.

How long ago did you apply the ceramic coating? The video was excellent.

 

My first application is also for a learning to be better on it should I want to subsequent cars. @Bill Mack I know both of those brands are popular. The Aston dealer uses Mequiars, I think due to easy of use.


There's a slim chance that we'll buy the Volvo at lease end. The last Volvo we leased, Volvo's buy out offer and what the car was worth was like 5K apart.

 

My wife has a 2015.5 XC60 with just under 42k on it that I'd have to pry from her cold, dead fingers.....

 

i've used klasse sealant (the grey bottle one) on several cars since experimenting with various brands of wax and polish and such. nu finish is the only other one i kept on my shelf. i hadn't heard of ceramic coating then, and lately it seems like it's being heavily marketed, but i don't know much about it. klasse's product is cheaper than most ceramic coatings i've seen. it's more lenient to a hasty DIY application, but it's essentially the same result by all descriptions i've ever read. if you want to build up layers of it for additional gloss, you can do that with acrylics. not sure if that works with ceramics, but, one bottle of the klasse sealant is good for several coats and it costs less than almost any single-application-only ceramic coating kit.

 

I second the NuFinish. For some reason, it's ridiculously shiny for a long time. You just need to make certain that the car is CLEAN when you apply it, or you will seal-in the dirty spots.

 

We like the car, 2019 T6 Inscription, but I don't want to finance or pay more than what it's worth at lease end. If we are getting beaten on paying for over miles, maybe we trade it on a new Volvo lease or I have also considered V90 Inscription wagon used. Not so many for sale at Volvo dealers.

Black Fire Paint Sealer is what I use now and like it, but don't think it'll go 15 months to gloss and easy of washing I'd like to get. Easy to apply with a finishing pad on the Rupes. Wipes off easy too.

 

Volvo??????? Hellz, if you want something like that, choose this instead:

 

A red one was at the local dealer a while back. If I win the lottery with the current big jackpot's, a Zagato may well be in the cards!

 

My Aston dealer (in the country that Astons are made) uses the same detailer that did my X150, C-HR and Audi A6, before he became too expensive!

https://iglcoatings.uk/

Although I have to say I've a soft spot for both Gtechniq and Klasse products and wouldn't use anything but Gtechniq C5 wheel armour on my alloys.

As has been said prep is everything, this if what my detailers regime was

Deep cleansing washing
Anti ferrous treatment
wash
clay bar medium & fine
1st stage machine polish
2nd stage machine polish
wash and dry
hand polish
Apply first coat of ceramic coating
Cure overnight
apply second coat
Cure for 5hrs

In between the above, the interior and all of the glass was treated, along with the wheels being removed and treated.

I too top up with car pro 'reload' every 4-6 months, which can be used on the glass and plastics. Rain and dirt just wash off as does bird 'lime'.

Pic of mine under the process



Personally, I'd not attempt this myself now due to arthritis and the minimum of 4 days off work required.

But the pandemic may allow you to

 

I’ve recently used carpro cquartz uk. I believe the uk version just means it drys at lower temperatures. It was easy to use as a first time diy’er & not prohibitively expensive. They do a shampoo “ reset” & also a protective coating if you wish “reload”.
I’ve washed the car about 6 times & it remains super shiny. Plenty of YouTube videos on it.

 

My Aston dealer (in the country that Astons are made) uses the same detailer that did my X150, C-HR and Audi A6, before he became too expensive!

https://iglcoatings.uk/

Although I have to say Ive a soft spot for both Gtechniq and Klasse products and wouldnt use anything but Gtechniq C5 wheel armour on my alloys.

As has been said prep is everything, this if what my detailers regime was

Deep cleansing washing
Anti ferrous treatment
wash
clay bar medium amd fine
1st stage machine polish
2nd stage machine polish
wash and dry
hand polish
Apply first coat of cermaic coating
Cure overnight
apply second coat
Cure for 5hrs
Safe to drive!

In between the above, the interior and all of the glass was treated, along with the wheels being removed and treated.

i top up with car pro reload every 4-6 months, which can be ised on the glass and plastics. Rain and dirt just wash off as does bird 'lime'.

Pic of mine under the process



Personally, I'd not attempt this myself now due to arthritis and the minimum of 4 days off work required.

But the pandemic may allow you to

 

If you plan to pay for it, then I suggest you do PPF instead. Coating wont protect your car against stones or chips, PPF will. Maybe it's just me, but once I wrapped my front end, I started enjoying the car much more by not worrying about driving it.

 

I think the OP was looking for suggestions for a DIY ceramic coating that would last on his wife's car until the end of the lease. I agree with you that PPF protects against stone chips and ceramic doesn't, but I don't think the OP wants to go that far on a leased car. Just my guess.

 

I have to consider the temp's to dry the coating if I plan to do it any time in the next few month. The garage will be in the low 50's F. I usually wash, (possibly iron treat), clay and dry the car the night before. Mask and do all the polishing, coats, the next morning.

 

[/QUOTE]
OMG ,First time I have seen one of these Astons. I think I just cheated on my Wife. oops ON the subject of ceramic coating, I use the Meguiar's spray on and it definitely help keep the shine longer and the front wheels less dusty from the brake dust.