Ceramic / Glass or Nano Coatings, What are they ?

This is not really new technology, but it is for the detailing industry. They are utilising a 9th century Mesopotamian trick. A trick in which pottery-makers created a metallic glaze made from copper, silver salts, and oxides that created a glittering effect on pottery that up through the Renaissance, made it distinctive for its ancient, shimmering luster. The term “coating” is nothing more than a new term to identify these incredibly durable protective polymers that coat vehicles paint.

Should You Get A Coating, and If so Which one?

The team at the Detail Depot, say Yes and No.

Yes …. These coating are among some of the toughest, long lasting protective products you can buy for your vehicle. And if you want to maintain that showroom shine for months after months while giving your paint the best protection against the elements. These protective coatings are the ones for you.

No … They these coatings are not like your typical wax products. If you install some of the DIY ones yourself, and do not apply it right, it will be a costly mistake to fix. Wax when you apply it, dries to a clear protective barrier. Which comes of during each wash, and if you stuff it up, you can just use some APC and lift it off. This is not the case for a coating. Once dry, the coating will harden, and the only way to lift it off is with a polisher. This is also why you need to make sure your paint is in the best condition possible. There is no point in protecting your paint when it already has scratches and swirls. These defects need to be polished out and the paint prepped, leaving it better then it was when new. Silky smooth with a perfect reflection, now coated, you will have this deep shine year after year, with minimal maintenance require. So if you want to get a coating, you need to make sure your paint is ready to take it.

What Do We Recommend – CQuartz Finest …..

Many people are familiar with carnauba wax and more recently polymer sealants as a means of protecting their vehicle.  These products offer some protection from UV and the environment but they are not in the same league with CQuartz Finest.  Unlike waxes and sealants, CQ Finest adds a measurable 3µm thickness of condensed SiO2 nano particles with a proprietary bonding agent to create the Finest Ceramic Quartz coating.  Unlike the durability of wax and sealants which is measured in months CQuartz durability is measured in years!

CQuartz Finest is an evolution in nanotech ceramic paint coatings. In the development of Finest, high strength, condensed nano particles with superior cross linking abilities were designed utilizing a new proprietary nano material to create an extremely tough 3D structure providing a durable, super high gloss coating which protects paint and other automotive surfaces from UVA and UVB rays, dirt, brake dust, iron contaminants, bugs, bird droppings, tar, and all sorts of environmental contaminants for two years.

For  list of all the Authorized CQuartz FINEST Installers in NZ, follow this LINK

If you prefer a DIY version and cant quite justify the expense of FINEST there is another option from CarPro. Offered from the Detail Depot at $119.95 you can buy the CarPro – Cquartz UK Edition w/ Reload – 50ml Kit. This kit is the closest you will get to FINEST, without having an approved detailer install it. But the same conditions apply, make sure your paint it prepped, free of any defects.

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If you have FINEST, What does that mean to you?

HydrophobicSurface– One of the most important features in keeping your vehicle clean is the ability of the protective layer to release water.  Finest features a low sliding angle which allows water drops to release easily causing an extreme lotus affect.

Gloss – CQuartz Finest has developed a reputation among professionals as the richest, deepest, highest gloss coating available. It is important to note that proper depth and gloss is achieved with proper correction and polishing by an experience detailer with a passion for what they do.  However after they have invested countless hours in their craft, it is only fitting to both protect their work long term and add that extra rich depth of the Finest coating available.

Protection From Bugs – They come in all shapes and sizes.  Many are highly acidic and can wreak havoc on your paint!  They impact the front of your vehicle at high speed and as their body’s explode the acidic contents spills out onto your paint.  Within minutes it can eat through a layer of traditional wax before it dries and bonds hard to the surface in the heat of the sun.  If the bug is highly acidic it will begin the process of etching into your clearcoat in a matter of hours.  Each time it is exposed to moisture more acids are released and eventually you have permanent damage to your paint.

With 3µm of CQuartz Finest between the bugs and your paint they can no longer cause permanent damage to your paint.  To start with the coating is resistant to acids and its rare any mark will be left on the coating with reasonable washing schedules.  In the rare case a bug does leave something behind you can be rest assured your paint is still safe beneath the coating.

Easier Maintenance – As we touched on previously: dust, dirt, and contaminants do not bond to your CQuartz Finest barrier in the way they do to paint with only a coat of wax or sealant applied.  Any dirt or dust that does attach to the coating is MUCH more easily removed upon the next wash without having to scrub or clay the vehicle.  CQuartz Finest offers dirt and water shedding abilities beyond that of any other product available.   With the self-cleaning affect provided by CQuartz Finest, most dirt slides right off during a wash.

Fine Swirl Resistance – Waxes and sealants obviously offer no swirl resistance.  When you wash, dry, or touch your paint at any time you have the potential to scratch the surface.  The scratches we are talking about here are very fine and referred to as “swirls” but as they build up the level of gloss you see as reflections and depth to your paint withers.  These swirls refract light away from your eyes which is the cause of a dulled appearance to your paint.

CQuartz Finest has been proven to resist these fine swirls when properly maintained and cared for.  It should be noted that no coating is swirl proof and it is important to use only high quality wash mitts and drying towels or a blower.

Protection From Bird Droppings – The most dangerous enemy your paint will likely see in its life is bird droppings.  They can vary in level of toxicity but it is well known by professionals that a bird dropping can dissolve wax on contact, eat deep into paint, and leave an etching within minutes.  With CQuartz Finest you have a barrier which resists bird droppings and allows you time to discover and remove them so they cannot cause permanent damage to your paint.

Dust and Dirt Resistance – Anybody that has just waxed their car will tell you – within a couple hours they can see the dust building up on it and after a drive that dust is still there.  It doesn’t blow off and it does accumulate on the carnauba wax layer.  Polymer sealants are a little better and stay cleaner than waxes however they too allow dirt and dust to stick to them.  Compared to wax, dust and dirt retention is lowered up to 90% with CQuartz Finest.  Of course some will gather and collect over time but you will enjoy the beauty of your vehicle between washes when protected by Finest where as with other products the paint will look dirty faster.

Protection from rail, brake dust, and environmental contaminants: In the air around us and on the highways, all sorts of contaminants attack your paint.  Iron particles coming off the brakes of other vehicles can lodge into your paint and allow moisture to penetrate around them.  Over time the oxidation process from moisture and sun break down around these iron particles and eat microscopic holes into your paint. CQ Finest puts an end to this with a thick barrier that does not allow these contaminants to reach the paint surface and are removed much more easily.

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CQuartz Finest is the most exclusive coating available worldwide:

Unlike other coatings, Finest cannot be purchased on the open market and is installed by only CarPro Authorized Finest Installers who have honed their skills so they may polish your paint to the highest level before protecting it with Finest.

Your Finest Authorized Detailer starts with a high level auto wash followed by an extremely detailed 2-3 step decontamination process to remove all bonded contaminants from beneath the surface of the paint. Following the “decon” process the paint is further analized and the best combinations of high tech pads and polishes are tested to produce the highest gloss possible. This usually includes polishing the entire vehicle 2 and sometimes 3 times to reach this level. After the paint is perfected all the polishing oils are stripped from the vehicle with the use of CarPro Eraser. This step is essential so that CQuartz will fully bond with the paint. When the paint is determined to be 100% oil free, 2 thick layers of CQuartz Finest are applied.

CarPro Finest Installers make up a global network of professionals who proudly offer a warranty on our flagship coating. This warranty states that Finest will not bubble, yellow, peel, oxidize, or lose any more than 20% loss of gloss over 2 years.

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For  list of all the Authorized CQuartz FINEST Installers in NZ, follow this LINK

Specifications:

  • Water contact angle: 100~110°
  • Sliding angle: 15~25°
  • Thickness: 2~3μm
  • Heat resistance: Beyond 575° F
  • Increase hardness: up to 2 (mohs scale) beyond original surfacehardness
  • Recommended working temperatures: 50F to 100F

Features:

  • Stays Clean and glossy much longer even compared to other coatings
  • Harder, thicker, and glossier than anything else on the market
  • Resistance to fine swirls and marring
  • Low sliding angle ensure less droplets left on surface, causing an extreme self cleaning affect.
  • Resistance to break dust and iron contaminants from reaching your paints surface
  • Resistance to bugs, tar, iron, dust, dirt, bird bombs, UV and other environmental contaminants
  • 2 Year Limited Warranty
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John Galvin (JSG)
It started at a young age with bedroom posters, the Countach of course. This slowly grew into a super car die-cast model collection, fifty five 1:18 models at the last count. At which point it had almost taken full control, the incurable Mad Car Disease ran deep though my veins all the way to the bone. And things for my loved ones just got worse as the cars where now being bought at 1:1 scale, after a BMW, HSV, and couple of Audi's, the disease reached my brain, pushing me over the edge and down the rabbits hole into the world of the bedroom poster.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for sharing such a great article. I am glad that I came across such an amazing article. Such great tips and information you have shared with us. Ceramic coating and nano coating is a great coating. You very nicely explained it. Its a very tough job to coat but I love to try new things.

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