Question on ceramic coatings....

[hawaiidude]

Ok so I am a bit confused here. Help me if you can please.

I am a big fan of gtechniq csl/exo coatings. I get 2 solid years of protection from a good application. It is however a lot of work.

I am seeing a lot of info on the silica type spray and rinse products. These have a shorter lifespan but seem much easier to apply.

My big question here is: Would the silica sealants (ie hydro2, hydro blue, HCW etc) be a comparable replacement to CSL/EXO if done more often? It seems it might be easier to spray something on when I wash every few months rather than the full 1-2 day gtechniq application. Am I totally off base here?

THanks!!

[SWETM]

I don`t think you can get those kind of protection with spray on rinse off coating products. And note that I have used them as a stand alone for over a year now. But my situation is a little different in the environment I live in. They are more like a sealant protection I think. Coatings does ad a better protection IMO. But they have their drawbacks too. Maybe if you are satisfied with the coating protection. You could use a single layer coating of some brand. And then maintain the ability from it with a spray on rinse off coating product as a topper. Just the protection part and longevity from a base coating and top coating that CSL/ EXO has. Is really great for a combo like that. So if you are satisfied with the performance from it. It can be a big step back from that.

Buy a bottle of spray on rinse off coating product from a brand you would like to test out. They are very alike most of them with only minor differences between them. And test them out on the wheels and maybe the back of the car or just the front bumper for an example. The hughe benefit IMO is the ease of use. Even if you do different application methods with them. But respect the product and don`t apply it in the sun and don`t apply over a large surface before rinse it off. The streaking and high spots would not be so fun to handle. Spray on a panel and directly rinse it off thoroughly and also rinse a larger area than you applied it on. And it`s very fast and easy to apply.

Just my thoughts about it and others may have other input about it and that`s fine. The easiest is to try it out on the wheels and see how you like it.

/ Tony

[tom p.]

Yeah, if you seek max durability and longevity, you`d go with the traditional coatings that have a proven track record.

New spray-on products are emerging. How will their staying power be? I guess that remains to be seen. Mother`s new CMX offering is supposed to last a year.

Surface prep is still going to be a critical factor with these products to get them to bond.

[rlmccarty2000]

Wipe on coating contain more solids like SiO2 and are thicker providing more protection from scratching or marring. A spray on like IGL Ecocoat Premier will give you Sealant like protection but no where near the protection of CSL/Exo. As far as I know there is nothing available in a spray on wipe off that rivals a true coating, nor do I expect to see one. If it doesn’t harden your applicator it probably does not provide the best protection available.

[hawaiidude]

Thanks guys, makes total sense. I guess nothing beats hard work!