Ceramic finishes

cooz · Feb 21, 2021

jfire72 said:
Basically what Mantis said.

In short a ceramic always looks as though it was freshly waxed. Think of it as a very long term sealant, some as long as 5 years if done professionally (take that with a grain of salt), but it won't wash away like traditional waxes do. It does require a maintenance wash ever so often to "renew" its hydrophobic properties again if they start to diminish. Very little is needed to maintain a ceramic aside from periodic maintenance washes.

I've got 3 vehicles that I ceramic coated, and I no longer spend 2 hours on each vehicle every 4 or 5 days. I use a waterless wash to clean them when they do get dirty, but they stay clean longer now. Unless it was driven when it rained and sometimes not even then, it usually just needs just a waterless wash and not a full blown car wash followed by a detailing session. Even in the winter it is easier to clean now. The big take away here is ease of cleaning, and the vehicle staying cleaner longer between those cleanings.

If your interested in this type of protection don't read into the scratch resistance too much. The best ceramics will have what they call a 9H hardness level to protect against scratches. It's a marketing ploy, and what they really mean is it will protect better against wash induced scratches. You can still scratch the paint with a 9H ceramic in place, but it may not be as bad of a scratch as there would have been if a ceramic wasn't on the paint.

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What is a “waterless wash” ?

mjreiland · Feb 21, 2021

cooz said:
What is a “waterless wash” ?

When I think of waterless wash, I think or either a California Car Duster or there are spray products that you spritz on and wipe off immediately, section by section of the car.

jfire72 · Feb 21, 2021

Here is a short video explaining better than I probably can, what a waterless wash is and how to do one.

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Bighorn 2020 · Sep 18, 2021

In Violet

MantisSRT · Jul 12, 2025

Anyone want to talk ceramics , I'm around. Just until everyone knows, it's mantis from years ago with a new screen name.

ablackonline · Jul 13, 2025

MantisSRT said:
Anyone want to talk ceramics , I'm around. Just until everyone knows, it's mantis from years ago with a new screen name.

Have Pan's 8yr on the counter. I'm waiting for my AC unit for the garage, then I'm going to have at it. (I'm in FL) Stay tuned... Hear anything about it yet? Other than that, it's thick.

MantisSRT · Jul 13, 2025

ablackonline said:
Have Pan's 8yr on the counter. I'm waiting for my AC unit for the garage, then I'm going to have at it. (I'm in FL) Stay tuned... Hear anything about it yet? Other than that, it's thick.

I've watched Pan since he started his channel. I have not however tried any of his products. I'm sure they are at least good, he goes around talking about they are the best of the best. Maybe they are I have no idea.
Have you ever installed a ceramic coating before?

ablackonline · Jul 14, 2025

Yes. This will be my first suv. 53k on it, it’s going to be a lot of time and work

Ceramic finishes

cooz

mjreiland

jfire72

Bighorn 2020

MantisSRT

ablackonline

MantisSRT

ablackonline

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