Hi everyone, I keep seeing ads about the 9h ceramic polish and how goods it's supposed to be! But is it as good as they make out? Has anyone actually used these stuff? And what about clay bars? Been tempted by these for a while, but still unsure. Are they any good or just a big lump of blu tack.
I would say clay bars are well worth the work, this was on a 6 month old total respray. The main thing is to keep the area wet as it will mar the paint otherwise. Ceramic coatings need a lot of prep before you get anywhere near putting that on but worth the work
Our minds much be aligned as this is all I’ve been thinking about in the last few days. Recently purchased another Blade and Car so dying for the weather to improve so I can detail both! As a Rude Boy from the 90s, I spent a lot of time (and money) on either detailing my car or on I.C.E think 18in Subs, Alpines, 6x9 etc! Anyway during that time we really only had compound, Polish, and glaze and wax - easy peasy. Great results but the wax would stop beading in a month or so so needed reapplication quite frequently. Today ceramic coats are readily available and will probably make waxes redundant. Now my dad bought a new car last year and was offered a ceramic coat but I told him to decline this and get it done by a pro. His paintwork a year later is still immaculate and beading as if was ‘waxed’ yesterday. The products used on his car are from the Gtechniq range. As Raphael mentioned there is a load of prep to be done before you ceramic coat, it is semi-permanent and depending the type can last for a couple of years. Essentially it’s a glass coating molecularly bonded to the paint work. It will only seal the paint, so any defects swirls, marring etc will still be visible. The car paint needs to be as perfect as possible before application, there are loads of resources on the web but I generally for a full detail: Power jet Snow foam Wash Remove tar/grime Clay (this should be used with detail spray) Wash again Polish Degrease (normally a alcohol based product) Protect (ceramic coat) I use a leaf blower to dry to avoid unnecessary contact. To ceramic coat you need a tonne of new micro fibre cloths, apply the solution normally with the supplied pads, spread and remove excess with 1 cloth, allow a short dwell time then buff lightly with another. This stuff goes a long way! You should only apply to small areas at a time, the coat will take several hours to cure so it is best to do this in a garage or similar. Even morning dew can cause issues. If you screw up and the coat cures you will only be able to remove with wet sanding. Ceramic coats do also need maintaining, after a wash use detailing sprays, the one my dad uses compliments the coat and gives it unreal beading qualities.
I was the same back in the day, my boot was jam packed, lol. Yeah I've heard there's a lot of prep work before applying it. The one thing that I've noticed is how small the bottles are, 30ml. I'm guessing a little goes a long way?
30ml should be enough for a mid sized car ie BMW 3 5 series. If you're careful some left over for the bike! Some are spray on others you apply on a pad, the pad application are the ones that generally are 30ml. Note once opened the coating have a shelf life of a few months so best use it all up say on alloys etc. You can pick up dirt cheap 9H packs from ebay starting at around a fiver but the results are variable from total sh1te to comparable to the premium brands. Personally I would buy a premium brand, Ive used Gtechniq but heard good things from Gyeon, Bilt hamber too. As you know detailing can get pricey, to avoid waste I generally only buy after a personal recommendation
Its amazing too how I.C.E has come on, I spent obscene amounts of money on subs/amps,capacitors, crossovers, wiring, canons, sub enclosures, sound proofing etc. OK, apart from the PHAAAAAATTTTTTT bass, the sound fidelity of a modern car with a premium factory fitted I.C.E is pretty good, I must admit though that the likes of Ed Sheeran or Lady Gaga is hardly a test for a decent set up. Note to self, find my 90s Ultimate Jungle Bass CD and test in car.... ... shit car has no CD!!
To be honest a lot of the newer products don’t even need they just run off. Have a look at a company called autobright and a product called sprints or super sonic.
This is my black front mudguard Meguiars ultimate compound Meguiars stage 2 polish And then maguiars NXT tech wax I used to do the same on my subaru
Another vote for autobrite sprints, I've got loads of their products, wouldn't use anything else. Quick detailed followed buy a 3 in 1 polish glaze wax, on a near on 20 year old paint. Not sealed with ceramics yet but their products are amazing. You can get a clay Mitt now aswell to make life easier
I've decided to ceramic coat the bike and cars with Gyeon Can Coat. Middle ground between a full on ceramic coat and wash on type. Got all the gear just need the weather to be good long enough to allow a full cure and the gritters to hibernate. Watch this space for before and after
that's about right! My shed is full of tools/gadgets that I have bought on a whim and only used once. I have to say this includes knee sliders
Well, finally used sprints on my car today, not been polished for 3 years, and not been washed since September. Quick wash by the wife then just spray the ceramic on, jet wash off and dry, smooth like it's just been waxed and literally dragged the drying towel across it and it was dry. Didn't clean windows after or anything, amazing stuff. I noticed the bit she'd missed at the bottom luckily
That looks the biz Gav, I've just looked autobrite sprints up, going to get some myself. Is it really that easy to apply?
Was shocked how easy it went, straight onto clean wet car, jet washed till it was clear(goes white when you start rinsing) then just toweled it dry, did the Mrs car aswell but forgot take a pic of that. Straight over the black plastics the glass, wheels, brakes the lot(not safe on ceramic brakes they told me) now just to see how long it lasts. Honestly not been polished since I got it, smooth as glass now.
