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Ceramic coated. Have questions…

989 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  R P
Had our Galactic Black ceramic coated and ppf applied to the front fender.

My plan is to maintain and wash with Optimum No Rinse and the two bucket method. This will be my first time trying to maintain a clean, scratch free paint job.

If any one has and do‘s/don’ts or any suggestions, I’m all ears.
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I truly don't know this, but will ceramic coating actually prevent all those micro scratches that are so visible on dark cars? I hear a lot of hype about ceramic coat but it is so hard to determine the truth these days.

If so, how long does ceramic coat keep the scratches from occurring?

I ordered a red Solterra, yet soon scratches will become visible.
I don't know, but got the ceramic coating with mine. They said they would patch up any scratches if/when I get them. Will see. First time for me.

With past cars, I used Collinite 845 wax. Great stuff, and really kept it smooth for a year or more before adding another coat. But they twisted my arm, with some other stuff in the package, so decided to try it.
OK cool. With more people getting their Solterras, I'm sure you will see more action on your post about cleaning and waxing. I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Here is Tucson Arizona, my main challenge is hard water spots. It is OK to wash it during the non-summer months since I can dry it quickly enough. But those hard water spots are really hard to avoid during the summer unless I wash the car at night.
Yeah, I can just imagine down there. Even here in the summer, drys very fast after washing. and my wife is out there drying it quickly with a towel, while I am still washing the other side. Will see how this ceramic coating works. I was actually hesitant because of well my past Collinite 845 wax finishes worked. We actually washed (and towel dried) it today, so I could take some pics without any dirt blemishes. This is rainy season here, and hard to keep a car clean.
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Here is Tucson Arizona, my main challenge is hard water spots. It is OK to wash it during the non-summer months since I can dry it quickly enough. But those hard water spots are really hard to avoid during the summer unless I wash the car at night.
I can relate to that! We used to visit relatives in Arizona (Phoenix area), sometimes in the summer, and our daughter lived in Tucson for a year.

I don't miss having to keep car windows closed and run AC late at night to avoid what I used to call the "hairdryer effect"! Here in the Midwest, when the sun goes down, we can at least drive with windows open and AC off and not get heat blasted.
Yeah, been down to Phoenix in summer a couple times in the past on business. And stepping out of a car was like stepping into a furnace and you ran for the hotel to get inside again. Honestly don't know how people can survive down there in the summer. Of course no different than winter in Winnipeg sometimes (spent 10 years there) when you had to run from a car to inside a building before you froze.
Maybe I'm strange, but the heat is perfectly fine for me.

But I do wish that people would stop moving to Phoenix and Tucson. We call Phoenix Little-LA (Los Angeles) since if you close your eyes, you probably will not notice a difference with the urban sprawl, abundance of freeways, and all the people. Plus, many people moved to Phoenix from California for a better quality of live. We are in our 50s and believe Tucson has a much better quality of life than Phoenix since the local government is not been so receptive to continual expansion and more conscious about long-term viability of water.
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I know this is old, but thought I'd share. I selected the ceramic coating (which is pretty much just a silicone derivative) that I used based on this testing:
I don't know, but got the ceramic coating with mine. They said they would patch up any scratches if/when I get them. Will see. First time for me.

With past cars, I used Collinite 845 wax. Great stuff, and really kept it smooth for a year or more before adding another coat. But they twisted my arm, with some other stuff in the package, so decided to try it.
@R P , any report on how your ceramic coat is performing?
@R P , any report on how your ceramic coat is performing?
I am not happy with it. Dust still sticks to it. Wish I would not have had it done. It is not as smooth as the Collinite 845 application I have used in other cars, which lasts for 2+ years. Takes a bit of work to apply, but results much better. Dust and dirt does not stick, and easily removed with just a cloth, don't even need to always wash it.
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I am not happy with it. Dust still sticks to it. Wish I would not have had it done. It is not as smooth as the Collinite 845 application I have used in other cars, which lasts for 2+ years. Takes a bit of work to apply, but results much better. Dust and dirt does not stick, and easily removed with just a cloth, don't even need to always wash it.
Will there be any issues applying the Collinite over the ceramic coat? I possibly will have a ceramic coat applied, yet I also am curious about using the Collinite as well.
Will there be any issues applying the Collinite over the ceramic coat? I possibly will have a ceramic coat applied, yet I also am curious about using the Collinite as well.
Yes, and I am planning to do that. But I want to check first with the original applicator. I thought when I got it they said it included a maintenance program.
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