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Paint sealant yes or no ?
- Thread starter pfbmgd
- Start date
After dabbling, researching, with the detailing crowd, decided it wasn't for me as it's too much work for people who don't fully appreciate it.
As someone mentioned above, there's a lot of prep involved in applying it yourself. Same goes for the detailer or shop that does it for you.
Even though a paint might be of great quality/finish, the clear coat from one model to another might have different "hardness" making it more or less likely to chip easily which on the other hand will make it easier to "correct" back to a perfect shine. Vice versa, harder paint won't blemish as easily but will require more aggressive methods or compounds to correct.
Anyways to keep a long story short, ceramic coating is not voodoo, it is legit, just gotta research the product on detailing forums, looking at feedbacks and what not. Seeing how easy it is to apply, how much time it might need to cure, if it has to be "sealed away" or not ..etc..will help you choose what's best for you, there's a ton of products out there! Generally it might add a tiny bit of protection/barrier to your paint (somewhat like those phone screen protectors... but to a lesser extent) and it'll make it easier to clean.
If you do it yourself and you don't eff up, it'll be probably worth it and can be a nice learning experience. If you pay...might not be as worth it as it's not value you will get back on the sale... although it will probably look better than other competing bikes on the used market at that point
As someone mentioned above, there's a lot of prep involved in applying it yourself. Same goes for the detailer or shop that does it for you.
Even though a paint might be of great quality/finish, the clear coat from one model to another might have different "hardness" making it more or less likely to chip easily which on the other hand will make it easier to "correct" back to a perfect shine. Vice versa, harder paint won't blemish as easily but will require more aggressive methods or compounds to correct.
Anyways to keep a long story short, ceramic coating is not voodoo, it is legit, just gotta research the product on detailing forums, looking at feedbacks and what not. Seeing how easy it is to apply, how much time it might need to cure, if it has to be "sealed away" or not ..etc..will help you choose what's best for you, there's a ton of products out there! Generally it might add a tiny bit of protection/barrier to your paint (somewhat like those phone screen protectors... but to a lesser extent) and it'll make it easier to clean.
If you do it yourself and you don't eff up, it'll be probably worth it and can be a nice learning experience. If you pay...might not be as worth it as it's not value you will get back on the sale... although it will probably look better than other competing bikes on the used market at that point
I see a time and place for $$$ ceramics, and the only applications where I'd recommend them for would be garage queens that are not driven often, but would still see regular washes and is NOT exposed to the regular elements/rain. The benefit is that the coating will last 2-4 years. They do take a bit more maintenance since water spots can become etched in the coating and require machine buffing and reapplication to the panel. Their effects also wear off after a year or two unless you use a "booster" product every couple of washes. Anything foreign other than the original coating and it's booster products will make the coating less effective--just like any other wax or sealant--for it to "work like new", they really need to be the ONLY thing on the paint. And for that reason, to me, it will be like any other product.
You can also DIY, but I don't see why it's worth 10x the effort (literally) compared to a hybrid ceramic like those above. I use an even simpler product on the fleet, a spray on and rinse off hybrid ceramic coating. Similar prep (wash and clay), but none of the fussy application steps. Cheap too. Gyeon, Carpro, Mckees, Turtle Wax, P&B, all basically the same product.
My daily driver is parked outside, no issues with dew or rain causing water spots/etching. I clay it every other year, and the spray and rinse hybrid ceramic it twice a year. It adds 5 minutes to a normal car wash since I skip claying often. For my bike, I just mist it over everything (rims and dash included), spray off with hose and dry. All plastics look great. The less you touch the paint, the less chances of putting in new swirls. Via touchless car washes, both our daily's will get 4-6 months, so just enough to last winter and likewise, get from spring to fall before reapplication. Beading is gone after 2-3 months, but the underlying performance is still there and the paint will come out a lot cleaner than without.
One thing to note is that body shops hate these products due to contamination, but much easier for a bike where panels/tanks can just be removed and cleaned inside and out.
You can also DIY, but I don't see why it's worth 10x the effort (literally) compared to a hybrid ceramic like those above. I use an even simpler product on the fleet, a spray on and rinse off hybrid ceramic coating. Similar prep (wash and clay), but none of the fussy application steps. Cheap too. Gyeon, Carpro, Mckees, Turtle Wax, P&B, all basically the same product.
My daily driver is parked outside, no issues with dew or rain causing water spots/etching. I clay it every other year, and the spray and rinse hybrid ceramic it twice a year. It adds 5 minutes to a normal car wash since I skip claying often. For my bike, I just mist it over everything (rims and dash included), spray off with hose and dry. All plastics look great. The less you touch the paint, the less chances of putting in new swirls. Via touchless car washes, both our daily's will get 4-6 months, so just enough to last winter and likewise, get from spring to fall before reapplication. Beading is gone after 2-3 months, but the underlying performance is still there and the paint will come out a lot cleaner than without.
One thing to note is that body shops hate these products due to contamination, but much easier for a bike where panels/tanks can just be removed and cleaned inside and out.
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