Horrible experience with a ceramic product.

[CB750F]

Good day members,

First, I do love the ceramic coat, I wash & dry my car in 1 hr, that's it. I think it's awesome but
will never do it again.

I've never had a 'real' car so a few yrs ago I decided to buy a Subaru BRZ & keep forever, kinda
like a garage queen but not quite. So I found a pro to apply the product & he did an excellent
job. Well, keeping the garage queen did not last long as I joined the forum & found out all
the 'kids' were tracking their new cars.(I had never heard of this before). Then I found out
about autoX. I'm doing both now.... lol. Anyway, back to ceramic coat. I was at an event
& 8 am it was already getting hot so I decided to spray sunscreen & by mistake the spray
went all over the hood of my car. I thought, better take that off, but I have ceramic coat
& this 'protects' from any liquids/bird droppings etc. So I did not wipe off & it baked on the
car all day, not a cloud in the sky, just so beautiful, amazing day. One of those days where
you think nothing can go wrong.
Well, it's a polymer & it reacts with sunscreen. I now had/have hundreds of minuscule dimples
on my hood/fender. I went back to the pro & they said they would fix.
1- They went through the paint sanding it down!
2- They would get it repainted.
Ok, but I'm not impressed.
Get it back from shop & I only noticed months later that the dimples are still there &
there are water marks under the clearcoat!
So, what I bought to protect my car(keep value), f#@! it up.

Just for others to know, specially those with young kids going to the beach, opening the doors
with sunscreen on their fingers...

I like the product, just be aware.
I'll be waxing my truck, I enjoy it anyway, I kinda miss not waxing the car.

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[AzScorpion]

Wow, sorry this happened to you sounds like a nightmare! I'm a detail junky and read all about ceramic coatings and decided they weren't for me. I know some love them and yes they do protect better than wax and they do protect your finish from light scratches but there was just enough negative reviews for me to stay away from them.

I have always used Optimum spray wax and Optimum Opi-Seal for years with great results. I use 303 products on everything else like tire cleaner, tire dressing and the Aerospace protectant on all my interior and tonneau cover. So when 303 came out with their Graphene Nano coating I started doing a lot of research on it. It also helps I know someone that works there and I was able to get in contact with the chemist and spoke with him in detail about the Graphene. I decided to try it and glad I did as this stuff is so much better than any spray wax I've ever used. Even after a week of rain which is rare here my truck has minimal dirt on it and the water beaded up so good I never needed the wipers on while on the highway. It's supposed to be good for 1 year and after 3 moths it's still as good as the day I applied it. Out here the sun and UV rays destroy everything and will break down waxes in a very short time. So far this is working out great so you might want to look into this before using anything else. I did a full write up on it here if you want to read up more on it.

 

[ROOK]

Thanks for the great information about both products!

 

[CB750F]

AzScorpion, tks for the tip, I'll check the product out.

RP - I think they had checked the thickness but not the whole hood, it was much thinner near the windshield & that's the place they went through.

But here is the best part I ddi not mention. I had bought a MY14 BRZ & 6 months
after buying it I brought it to this same detailer to apply the ceramic coating.
Well, after 30 secs of talking to him he asked why/when did I get my car repainted?
What? This is a new car I had not get it painted. Sure enough I could see overspray.
Dealer never told me they repainted the car, this is illegal, I talked to a lawyer &
he almost fell off his chair laughing & told me to go to the dealer & they will exchange MY14 for a new one. So after 1 month of 'negotiations' I gave then a 10k km car & they gave me a brand new MY15 with 7km on the clock.

Then I got the ceramic coat...

Sometimes you just can't win.

 

[Sandman Ranger]

Real men do not use sun screen. We use suntan lotion.

 

[Jrel209]

Wow, sorry this happened to you sounds like a nightmare! I'm a detail junky and read all about ceramic coatings and decided they weren't for me. I know some love them and yes they do protect better than wax and they do protect your finish from light scratches but there was just enough negative reviews for me to stay away from them.

I have always used Optimum spray wax and Optimum Opi-Seal for years with great results. I use 303 products on everything else like tire cleaner, tire dressing and the Aerospace protectant on all my interior and tonneau cover. So when 303 came out with their Graphene Nano coating I started doing a lot of research on it. It also helps I know someone that works there and I was able to get in contact with the chemist and spoke with him in detail about the Graphene. I decided to try it and glad I did as this stuff is so much better than any spray wax I've ever used. Even after a week of rain which is rare here my truck has minimal dirt on it and the water beaded up so good I never needed the wipers on while on the highway. It's supposed to be good for 1 year and after 3 moths it's still as good as the day I applied it. Out here the sun and UV rays destroy everything and will break down waxes in a very short time. So far this is working out great so you might want to look into this before using anything else. I did a full write up on it here if you want to read up more on it.

Did you do any paint prep like claybar and polish before applying? I love 303 products have been using them on interiors for over a decade, had no idea they now have a paint protector. Was looking for a cheaper alternative than ceramic coatings, they cost almost 1700-2000 here in WA state. Last question, is this something that can go over a normal wax or is it supposed to be used separately.

 

[AzScorpion]

Did you do any paint prep like claybar and polish before applying? I love 303 products have been using them on interiors for over a decade, had no idea they now have a paint protector. Was looking for a cheaper alternative than ceramic coatings, they cost almost 1700-2000 here in WA state. Last question, is this something that can go over a normal wax or is it supposed to be used separately.

I did clay and strip off the old finish. They say you can go over any product even ceramic but to get the most out of it (1year) they do recommend starting fresh. I did a full write up here and if you have any other questions just let me know.

I can tell you that nothing lasts long out here with the way the sun and UV rays are and even though it's only been 3 months it still looks and beads up like the day I applied it. You can go over it with speed detailers or gloss enhancers from any company too. I use the Optimum Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer and it really makes it shine.

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