Show off that REFLECTION.

2015 A8 with 117k miles. One step correction and 5 year Glassparency graphene coating. Waiting for better lighting outside to take more presentable pics, so yall get the cluttered workshop pics lol.

 

I'm picking up a 2021 MGM Crewmax tomorrow and looking at options. Over the years I've tried few sealants/wax products and have a stupid collection now. Currently I have Jetseal, the original Mothers wax cleaner, Maguire's wax cleaner, Maguire's Mirror glaze 21, Ultimate and the new Meguires hybrid ceramic spray. My latest favorite combo is an iron remover, claybar, polish, then apply ultimate. Although most say it defeats the purpose the hybrid ceramic over ultimate beads like crazy and seems to hold up for several months.

Considering Cquartz UK but have zero experience with true ceramic, unsure of how much better it would protect, and the maintenance required.

 

Congrats on being able to find a new Tundra.....or any new car for that matter. Throw the JetSeal away....it is occupying shelf space which can be used for something else. Meguiars Ultimate Wax was my go to for a while....good gloss, poor depth of color. Powerlock topped with Colorlock is a worthwhile combo. My favorite sealant right now is Wolfgang SIO2, followed by Wolfgang Deep Gloss. For the latest round on my Tundra, I tried a completely different approach, and am very happy with it. Normal decon steps, followed by Xtreme Solutions LVR403 acrylic glaze, topped with Dr Beasleys LS-10 Spray Ceramic. Gloss has been outstanding. It is supposed to last a year.

For my next go round, I may just return to the sealant every six months. Detailing is therapeutic for me, and I'm not sure I'm a coating guy. The ease of use of a quality sealant is tough to beat. For the record, I loved the LVR403....it cuts a little, but the acrylic filling capability is a huge plus.

 

I enjoy detailing, but have a 4th on the way now, so I had opted to try ceramic coatings on our vehicles. I used Avalon King Armor Shield IX on the wife's white van and later my blazing blue tundra. But since trading in the tundra for the sequoia, I swapped over to cquartz UK 3.0. Was happy with both, but am leaning towards the cquartz in terms of which I like better. I did a bit of a comparison between the 2 in here I believe not too long ago

 

Thanks for info.
I'm about to order the cquartz UK 3.0.
Probably need the 50ml?
I hear some apply beadmaker over it although the carpro Reload product is supposed to be the go to maintenance product? Merlins magic elixir sounds interesting as well.

I enjoy detailing but if anyone needs a quick and easy I hit the gf's beater 2003 Honda Pilot and her daughters vintage '93 Nissan Stanza with the Megs hybrid ceramic spray and still blown away on how well it beads after 3 months with zero prep on paint that was never waxed. Ignored the directions and applied by spraying on a damp microfiber, let dry, then buffed off. And cheap at Walmart.

Any first hand tips for the Cquartz Uk 3.0 are appreciated. I've watched several vids and it doesn't seem overly complicated to work with.

 

If you like the ceramic spray, pickup some M799. It's full strength (not diluted) but can be diluted for a multitude of uses. I believe 4:1 is the concentration suggested to mimic their hybrid ceramic detailer spray. Amazon has it.

 

Honestly, the most complicated part of the coating has always been the prep. The application is pretty easy. Make sure to do an IPA wipedown before of course to get rid of any oils leftover from the polish. I got the 50ml for thr sequoia and was enough. I watched a few YT videos and of course consulted the geniuses here for tips. I'll say if you order the cquartz (or any coating for that matter) order a pack of extra car pro microfiber suede cloths to level it off. I found they worked great and I wasn't struggling trying to make it work with the one I got in the kit.

 

Good to know and I'll throw extra suede cloths in the cart.

 

Some finalized shots and before/afters of that Audi. Uro 50/50s and a mixture of either 3D One or Angelwax (one step) with Glassparency 5+ year graphene coating.

 

Looks like some other guys have answered your questions. I’m not a big fan of coatings, so I’m not the guy to ask about that.
I just don’t see enough benefit to them vs the amount of effort required. The same result can be had using Powerlock 2-3 times a year, with way less likelihood of an application screw up.

 

Beadmaker is a really great, but short term product. It’s kind of a bridge between wax and sealants. It performs as well or better than anything else, but degrades quickly. If you go with CQuartz, I’d recommend Reload as a maintenance product. You can always add some Beadmaker for some extra pop on occasion.

I do also like the Megs Hybrid Ceramic Spray, but I prefer Griots 3-1. That stuff lasts the longest of any spray sealant I’ve tried. I haven’t tried the method with Megs you used. I’ve only done it per the instructions, which resulted in some streaking for me.

There’s just so many great options out there. We all tend to gravitate towards certain ones, but there’s many ways to get the results you need. I’ve gotten to a point where I stick to products with quicker and easier applications like Hydro2, 3-1, etc. I also use actual wax probably more than the other guys here also.

 

Appreciate the feed back
Just ordered the CQuartz kit with reload, bottle of reset, pads, and Korean towels...lol
I've found applying the Megs Hybrid spray by liberally spraying on a damp synthetic cloth then buffing in let haze over then polishing off puts down a MUCH better coating than the hose off and waste 80% they suggest method. Try a panel and see what you think?

I enjoy the detailing and wax process although the ceramics are something I've been wanting to try for several years. We'll see how they pan out and I'll post a few images when completed.

 

Not even polished yet and the Powerlock + Collinite combo has been stripped. Will be polishing her up over the next few days and polishing the black inlays in the wheels since days at the dunes have scratched them all up. Then it's Owner's Pride 7 year coating on everything.

 

That's incredible. Ceramic?

 

Great work as always!

 

i'm not sure when the pic was quoted from. but from the looks of the pic and text i put, this was way back before i coated it. so prob just clean and waxed

 

One stepped with 3D One and Uro 50/50s. Laid down Owner Pride's 7 year ceramic. Pictures don't do it justice. Interesting to note OP's ceramic "sweats" instead of rainbow flashes like traditional coatings. Made the application so much easier to judge when wipe off was ready.

 

Damn son!

 

Just a fan of clean wheels

 

Hey I think you missed the spot!

 

For all you black Tundra lovers, please for the love of God put some wax on them lol. This is a good buddy's truck in for a one step...the oxidation is unreal. Gonna end up being two days for a one step.

 

That is just magical!

 

Typically a one step takes us a day, but between a wrecked interior and severe oxidation this took two days. Mixture of 3D One/Angelwax and Uro 50/50 pads. Sealed with M27 and Glassparency Boost overtop. Plastics got hit with Solution Finish. Chrome (end caps, mirror caps, grille trim) was M210 by hand with a microfiber sponge. Waiting for golden hour for some Nikon pics, but I'm very proud of this one for the turn around that was achieved and couldn't wait.

 

A shot I forgot to post. Really shows how bad this paint was. To the left and the rear door you can see how oxidized/swirled it was.

 

Beautiful work, as always