Ceramic Coating Tested on a Porsche 944
Dirty Porsche 944 rinses clean after a month of driving in rain and snow.
Ceramic coating has taken the paint protection world by storm and many owners of Porsche vehicles will opt for the high tech sealant shortly after purchasing their new sports car or sport utility vehicle. The coating helps to protect the paint from environmental toxins while also keeping the car cleaner, as dirt can’t stick to the paint. The key concern from skeptics is that the entire ceramic coating process is very time consuming and it is expensive to have a shop do it, leading some people to question whether it is worth the time or hassle.
Casey Putsch of Genius Garage Racing recently ceramic coated his Porsche 944 and after a month of driving it in rain and snow, he wants to see how easily it comes clean. If you are an owner who relies on ceramic coating, you can likely predict the results.
Cleaning the Porsche 944
The meat of this this video from Casey Putsch’s YouTube channel begins with him driving his Porsche 944 to a local quarter car wash. The car is dirty and it has not been properly washed since being ceramic coated, although it has been parked outside and driven in both rain and snow. Putsch points out that when it rains, he has noticed that most of the dirt quickly rinses off, but he wants to see how clean he can get the car with some water pressure.
At the quarter car wash, he hits the car with a few minutes of the basic rinse cycle, carefully covering every inch of the 944 from top to bottom. He uses the basic rinse, not the spot-free rinse, and when his time is up, he hangs up the hose and hits the street. His goal is to use a spirited drive back to the shop to dry off the car, and while he runs into some rain, the results are still impressive.
After a month of accumulating dirt and road grime, the Porsche 944 rinses almost completely clean. There is some road tar and stickier dirt down near the wheels, but other than that, the bright red sports car is spotless. This leaves little question as to whether ceramic coating makes it easier to keep your car clean.
Preparing the 928
After illustrating how well ceramic coating works on the Porsche 944, Putsch turns his attention to the 928 in the shop. He gives us a quick look at the new hood badge followed by a quick walk-through of the interior progress. He has been rebuilding the steering wheel and it is almost time to put it all back together, while the black-and-white checkered seats are ready to be bolted into place.
The key purpose of showing the 928 in this video is to talk about the steps leading up to ceramic coating. Ceramic coating protects the paint, but if the paint isn’t pristine when the coating goes on, the results won’t be as impressive. The first step of ceramic coating is paint repair, and that is where we pick up in this video.
Putsch has already gone over the car with a clay bar, removing stubborn debris from the paint. Next, he is using an orbital buffer to remove any swirls, starting on the hood and the right front fender. As he works the buffer around the front of the car, Putsch reminds us to be careful when buffing with an orbital, as catching a piece of debris in the pad can cause more scuffs around the car. Also, if your car has sharp body edges, the orbital can quickly rub through the paint, so you want to tread lightly on harsh edges.
Once Putsch has buffed the front corner, he goes back over that area with a microfiber towel, removing all of the buffing compound. He points out that before applying the ceramic coating, he will go over the entire 944 with alcohol wipes to remove any residual buffing compound. After that, he will begin to apply the ceramic coating to the classic Porsche, allowing him to keep that car clean with just a rinse.
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