New Polymer UV Protectant Question

[Fireeagle]

Has anyone purchased or tried the new paint protectant called Tech Shine? Very simple application process that provides shine and UV protection. Ads say that you wipe in on a wet car and that activates the polymers and then just rinse and dry the car to provide up to 6 months protection. Certainly this is not an endorsement as I have not tried this product. I am asking if anyone has tried it, report to us on results.

[John]

Sorry, I know nothing about the product from direct use, nor have any friends that have used it. Was able to locate that their are 150 reviews of it on Amazon with a 4.7 average customer (1-to-5 rating scale). That seems very postive.

[Fireeagle]

Thanks John. I also read those reviews on Amazon and I may give it a test. I'll update the results if I decide to try it.

[meyerweb]

Sounds similar to Adams Guard 'n' Gloss, or pretty much any rinseless wash product.

[daliguy]

I used this on my 2018 GMC Denali; 2007 F430 Spider and it is easy and a great way to protect your finish without the sweat factor. No build up Find it @ https://aerolon.com/products/tech-shine-bundle-special

_Has anyone purchased or tried the new paint protectant called Tech Shine? Very simple application process that provides shine and UV protection. Ads say that you wipe in on a wet car and that activates the polymers and then just rinse and dry the car to provide up to 6 months protection. Certainly this is not an endorsement as I have not tried this product. I am asking if anyone has tried it, report to us on results.

[John]

Thank you daliguy. Nice to have someone who has actually used a product (as opposed to my citing third party reviews). Thank you for giving us your first hand account.

[M/E man]

I live in the Tampa Bay area (Tampa, Clearwater and Clearwater Beach areas) and recently there's a product that's sold called Ceramic Coating. Does anyone know if this product is the same as Tech Shine and Adams Guard 'n' Gloss? I'm told it takes about 8 hours for the installer to coat your car with this product and I think it lasts about 5-10 years. But I could be wrong about that about how long it lasts...? It costs anywhere from $800 to $1200.
Thanks

[meyerweb]

No, Ceramic coatings are different. They're not really ceramic, but are a Silicon Dioxide (Si02) based product. They're available from multiple manufacturers, too. Some are very expensive and sold to professional detailers only, but others are available in do it yourself packages. I had my local detailer apply Adams Car Coat, and am VERY happy with the result. Very glossy, and very long lasting. With proper care, a ceramic coating should last from 1 to 2 years.

A couple of caveats: What is proper care? Adams makes a companion product (which comes in the kit if you do it yourself) called Ceramic Boost. They recommend putting this on after every few washes. It's easy: wipe on with a microfiber, buff off with a clean microfiber. Alternatively (or in addition to), wash the car with McKees 37 SiO2 car wash, which is designed to coat and "boost" ceramic coatings.

The critical thing with applying a ceramic coating is the prep. The paint should be absolutely clean and smooth before you start, because any dirt will be trapped in the coating. A thorough wash with something like Dawn, to remove any prior treatments, followed by a clay bar, is the minimum. If your paint has scratches, cleaning those up with an orbital polisher is suggested.

Here are a few pictures taken several weeks after the application. The car had been rained on, driven from Virginia to Indianapolis in a monsoon, driven back with lots of nighttime bug splatter, and then washed with the McKees 37 product I mentioned above. It's now been 5 months, and water still beads up like it did the day after the application.

[John]

Thank you meyerweb. I love nano ceramic coatings. I have them on my Corvette (professionally applied CQuartzFinest), yet did Wolfgang Uber Ceramic (amateur version) on both my daily drivers. A nano-ceramic is many times harder than the clear coat on your car — so a super paint protector.

[Fireeagle]

So John, how does the amateur version compare to your professionally applied CQuartz? I've seen the detail guys around me put on the ceramic coating and it looks like no big deal. The key is the prep work making sure the paint is as good as it can get. I'm thinking about doing the amateur version since the paint on my C7 is in really good shape.

[John]

It is hard to make a fair comparison for two reasons. First, the Corvette was first professionally polished before the CQuartz was applied, and second, while the Corvette is always show ready, the daily drivers live at our house (down a one mile long gravel road/driveway). What I have found is what you already know, that the prep work is the key. If you are going to do an amateur version, the keys are, and you probably already aced all of these, proper temperature and humidity for its application, apply it super sparingingly, have tons of micro fibers (more on that below), and lastly watch many YouTube videos.

As to micro fibers of (MF’s), the key is that as you also know, the nano ceramic has, once it sets up, glass like particles in your MF’s, so do not think of even washing them, instead throw them all away after just one use. I not just apply with a special nano-ceramic applicator, but then spread with one MF, then use a second one to insure you do not leave any high spots. Lastly, for cost and they are just perfect for this specific usage, I buy a batch of Costco MF’s (cheap, cheap, cut off the tags on each one), use them for this application alone, and then throw them away).

Finally, some nano ceramics are easier for amateur application, and why I used on my first DD, Wolfgang Uber Ceramic, then liked it so much, used it again on my second DD. And will use it again on the next DD we buy.

[Shadow]

I will probably have CQuartz Finest put on my ME. Have several friends who have done that, and their Corvettes always look terrific. Expensive but worth it IMO.

[meyerweb]

I *think*, based on something I read a while back, that the professional coatings dry faster and harder, and therefore last longer. But because they dry faster, they give you less time to rub out the product, so if you get too much on in some spots, it's harder to correct. Presumably a good detailer knows how to avoid the problem.