NanoCeramic paint coating

[russ240]

I sold my AI and bought a 12 year old EarthRoamer last summer. ER had just done a full reconditioning on it before I bought it which included new paint on the camper (F550 chassis still has factory Ford paint in great shape). After about 9 months I was tired of scrubbing the bugs off of all the frontal surfaces and worried about the big square sides getting tree limb scratches. Its at my local (OKC) paint correction guru's shop now (theautospallc.com) getting CQuartz Finest and 3M PPF (paint protective film) on all the leading edges and high sides. I've had the CQuartz applied to a number of cars in the past and the easy of cleanup and resistance to getting dirty in the first place is going to be well worth it on this big beast. I agree with the OP, these amazing new coatings are expensive but worth it! I've used all the old school stuff from multi step Meguires to Zymol or Zanio (and even NuFinish and Turtle Wax) but NOTHING compares to the hydrophobic properties, dirt repellent nature and durability of the nano-ceramic coatings.

[InterBlog]

Wow, congrats on the Earth Roamer. We can officially say that we have e-met one of the two hundred owners in existence right now.

I'm interested in learning whether any of these next-gen paint products will eventually be introduced to the consumer market.

Our paint is 12 years old - it's a dog's breakfast, already damaged - not worth investing in any high-dollar coatings IMO. But if there were improved products available for DIY application, I'd sure be interested in looking at them, even if they were relatively expensive and labor-intensive to apply.

[ROBERT CROSS]

We have been using Plastomer Snake Oil for years, nothing better or worse. 👍😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by russ240

I sold my AI and bought a 12 year old EarthRoamer last summer. ER had just done a full reconditioning on it before I bought it which included new paint on the camper (F550 chassis still has factory Ford paint in great shape). After about 9 months I was tired of scrubbing the bugs off of all the frontal surfaces and worried about the big square sides getting tree limb scratches. Its at my local (OKC) paint correction guru's shop now (theautospallc.com) getting CQuartz Finest and 3M PPF (paint protective film) on all the leading edges and high sides. I've had the CQuartz applied to a number of cars in the past and the easy of cleanup and resistance to getting dirty in the first place is going to be well worth it on this big beast. I agree with the OP, these amazing new coatings are expensive but worth it! I've used all the old school stuff from multi step Meguires to Zymol or Zanio (and even NuFinish and Turtle Wax) but NOTHING compares to the hydrophobic properties, dirt repellent nature and durability of the nano-ceramic coatings.

Those ER are so COOL. Would you indulge us with some pictures and make me drool even more . . . Please !

[featherbedder]

Originally Posted by HUSK N TUSK

Nope...not the same thing. NuFinish is amazing stuff. I've been using it professionally refinishing musical instruments and vehicles as a final polishing step for 30 years.

Again...amazing stuff.

I agree that is amazing and much easier to use than paste waxes. I use NUFinish polish and NuFinish scratch remover after many other brands I have used, now only one I use NuFinish. My pu is 19 yrs. old & looks like just came off show room floor and has been exposed to 4 season elements, only other thing is garaged in heated shop and washed reg.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Our paint is 12 years old - it's a dog's breakfast, already damaged - not worth investing in any high-dollar coatings IMO. .

Enlighten me, Obi Wan - I have never heard paint described as "dog breakfast" before. Does that mean before OR after dog ate breakfast. Either way, I am sure it means not good. But why if its only 12yrs. old? I gave my daughter a hand-me-down car. It is now 13 yrs. old. We never waxed it, we wash it frequently, lots of times at the automated places (yeah, not the best choice). But in it's advantage, it is white, and garage kept. But it now has 160,000 LasVegas harsh desert dog-eat-dog miles and still original paint is holding its own. I thought about waxing it recently, but then again after 13yrs. convinced myself not gonna bother.

So, is the MB or AS paint that is "dog food" (or "dog poop")? Or both? Or just hard miles?

[russ240]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

Those ER are so COOL. Would you indulge us with some pictures and make me drool even more . . . Please !

I have not taken many pictures of it, but here is one from the day I brought it home ... covered in road grime.

[russ240]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Our paint is 12 years old - it's a dog's breakfast, already damaged - not worth investing in any high-dollar coatings IMO.

Depending on the type of damage, you might be surprised what a "paint correction" can do. I was skeptical at first. I have polished a lot of cars back to glory over the years, so what makes what these guys do any different, right? But after letting my guy (I'll give him a plug, Brian at AutoSpa in OKC) work the first one over for me I have never looked back. If you have scratches through to the primer, of course there is nothing you can do about that but repaint, but the normal surface imperfections that come with time and washing with less than ideal methods can be brought back much better than I would have ever believed.

Check out the before and after photo's of paint correction on AutoSpa's website for examples:
http://theautospallc.com/gallery/

I've seen these results in person. The pictures don't even do them justice.

I've even had them lay touch up paint over hundreds of rock chips down the side of a pickup (it had thousands of gravel road miles and the white primer showing through the red paint was horrible). After the touch up they started buffing and when they were done you could hardly tell it was ever damaged.

After the paint correction the coatings protect that restored finish and, most importantly to me, make it easier to care for in the future. The dirt just does not stick like it does without the coating, and bugs and such come off much easier. I would argue that even black cars don't get covered in pollen as quickly because it just doesn't stick to the paint.

When you wash the car, it is much easier to dry since the water does not just bead up, it runs off. After washing, I go over my cars with an electric leaf blower which takes off almost all of the water before toweling. When I use the same wash methods on cars that have not been coated I'm frustrated with how much hand drying I have to do because they are still so wet after I blow them off. I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but as a gear-head and clean freak my life has been changed by using these coatings.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

Enlighten me, Obi Wan - I have never heard paint described as "dog breakfast" before. ...

LOL


One of the most unsettling things about growing old is that YOU KNOW what you know - you are sure of it - but you can no longer remember why you are sure of it, or why you even know it.

What came to my mind with your question was, "Because somebody famous used used that expression." Could I remember who? Not if my life depended on it. Apparently it was Vonnegut, probably among others. And I began my life as a Commonwealther, so of course I would have had the British usage culturally programmed into me.

[wachuko]

Origin: Since the 1930's, the saying “dog's breakfast” has been used in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries as slang for “a complete mess.” First recorded instance is from Eric Partridge, in the 1937 edition of his A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, the expression is listed as “a mess.”

[M4 Aviation]

I have been traveling for a week and not able to send results. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am with the outcome of the paint correction and ceramic coating. I picked it up last weekend on Sat May 26. It actually did look better than new. I could feel how slick the AI was. Very smooth. The dealer sprayed it with water and then used air from a compressor to blow it right off. It rained during the day and the water ran off the AI and didn't bead up. When I got home, I took my cordless blower to it and air dried it off and no spots or dirt at all. Nothing else would have done that.
For the warranty questions. The dealer stated to bring it by once a year for inspection. It would not necessarily need an application each year. Re-applications are needed when applied to automobiles that are using the drive through car washes with brushes. He said each time you run the car through, it removes some of the ceramic so they need to re-apply it. He feels that I will only need to use water and a blower to clean it and do not ever use a brush. Maybe only a hand wash as needed. So far I am convinced the paint correction and ceramic was needed and worth the money spent. Keep in mind that $1000 of this was the paint correction (compounding to remove the spider web scratching).
Otherwise would have been $2K for a new AI to be coated.

[Tobbun]

Looks amazing. Hard to tell where the glass ends and the metal begins. Probably a good investment for black. Love the look hated the upkeep.
Congrats.

[wachuko]

What he ^ said.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Tobbun

Looks amazing. Hard to tell where the glass ends and the metal begins. Probably a good investment for black. Love the look hated the upkeep.
Congrats.

+1 that's the beauty of black, it all looks so seamless. If I was not so anal about keeping things spotless, I would've bought all black inside/out, and yes, even with Las Vegas heat. But if I did, I would end up poor paying a detailing pit crew full time. It's hard enough keeping my silver clean

M4AVIATION - They did a heck of an excellent job. I did get some local leads from CeramicPro. Hope to contact when I return from Breckenridge

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by russ240

I have not taken many pictures of it, but here is one from the day I brought it home ... covered in road grime.

Ok, no more pics. That was a stupid ask of me. I now hate my brand new AI

Originally Posted by russ240

but as a gear-head and clean freak my life has been changed by using these coatings.

This is me, so encouraging to hear, you are my evidence to show wife when she asks why I spent a few more g's on the AI. I am now beginning to truly comprehend airplane, boat, & rv owners passion. I have a passion for my cars & racing bicycles, but not at this level

[InterBlog]

Revisiting this idea, about 8 months later --

Thread jocularity aside, can anyone recommend a "happy medium" coating product - not necessarily thousands of dollars for some high-tech, high-maintenance application, but not $7.97 for some joe-average old-school polymers either.

I'd like something I could apply myself, that would be a little bit better than the average polymer. I'm open to paying more than average for it.

I mentioned on another thread that Houston's February amounted to 26 days of utter crap plus 2 days of sunshine. That came on the heels of a January and a December that were also both unprecedented crap (El Nino).

I started using Rejex 4 years ago and it's not a bad product, but it doesn't last. With this much soggy weather, I'm spending half my life washing and re-waxing that van. I don't like traveling in a dirty van - I live in it.

Husband be like, "Oh, you're going to have to research that issue because there are a lot of knock-off products on the market."

No kidding. I can't tell one from another.

Thanks. And as for the weather, even the mainstream news media is meme-ing it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

...you may like it, we've been using it since it came out, very happy.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Brezzin]

You can try Mckees 37 Ceramic daily driver coating

https://www.mckees37.com/mk37-7100.html

I have no idea if this is any good but I have used the the Sio2 coating on my daily drivers and have been pleased

Dave