Ceramic paint treatments and outdoor car covers?

JFENG

JFENG

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Folks, After 175k miles, I'm replacing my trusty diesel X5 tow vehicle with a low mileage G05 (X5).
Unfortunately, it's black (metallic) because I prioritized features and lower miles over color.

I park outside year round because of all the junk I have in my garage (E9, xk120, cabinet saw, work bench, wife's car, spare engines, etc.).
Here in New England we get lots of spring pollen, loads of pine tree sap, mega bird droppings (trees all the way around the driveway), etc.

Q1: Anyone have a positive experience with "ceramic" coatings? If yes, which one and did you apply yourself or have a pro detailer do it?

Q2: Does anyone have an experienced based recommendation for an outdoor car cover for spring/summer use? For those of you who have had a good experience using an outdoor cover, which one did you use?

Finally, I'm semi-retired and drive only 3-4 days a week. If I use a cover, it'll stay on for days at a time. I am a regular user of a nearby touchless carwash so my cars tend to stay pretty clean.

Thanks

John
 
i have both. Got my car cover from car cover.com. I have purchased two and very happy with them. I also had my Porsche Cayenne professionally ceramic coated. Word of advice, have paint corrections done first. Was VERY unhappy with shop that did mine, they coated over the swirls in paint. When I had words with them they told me paint correction was not in price. Not happy with place at all
 
Yes I use it all year long, but I live in California. It has rained allot and cover has been great. I have purchased two of them. I had one for my M4 (before a tree fell on it) and one for my Toyota Sequoia. It is water repellant and has a soft liner. I liked the price point and quality of the carcover.com and was pleasantly surprised how fast they deliver the custom cover, and the added value, they included a heavy-duty storage pouch and lock For indoor use I use a disposable one from amazon. Love it because I take my E9 out at least 1-2 a week and it is super easy to take on and off and store

I am out of town so cannot send you a picture of the one on the Sequia, but attached is a picture of the one on my M4.

It is not tree branch repellant
 

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Mike,
thanks for the input. I can’t believe how reasonable their prices are compared to the “brand name” player ($129 vs $300, and $179 vs $600). This is for outdoor multilayer covers w 5 year warranty.

I read a lot of internet comments about how a car cover ruined someone’s new car when wind blown grit got underneath. Sounds like a real problem if you live in Arizona or any beach town. Not much grit around my property, so I’m going to do it your way. Even if it only lasts a year, that’s cheap compared to constantly battling falling crap.

Thanks again.

John

PS: I’m skipping the ceramic and just doing my usual 6 months wax routine.
 
IMO the key is never put a car cover on a really dirty/gritty car. Also the car cover.com. Has and front fasteners but I recommend using the provided lock cable in the middle to keep it from blowing off. I do not use lock, instead a carabiner. I use two carabiners the second one I use on the end of the cable to make it easier to throw under car
 
John- 7 years ago ,I had my brand new 2017 Mercedes GLE AMG43 SUV professionally ceramic coated with Ceramic Pro. They did not have to correct the new paint. The truck is in the garage with only 26K miles. The finish is still like new . It was still expensive.
I used McKee's 37 Graphene Ceramic Coating on my Turkis coupe paint that didn't need any color correction. That was over 3 years and 17K miles. I use the Griot's Ceramic Speed Shine to clean the dust or any other stuff that gets on the car. The finish and shine are still as new.
The ceramic coatings really do work,but the paint has to be color and scratch-corrected before the coating is applied.
Your black X5 will look cleaner and the pollen, sap, etc will wipe off between the washes and it will last longer than12months.
 
JFENG said:
Folks, After 175k miles, I'm replacing my trusty diesel X5 tow vehicle with a low mileage G05 (X5).
Unfortunately, it's black (metallic) because I prioritized features and lower miles over color.

I park outside year round because of all the junk I have in my garage (E9, xk120, cabinet saw, work bench, wife's car, spare engines, etc.).
Here in New England we get lots of spring pollen, loads of pine tree sap, mega bird droppings (trees all the way around the driveway), etc.

Q1: Anyone have a positive experience with "ceramic" coatings? If yes, which one and did you apply yourself or have a pro detailer do it?

Q2: Does anyone have an experienced based recommendation for an outdoor car cover for spring/summer use? For those of you who have had a good experience using an outdoor cover, which one did you use?

Finally, I'm semi-retired and drive only 3-4 days a week. If I use a cover, it'll stay on for days at a time. I am a regular user of a nearby touchless carwash so my cars tend to stay pretty clean.

Thanks

John
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Sorry, no definitive answers to your question.

Our experience with ceramic coatings is, at best, mixed. Regardless of price or type of application IMHO, there are no guarantees against negligent yard men, hail, small stones, neighborhood pets/wildlife or miscellaneous dings. Much also depends upon the current condition and quality of the paint.

Again, IMHO, there really is no substitute for limiting exposure of painted surfaces to the elements. This is especially true for sun exposure and UV light. Many, but not all ceramic products state that they contain or offer UV protection. Unfortunately, I can’t recall ever seeing any industry standards or specific data regarding that protection. Motor oil labeled “synthetic blend,” could contain a blend that is 1% synthetic or 99% synthetic. Similarly, the UV protection could be 1% or 99%, and this fails to answer - is there an acceptable measure of protection and for how long? Another analogy seems apt. Synthetic motor oil may be superior to conventional motor oil in several respects. However, if you frequently change your oil more often than normally recommended, the benefits of using synthetic may not be that great. Another analogy is the use of washable air filter elements. The presumed benefits of frequent washing versus the actual filtration is up for debate. In other words, there may not be any substitute for traditional methods of keeping your car’s finish clean.

Car covers are certainly a good bet to limit car finish damage, in the absence of an enclosed garage. We have used them when parking outside, especially in uncovered car parks. Yet once that cover gets dirty, extra care is needed to avoid exposing the car finish to contaminants accumulating on or “in” the cover. The cover may have an obvious top and bottom, but attempting to segregate the top from the bottom - to avoid contamination - may prove difficult if the cover is removed or installed during wet or windy conditions. Thus, frequently removing the car cover may necessitate frequent car cover washing. The more expensive covers tend to have many layers. This makes washing them, not unlike big bed spreads or comforters, a tedious process. (Sadly, even the "nicest" car cover left on a vehicle too long can create an inviting environment for critters.)

Your post did not mention any concern with exposure to green lasers. This product was once touted as offering protection from such a hazard.
If you are prone to running your engine without oil, this product “may” also be worth a look - “from a distance.”
:p
 
tochi said:
once that cover gets dirty, extra care is needed to avoid exposing the car finish to contaminants
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I am happy to buy a new $125 cover every 4-6 months.Compared to building a 6th garage bay, onto an existing home $400 a year is a bargain. And yes I already have a parking lift in my garage for my E9 and jag.

Apparently green lasers are not a serious problem in New England.
 
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I have been really impressed with the super easy to apply Griots Garage Ceramic spray. I need to re apply the stuff after 6 months of a Canadian winter, but it couldn't be easier. The Turtle Wax Graphene also gets very good reviews for a DIY consumer coating.
 
John, I just wanted to add that when I wash my car, I use a Dial sprayer. I fill it with soap and set it on say 3 oz per gallon. Apply the soap, wash and then set the dial sprayer to zero oz/gallon to rinse. This achieves the two bucket approach more efficiently. You can dedicate the sprayer to car washing only.
 
bavbob said:
John, I just wanted to add that when I wash my car, I use a Dial sprayer. I fill it with soap and set it on say 3 oz per gallon. Apply the soap, wash and then set the dial sprayer to zero oz/gallon to rinse. This achieves the two bucket approach more efficiently. You can dedicate the sprayer to car washing only.
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Or you could use a foam cannon. That is what I use on my non-E9. They work great if you have a power washer. My Cayenne is black so it needs lots of washing
 
Wobdog said:
foam cannon
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Another good idea. I have multiple garden sprays lying around, but no foam cannon.

Will try in a few weeks when the pine pollen storm abates. Right now, by the time I dry the back half, the front is yellow with pine pollen.
 
John, I've really gotten great results using ONR, (Optimum No Rinse).

It's basically a rinseless car wash, originally meant to conserve water or for Auto Detailing enthusiasts that don't have access to water/hose.

I use it to keep my own pickup truck, my wife's SUV and my coupe clean, usually once a week. It's quicker, more efficient and once set up, it even easier.
Really all you need is some ONR, a pump sprayer and the right microfiber towels.

Of course, there's a whole industry related to car detailing but that also means a lot of resources related to rinseless washing, foam cannons, Ceramic coatings, etc, etc.
Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions.
 
After reading this thread, it appears, in my estimation, there is no substitute for indoor, covered, locked up and secure space. Everything else is just experimentation and hope. Many of us have hit the wall with number of vehicles we own and love. But trying to house them is another story. I have had to move to a farm where I can take over a small barn, but still my '78 Ford pickup is under an overhang but not completely. Really hard to downsize, but could be coming. My Coupe, and Austin Healeys will never suffer, at least while I am still here. Good luck finding solutions. This Group is very resourceful and there are many new options. Great to share what works for each of us.
 
bavbob said:
John, I just wanted to add that when I wash my car, I use a Dial sprayer. I fill it with soap and set it on say 3 oz per gallon. Apply the soap, wash and then set the dial sprayer to zero oz/gallon to rinse. This achieves the two bucket approach more efficiently. You can dedicate the sprayer to car washing only.
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I like not buying any more stuff and reusing what's lying around.
 
bluecoupe30! said:
After reading this thread, it appears, in my estimation, there is no substitute for indoor, covered, locked up and secure space. Everything else is just experimentation and hope. Many of us have hit the wall with number of vehicles we own and love. But trying to house them is another story. I have had to move to a farm where I can take over a small barn, but still my '78 Ford pickup is under an overhang but not completely. Really hard to downsize, but could be coming. My Coupe, and Austin Healeys will never suffer, at least while I am still here. Good luck finding solutions. This Group is very resourceful and there are many new options. Great to share what works for each of us.
Click to expand...
Thanks to everyone's input. Learned a few things here
(1) I'm deviating from a lifetime of using Nufinish, and trying out some of the std detailing things claybar, ceramic coating (Meguiars)
(2) I bought an inexpensive car cover for $100 (carcover.com)
(3) I should just cough up $10k and replace our 50ft pine with a different tree that doesn't coat our yard and driveway with sap, needles and cones. Maybe a nice sugar maple?
 
#3 getting rid if tree is expensive but worth it. We had a huge redwood that would dump on my car, and stain the car paint red. We always wanted to get rid of it but our city would not let us take it out. Then a huge storm hit and a large branch fell totalling two cars...M4 totally destroyed. Cost us $18K to get rid of our redwood tree but was so worth it

PS car cover does not protect from falling branches!
 

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