Ceramic coat?

[petrolhead90]

Yes Ceramic on top of PPF. Makes washing easy and keeps some dirt off longer.

Dealership 1 bucket he’s talking about is the dealer washes the Jeep …wheels tires paint with 1 bucket inside of the better way of using 2 buckets…1 for wheels tires and 1 for paint…. Same for the rag wash mitt!

Yes the hand wash place in my city does a lot of high-end cars so I would hope they use a new rag for everything! It's also like $200+ for a wash/detail lol

 

[Turboencabulator]

Yes the hand wash place in my city does a lot of high-end cars so I would hope they use a new rag for everything! It's also like $200+ for a wash/detail lol

In the process of washing/drying a car by hand the dirt/grime your washing off can easily get pickup by your wash mitt and act like a Brillo pad scratching up the car's clear coat. With PPF this is no longer an issue, because a ppf film like STEK Dynoshield is self healing when heated so those scratches either never form or disappear on a warm day out in the sunshine. In addition a lot of PPFs have a ceramic infused layer that is bonded into to the film at the factory which is extremely hydrophobic.

Then to help the PPF repel dirt and grime I apply a very thin layer of a sacrificial SiO2 coating like Turtle wax hybrid ceramic. Because this ceramic coating is so thin it makes it is super easy to apply. And because I do this as part of a normal car wash it only needs to last months not years. I use a 1-bucket method to wash the Jeep top to bottom, then rinse, then the ECO blower to air dry (gets rid of hard water spots better than DI), then I polish with a heaping pile of clean fresh high quality microfiber towels and the SiO2 ceramic spray. Take me about 40 min but I enjoy the process . Then I'll do the inside with 303 leather and compressed air which takes me another 20 min.

Think of PPF as your heavy armor and ceramic as your teflon coating. They work best as a multi-layer team.
Here is a good video showing just how tough PPF is, you're not going to get this level of protection from a ceramic coating by itself.

 

[Hayabusa]

Thank you! No PPF over ceramic...got it. How about ceramic over PPF?
Also, what do you mean by "Beware the dealership 1 bucket, bottom up, 5 cars on 1 rag approach. Quickly ads time and $ for your detail guy to repair but is basis for a great outcome?"
TY!!

Sorry, I was being a bit of a wise ass with the "...1 bucket..." comment. Most of the dealerships I've experienced in NY, NJ, and PA have inexperienced guys washing vehicles. The BMW/Mini dealer where I got my wife's car has an automated car wash...old school waving long cloths and all . That stuff drives me nuts but even worse was seeing a CJDR dealership guy walking the lot with a bucket and rag wiping cars down one after another on a sunny afternoon. Hot, soft clearcoat and dirty water rag wiping...I think I fainted.

I have also seen dealerships with guys who work like detailers when prepping vehicles like at a CJDR shop where I talked to the gentleman working on the cars. He was decontaminating, using good materials (the smell of Iron X was in the air...those who've used or smelled the stuff know what I mean), and took pride in his work. His results were fantastic.

MDrums called it...guys using 1 bucket, moving from the dirty/gritty lower sections then sandpapering the upper finish with the grit, spreading brake dust onto your car's finish...a multitude of sins. He is also quite correct regarding Ceramic over PPF.

 

[Turboencabulator]

@Hayabusa you're 100% right about dealers washing cars, its a crap shoot. When I picked my new Jeep I asked them not to touch it, I showed up as they unloaded it off the semi, and took it straight to my detailer to get the paint fixed and add the PPF.

When I first got it I was doing the 2-bucket wash method with an RO water rinse, but this PPF stuff is so forgiving that now I just use 1-bucket and then blow dry it. Any scratches literally disappear. After 2 years I don't see a single scratch, I do have two small stone chip blemishes (in the PPF not all the way to the paint) on the front of the hood and one on the left rear fender. After 14,000 miles and 2 winters with snow/salt , that's it. This video shows how the PPF film is 'self healing":

I want to be clear (no pun intended) that PPF is never going to look "car show" quality smooth like a clear coat buffed with a fine machine polish. But let's be honest Jeep's paint process is below average to begin with, so PPF is perfect for a daily driver 392. I find it interesting that PPF was originally developed by 3M in the Vietnam era to protect rotor blades and aircraft surfaces. Our crew chief called it 100 mile-an-hour tape because it would sometimes just disappear in-flight. But he assured us the government has an endless supply of 100 mile-an-hour tape, in the same place they keep all the flight line and jet wash.

 

[petrolhead90]

In the process of washing/drying a car by hand the dirt/grime your washing off can easily get pickup by your wash mitt and act like a Brillo pad scratching up the car's clear coat. With PPF this is no longer an issue, because a ppf film like STEK Dynoshield is self healing when heated so those scratches either never form or disappear on a warm day out in the sunshine. In addition a lot of PPFs have a ceramic infused layer that is bonded into to the film at the factory which is extremely hydrophobic.

Then to help the PPF repel dirt and grime I apply a very thin layer of a sacrificial SiO2 coating like Turtle wax hybrid ceramic. Because this ceramic coating is so thin it makes it is super easy to apply. And because I do this as part of a normal car wash it only needs to last months not years. I use a 1-bucket method to wash the Jeep top to bottom, then rinse, then the ECO blower to air dry (gets rid of hard water spots better than DI), then I polish with a heaping pile of clean fresh high quality microfiber towels and the SiO2 ceramic spray. Take me about 40 min but I enjoy the process . Then I'll do the inside with 303 leather and compressed air which takes me another 20 min.

Think of PPF as your heavy armor and ceramic as your teflon coating. They work best as a multi-layer team.
Here is a good video showing just how tough PPF is, you're not going to get this level of protection from a ceramic coating by itself.

I think I will invest in both PPF & ceramic!

 

[petrolhead90]

Sorry, I was being a bit of a wise ass with the "...1 bucket..." comment. Most of the dealerships I've experienced in NY, NJ, and PA have inexperienced guys washing vehicles. The BMW/Mini dealer where I got my wife's car has an automated car wash...old school waving long cloths and all . That stuff drives me nuts but even worse was seeing a CJDR dealership guy walking the lot with a bucket and rag wiping cars down one after another on a sunny afternoon. Hot, soft clearcoat and dirty water rag wiping...I think I fainted.

I have also seen dealerships with guys who work like detailers when prepping vehicles like at a CJDR shop where I talked to the gentleman working on the cars. He was decontaminating, using good materials (the smell of Iron X was in the air...those who've used or smelled the stuff know what I mean), and took pride in his work. His results were fantastic.

MDrums called it...guys using 1 bucket, moving from the dirty/gritty lower sections then sandpapering the upper finish with the grit, spreading brake dust onto your car's finish...a multitude of sins. He is also quite correct regarding Ceramic over PPF.

I believe it! I am originally from upstate NY and it's hard to find a quality service for anything at all there!

 

[Hayabusa]

@Hayabusa you're 100% right about dealers washing cars, its a crap shoot. When I picked my new Jeep I asked them not to touch it, I showed up as they unloaded it off the semi, and took it straight to my detailer to get the paint fixed and add the PPF.

When I first got it I was doing the 2-bucket wash method with an RO water rinse, but this PPF stuff is so forgiving that now I just use 1-bucket and then blow dry it. Any scratches literally disappear. After 2 years I don't see a single scratch, I do have two small stone chip blemishes (in the PPF not all the way to the paint) on the front of the hood and one on the left rear fender. After 14,000 miles and 2 winters with snow/salt , that's it. This video shows how the PPF film is 'self healing":

I want to be clear (no pun intended) that PPF is never going to look "car show" quality smooth like a clear coat buffed with a fine machine polish. But let's be honest Jeep's paint process is below average to begin with, so PPF is perfect for a daily driver 392. I find it interesting that PPF was originally developed by 3M in the Vietnam era to protect rotor blades and aircraft surfaces. Our crew chief called it 100 mile-an-hour tape because it would sometimes just disappear in-flight. But he assured us the government has an endless supply of 100 mile-an-hour tape, in the same place they keep all the flight line and jet wash.

Love watching Engineering Explained vids!

In 2008 I had a car done in 3M, which was supposed to be the best back then. The installer gave me a bottle of cleaner/conditioner that was the stuff used to treat rotor blades. I was in awe...This stuff is the stuff! Over time switched up to Xpel and Suntek PPF. The self-healing is like magic.

I bought a Metrovac Air Force Blaster around 20 years ago to blow out moisture from my motorcycle electronics, gauges, and nooks & crannies. I still use it to this day to dry my cars...no touch and filters/heats the air while concentrating it via a soft rubber nozzle. The thing has never skipped a beat...my example of "Pay once, cry once". Very powerful...I wear hearing protection because when the airstream hits body surfaces that aren't flat you can get a high pitch screech that hurts. It dangerous with that and huffin' Iron X when decontaminating
I wear gloves and an RZ Mask when using Iron X.