Ceramic maintenance

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
I just had my black Cupra ST ceramic coated with CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0. It had a full decon, de-tar, clay bar and two stage polish pre application. I have CarPro Reload as a top up every month. I attached a Whites Detailing video the other day about a well known spray on wash off ceramic booster that left all marks on the black paint on an A35 Merc. Does anyone know which one it is?
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
No, but its likely it was used wrongly. The thing about ceramics is that they can be prone to watermarks so if the product was left on and the car not dried fully it would have left streaks and marks.

I periodically use Gyeon Wetcoat and that can streak horribly if the car isnt dried well afterwards, as can the ceramic shampoo they sell Bathe+. Just make sure its all dried off well, and preferably doesn't get wet again for some hours after use. The best method is to spray once on the panel, once on a damp microfibre, then spread and hose off, then dry the car.

Even professionally applied ceramics can suffer watermarks eventually, and its far more noticeable on dark colours.
 

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
No, but its likely it was used wrongly. The thing about ceramics is that they can be prone to watermarks so if the product was left on and the car not dried fully it would have left streaks and marks.

I periodically use Gyeon Wetcoat and that can streak horribly if the car isnt dried well afterwards, as can the ceramic shampoo they sell Bathe+. Just make sure its all dried off well, and preferably doesn't get wet again for some hours after use. The best method is to spray once on the panel, once on a damp microfibre, then spread and hose off, then dry the car.

Even professionally applied ceramics can suffer watermarks eventually, and its far more noticeable on dark colours.

Cheers Chris,

I know Maguire's ceramic can settle and produce poor results. it also goes on gloopy and looks like an emulsified mess as it's washed off. I chose the CQ 3.0 from reviews and the top up Reload is a spray on, buff off type of application.
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
Yeah you should be fine. Its the main weakness of the true ceramic coatings. They can etch, which is why personally I think they need regular maintenance with a top up product like Reload or Cure. Some even wax over the top of them.
 

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
Yeah you should be fine. Its the main weakness of the true ceramic coatings. They can etch, which is why personally I think they need regular maintenance with a top up product like Reload or Cure. Some even wax over the top of them.

Cheers Chris,

I have some Autofinesse Finale Detail spray that I used before the ceramic was applied. It's nice and light and quick to apply.
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
Ideally there should be nothing under a ceramic but completely stripped paint, but it depends on how much solvent is in the ceramic as a carrier. Some are more flexible than others.
 

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
Ideally there should be nothing under a ceramic but completely stripped paint, but it depends on how much solvent is in the ceramic as a carrier. Some are more flexible than others.
So you wouldn’t use detailing spray if you use a ceramic topper like reload?
 

vectra

Active Member
Sep 3, 2011
128
41
Ceramic as stated above should be applied to bare paint.
I had CQUK on a previous car and at the time I thought it was the bees knees,
I kept it topped up with reload as well, but every 6 months or so I would give it a light dose of fallout remover,
Reload again,
BUT
I wouldn't bother using ceramic again.
 

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
Thats fine, but I wouldnt put anything underneath the CQ 3.0.
Ceramic as stated above should be applied to bare paint.
I had CQUK on a previous car and at the time I thought it was the bees knees,
I kept it topped up with reload as well, but every 6 months or so I would give it a light dose of fallout remover,
Reload again,
BUT
I wouldn't bother using ceramic again.
Thanks for the advice guys. I think I’ve not put things across well in my post. Just to clarify; the car was fully decontaminated, machine polished and panel wiped pre ceramic application so there was nothing on the paint, under the ceramic.

Is it the ceramic you wouldn’t bother with or the full detail process time and the cost of it all? My car took two full days of work. I got the impression that ceramic reduced scratching. My car is black and when I got it from JCT6000 it looked like they washed it with a brick!
 
Last edited:
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vectra

Active Member
Sep 3, 2011
128
41
Thanks for the advice guys. I think I’ve not put things across well in my post. Just to clarify; the car was fully decontaminated, machine polished and panel wiped pre ceramic application so there was nothing on the paint, under the ceramic.

Is it the ceramic you wouldn’t bother with or the full detail process time and the cost of it all? My car took two full days of work. I got the impression that ceramic reduced scratching. My car is black and when I got it from JCT6000 it looked like they washed it with a brick!

Hi,
Just wouldn't bother with the ceramic to be honest,
When it was fresh it was great, absolutely fantastic at keeping the car clean.
BUT
what I found was after maybe a year and a couple of months the coating started to die,
I also noticed ( It was a white car ) when I parked beside an identical model in white in my local dealers, my car did not look as white.
I found this strange,
As it was cquk coated, it would have meant a strip back of product and re do it, which I couldn't be bothered doing as I change my cars every 2 years.
Now I use old school products as I can strip them off and re polish the car fairly simple.
 

bunziboy

Active Member
Jan 17, 2019
39
17
Hi,
Just wouldn't bother with the ceramic to be honest,
When it was fresh it was great, absolutely fantastic at keeping the car clean.
BUT
what I found was after maybe a year and a couple of months the coating started to die,
I also noticed ( It was a white car ) when I parked beside an identical model in white in my local dealers, my car did not look as white.
I found this strange,
As it was cquk coated, it would have meant a strip back of product and re do it, which I couldn't be bothered doing as I change my cars every 2 years.
Now I use old school products as I can strip them off and re polish the car fairly simple.
Thanks mate,

I think I just got a bit caught up in all the hype. I’ll see how it goes. I did get a great deal from my mate though. Maybe a good wax every few months would be a better alternative.
 
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vectra

Active Member
Sep 3, 2011
128
41
Thanks mate,

I think I just got a bit caught up in all the hype. I’ll see how it goes. I did get a great deal from my mate though. Maybe a good wax every few months would be a better alternative.

Well,
If you are a high miler then ceramic would be extremely useful to you.
But for me!
I do very small mileage so I prefer the manual labor :D
 
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