After 31 years with the original paint on my convertible, a minor mishap caused me to have the upper sections (hood, trunk, tonneau, and spoiler) painted to remove the stone dings and scratches that have accumulated. The damaged portion was the center piece of the 3 piece convertible spoiler. After fixing the spoiler, I decided to hit the body shop to refresh the rest of the upper sections and I am happy with the results.

My question is this. Would it be best to take this opportunity and do a ceramic finish on the newly painted parts? They will need some type of protection in a week or two after the fresh paint has cured but and the sides, nose, and rear have not been touched and are still original. Those areas I will either get ceramic or the usual Simonize. I can't decide which will be better but I am thinking the time is right to do the ceramic while the paint is new and Simonize the rest.

What are your thoughts and, which ceramic products do you prefer? Thanks for any advice you have to offer.

 

No. The paint needs to breathe for quite a while. Curing is a long process.

 

Exactly this. We recommend waiting AT LEAST 6 weeks before any wax is applied to fresh paint. Paints cure from the bottom up, so you don't want to trap any solvents that are releasing during the cure process.

 

I waited a year to apply any wax after the repair from being rear ended. It's a garage kept car, no big deal. Far more important to keep it clean.

I did the Zaino treatment one time. It looks like a layer of glass on the car. I prefer the look of polish and wax. The wax has a richer appearance.

 

Thank you for the advice regarding cure time for new paint. I was unaware that it should dry as long as you said. The paint guy I worked with told me to hold off about 2 weeks, a bit shy of your recommendations! I think I'll follow your advice and wait until summer to apply any wax or ceramics to the exterior and leave the car rest for a while before any applications are made.

 

 

From experience (I'm a professional detailer), ceramic coatings are overrated and there are lots of misinformation going around. It is a giant marketing racket. It will cost you $$$$. Ceramic coating is basically a permanent "wax" that will ASSIST you in maintaining your car's appearance. It is a sacrificial layer. Nothing replaces regular & PROPER wash as well as proper paint decontamination when necessary. The difference with ceramic coating is the water & dirt will fly off the paint easily. It's actually fun to watch. It makes the washing process easier, specially the drying process (blown air and drying mitt & towel). However, it does not replace proper washing technique and specially drying technique. It won't hide defects and swirl marks. Paint can and will be damaged from washing even if a ceramic coating is applied (you ask my customers!). Ceramic coatings will not prevent dirt & tar build up, etching from bird droppings, sap, tar and bugs. The ceramic coating won't prevent water spots either and will lose the water beading properties if dirt builds up. Another thing that I find annoying with ceramic coatings is if a customer ends-up with swirl marks, scratches or even water spots, I can't use any kind of buffer without damaging the coating. Without it, using a paint sealant for example, I can fix the issue and just reapplied the sealant. It's quick a and very cost effective for customer. Some of my customers use paint sealant on their own now and save the cost of detailing.

For a garage kept summer ride, I recommend a paint sealant like The Last Coat V2.0. It's super fast & easy to apply, won't streak, looks good on dark colors too. It last 6 months or more if you use a topper after every wash (The Last Coat AMP). Remember that PROPER TECHNIQUE for washing and drying is what will keep your paint swirl free and shinny for years. Most of my customers end up doing more damage than good by over washing and waxing with improper rags and drying with old school chamois. Some of my customers have ceramic coatings and their car looks like sh** because of non existent washing. The water ends up flat with no beading. The worst is the annual clay bar treatment. I only use synthetic clay pads when and where needed followed by light polish. Clay bars are recipe for disaster.

My 1991 Formula was repainted in 2009 and there is no swirl, no fade and still shinny. I never put any wax on it. Just garage kept, proper and "delicate" hand washing/drying assisted by polisher for paint cleansing... that's it. I remove the bugs after every ride and decontaminate the rocker panels when needed. It never sees a pressure washer. All hand washed panel by panel lol. And no scratchy car cover!!!!!

 

Hand washed only for 31 years. Only used Simonize paste or Griots Best-of-Show liquid wax about twice a year and finish has held up well. Clayed and compounded every 10 years and, untiI I had some rear end damage about 3 months ago, I've been happy with the the appearance. Then disaster hit and I had the center section of the convertible's spoiler ripped away and decided to have the hood (stone chips) and trunk/spoiler repainted.

I agree with your advice and mostly follow what you are saying. With all of the hype these days about the "new" ceramic finishes, I was prompted to pose the question to our fellow members and see what you all thought. The car is not a show car and I have driven it for 165,000 miles with the existing running gear. Like the paint, it is original and I plan to keep it that way. I will probably keep doing what I am doing and forget about applying any ceramic finish. Besides the questions you raised, I found nothing about how to remove it once applied and with that, was very skeptical about using any brand on the market. Thanks for your intelligent response. Happy motoring!

 

Zaino comes off with dawn dish soap. I don't know about other products.

It was enormous amount of work to prep and apply that stuff and it only lasted a year anyway. I've got a ton of it left and no desire to use it again.

Again, it did look different than wax. Kind of a crystal appearance, more pure visibility to the actual paint. Your car has to be flawless to use that stuff with good results..

 

You are welcome!
Sorry to hear you got rear ended. My biggest fear.
To remove ceramic coating, you need to basically buff it, which can be a pain and costly. And who ever buffs it, needs to know what they are doing, specially on vintage car.
As far as liquid wax, I gave up using them a long time ago. The newer stuff out there is way easier of application. It's a matter of efficiency. With The Last Coat V2.0, I can go around a car in less than 20 minutes. I don't have to worry about drying time, buffing, streaks, hitting plastic trims or windows. The stuff is like magic. It applies to all surface, won't streak and won't ghost on you.

 

Think I might try "The Last Coat V2.0" after letting this cure until June. I appreciate your advice.

 

Ceramic coating is really only necessary in my opinion if the car gets driven and dirty. If it’s a garage queen that gets dusted and spends 90% of its time in a garage under a cover professional then ceramic coating is overkill. For original 30 year old paint I’d skip ceramic coating. You have to perfect the surface by polishing before installing professional ceramic coating and polishing takes the UV protectant layer out of the clear. The coating will protect the paint but the paint no longer has its own protection. After 5-6 years the paint needs to be polished again and the ceramic coating needs to be reinstalled…

It is amazing for a daily driver, say if you have a brand new black Audi that isn’t garaged…. The paint will stay clean, swirl free, and when you sell it or trade it, it will still look brand new even without a garage or a ton of effort washing and waxing (though ceramic coatings do need maintenance and washing as well)

for a 30+ year old classic car that is garaged and never sees messy weather a light polish is fine for removing some defects and just keep sealant, synthetic wax or ceramic spray coating on it…. Use a detailer that refreshes waxes/coatings…. If you chase perfection on paint polishing you can only do that so many times…. Keeping it waxed can fill in swirls too and I think it’s better to have your full UV protected clear coat than to chase perfection.

That said, for $800-1500 detailers can make your paint look brand new with paint correction and professional coatings…. If you want to avoid more scratches and chips look into paint protection film, but that’s not cheap either….

IMO learn really good wash technique, keep decent protection on your paint and don’t tailgate people on the highway…

 

I am for the waxing for garage queens, part of the fun of owning a rarely driven car. And Waxes and sealants do give nice looks, brand depending. But for a diy coating, why not try a coating like Gyeon's new version of CanCoat, Evo. It's getting rave reviews early on here. And it can give you an idea of what a fullon ceramic pro coat would be like.
But like others have said, I enjoy the wax route. rarely drive the car so it always stays nice.

 

I'm sticking with my 2X per year Simonize Carnuba. I have the time to do a good job and decided not to apply the new ceramic technologies. Thanks for your input.