Ceramic spray over Blackfire Crystal Seal?

**Flycaster** · 10-06-2023, 08:54 AM

Being old, getting quite lazy, and not looking for 100% perfection (anymore,) I`d like to know if there are any downsides to using a ceramic spray over Blackfire Crystal Seal after simply giving a new car that already has BCS applied, a good washing? And if it is OK, any recommendations on the ceramic spray. BTW, I do know that what I am asking may be detailing heresy. Thanks.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-06-2023, 01:35 PM

As I have discussed here recently, I think in response to one of your threads, IMO your fear of "layering" incompatible products has long ago been debunked. Just to repeat it again, in the old days people would say wanted to try a new sealant on their car, so they did a Dawn "strip wash" and laid down a different sealant. They knew the old one was stripped because there was no beading, so they knew the surface was "bare".

After some sort-of scientific testing it turns out that Dawn doesn`t strip sealants, it just clogs them with sheeting polymers (so that your dishes dry fast and don`t get spots). So that "bare" surface actually had your old sealant, a layer of Dawn crap, and then your new sealant on top.

What I`m trying to say is pick a ceramic spray and put it on man, heresy be damned.

**Flycaster** · 10-06-2023, 04:14 PM

My bad, sorry for essentially duplicating a previous thread. Anyway, great response..."heresy damned." Although I know that ceramic spray is nowhere near a real ceramic coating, I figure that I`ll still get a nice gloss and some protection (over the Crystal Seal.) Now, which spray do I get...?

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-06-2023, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by Flycaster

Now, which spray do I get...?

Above my pay grade, the only ceramic spray I have used is Optimum Hyper Seal, which I bought for a quick winter new-car seal for a friend, and no one likes, including me.

**Flycaster** · 01-27-2024, 04:13 PM

Well, I did overlay System X Renew on Blackfire Crystal Seal, and the results were less than hoped for. In fact, the results have me worried. Here`s the deal. The car now beads like crazy, but those beads of water do not run off the car. For example, I come into the garage out of the rain. Car is beaded up with very, very little evidence that there was any run-off of the water. The beads remain until they simply dry out, or I have wiped the car down. When there was just BCS on the car, under similar conditions, there was beading, but there was also significant run-off. My concern is that as the Renew appears to enhance beading that doesn`t run (even when driving after the rain), if the car is outside in the rain and then dries in the sun, all those beads could possibly etch the car`s surface. Of course, I am not happy with this situation and would like to have beading, but also run-off...as occurred with BCS. I`m thinking that overlayering was not a good idea, and that perhaps (really don`t know) a good alcohol wash would remove the Renew and the BCS, and I could start over without the Renew??? Just don`t know how to handle this situation?

**GearHead_1** · 01-27-2024, 04:31 PM

Crystal Seal has been off of the market for years now. How old is your product and how long ago was it put on?

**Flycaster** · 01-28-2024, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by GearHead_1

Crystal Seal has been off of the market for years now. How old is your product and how long ago was it put on?

You`re right, the BCS is years old. The BCS was probably first put on a new car around 5 months ago and the Renew (just bought) was applied over the BCS about 1-2 months ago.. Prior to the addition of the Renew (BCS only,) the BCS not only beaded well, but definitly allowed for much better run-off than the Renew. In fact, I can say that Renew (over) BCS allowed for no run-off...just a ton of beading-in-place.