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Old 05-24-2018, 08:31 AM   #1
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NanoCeramic paint coating

Searching the forum, I cannot find a specific thread on Ceramic coating.

I wanted to share with you the decision I made last week to have the AI paint protected. It all started with a simple wash and dry and snowballed on me. The pollen this spring in NC was the normal 1/8" thick all over the AI. I have it covered under a carport, but obviously not stopping the pollen. I hated seeing that all over it. I also wanted it waxed again. Found an excellent shop in Mooresville, NC called The Auto Salon. They have 12' doors. The owner and I decided to go in steps. Wash and dry $110. See what it looks like (which was a bunch of spider web scratches) and then waxed it (now up to $250) and could still see the spider web scratches all over it and the water spots on the glass.
I also asked him to do a sample spot of the paint correction. I went to look at it and I was blown away at how nice the paint correction looked and how bad the rest of the AI was. I now regret ever washing it with the softest pole brush I had (will never do that again). Check out the picture of the square. They used tape and made a square. Did the paint correction (which is two different compounds on the buffer). So, I ended up asking him to quote the full paint correction ($1050) and applying the Nano Ceramic coating (Total $3K for the 5 year warranty). Going forward, to wash it, typically only need to spray off the dirt and the water runs off. I was quite amazed to see it work on the owners truck. He used a pressure washer on light psi and the water almost all ran off. Then he used a cordless leaf blower and in 5 seconds the area was dry. I pick it up tomorrow. I will send pics. Hard to see the difference in the pictures, but I can tell you it is amazing. Oh, he also buffed off all of the glass and removed all the water spots. Looks new.

PS. If you ever have to peel off the clear protector on the top of the rear bumper, expect it to leave massive glue and then when removing the glue, the clear coat comes off. Airstream must not using 3M or LLumar as that doesn't leave the glue on the paint.
I had asked them to remove the factory installed paint film as I wanted a new one to wrap around the edge of the bumper (my daughter's sports team girls were dragging their book bags across the bumper and scratching the paint). So, the shop had to remove the rear bumper and send it over to a local paint place (being painted today). Once new paint is on for 30 days, I will take it back and they will apply the new LLumar paint film over the entire rear bumper. (I already have the entire front end covered with LLUMAR.

So, in the end, I feel a little silly spending $3K on LLUMAR front end film and $3K on paint correction & ceramic coating, but I hope this paint will now last a very long time and continue to look new.

OH, last note: They are also covering the LLUMAR film with the ceramic coating. They say that works, so I am trusting them that is best.

www.ceramicpro.com
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Old 05-24-2018, 09:27 AM   #2
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GOOD FOR YOU, I am sure it will look great. IMHO Black is one of the richest color for a vehicle but as you have discovered, in exchange for its beauty, it is a tough one for maintenance. I have 1 black huge puckup truck & that was enough for me, so I chose a silver AI.

I am looking into the nano paint protection also but have not found a local shop yet. I just had my entire front clip done with LLUMAR also. Very happy with it. Even without nano, washing off bugs is much easier. I think that is a wise investment, more so with your black AI.

PS, the rear bumper comes with 3M clear film per the sticker info from AS.
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Old 05-24-2018, 09:34 AM   #3
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Holy BatRV (twin awnings!) yeah I can see the treatment difference, it’s a PITA to keep black paint looking great but hey you can afford it who’s complaining [emoji12]. I bought silver and just waxed the nose and top of windshield, the rest, forget it.
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Old 05-24-2018, 11:46 AM   #4
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Holy BatRV (twin awnings!) yeah I can see the treatment difference, it’s a PITA to keep black paint looking great but hey you can afford it who’s complaining [emoji12]. I bought silver and just waxed the nose and top of windshield, the rest, forget it.
^^^ This is why I got silver!!!
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Old 05-24-2018, 12:34 PM   #5
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Looking at the photos now...

A black Airstream Interstate looks so frigging cool and majestic... I just can't deal with seeing it dirty... and in my case, that would drive me nuts... mine had to hide some of the dirt....

Glad to see that you could do that treatment. Money well spent on that color.

Just share photos with us when it is nice a clean. hehehehehe
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Old 05-24-2018, 02:12 PM   #6
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Fine Print Gotchas

There’s no denying, a durable and long lasting product is great! Just forewarning you though, many of these products are not quite as durable or long lasting as presented! Check the warranty details, most 5-7 year warranty coatings are only valid if you can verify you’ve both reapplied the product every year or two and washed the vehicle once a month.
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Old 05-24-2018, 03:37 PM   #7
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There’s no denying, a durable and long lasting product is great! Just forewarning you though, many of these products are not quite as durable or long lasting as presented! Check the warranty details, most 5-7 year warranty coatings are only valid if you can verify you’ve both reapplied the product every year or two and washed the vehicle once a month.
No argument, VERY, very valid points above BUT just taking a wild guess here - if M4 AVIATION (and if the call sign isn't a clue) can afford to pay $110 for a wash/dry and plunk $6,000 in the same visit all at once, I think he can afford to pay the detailer to re-apply the product as required and gets washed as required with verifiable receipts, yeah?
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Old 05-25-2018, 05:16 PM   #8
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The ceramic coating pitch is longevity, yet the manufacturer's require periodic reapplication for it to be achieved and the warranty to be honored. To my way of thinking, that suggests its durability is questionable (more like two years max) and also brings into question why the warranty isn't automatically extended another few years with each re-application if it is such a miracle cure.

Maybe it is because the manufacturer's recognize that regardless of how fine the finish is initially, it will deteriorate and dull with the passage of time when exposed to the elements. Radiant and ultraviolet energy, acid rain, salt, atmospheric pollution, insect fluids and bird droppings wage a constant war on your car’s finish so the best intervention technique is covered or interior storage between uses.

When you add the cost of verifiable monthly cleanings to the combination of the original application and reapplications (another thousand or more each?), the expected cost of achieving protection for the full warranty period greatly exceeds the experienced depreciation related to a lost paint luster on resale.

So, is it more logical and/or cost effective to spend your money on garage space or an auto detailer to wash and wax it with a nano-wax (synthetically made of polymers and acrylic resins) quarterly?
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Old 05-25-2018, 06:28 PM   #9
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So, is it more logical and/or cost effective to spend your money on garage space or an auto detailer to wash and wax it with a nano-wax (synthetically made of polymers and acrylic resins) quarterly?
I don't know & I don't care. $6,000 was OP's money, not yours, not mine. Only thing I care about is OP is very happy with the results, that his rig is beautiful & sparkles again, and was so pleased that he took the time to share the results with us.
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Old 05-25-2018, 06:44 PM   #10
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I don't know & I don't care. $6,000 was OP's money


Could have accomplished the same thing for $7.57.
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Old 05-25-2018, 07:32 PM   #11
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Could have accomplished the same thing for $7.57.
That is so amazing for $7.57 it provides a full year of polish. That's 2 cents a day of paint protection, unbelievable.
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Old 05-25-2018, 07:49 PM   #12
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Yep! And it gets rid of all the haze and hairline scratches. Amazing stuff.
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Old 05-25-2018, 08:07 PM   #13
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Yep! And it gets rod of all the haze and hairline scratches. Amazing stuff.
Yeah, but you could've accomplished same thing for $2.71 . That's a whopping 3/4 of a cent of paint coverage per day from Turtle Wax from Target Click image for larger version

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Old 05-25-2018, 08:10 PM   #14
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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.
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Old 05-25-2018, 09:39 PM   #15
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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.
You wasting your money. That's coming out of your profit margin. Costs 2-1/2 times more for similar product. I can't tell the difference.
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Old 05-26-2018, 06:07 AM   #16
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This thread has taken an uncharacteristic tone for this forum.

While I’m not personally interested in the OP’s approach, I would like to hear feedback on its effectiveness. Add car wax to the massive list of things that don’t stand up well to subtropical heat and humidity. We use what Airstream recommends (Rejex) and I like it, but it doesn’t last. Same for all other products of which I’m currently aware.
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Old 05-26-2018, 02:01 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by M4 Aviation View Post
Searching the forum, I cannot find a specific thread on Ceramic coating.

I wanted to share with you the decision I made last week to have the AI paint protected. It all started with a simple wash and dry and snowballed on me. The pollen this spring in NC was the normal 1/8" thick all over the AI. I have it covered under a carport, but obviously not stopping the pollen. I hated seeing that all over it. I also wanted it waxed again. Found an excellent shop in Mooresville, NC called The Auto Salon. They have 12' doors. The owner and I decided to go in steps. Wash and dry $110. See what it looks like (which was a bunch of spider web scratches) and then waxed it (now up to $250) and could still see the spider web scratches all over it and the water spots on the glass.
I also asked him to do a sample spot of the paint correction. I went to look at it and I was blown away at how nice the paint correction looked and how bad the rest of the AI was. I now regret ever washing it with the softest pole brush I had (will never do that again). Check out the picture of the square. They used tape and made a square. Did the paint correction (which is two different compounds on the buffer). So, I ended up asking him to quote the full paint correction ($1050) and applying the Nano Ceramic coating (Total $3K for the 5 year warranty). Going forward, to wash it, typically only need to spray off the dirt and the water runs off. I was quite amazed to see it work on the owners truck. He used a pressure washer on light psi and the water almost all ran off. Then he used a cordless leaf blower and in 5 seconds the area was dry. I pick it up tomorrow. I will send pics. Hard to see the difference in the pictures, but I can tell you it is amazing. Oh, he also buffed off all of the glass and removed all the water spots. Looks new.

PS. If you ever have to peel off the clear protector on the top of the rear bumper, expect it to leave massive glue and then when removing the glue, the clear coat comes off. Airstream must not using 3M or LLumar as that doesn't leave the glue on the paint.
I had asked them to remove the factory installed paint film as I wanted a new one to wrap around the edge of the bumper (my daughter's sports team girls were dragging their book bags across the bumper and scratching the paint). So, the shop had to remove the rear bumper and send it over to a local paint place (being painted today). Once new paint is on for 30 days, I will take it back and they will apply the new LLumar paint film over the entire rear bumper. (I already have the entire front end covered with LLUMAR.

So, in the end, I feel a little silly spending $3K on LLUMAR front end film and $3K on paint correction & ceramic coating, but I hope this paint will now last a very long time and continue to look new.

OH, last note: They are also covering the LLUMAR film with the ceramic coating. They say that works, so I am trusting them that is best.

www.ceramicpro.com
I found your post interesting. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 05-26-2018, 02:15 PM   #18
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Ditto what iaqstuff said. And pleased that you are happy with the end results. That's all that matters.
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Old 05-26-2018, 02:33 PM   #19
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Yep! And it gets rid of all the haze and hairline scratches. Amazing stuff.
I suppose that for $7.27 I should try it to see if it will remove the white spider-veins appearing more and more on on the plastic Airstream installed trim pieces just below the chrome strip on my AI?

So far nothing seems to stem the growing web of white cracks!
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Old 05-26-2018, 07:44 PM   #20
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This thread has taken an uncharacteristic tone for this forum.

While I’m not personally interested in the OP’s approach, I would like to hear feedback on its effectiveness. Add car wax to the massive list of things that don’t stand up well to subtropical heat and humidity. We use what Airstream recommends (Rejex) and I like it, but it doesn’t last. Same for all other products of which I’m currently aware.
INTERBLOG - nothing to say yet on ceramic coating paint protection. One of my closest friends is a 30 yr body & paint shop owner, does custom paint jobs, and luckily the last few years works with local class-B RV shop (non AS). This guy is still very old school in body & paint techniques, so still prefers the 5-step process for best showcar finish. He preps concourse show vehicles for LV Strip casinos. But he believes in ceramic coatings for vehicles in daily use. And he recommends getting it done while new. It can be done even on older vehicles, but as OP situation, more labor is involved to get the paint corrected first (mild polishing, or heavier compounding, or in extremes wet-sanding) before the ceramic coating can be done effectively. He reminds me, the emphasis is in paint protection for daily drivers, not the best-of-class shine. All they use in the RV shop is ResistAll but does not use it on show cars. He quips that concours folks know & smell the difference between synthetic stuff & natural carnauba . He is getting ResistAll for me & will guinea pig a much smaller car after CO trip. Also requested a quote from local CeramicPro shop from OP's link (no callback yet).

But I can report on the LLUMAR paint protection OP had done. I have the same and discussed a little on my FRONT CLIP post. It's one of those things that once there, as the info-mercial said, "you set it & forget it". It's been there since day 1 of my use. 3,000 miles and no paint chips. Those miles were mostly NV & UT highway miles, windy, dusty desert sand, and now lots of bugs. Is it doing the job? The only way I would know for sure is if I had half & half (protected & unprotected). I do know the bugs even after baking on multiple days easily wash off with little H20 pressure. I can not tell with my untrained eye the difference in how the paint looks with or without the film. There are few areas of transition (like where front fender ends and edge of front door starts) and only way I can tell is when I run my fingers across, the texture feels different. There's a little tackiness to the self-healing film. Big trip next week to GJ, CO then Boulder. Will report back after that.

Now, as far as nano-technology goes, I have C-Bond windshield strengthener & water repellent on my front windshield. The price includes quarterly application. And if I like it, just pay for another year's worth, so no front heavy upfront fee for multi-yr. They don't want end-user applying it (to validate warranty), they want to re-apply. Easy drive to shop, wait few minutes, done for another quarter. It's again hard to prove how well it is working. But so far windshield is good, not even the typical small pin hole chips. . The bug thing is also noticeably easier to clean. And rain visibility is just like having a permanent or longer lasting Rain-X. I am a bit skeptical about this and their claims BUT after seeing their testing videos (i.e light bulb drop test & plate glass pressure test) and compared to the money spent on tint & full front clip paint protection, it is a blip in the radar cheap (I think I am paying $150/yr), so I jumped in. Coincidentally, these folks HQ are in Houston area.
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