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Has anyone on here ceramic coated their RDX? If so, how was your experience doing it? I am really thinking about attempting to do this on my Apex Blue Aspec. My biggest fear is all kinds of streaking from it. If anyone has done it, or knows a lot about it, what is the best coating to go with?
I know a fair bit on the topic having had my car coated twice and I do a lot of detailing on my car so....
The coatings themselves are relatively easy to apply, if you're already handy with detailing (maybe you've done a cut polish on your paint or do more than just a wash and wax) then it won't be hard at all especially with products like Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light or Cquartz UK 3.0 (both are known for being very easy to apply). The hard part is the paint prep - clearing it of any contaminants and polishing it so that you've removed all the swirls and marks - I've done this several times in my life and it's not particularly hard to do a solid job (if you're patient) but it's labour intensive (figure 5-6 hours of work). Usually you're looking at an iron remover, a clay job then a 1 or 2 stage polish and likely a wipe down (to clear the paint).
If you want to read up more consider going on Reddit and reading up on r/AutoDetailing - there's lots of people like you who have questions that have been answered about this.
There's no best coating and don't let anyone tell you otherwise - there's lots of good product out there that perform similarly but with slightly different looks. I have had Opticoat Pro and Crystal Serum Ultra on my RDX and prefer Crystal Serum Ultra. It's warmer and more hydrophobic (some people prefer sheeting over beading though) than Opticoat Pro.
It depends a lot on how the coating is maintained and which coating you use. Retail ones typically promise 1-3 years protection while the pro coatings usually claim 5-10 years. The more you park outside, the more you drive in tough conditions and the less you maintain the coating the faster it will fail. If you park indoors and your car is a garage queen it will last the lifetime of the car. Maintenance includes at least an annual decontamination and regular use of a ceramic spray topper to replenish the coating. Easy stuff to do it.
I have a ‘19 White ASpec and I coated it in Dec of 2020. It’s the best thing i could have done. Honestly the easiest part is the application if you’re careful. The most labor intensive is the correction, so it kind of depends on what shape you care is in now.
For mine, I washed the car, used Iron, light clay, then I corrected with CarPro Essence. Wiped the car down with Gyeon Prep and applied one coat of GTechniq Crystal Serum Light, followed by two coats of GTechniq EVOv4. It’s the best. So hydrophobic and glossy. A LOT of it also depends on how the care is taken care of also. I try to wash every other week at least (dont drive much) and coat with Gyeon Ceramic Detailer every time. It’s overkill but i enjoy the process. My car is garaged and since work from home and covid i barely drive so I anticipate this coating will last for maybe the 5-6 year range. If i could coat the car right now, I would probably go Gyeon MOHS.. Reviews seem good and real world tests look better than the CSL/EVOv4 combo.. but I’m 100% satisfied..
Oh, and i also did the wheels, tho it seems to wear faster with all the heat and road crap..
NOTE: Feel free to throw any more ?s at me. During lockdown I really went down the rabbit hole and bought and tested so so many products. If you did go the CSL/EVOv4 route, I could give you the full process if you need it.. Cheers!
Last edited by knakane; Jun 10, 2022 at 01:09 AM.
Reason: Adding “NOTE:” section
Being a car enthusiast, I have been waxing cars all my life and ceramic and graphene car waxes are fantastic. You won't get rid of swirls, only paint correction will do that, use a clay bar on your car after washing, then apply this easy to apply ceramic or graphene wax. I use it on my cars and bikes. You can pay hundreds of dollars for small ceramic or graphene waxes but the turtle is unbeatable in my opinion.
Being a car enthusiast, I have been waxing cars all my life and ceramic and graphene car waxes are fantastic. You won't get rid of swirls, only paint correction will do that, use a clay bar on your car after washing, then apply this easy to apply ceramic or graphene wax. I use it on my cars and bikes. You can pay hundreds of dollars for small ceramic or graphene waxes but the turtle is unbeatable in my opinion.
I have read GREAT reviews about this stuff, and was going to be giving it a try. I am currently using Technicians Choice GMAX 584 with Graphene. It seems decent, and the slickness is great. However, I'm not sure how the durability is with it long-term. How long are you getting with the above Turtle Wax?
The market place is chuck full of the “Ceramic” ……….these guys in my area have gone from mail order to retail in “Fleet Farm” or other similar stores. With some pretty aggressive marketing and pricing. I am on there mailing list like every other car guy list………No prior purchases.
Saw the display……..purchased and used this week. Easy to apply……no streaking but instructions clearly state “do not let it dry”….if it drys and streaks reapply and wipe clear.
The bottle barely stay in place on the hood……as they want to now slight off. That’s my judgement criteria for a slick surface. I could get the same slickness with ZAINO
products but it was 5 times the work and steps.
The market place is chuck full of the “Ceramic” ……….these guys in my area have gone from mail order to retail in “Fleet Farm” or other similar stores. With some pretty aggressive marketing and pricing. I am on there mailing list like every other car guy list………No prior purchases.
Saw the display……..purchased and used this week. Easy to apply……no streaking but instructions clearly state “do not let it dry”….if it drys and streaks reapply and wipe clear.
The bottle barely stay in place on the hood……as they want to now slight off. That’s my judgement criteria for a slick surface. I could get the same slickness with ZAINO
products but it was 5 times the work and steps.
This is what I use as well. Been using it on my vehicles for a couple of years now, and have been happy with the results.
I have read GREAT reviews about this stuff, and was going to be giving it a try. I am currently using Technicians Choice GMAX 584 with Graphene. It seems decent, and the slickness is great. However, I'm not sure how the durability is with it long-term. How long are you getting with the above Turtle Wax?
I have been using ceramic for a bit over two years and have been blown away for how long it lasts. On the Mercedes I did a full paint correction and ceramic two and a half years ago (I have detailing equipment). I used an expensive ceramic (don't remember the name), then last summer I put the Turtle ceramic spray (made the shine pop a bit). On the RDX, Turtle spray when new and rejuvenates with Turtle every year. Makes the car easy to wash and tends to stay clean. The bikes all started with ceramic or graphene Turtle spray. I always clay before waxing, unless new car. Of course I would not wash a waxed car in the hot sun.
i did my 2021 last August then drove it during a typical michigan winter. After coating the beading was very intense. Water rolled right off. Now in June, the hood and roof still bead, but the side panels dont quite as much. I plan to it again this August, as it needs all the help it can get from Michigan weather.
Ceramic coating is tedious snake oil. You don’t need to waste $1000 for a detail shop when you can do it yourself.
all you really need is a ceramic spray (turtle wax) every other wash and bobs your uncle.
100% Agree, plus all those Expensive coatings require regular maintenance of a monthly spray on product to keep the slickness up. it’s the new snake oil of the internet. Most professional shops will not apply it unless you spend several hundred for paint correction, as your paint needs to be mark, scratch and swirl free before the coating.
As a detailing ocd person, I prefer the spray on products, use them once a week after a wash and has all the same benefits of the super expensive products - without the cost and a professional to do it. Both mentioned above are great. Plus, you have to do “pain correction” on the car prior to the coating (even if new), as the high end ceramic coating are so much more difficult to remove with a buffer if you need to do paint correction or get a panel painted due to an accident.
100% Agree, plus all those Expensive coatings require regular maintenance of a monthly spray on product to keep the slickness up. it’s the new snake oil of the internet. Most professional shops will not apply it unless you spend several hundred for paint correction, as your paint needs to be mark, scratch and swirl free before the coating.
As a detailing ocd person, I prefer the spray on products, use them once a week after a wash and has all the same benefits of the super expensive products - without the cost and a professional to do it. Both mentioned above are great. Plus, you have to do “pain correction” on the car prior to the coating (even if new), as the high end ceramic coating are so much more difficult to remove with a buffer if you need to do paint correction or get a panel painted due to an accident.
That is simply not true. There is no requirement to top up your ceramic coating to maintain it even for warranty purposes for any of the common brands (Gyeon, Modesta, Gtechniq, Opticoat, CarPro etc). Most detailers will recommend you do a top up twice a year and do a decontamination once a year but that's to maximise the life of the coating. Most will say that using a topper every wash is a waste and delivers no benefits because there's a limit to how much you and top your coating however the toppers tend to be good drying aids - spray it on to get water to leave the surface so some folks do it every wash.
As for requiring a paint correction when applying a pro coating, why would anyone spend the money on a pro coating if you're not going to correct the paint? I wouldn't do business with any detailer who didn't insist on a correction first. Pro coatings (and retail ones too) last multiple years and lock in whatever is underneath the paint and a paint correction both removes any paint defects and maximises the life of the coating by improving bonding.
Ceramic coatings are not for everyone - if someone is not handy with doing a paint correction or don't want to pay a pro for the correction they should stick to spray on ceramic sealants. Those ceramic sealants are very good nowadays - surprisingly durable and super easy to apply (they've really killed off the case of using waxes) however they don't provide the same benefits of a ceramic coating. If you're handy with paint correction and want to maximise how sharp your car looks then applying a ceramic yourself is a no brainer - it'll last 2 years in most cases and is significantly more durable and hydrophobic than a spray on. If you have the money, don't have the time or simply want the best then a pro coating is the bee's knees.
My pro coated car is SIGNiFICANTLY easier to clean, picks up a minimum of marring from washes, is very resistant to contamination, and looks fantastic (looks better than when I bought it). My non-coated cars that I maintain can't hold a candle to it in terms of ease of maintenance, paint quality or peace of mind (I don't worry about bird droppings anymore - rinses right off and I can leave it there for days).
Edit: I maintain both my coated and non-coated cars in largely the same way - washes every 2-3 weeks, twice yearly decontamination of the paint, and a topper/sealant twice a year. The difference in how clean the paint is significant.
Last edited by supafamous; Jun 11, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
That is simply not true. There is no requirement to top up your ceramic coating to maintain it even for warranty purposes for any of the common brands (Gyeon, Modesta, Gtechniq, Opticoat, CarPro etc). Most detailers will recommend you do a top up twice a year and do a decontamination once a year but that's to maximise the life of the coating. Most will say that using a topper every wash is a waste and delivers no benefits because there's a limit to how much you and top your coating however the toppers tend to be good drying aids - spray it on to get water to leave the surface so some folks do it every wash.
As for requiring a paint correction when applying a pro coating, why would anyone spend the money on a pro coating if you're not going to correct the paint? I wouldn't do business with any detailer who didn't insist on a correction first. Pro coatings (and retail ones too) last multiple years and lock in whatever is underneath the paint and a paint correction both removes any paint defects and maximises the life of the coating by improving bonding.
Ceramic coatings are not for everyone - if someone is not handy with doing a paint correction or don't want to pay a pro for the correction they should stick to spray on ceramic sealants. Those ceramic sealants are very good nowadays - surprisingly durable and super easy to apply (they've really killed off the case of using waxes) however they don't provide the same benefits of a ceramic coating. If you're handy with paint correction and want to maximise how sharp your car looks then applying a ceramic yourself is a no brainer - it'll last 2 years in most cases and is significantly more durable and hydrophobic than a spray on. If you have the money, don't have the time or simply want the best then a pro coating is the bee's knees.
My pro coated car is SIGNiFICANTLY easier to clean, picks up a minimum of marring from washes, is very resistant to contamination, and looks fantastic (looks better than when I bought it). My non-coated cars that I maintain can't hold a candle to it in terms of ease of maintenance, paint quality or peace of mind (I don't worry about bird droppings anymore - rinses right off and I can leave it there for days).
Edit: I maintain both my coated and non-coated cars in largely the same way - washes every 2-3 weeks, twice yearly decontamination of the paint, and a topper/sealant twice a year. The difference in how clean the paint is significant.
You are correct.. Strange to hear people arguing against actual experience with YouTube as evidence lol.. this thread took a turn haha...
And
What if you leave your RDX outside all year in Illinois weather?
The ceramic won't last as long as it would on a garaged car, but we're still talking a few years with proper upkeep. (Proper upkeep means not using brush-type auto car washes, among other things.) One could argue that a ceramic coating is especially important on a car that's stored outside year-round.
And
What if you leave your RDX outside all year in Illinois weather?
agree with @HotRodW here. Should still last years, obviously dependent on environment, maintenance (very light), surface prep before application (not necessarily correction).
And
What if you leave your RDX outside all year in Illinois weather?
Coated cars left outside can develop water spots particularly those in environments with hard water or dirty rain. Mine has gotten some water spots that I'm not longer able to remove as I parked outdoors for the first year of its coated life and I wasn't washing it regularly. It's not a big deal relatively speaking as it still pops but if you want to keep it as perfect as possible give the car a rinse or wash after rainy periods or wash regularly (I'd often go 4 weeks between washes because it'd rain on all my off days). If you do get waterspots products like CarPro Descale or Carpro Spotless can help you get them out - they are acidic cleaners.
