Detail Fail!

[MrSixStrings12]

Just sharing an eff up! The day I picked up my truck, I had my heart set on going home and ceramic coating from the fenders back. And that's what I did! I was out there for hours til the sun went down. Well, sadly, I forgot to check the weather forecast and that night it rained...HARD. Never had to worry about "cure times" with wax. It has rained a twice since I did the ceramic coat (and snowed today) and its pretty obvious that my efforts were null. There is absolutely no difference in water-shedding on panels that I coated vs panels I didn't. Turn's out Adam's Ceramic coat has a cure time of about 24 hours.

Live and learn! Thankfully, I should have enough to still do the whole truck. which makes me wonder if I used enough in the first place.

 

[KCViper]

Sorry to hear, but it happens to the best of us!! You will need to remove any of the ceramic coating and reapply......there are worse things in the world! I've got my Adams Graphene and am ready to start my own ceramic coating process........thanks for the valuable lesson!

 

[RebelWraith]

Please, please, please install your coating inside. If not I guarantee you will have junk in the coating. If the coating wasn't completely removed by the rain already you are going to have a good time removing what you already put on. May even take wet sanding.

One thing I will note while Adams product is pushed more for the DIY crowd this is because it isn't of the best Ceramic or Graphene make-up. That's why it is easier to install. But, don't expect it to perform or hold up as well as professional coatings.

 

[ElkoNV]

If the coating wasn't completely removed by the rain already you are going to have a good time removing what you already put on. May even take wet sanding.

P&S Brake Buster or Optimum Power Clean will both take off some consumer-grade ceramic coatings pretty quickly with little to no work. Use one of them with a clay pad and rinse. People would be surprised, especially if it was not fully cured correctly.

 

[RebelWraith]

P&S Brake Buster or Optimum Power Clean will both take off some consumer-grade ceramic coatings pretty quickly with little to no work. Use one of them with a clay pad and rinse. People would be surprised, especially if it was not fully cured correctly.

If that works then the Adams quality is worse than I thought.

 

[ElkoNV]

If that works then the Adams quality is worse than I thought.

Not necessarily. I think all the ceramic coatings and now the graphene are way overhyped for longevity etc. Having said that I use them, love them, and think they really serve a purpose, of course, I am 50 and from the days of wax on wax off. My personal choice is Cquartz 3.0, and that is what is going on my truck as soon as I get it. I am sure there are some other great ones out there as well. I can personally attest to Optimum Power Clean wheel cleaner taking off some coating, you are not the first one to make this mistake , and kudos for sharing. You are saving some other members some grief. I keep a bottle in the garage just in case. I was looking for the video where I saw it remove the coating the first time when I stumbled upon the PS brake buster video and thought I would share. The power clean video was from years ago, I think there must be something in the really strong wheel cleaners that can cut through some of the coatings. Because I know that I never use those products on a coated vehicle. The latest and greatest coatings may have more resilience to these cleaners but I am not going to test. I just thought if after the weather clears and you are looking at your truck and seeing streaking it would be worth $25 to see if one of these would take it off before busting out the polisher. Good luck keep us posted.

 

[RebelWraith]

Not necessarily. I think all the ceramic coatings and now the graphene are way overhyped for longevity etc. Having said that I use them, love them, and think they really serve a purpose, of course, I am 50 and from the days of wax on wax off. My personal choice is Cquartz 3.0, and that is what is going on my truck as soon as I get it. I am sure there are some other great ones out there as well. I can personally attest to Optimum Power Clean wheel cleaner taking off some coating, you are not the first one to make this mistake , and kudos for sharing. You are saving some other members some grief. I keep a bottle in the garage just in case. I was looking for the video where I saw it remove the coating the first time when I stumbled upon the PS brake buster video and thought I would share. The power clean video was from years ago, I think there must be something in the really strong wheel cleaners that can cut through some of the coatings. Because I know that I never use those products on a coated vehicle. The latest and greatest coatings may have more resilience to these cleaners but I am not going to test. I just thought if after the weather clears and you are looking at your truck and seeing streaking it would be worth $25 to see if one of these would take it off before busting out the polisher. Good luck keep us posted.

I can honestly tell you that those wheel cleaners will not hurt a modern day professional Ceramic or Graphene coating. I install coatings on vehicles and wheels regularly. You have to be certified to sell and install most professional coatings and the few that I am certified in are not even touched by those products.

He may get lucky as it is just Adam's brand ceramic and it may remove it or he may not and need to see a professional detailer to help him along.

 

[ElkoNV]

modern day professional Ceramic or Graphene coating

I figured I am specifically referring to consumer-grade products and one that got rained on before it was cured. It is my guess the rain may also have weakened the bond of any product that may be left.

 

[RebelWraith]

Even Adams should hold up well enough. The only thing those wheel cleaners can remove would be a spray type ceramic wax which is usually in the teens for percentage of SiO2.

Quality DIY kits should be in the 80% range and professional coatings in the 90%.

I'm not sure where the Adam's product falls, but I'm hoping it is at least 50%. That amount would keep the type of cleaners you are speaking of from even etching in to it.

 

[Mate514]

I can honestly tell you that those wheel cleaners will not hurt a modern day professional Ceramic or Graphene coating. I install coatings on vehicles and wheels regularly. You have to be certified to sell and install most professional coatings and the few that I am certified in are not even touched by those products.

He may get lucky as it is just Adam's brand ceramic and it may remove it or he may not and need to see a professional detailer to help him along.

What do you think about DuraSlic DS 1500 Xtreme ceramic coating? It's pricey but it seems to be a superior product

 

[RebelWraith]

What do you think about DuraSlic DS 1500 Xtreme ceramic coating? It's pricey but it seems to be a superior product

That's a brand new product/brand and I haven't used them yet. Not much information about the product at all except for sales jargon. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[Mate514]

That's a brand new product/brand and I haven't used them yet. Not much information about the product at all except for sales jargon. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

No problem, what is the price point of professional product?

 

[MrSixStrings12]

Please, please, please install your coating inside. If not I guarantee you will have junk in the coating. If the coating wasn't completely removed by the rain already you are going to have a good time removing what you already put on. May even take wet sanding.

One thing I will note while Adams product is pushed more for the DIY crowd this is because it isn't of the best Ceramic or Graphene make-up. That's why it is easier to install. But, don't expect it to perform or hold up as well as professional coatings.

Sadly, I dont have anywhere that I could do it indoors and keep it inside for the cure time. Honestly, I'll be surprised if there is any product on there at all with how the "treated" panels look compared to the non-treated. I'm gonna take a hard look with some UV lights though. And yeah, that's why I went with Adam's. For the cost, I'd be totally happy to have to re-apply every 3 years or so. If i'm still unimpressed, I'm okay with just going back to traditional wax.

 

[MrSixStrings12]

Even Adams should hold up well enough. The only thing those wheel cleaners can remove would be a spray type ceramic wax which is usually in the teens for percentage of SiO2.

Quality DIY kits should be in the 80% range and professional coatings in the 90%.

I'm not sure where the Adam's product falls, but I'm hoping it is at least 50%. That amount would keep the type of cleaners you are speaking of from even etching in to it.

I based my purchase on a ceramic coating shootout on youtube. Adam's was the surprising consumer-grade that went toe-to-toe with some of the professional stuff. I'd be interested in your opinion of this video since you have more knowledge on the subject!

 

[KCViper]

Sadly, I dont have anywhere that I could do it indoors and keep it inside for the cure time. Honestly, I'll be surprised if there is any product on there at all with how the "treated" panels look compared to the non-treated. I'm gonna take a hard look with some UV lights though. And yeah, that's why I went with Adam's. For the cost, I'd be totally happy to have to re-apply every 3 years or so. If i'm still unimpressed, I'm okay with just going back to traditional wax.

After you do get successfully ceramic coated, use Adams CS3 to maintain and should help extend longevity to the coating. I have also heard very good things about maintaining a ceramic coating with Gyeon Wet Coat.....ordered some myself!

 

[RebelWraith]

I based my purchase on a ceramic coating shootout on youtube. Adam's was the surprising consumer-grade that went toe-to-toe with some of the professional stuff. I'd be interested in your opinion of this video since you have more knowledge on the subject!

That's an interesting video. But, saying that a coating has failed because it no longer has hydrophobic capabilities isn't fully accurate. But, I get what he is trying to show.
I'll step back to what I originally posted and the only difference between Professional coatings and quality DIY coatings is about only 10-15% of SiO2. But, that's where that line is drawn. It makes DIY coatings substantially easier to install, but also limits their time frame (Not by much). I started with those coatings and for the first few years after their installation they will all be similar. It's when you start getting in the 5,7,9 year range where the professional coatings shine. The price shows that as well as the professional coatings are only incrementally more expensive than DIY versions.

One thing though and it kind of made me question this guy making the video.......Crocs and socks?! LOL

Hopefully some other detailers will chime in. I'm not always the best at explaining things. But happy to help if I can.