Ask the Detailer

Don’t let a short guy do your ceramic coating.

 

i found the soaps that had wax in them tended to leave more spotting and residue. I try to stick to ph neutral stuff that wont remove sealants or waxes.

 

yikes!!!! buy him a ladder!! lol!!!

 

I should’ve done it myself anyway, and had planned to. Just bit on a deal that was a little “too good”.

 

I just can't let other people wash my car/truck. too scared of this kind of work. I rather mess it up myself lol!!

 

That's where the racing stripe goes! But how come my wax job does a better beading job than this ceramic? I remember you saying you weren't that happy with the work done on yours a while back...not sure if this was why?

 

it would seem to me he missed the roof!

 

I had planned for a long time to do my own ceramic coating, but just couldn’t find the time, and didn’t have a convenient indoor place to do the paint correction first. I ended up hiring a guy just to do the paint correction, and planned to do the coating when he was done.
A few days before my appointment, he called and asked if I had any extra CQuartz. He had a coating to do, and his order hadn’t come in. I gave him a bottle, as I had three. Instead of him paying me, he just agreed to put mine on also.

It looked great at first, but unfortunately it was pretty overcast when I checked it. It was in January, so it was several weeks before we got some good sunlight. Over the course of washing it, etc, I wasn’t impressed at all with the coating, and found some holograms he put in the paint. He offered to redo it, but I didn’t want him touching it again.

And yeah, it beads better with my own sealants and waxes than it does with just the ceramic. I’m thinking he put it on pretty thin or possibly used something other than the CQuartz I gave him.

I’ll eventually just redo it all myself. Lesson learned.

 

Hood looks a little better.

 

Maybe I’ll leave it as an indicator stripe to let me know when the Hydro2 wears off.

 

That sucks man! I've had mess ups myself in different areas where I have to admit i made a mistake. It sucks that people like that make it difficult for some to trust people because of people like this

 

Suck! I think I would be sending that pick to your mobile ceramic guy.......

 

His reviews are great, but it’s probably because most of his customers don’t know what to look for.

 

He already knows I’m not happy. I told him I’d rather fix it myself. I need the practice anyway. I probably got exactly what I paid for to begin with.

 

I just snapped this earlier....but yea...my expectations are higher than most. Especially when I'm paying for it! If I didn't enjoy detailing my vehicles, I'd pay someone to do it cuz I don't know if I'd trust myself to do it. People say I could, but I'm always nervous about trying things for the first time on my vehicles. haha

 

how long have you had it on? do you use some kind of spray wax after each wash?

 

@twintundra2016 I've had it on for about a year and a half now. I use the Meguiar's Ultimate wax. Between serious washes(light road grime and/or dust/pollen) I use the Wash n Wax spray. I did apply the Hybrid Ceramic Wax spray recently and gave it a wash and it shined and reflected amazingly!(see below) I do have the Quik Wax, but haven't been using it as much honestly. Only ever few months when I know I have a good weekend of sun and no dirty riding happening haha (which isn't a whole lot in SW Louisiana)

 

I haven't tried meguiars ceramic spray wax yet but have been using the ultimate spray wax for years. everytime I try something else, I'm always brought back to it especially on my truck. great stuff!! I also use Silverwax spray wax which is made by a company up here in quebec Canada that as very similar to the meguiars. I usually have 3 or 4 kinds in stock lol!!

 

I've been very pleased with it!. Especially since it's easily accessible. My cabinet....lol

 

Meguair’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax hasn’t broken into my regular rotation, but I’ve used it some. It does work very well. Really good product.

 

I see you are a Meguair’s fan....

 

Re-post from another thread that should have been here, wanted to share some more.

Had been hearing radio commercials about 303 Touchless Sealant and saw it at O'Reilly's Parts. Was able to try it out about a week ago.

Original Post from June 15th.
Picked up some 303 Sealant and a Mothers Speed Clay 2.0 today. Had some me time this evening and wanted to give the Silver Bullet a fresh finish.

Having never clay bar'd before the Mothers seemed like the easiest product on the shelf, instead of a mitt. Washed truck basically twice then used the Speed Clay as directed, using fresh soap bucket for lubrication. It wasn't difficult, just took a bit of time. When finished did a quick wash again, getting any clay residue off.

Then started on the roof with the sealant, hood, sides, then tailgate. When at first sprayed on there is nothing to see, when it is sprayed off the Beading begins almost instantly. Then that area is sealed and some awesome beading to be proud of. The beading is very impressive. The water on the doors and bed sides couldn't drain off quick enough. The new feel of the wet beads was not what I expected; it was not slick like when a wax is used. But as I dried it there was a slickness that you cannot feel when its wet. (Thinking a wet waxed finished is not slick either.) I used probably 60-70% of the sealant bottle, may have overused a bit. It may be hard to get two trucks/SUV's done with one bottle as @Pudge mentioned. Thinking I will just use the rest when the beading starts to subside. The price isn't bad at $17; thinking really good value.

 

Looking good brother! Did you get a license plate frame that worked? I need one for the Sequoia.

 

Thanks!
I did get a OEM gen 2 plate frame from Amazon, $18. The old one was never anchored or screwed in on the bottom. Thought the fit would be better but its on tight now. Coincidence, tags were up last month, so I was able to request new plates without an extra trip.

 

You have a link to the one you got?

 

I've used it for years with great results(IMO) and I like that it's easily accessible and I don't have to special order it and wait. Can run to just about any store and get it.

 

what do you think about their soaps?

 

Probably the only good brand that’s widely available at retailers. They’ve maintained quality even though they are so widespread. I use these pretty regularly:

MEGUIAR'S G16402 Whole Air Re-Fresher Odor Eliminator Mist, New Car Scent, 1 Pack

$8 Meguiar's Whole Car Air Refresher, Odor Eliminator Spray Eliminates Strong Vehicle Odors, New Car Scent - 2 Oz Spray Bottle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G49DVGG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ZrreDbWT1JX24

 

I haven’t used it, but their Gold Class soap gets a lot of praise.