Coatings such as sealants, wax, ceramics, and graphene, provide a durable protective shield between a surface and the chemicals, dirt, and other contaminants in the outside world. Coatings are hydrophobic and repel water, which helps to keep the surface clean longer and resist the effects of weather and chemicals. Their added hardness can prevent swirls and minor scratches, and some coatings are self-healing to some degree, and minor scratches can level-out when in the heat or sun.
PPF
Paint Protection Film (PPF) – or “clear bra” – is technically not a coating but is a physical layer of clear protective plastic applied to your car surface. PPF can more than double the effective protection thickness of your clear coat paint protection with a material that is self-healing, resistant to scratches and dings, and can be replaced when worn or damaged. The underlying paint is as good as new – provided that nothing penetrated the PPF or physically damaged the car body.
PPF can (and should) be coated the same as the paint on your car, although you should ensure that the material is safe for PPF. PPF can be glossy or a matte look that can change your car’s appearance without repainting. Glossy PPF is usually invisible on a car surface as long as seams are hidden.
NextGen can use pre-cut and bulk PPF on vehicles. Pre-cut kits cost a few hundred in parts and a few hours in labor, and typically only cover headlights, mirrors, and part of the hood and fenders. It is a cost-effective way to protect the main surfaces that are affected by chips from road debris.
We like to use bulk PPF for doing complete hoods and fenders, and also add PPF on the roof above the windshield, along the rear trunk or lift-gate area, and lower doors and rear fenders. How much gets covered depends on the client’s budget. That said, PPF will protect your investment like nothing else. In climates where salt and winter weather are tough on cars, this adds tremendous protection and preserves the look and resale value.
Esoteric has a great video that explains PPF in just five minutes.
Sprays vs Wax vs Coatings
A spray product generally needs to be re-applied monthly, depending on your driving and whether the vehicle is garage-kept. Sprays are usually inexpensive, don’t require a lot of surface preparation beyond cleaning, and are easy and fast to use. Durability is the biggest disadvantage. Sprays are often used as a “sacrificial layer” or “topper” for coatings and durable waxes.
The Turtle Wax Hybrid products and Ceramic Wax Pro can last one to two years, depending on how you care for the surface and its exposure to the elements. Normally, hand washing and the use of a spray topper ceramic spray is needed for the best longevity and gloss results.
Ceramic coatings can last from one to seven years in durability, and they are getting easier to install for the semi-pro detailer. Ceramics can have great water-beading capabilities, which can also lead to issues with water-spotting/etching.
Graphene coatings are the future of the industry, and durability often is rated at five years and up, with easy application and maintenance. They are less susceptible to water spotting due to the chemistry of the material and better water dispersal than ceramic.
Traditional wax is the least durable, but some people like the look and process of waxing. It isn’t what we do, other than Ceramic Wax Pro, so we don’t have a lot of other information. We go for ease of use and durability. Our clients aren’t usually looking for chores.
Our preference is for graphene-based coatings for their ease of application, resistance to water spottings and chemicals, high hardness, and overall durability.
Using Graphene Coatings
The graphene coating we prefer is Graphene Matrix from Ethos Car Care. As mentioned, graphene has many advantages over ceramic coatings, including ease of use, long wearability, and resistance to water spots. One of the most disappointing things about ceramic coatings for us is the water spots that form and how easy it is to have issues with hard water. Water-beading with ceramics and graphene are great, but ceramics form hard water spots at each of those beads, large and small, and they can be hard to remove despite the hard coating. With graphene, you can generally wipe away the water spots with a detailing spray with no effort. With ceramic, you may need to get chemicals or a polisher to remove the etched-in lime.
The Graphene Coating Process
Above is a five-year-old Jeep Cherokee Latitude. For this vehicle we:
- Cleaned the rims and tires with Chemical Guy’s Diablo Wheel Cleaner – pre-treated and then brushed heavy dirt and grime. Rinsed.
- Treated the rims and lower painted panels with Iron Out. Allow to dwell and then rinse.
- Pressure-washed and hand-scrubbed any remaining grime in the rims.
- Pre-Treated the vehicle with Foam Party grime remover mixed with Chemical Guy’s Clean Slate wax/sealant remover in a foam cannon.
- Hand washed the vehicle with Gyeon Bathe pH Neutral Shampoo
- Removed bugs and stuck-on grime with Gyeon Bug and Grime Remover and a Sonax Bug pad.
- Clayed the painted surface and glass both by hand and mechanically using Ethos’ synthetic clay mitts, Chemical Guy’s synthetic Clay Blocks, and synthetic DA claying pads for large surfaces, all with Chemical Guy’s Clay Lube.
- Compound-polished areas that were scratched and swirled using Jescar Correcting Compound and Meguire’s Cutting Microfiber Pads.
- 1-Step Compound/Polished the entire painted surface using 3D One and Rupes DA Yellow polishing pads.
- Touched-up paint chips with small Mopar touch-up paint pen and Blob Eliminator.
- Added 3M Scotchguard Pro paint protection film (PPF) to door edges and the front surface of mirror pods.
- Cleaned surfaces with Detox surface prep spray before we…
- Coated rims, paint, trim, and chrome with Ethos Graphene Matrix.
- The tires were not coated at the time of this image, and we later used Gyeon Q2M Tire Cleaner and Q2 Tire.
Surface Preparation for Coating
Anything on your paint, trim, rims, and glass will be locked in to any coating you apply to your vehicle. That is why it is essential to properly clean and prepare the surfaces prior to coating. If you don’t have the time or budget for coatings, then take a look at the spray sealants and waxes that can give you a great look with not as much permanency and prep.
The surface should be clayed, paint-corrected, and polished before coating with graphene. How glossy the paint looks prior to coating greatly affects the final look of the coating. Even though it is a glossy layer, it enhances the surface below and a good foundation leads to the best results.
After a deep clean and claying, any remaining coatings, waxes, and sealants need to be removed with cleaners, or they will naturally be removed in any compounding or polishing steps.
See the page on Compounding and Polishing for mor information.
Applying Graphene Matrix Coating
As mentioned, our preference is for Ethos’ Graphene Matrix coating rather than ceramics. The ease of application, chemical and water-spot resistance, longevity, easy maintenance, and beautiful and glossy results all add to that recommendation.
Check out the Ethos website for information on Graphene Matrix, as that will have the latest info, tips, and techniques for applying the coating. They also have an Ethos YouTube Channel with tutorials on its use. It is fast and easy to use, and we’ve had no issues with high-spots you may see with other coatings.
Protecting Wheels (Rims)
If you are looking to coat the exterior face of your rims, then generally the coating you use on your paint and trim can be used on the exterior of rims.
If you remove your wheels and clean and coat the interior surfaces, then you will need a product that can handle the high heat present as you drive and use your brakes. Ethos’ Graphene Matrix is good to about 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can also do your trim, glass, and paint with just one product.
Other than Graphene Matrix, we’ve used Kamikaze Stance from Esoteric for rims.
Protect and Restore Black Trim
Ethos’ Graphene Matrix coating is safe to use on trim, and its long life makes it our preference for trim that is new or in good condition.
However, the black plastic trim on your vehicle can fade significantly in the sun, and you’ll need to restore the color and also protect it from UV damage in the future.
Our weapon of choice for faded trim is POLISHANGEL Black. It has done a great job restoring faded trim and it also works on a variety of materials, including tires and rubber gaskets.
Geyon Trim also restores color while providing durable protection, and is used extensively by Esoteric. We’ll be testing this on a customer’s badly-faded trim soon and will evaluate the look and durability.
Always check the label of any product you are going to put on to your black trim as it may affect the look significantly, and be difficult to remove. Waxes and polishes likely have warnings to not use on trim unless it is specifically for black vehicles. Those often have a black dye as part of the polish or wax. Still, verify before using on a customer’s car.
Protecting Tires, Plastic, and Rubber Trim
Rubber tires can be problematic to coat, protect, and to keep looking black and new over time. Many over-the-counter tire “shine” or “dressing” products are very temporary, and may actually sling off the tires and onto your paint as you drive. Most vehicle coatings aren’t meant for tires and rubber trim, so make sure you use the right products.
As mentioned, we use POLISHANGEL Black on tires, trim, rubber door gaskets, and we also use it throughout the engine compartment (once it is clean). It works excellent on faded black trim, it holds up well on surfaces, resists dust, and the little bottle goes a LONG way.
The info on Esoteric’s page says that PA Black is “formulated with orgnosilane, a compound that repels water and dirt away from the surface it coats. This thin coating forms a bond with your trim to actually become an extension of the plastic molecule it is protecting. It is this ultra-thin coating that restores the “like new” levels of darkness without creating a greasy sheen.” This matches our experience, and we are watching the durability. Unlike Geyon Trim, PA Black doesn’t crystalize in the bottle and lasts a long time.
We’re waiting for Tire Shine from Ethos to get back in stock to try it. Trim from Geyon is also highly rated and states it restores color, but we haven’t tried it ourselves – we have some on its way. Fireball Tire Coating comes highly recommended by Brian at Apex, but we have yet to try it ourselves.
The tires shown below were previously coated with POLISHANGEL Black (shown in an image above) and, as a test, they were cleaned with Gyeon Tire Cleaner and then coated with Gyeon Tire coating. They were left shiny (rather than wiping at 15 minutes for a matte look) – we want to see how the coating holds up without wiping off:
If the trim is not faded then we’ll use Ethos Graphene Matrix; it looks great, adds UV protection to prevent fading, it darkens it up, and will help keep it clean. Graphene isn’t meant for rubber, so POLISHANGEL Black is our fluid of choice there.
Coating Alternatives: Ceramic Wax
If a coating isn’t desired, or paint correct and polishing can’t be done, this stuff is really good, Ceramic Wax Pro from Ethos: We’ve also used Turtle Wax Hybrid Acrylic/Ceramic polish with great results on black cars, especially when combined with their Black Acrylic/Ceramic Spray Wax.
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