[Johnny F56]

New Car Paint Protection with Gtechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer (The durable scratch resistant coating) and Gtechniq EXOv2 Ultra Durable Hybrid Coating (gives you the high levels of gloss, glass like reflections and excellent hydrophobic properties. The durability is approximately 2 years) = £350
This is what the detailer said.
The ceramic coating hardens to form a new surface layer. The ceramic coating is far more hard wearing than the lacquer of the paintwork, therefore it reduces the risk of inflicting swirl marks and fine scratches. It is ideal for a vehicle that is more of a daily driver that spends a lot of its time on the roads and outside, e.g work car parks, roadside/driveway parking etc. Also, if you do not get time to clean your car as much as you would like than ceramic's durability and protection is unrivalled.
This is being done the week after I receive him and is being done by Detail your Eye Candy at Mildenhall, Suffolk. Will have piccies when he is done and looking better than new.:nerd:

 

[donnaj1dlh]

I treated mine to Crystal Serum/Exo. Very impressed.

 

[SweetPete]

On this subject I'm expecting a Clubman Cooper soon (see my other posting about the fact I don't know when I'll get it even though it's built).
I want to take it to a local detailer to clean and protect it. The dealer applied potion on by current F56 Cooper was not brilliant so I'm going independent.
The question I have is should I ask for a high class wax to finish (Swissvax Mystery at £400 a pot) or ceramic sealant (Opti Cote)? The detailer said if it was his car he would use the Swissvax. The costs are similar and both takes two days to do.

So the big question - anyone out there have their views on which is best? I favour the wax even though it may need topping up more often but what do I know......

 

[donnaj1dlh]

Wax will come off over time, the ceramic sealant is likely to last your lifetime of the car.

 

[TraceyC]

While I don't drive my Mini every day, the roads here have a lot of trucks which spew gravel & dirt over other cars. I'm already filling in a few small paint dings after 9 months of ownership. When that's done I'll be applying Gtechniq to help protect the paint. Looking forward to your pics!

 

[jaep1911]

A high quality sealant. Hands down. Last week, I washed my current daily beater first time in 8 years and the paint looked brand new. I had put several layers of polymer sealant (Finish First) during the first couple of years and stopped washing the car. Any wax would have gone years ago, I guess.

 

[winceyette]

I'm getting my new jcw detailed in a few weeks. I'm having it ceramic coat sealed purely because I live near a working quarry and the roads around here are filthy! It's a bit more expensive but much better for protecting the cars paintwork.

 

[Hurbert II]

+1 for Swissvax

The "problem" with ceramic coats is that they are an absolute bugger to remove and reapply whereas nanowaxes, which do arguably the same job in a different way, can be cleansed away pretty simply by either you or your detailer.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but to me I prefer wax and glaze, with a nanowax protection as a base (Lifeshine etc).

 

[donnaj1dlh]

You shouldn't need to remove them though Hubert. In my case, my GTechniq CS Black has a lifespan of 7+ years..... it's the EXO on top that can degrade over years .... that can be topped up at any time.

My advice would be to use an accredited firm though - CS Black isn't available for the public (although the lesser C1 is ... that's a ~5 year durability). Make a hash of putting on CS and it needs to be sanded off.

I'd also whole-heartedly recommend ceramic coating if you're in a position where washing/detailing/protecting your car is awkward or indeed you just can't be bothered with it/too busy.

Don't get me wrong, I love waxes, I have many £££ ones but I also love having my life back rather than spending entire days detailing

 

[SweetPete]

AH well - I kind of hijacked this thread by asking about Swissvax vs. sealant.

In the end I went with the Swissvax as recommended by the detailer. He took two full days and did a very thorough job. He showed me all the minor swirl marks etc. on the car when I delivered it to him even even though it had only been on the road for 8 miles and 1 day from the dealer.

The end result is that I'm very pleased. The water just runs off the car, the paint work is like glass and the whole car looks very smart when (properly) washed. Probably need a top up of the wax in 12 months according to the detailer.

So is wax better than ceramic? I don't know but what I do know is that expensive (£475 per pot) wax is good iff properly applied. If you want to know who did my car in the N.E. of England then p.m. me.

 

[donnaj1dlh]

Yikes - spending that kinda of money, I'd rather spend the £800 it cost to fully coat my car using the GTechniq ceramic coatings....including wheels and plastics.


No aftercare required and guaranteed for 7 years.


Mind you I have some really nice £100+ waxes at home that I don't really need anymore - apart from treat the ol' Freelander occasionally

 

[jeremybingham]

You can ceramic seal then wax on top ( but not the other way round ) i think so if you wanted surely you can do both? Ceramics therefore become a no brainer for me ! Correct me if i am wrong and of course you shouldnt need to wax after the sealant; just saying, you can!

 

[SweetPete]

Just to be clear, the detailing service I used didn't cost anywhere near £475. it was just the pot of wax he was using did. I had the glass and interior done and the wheels ceramic coated. Time will tell if it helped....

 

[Wing Co]

Just to be clear, the detailing service I used didn't cost anywhere near £475. it was just the pot of wax he was using did. I had the glass and interior done and the wheels ceramic coated. Time will tell if it helped....

I had my new X6 done in Jan 15, everything C1, and although it was £650 it is still working very well. I snow foam, 2 bucket wash etc and despite it being met black there are only minor swirls. For our new Mini, around Jun, I can't stay in the UK following collection so it will be delivered untouched by the dealer with all the plastic and the like on and I'll do it myself. However, I'll have to use Autoglym SRP and HD wax after it has been cleansed, clayed etc. There are no detailers in the south of The Netherlands that I am aware that I can use. If you don't mind marks and swirls dealer prep is fine, but for me I won't even let them wash it. I suppose I should really get silver cars and forget about it all...!!!

 

[Davyboy]

I told the dealer not to touch before pick up then it had a ceramic coat applied, very happy with the results and the first time used as always waxed before. Yes you can wax over it if you want, I normally use a speed detailing product