Old School looking for New School Deep Wet Look from a Ceramic family of products

[m3_sj]

Hello Autopians,

I was an old school detailer from the late 90`s to early 2000`s. So for all you old school folks, you pretty much know the products I`ve used and the regiments. Trust me, I`ve used them all ! (I`m not going to mention any of them as I don`t want to get in any flaming wars) I have used the first models of porter cable da polishers, with compounds/cutting , polishing stages , to sealants, to carnuba toppers and detail sprays to give me the “deep wet look” I desire, vs the “wrapped in Saran Wrap” look. As we all know, twenty years later and things have changed considerably in the detailing world and I have seen the transition from sealants and waxes to "ceramics."

So what ceramic coating system , do you recommend I use to get the deepest wettest look in todays world ? I ask because all the ceramic coating jobs I`ve seen online look "wrapped in saran wrap" and don`t give a deep wet look. So it seems like we give up a certain look for the durability of ceramic ?

Or maybe ceramic coatings by nature don`t give "deep wet looking" finishes and only give "wrapped in saran wrap" looks ? and I have to stick with my old methods of sealants ?

I am interested to hear your thoughts and thanks for your recommendations and help to this matter.

[TheMeanGreen]

Seems like Kamikaze Zipang Coat or ISM v1.0 would give you the looks you desire. Apex Detail`s solution for high gloss may be another option: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn3qStI7dys&t=308s. Griot`s 3-in-1 Ceramic Wax plus TAC Shinee Wax may give you the gloss and depth. Xtreme Solutions LVR 403 and LVR 357 could be a great combo, it is not a ceramic combo. DPC Armor, a SiO2 sealant, has always given me a really rich nuba-like appearance to darker colors, but its water behavior leaves A LOT to be desired; rumor has it that DPC Armor is being reformulated to be more hydrophobic, if you can wait, some third party will definitely review it. Ethos Ceramic Wax Pro definitely darkens like a nuba. Some of us that are quarantined are being reminded that there are few replacements to traditional waxes when it comes to glow and I certainly hope someone else with more coating experience will chime in.

[m3_sj]

Well this is a start . Thanks for the assistance.

So far I think Kamikaze would be the ceramic for me. But I also like the looks of Xtreme Solutions LVR 403 Polish and Ethos Ceramic Wax Pro.

[TheMeanGreen]

Well this is a start . Thanks for the assistance.

So far I think Kamikaze would be the ceramic for me. But I also like the looks of Xtreme Solutions LVR 403 Polish and Ethos Ceramic Wax Pro.

You`re welcome. Be careful though, the slope with all the *new* products is quite slippery. Not sure how well the combination will hold up over time, specifically with a Kamikaze coating sitting on top of Xtreme Solutions LVR 403, but there have been some that have had success with coatings living on top of LVR 403. The Kamikaze coatings are rather expensive to roll the dice with, but a LVR 403 + ISM v1.0 combo may actually work together. Not sure if I would top that combo with Ethos Ceramic Wax Pro because of redundancy. You could always top the combo with Griot`s Garage 3-in-1.

[m3_sj]

yeh I`d do one or the other. If I go Kamikaze, i``ll stick with a ceramic system only.

[m3_sj]

Thanks for your help. With all the research I`ve been doing, I am foregoing ceramics all together and will go the route of graphene .