I've had Xpel on my car for almost 5 years now. I coated a couple years ago myself with Sonnax (I think it was) and about 9 months ago I applied Kamikaze ISM and Wasabi. For maintenance I wash regularly with a Karcher pressure washer (I'd love a Kranzle but this is doing okay) with a foam attachment. I do believe that there's not a ton of differentiation in most products.... I Have everything from Adams, Gyeon, CarPro, AmmoNyc and Pinnacle. I've tried Chemical Guys, F11 and a number of random products. Some I love and some are a pain.

I've posted a number of pictures from my car lately and won't duplicate that too much but I wanted to give a shout out and review to Xpel for their new product- "Ceramic Boost." It's basically a Relaod competitor which is a sacrificial layer and booster for a ceramic coating; that I thought I'd try since their primary business is PPF. The short of it is that it is incredibly user friendly. Some products; to me, like Macguires ceramic hybrid product are just a huge hassle to easily apply and buff without leaving residue or streaks. The Xpel Ceramic Boost was incredibly easy to apply and remove with a great shine. The Hydrophobic characteristics are on par with things like Pinnacle Black Diamond spray, bead maker, reload and others. I can't say wether the protection is better, longer lasting or shine is any different because my car stays dialed in 99% of the time but the shine is great and I will be using it often. The apparent differentiator here at first glance is how easy it was to apply. I recommend testing it out even if you don't have PPF or ceramic (I also applied it to my 987 and 650 with the same results. Neither of these cars are coated).

The only drag with this product was I didn't make sure the bottle sprayer was tight so I let half of the bottle leak out - That's my fault though and no reflection on Xpel.

 

 

 

garfunkle

Your car is gleaming. We also both have 6's.

I've used sonax ammo and chemical guys, but frankly your results bear investigation.

Share your process.

If you were starting with clean paint, how would you get it to look so good?

Proceed straight to PPF and ceramic?

And then, besides the Xpel product above, how would you best maintain?

Look forward to your reply!

 

My products lately are Carpro Hydra Foam in the foam Cannon and Gyeon Bath in the bucket.

Here's my process"
1. Spray with Karcher Pressure washer
2. Foam Cannon and let sit 5 to 10 minutes
3. Pressure wash
4. Gyeon bucket wash (A quality mitt is food here)
5. Rinse with pressure washer
6. Blow with electric blower
7. Use lubricant to dry with a waffle towel(Bead Maker, Reload, Xpel Ceramic Boost, Blackfire - whatever)
8. Coat with a ceramic based detailer (Xpex Ceramic Booster here). It's important to clean microfibers. I typically go through 3 per car. Light mist(less is more) spread and dry. One panel at a time.

I use Ceramic based products with the exception of bedmaker, including on my non coated cars. The 6 and 987 have Sonnax Poly shield. Other products that I really like are Pinnacle Black Diamond series. Chemical Guys is a good gateway product line and I found them really easy to use but nowhere near as high quality as the other stuff I've mentioned. From the beginning.... my 911 was paint corrected 5 years ago and then PPF(Xpel, the new Xpel is MUCH better actually in clarity) applied. Post PPF I have done Ceramic a couple times. I used to way but the longevity and protection just wasn't on par. Colinite is my favorite wax though. Wax vs. Ceramic is similar to a turbo vs NA debate and most people are likely one or the other. The black car still needs some love and a good paint correction & polish to get it started are key. I also clay bar about 2x a year.... My routine is pretty religious and a labor of love but my car is always the most dialed in at every meet up, including garage queens and exotics

Using good products matters about 30% I guesstimate but better products do last longer and make the process easier for the next time. Using okay products WELL[application] will net you great results for short term and are debatably not as long lasting. The key is being efficient and touching the car as little as possible. Even with ceramic, you still risk swirls and damage with bad technique and dirty rags. Never use a an improper drying towel or dry with the right towel and not use something as a lubricant/drying aid. Buffing at the end with a dry microfiber should be done with the least amount of pressure possible and with a clean microfiber.

Hope that helps

 

Your car looks gorgeous. Good to know about the Xpel product. My car is two years old and all I do is apply the sealant once a year. I will definitely try the ceramic booster. Do you know if it has organic solvents in it? One thing I don't like about the sealant.

 

Garfunkle, thank you for the detail.

"The key is being efficient and touching the car as little as possible."

Although I follow the same work steps and admonitions about towels and scratch protection, I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable or experienced with products.

I didn't realize that CarPro also made cquartz - I'm scheduled to have paint correction / ceramic soon. I'm done with wax.

A couple of follow up questions:

Why not CarPro Reset first, then Hydro2foam?

Is beadmaker the best drying "lubricant" in your experience?

Do you like Xpels Ceramic Boost better than CarPros Reload?

Soft top regimen - whats the best in your experience?

 

A lot of that is preference. I'm not a professional so my experience should not be taken as religion... but I like the foam cannon first to take care of as much surface dirt as possible and to lubricate the car for hand washing. I don't think there is a need to foam post wash.

Beadmaker is fantastic and it's one of the few products that works equally well on wax and coated cars. It's fairly cheap and after a base coating (which is tedious) it is easy to apply. For the drying aid/lubricant - I don't think it matters much what product you use if you're going to spray on and buff a finishing product after drying.

I posted pictures of the shine on my cars after Xpel Ceramic boost. It's fantastic. I think it was easier than reload to apply as well. Although I would not hesitate to testify if I thought one was definitively better, I think that most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference In the result and the edge goes to Xpel for ease of application. I'm not nerdy enough to weigh the ingredients for protection longevity but for me it doesn't really matter since none of my cars will go more than 30 days without something.

 

I've gotten some PM's about this thread... To answer some of the main questions - I do think that the XPEL Ceramic Booster would net an increased shine and protection on top of paint or wax as well as increase the look of your vehicle after any wash/wax routine. Also to reiterate, my favorite aspect of this product is how easy it is to apply and the immediate results. Some products (Like beadmaker or macguires hybrid) are a PITA to use for the initial application and require much more technique to not leave streaks. The Xpel product is very easy to use and didn't leave any residue or streaks, even in the humidity.

 

I'm sure there are a lot of members who have questions or would benefit from a dedicated detailing thread - and there are a number of members and sponsors who could provide high if not expert level input.

Let me take a moment to exclude myself. I'm an enthusiast not a professional.

Is there a detailing topic area on Rennlist?

 

There is.

https://rennlist.com/forums/concours-and-car-care-86/

 

Thanks for the post Garfunkel. Will have to check it out.

This stuff is also amazing. Easy to apply and leaves a beautiful slick surface which beads water like crazy. Use a good automotive soap for washes and it will hold up and not instantly get stripped off.

Soap:

https://www.detailedimage.com/Optimu...roduct-reviews

Easy to quickly apply though after each wash for a touch up.

Spray wax:

https://www.detailedimage.com/Optimu...P280/17-oz-S1/

 

I like the optimum products but don't mess with anything wax related anymore Admittedly Si2/ceramic is the hybrid/turbo of new sports cars and wax is the low torque, linear experience that some people also enjoy.

 

Too bad car paint keeps getting worse from manufacturers!

 

How do you think that C8's paint is going to be in your avatar?

The topic is digressing but in todays world of disposable everything and the rapid obsolescence of cars I don't think it matters much to the general public. More and more people are leasing every 2 years and the younger generation isn't buying cars. aaS is becoming the norm in all aspects of life. In this model, bad OEM paint doesn't matter. Thankfully the detailing industry is getting much more sophisticated but also has some risks. In the "old" days people kept cars for 10+ years and most every guy over 30 had wax as a staple in their garage in the 1900's that they used with reasonable frequency. It was a part of taking care of your things; because "things" weren't so disposable.

Now days it's more and more important to be educated in paint care if you have a car you care about. Detail shops will be quick to make your car look spectacular with paint correction and polishing but each time you level out the paint its takes away some of the clear coat to where eventually you'll have to have the whole car repainted. PPF is a great preservation product. On top of or in lieu of it is important to wash properly and protect so that the car needs as little leveling as possible to look good in the future as few times as possible. I'm not talking collectibles, antiques or concourse cars either which should always be waxed and never coated.