Paint Protection Guide (Ceramic Coatings, Graphene Coatings, PPF & More)

First lets talk about the various forms of paint protection available.

At home DIY ‘protection’

These are really not much protection at all, but do provide BEADING which is what most people really want. There are hundreds of these products, but these are some of my favorite that you can pick up locally at Repco and SCA. Follow the instructions, they’ll give you a little gloss and some nice beading for a few weeks. Carefully read the instructions before application. Pretty hard to mess up though.

• Bead Machine
• Wet Coat
• Wet dreams
• Turtle Wax Hybrid Spray

Consumer Grade DIY Ceramic Coatings

You can buy consumer grade ceramics which last anywhere from 1-5 years depending on the product. Here’s a list of consumer grade coatings you can buy and do yourself. It’s important to note a few things prior however;

• Making a mistake with these coatings will leave high spots which must be polished out (in some cases, sanded out, which is rarely the case but worth mentioning)
• Paint correction is what really provides the gloss you’re seeking, not the coating itself
• Improper prep, i.e improperly washing, decontaminating, not removing of polishes and oils prior to coating will cause premature failure on the coating
• I absolutely recommend speaking to a professional and having them do it. Buy once, cry once.

Onto the recommendations/coatings I don’t like

• Carpro CQUARTZ UK 3.0 – This coating didn’t impress me at all. It’s a multi layered coating, and isn’t all that strong.
• NV Evo – I have only tried the 1.0 version of this coating and it wasn’t good. There’s a new 2.0 version though which I haven’t tried.
• Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light – Great for the value. Easy to use. Not very strong but it does the job.
• Gyeon MOHS Evo – I haven’t personally used this coating, but one of my customers had it on his car and after a year it was still performing really well.

Professional Coatings

Everyone will tell you theirs is the best, and the truth is, they’re all quite similar when applied correctly, with some exceptions. I personally use a blend of Gtechniq for my Ceramic Coatings, Kraken for my self healing graphene coatings, and Magnum Ceramic Coatings for my Borophene coatings, but I know for a fact there are plenty of great brands out there and you should make your choice of product based on the person applying it. Look for good reviews, call them and ask them about the process. Make sure the service includes paint correction and ask how they prepare the car prior to coating. The answer you’re looking for should be along the lines of “We use IPA or a dedicated prep spray after paint correction”

I highly recommend professional coatings over consumer coatings. They perform better in every metric. Duration, water beading, overall protection.

If I personally had to pick the best coating on the market currently, I would pick the 10 Year Magnum Ceramic Coatings Borophene coating due to its polysilazane glass resins which are more effective than standard siloxane resins for chemical resistance, micro scratch resistance and hydrophobics in our Australian climate. This is based off both real world application, testing 20+ coatings, and also comparing the raw chemistry available and publicly listed data.

PPF (Paint Protection Film)

I get the question alot, what’s better? PPF or a ceramic coating?

PPF is higher grade protection, when done right. PPF is a film where as ceramic coatings are a chemical layer. PPF provides far more protection, however comes at a LARGELY increased cost, Think 5-10x more than a coating.

Benefits of PPF over Ceramic coatings

• Better protection – A big scratch will usually be fixed by removing and replacing the PPF.
• Potentially increased car resale value
• You can change the color of your car, or potentially do a matte/satin conversion.

Downsides of PPF

• Way more expensive than any other form of paint protection
• All PPF will eventually turn yellow, cheap PPF will turn yellow much faster. Ensure you’re getting a top film, such as Avery Denison, 3M, Xpel, and that warranty is included.
• Absolute BITCH to remove
• Gouges in the film can cause it to build up dirt and start peeling back
• Improperly installed (not tucked) you’ll get build up of dirt around all of the edges of your car.
• Cheap PPF stains extremely quickly
• Cheap PPF has orange peel to it that dramatically reduces the gloss of the car.
• Dirt caught under the film is very common and having a few bubbles is generally within most shops ‘acceptable finish’ – PPF is perfect for people who are ok with ‘Good from far but far from good’. Markup is not huge on PPF and having to replace 2 panels can be the difference between the detailers liveable wage vs minimum wage, or even a loss.
• While most film can in actual application last 10 years+, as an example, a 5 year film should still be removed at the 5 year point. After a certain point, the adhesive and PPF split which becomes a nightmare to remove. You should budget a few thousand for the removal in this scenario. Removing old PPF is infinitely harder than applying new PPF. I’ve spent 3 hours removing a single back door factory film (The little triangle at the bottom)

In short – PPF is great if you have unlimited budget, and have a great installer, who uses a great film, which many of our Australian installers are. If you’re buying a GT3RS, get PPF. If you’re buying a sub 100k car, I wouldn’t personally find value in it.

CERAMIC COATING & PPF AFTERCARE GUIDE

Do’s:

– Follow your detailers specific aftercare instructions – Wait 7 days to wash your car with a coating, up to 14 after PPF before washing. Avoid water for the first 12 hours.

– Wash the car yourself.

– Use a PH Neutral washing liquid.

– Spend 5 minutes pre rinsing your car before you do your contact wash @ 1800-2200 PSI. I use a 25 degree nozzle for all applications.

– Use high quality (450+gsm) microfiber cloths, and a microfiber drying towel (These are the cloths I use personally)

– Fill ONE bucket full of washing liquid with 6-8 cloths in the bucket – Use one cloth per panel, and then place to the side to wash in your washing machine (So there’s no cross contamination). Wash in left to right, up and down motions.

– Dry with your high GSM microfiber towel (1100+GSM rec. Aquatouch Big Fella)

– Use a topper like Gyeon Wetcoat once every 3 months

– Use an Iron Decon spray once every 3-6 months (Wash car, dry, iron decon spray, rinse off, dry)

– Avoid touching the cars paintwork outside of your washing routine. The car should always have a lubricant (washing liquid) and a high quality microfiber to go along with it when you want to remove it. Don’t wipe your dry hand on dry paint to get dirt off, this is how you get scratches.

Dont’s:

– Use low quality microfiber cloths (E.g bunnings packs)

– Use a chamois under any cirumstance. They are cancer to automotive paint.

– Take the car through an automatic carwash or a cheap and nasty hand wash (Pay peanuts, get monkeys)

– Use wash and wax products

– Leave the car under a tree for its entire life span if avoidable.

– Leave bird poo, sap or artillery fungus to sit for too long.

– Swirl cloths on your paint.

FAQ

What is stopping me from doing it myself and not using a professional?

There are many intricacies that are essentially “you don’t know, what you don’t know”. For example – You may not realize your specific paint is soft and use a lower GSM cloth than required and as a result leave a bunch of marring and swirls on the paint. You may not notice that there is a layer of spray wax on the car which will effect bonding, and even if you do notice, do you know how to strip it? How do you know its gone entirely? Do you know how to check the coating is levelled properly?

Of course, in hindsight, these are problems most people can sort out themselves, but ordering a strip wash, or buying a $400 specialty light to level, or ordering a 550gsm cloth are things that just add time and hassle to a scenario. There’s a huge gap between the Youtube tutorials and actual application as there are so many variables that can change car to car.

Are ceramic coatings worth it?

• Yes I believe so. Scratches on a car are 99% of the time caused by human error during washing. The largest benefit of a ceramic coating is that is makes it easier to clean the car, and as a result you will get less scratching, marring and swirls in your paint.

How much should I be paying for ceramic coating, graphene coating etc?

• It depends on the coating and the person applying it. You can expect anywhere from $1200-2000+ depending on how much paint correction is required. Personally my best coating on a new car is about $1500-1600, as a reference point for you.

What’s the difference between ceramic coatings, graphene coatings and borophene?

• Ceramic, graphene and borophene coatings have the same chemical base of sio2, some graphene coatings have graphene infused and some borophene coatings have amorphous boron infused.
• Graphene coatings have a few additional benefits over ceramic coatings. The first, is that some are self healing (I.e Kraken self healing graphene coating), and the second is that they seem to have a little more resistance to water spotting. Please note, not all graphene coatings are self healing or even true graphene, and some are just total junk.
• Chemistry matters a lot. Two coatings can have similar basis (e.g sio2) however very different long term application, for example Magnum Borophene coatings contain a polysilazane glass resin which is superior to the standard coating siloxane resins you’d find in a coating – Polysilazane glass resins are much harder and less flexible than siloxane resins, so provide superior micro abrasion resistance, more chemical resistant, less pours, more hydrophobicity. These resins are also found in Gyeon Infinite. Polysilazane resins are the closest thing you will get to true waterspot resistance. They will still embed, but will be washable in most cases. Again, some borophene coatings are also just junk. Not all coatings are equal just because their marketing terms sound similar.
• You’re welcome to reach out to my on Instagram at any time for advice on quotes etc you’ve received and what your best options are.

Can wax do the same job?

• In short, sort of. You’d need to apply it frequently to get the same results however, and as a result, you’re likely to incur scratching and swirling in the process. Scratches and swirls are why your gloss fades from your paint. Coatings are so advanced these days that wax just does not have the same inherent protective properties that coatings do, and wax is nowhere near as hard when it sets.

Can I apply a ceramic coating without polishing first?

• Yes, but not recommended. As I’ve mentioned, the paint correction is what gives your car the gloss and clarity that you’re after, the ceramic really doesn’t provide much gloss on its own. Not polishing won’t effect bonding, as long as you prep the paint with a prep spray first. Personally I would not trust any shop who offers “Coating only” packages and skips paint correction. This is highly frowned upon by any good detailer.

Should I get my coating from the dealership or private?

• Privately always. I try to be unbiased, the reality is however, dealerships work on volume. Your car will in most cases not get the required prep before the coating is applied, leaving it with a lackluster result or premature coating failure. I fix dealership stuff ups regularly, in fact I had a customer last week who paid $2000 for a coating, which wasn’t even applied in the first place.

How do I tell if I my ceramic coating was applied properly?

• If it’s still beading after 6 months, it was probably done okay. Beading on coatings will rarely every last the full duration of the coating, typically you’ll see it fade in the 1-5 year mark depending on how you’re maintaining the car. If its constantly outside under a tree, you won’t get as much life out of it if it were instead garaged.

Does my new car require paint correction?

• Yes. I have done 1000+ new cars in my time as a detailer, and I have never had a car come in that didn’t need at least minor paint correction. Yes your car is new but it doesn’t mean its perfect and the things you can’t see, which we (detailers) do, is what adds the last 10-15% to make your car pop.

Are Hydro9, Cerface, Ceramic Pro and other dealership coatings good?

These are proprietary blends (formula is secret), so in truth, I couldn’t tell you. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with the coatings, it just comes down to whos applying it, and as I mentioned previously, it’s unlikely that your car will get the proper care it needs to ensure it bonds properly.

One of the contractors I use was previously a coating applicator for an extremely well known supercar brand. He was paid $150 per car, and given a 2 hour cap to apply a coating on these cars or he’d get in trouble with management. They were charging $10,000 AUD for this service. Think your Mazda is going to get special treatment? Probably not.

Can I message you to ask questions?

You can contact me via Instagram at www.instagram.com/theceramicguy for any assistance with quotes you might have received or with any questions about coatings or detailing in general. I’m always happy to help. Please note I get about 10 different people sending me a multitude of questions daily, so please try and collate all of your questions into one message so I can answer you as best I can.

Hope this helps!

If you’d like to see me personally, feel free to reach me on my Instagram or via my website www.theceramicguy.com.au