Thanks Moe.

My most recent experience with Clearplex is on the RS6 which was applied Sept 2024. So far so good with about 5500 miles.

I’d add it’s the same installer we’ve been using for over a decade, and we’ve had Clearplex on several cars since 2011. In a few cases he had to do up to 3 installations before the film was acceptable. “Unacceptable” was defined as imperfections in the film that would be in line-of-sight or close to line-of-sight. If they were at the very bottom of the windshield, that didn’t bother me and I’d accept it. I’d say the film has improved since 2017 when it took 3 tries on our 991RS before getting a piece without several distortions. In the cars since then, the first application has been good. My 2021 GT4 is without issue.

 

Moe,
I just read Will Anthony’s article in the PCA website titled” I had my Porsche ceramic-coated — inside and out. Here's what I learned, posted by Will Anthony”(https://www.pca.org/news/i-had-my-po...what-i-learned). I’m having real trouble understanding how a material like ceramic coating that dries to a very hard coating can be used on leather and vinyl. It may look shiny at first but I’m sure that cracks, hard surface coating and coating flakes will appear in time. To quote the article;

“The interior of the vehicle can also be coated. This would include all cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, and wood surfaces. The leather will be more resistant to fading. Spills will be much simpler to remove from the coated surfaces. If your seats are perforated the coating will seep into the perforations for and offer more protection”.

I’ve been using Lexol spray cleaner and conditioner for many, many years. My ‘86 OEM sports seats in my RST has over 450,000 KM has survived my bum has received regular Lexol and is still soft with no cracks, discolouration/fading, etc. I sure would like to understand how this modern day miracle will even come close to products like Lexol.

Thoughts???
Cheers,

 

thank you for the update. Great to hear clearplex has improved as they were the pioneer in this segment

 

Lexol definitely was one of the go-to products for leather and I remember using it back in 90s

i liked the smell after a good conditioning, but found it a little tacky to the touch and it required a finishing wipedown to get leather to feel smooth again

I later was turned on to Leatherique and that was defiantly worth the effort that took days to achieve

as for ceramic, it lacks the soft and supple feel, but it does excel in the stain resistance department

regarding ceramic glass properties, it’s not noticeable in leather as we’re talking microns …leather doesn’t get stiff and you don’t see residue…the application is advanced because high spots won’t wipe off after a few hours, so it must be applied correctly the first time

for my personal car, I like Zymol treat mainly because of the smell and bare-hand application…it’s nostalgic for me

for my clients, I make my own leather conditioner which I also like using on my personal cars

 

Hi Moe,

Are the Chemical Guys car wash products such as Mr. Pink for a foam cannon considered reasonable? They advertise a lot, and I have some sitting in my garage, but wonder if I should upgrade to a higher quality weekly wash product.

 

Hi Moe,

I have never used any type of ceramic coating on any of my cars (either DIY or professional application) and I'm not very familiar with the process. Someone recently gifted me some car care products which included a Chemical Guys "Hydro Slick" ceramic coating kit. Is this product any good? I wouldn't use it on any car that I really care about but I was thinking of using it on daily drivers. I currently use synthetic wax on my DDs. Would this product be better than a good synthetic wax? Any downsides to using this product?

TIA for your help.

 

Hello all,
My GT4RS is my first car that I fuss over this much, and I have an issue with water spots. We have hard water where I live. It's frustrating after a long session of cleaning my car to see spots in the finished product.

I use Carpro Reset to wash, then dry, finish with Carpro Elixir.

Is there a product that will get rid of waterspots after the fact?

Thank you!

 

I’m not familiar with either those specific products, but chemical guys does make good products.

Give it a try and let us know what you thought of them

couple times shouldn’t hurt anything

we’ve had great experience with CarPro Lift and Reset

 

I try and stick to the brands that actually manufacture ceramic coating and do their own R&D…CarPro/CQuartz, GTechnique, Modesta, Geyon just name a few

 

CR Spotless makes an excellent water filtration system that utilizes deionization technology…similar to water quality used in laboratories…0 ppm of total dissolved solids, TDS

They have a few options and easiest one is simple chuck…send me a PM and we can send one out to you

 

Hi Moe,

Is ULTRAFIT PPF a respected/reliable product?

https://www.ultrafitprotection.com/en/ppf/overview.php

 

Never heard of them

at our shop, we stick to a couple brands that each offer their own solution

key is finding the best installer that knows your specific car and is truly knowledgeable

 

Hi Moe. What are your thoughts on graphene sprays for cleaning and protection? I've been getting a lot of ads for these products (such as MAXL ONE, Ethos RESiST, etc.) that seem to claim that they are a miracle spray. They claim that the sprays can even be applied to a dirty car to clean the car (like a water-less wash product) while also leaving behind a brilliant shine and long-lasting protective coating. I would potentially be using them on cars that do not have PPF or ceramic coatings.

Sorry if this topic has already been covered...I didn't have a chance to read this entire thread.

 

Great question…it seems there’s a bigger/better product every day and some “expert” or “guru” getting involved and promoting it

I don’t use graphene products and I’m not the expert in that department mainly because the ceramic products we get need to be professional-grade do consistent results…we achieve that with the SiO2 products we use, and now a diamond ceramic technology that shows promise

If trying new products is a hobby and enjoyment of the ownership experience, then we’re at a great time to see variety and solid research can be done w/ ai

Nothing earth-shattering has been developed in our industry since ceramics years ago, and most “new” labels are honestly made by a handful of suppliers worldwide and private labeled

I personally like CarPro stuff and we use them a lot at The Asylum. There are many great products out there, but only a few manufacturers that are consistent with quality and performance

In the end, Keep It Super Simple, KISS…do some research, find a set of products that work, and enjoy the hobby

 

I realize I'm not Moe, but this is kind of all you need to focus on here to get your answer, IMO.