Coating, Wax, or Sealant?

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Maxreed241

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Hello everyone!

I need some advice for a balance of maximum gloss and longest protection for paint on a 2016 Dodge Durango Limited with granite crystal clear coat. I have Mckee’s 37 paint coating, Optimum gloss coat, Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax, and Meguiars Gold class carnauba paste wax. I will correct the paint before applying any protection. Do paint coatings give more gloss compared to waxes and sealants, when the paint is corrected? I am also looking to do this in the spring time to my daily driver 2005 Chevrolet Impala silverstone metallic clear coat. Any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!


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A ceramic coating can definitely give higher gloss levels and longer lasting shine, than regular waxes, including those that have polymers in them. However, I found the ceramic gloss more "cold" or synthetic in appearance, than that of traditional waxes with carnauba in them. Ceramic coatings also seem to lack the "depth" effect of some top-level waxes, which can make your clear coat look like if they'd be half an inch thick. This is only obvious in direct sunlight - so, not so much in winter months.

That said I still like ceramic coatings better, because they require far less maintenance, and also offer some level of physical protection, which waxes definitely do not. They are also more chemically resistant. And if you want, you can top off your ceramic coating with a wax coat. This will give you the warmer shine of carnauba waxes, at the price of greatly diminishing the coating's water repelling and self-cleaning properties.

If you're not sure what you want, I suggest you try CarPro's Reload first (in the 100 ml bottle), which is somewhere between true ceramic coatings and waxes. Then you'll see what kind of shine/gloss levels and water repellency you can get with a ceramic coating, but you won't have to prep your paint as thoroughly and won't have to invest serious money. The drawback is that it will only work "at full power" only for a month or so, after which it's gloss and water-repellency will diminish, and be completely gone in 3-6 months time.

Whatever you do, do NOT rely on what manufacturers call their products, because that really means nothing. The terms "wax", "sealant", "coating" are misused a lot of times and to describe very different things, even if they're from the same manufacturer. Prime example being Meguiar's Ultimate Wax, which contains no wax at all, and Gold Class Wax, which does contain carnauba, but also synthetic polymers. Instead look at what the products actually contain and how they work.
 
itsgn said:
A ceramic coating can definitely give higher gloss levels and longer lasting shine, than regular waxes, including those that have polymers in them. However, I found the ceramic gloss more "cold" or synthetic in appearance, than that of traditional waxes with carnauba in them. Ceramic coatings also seem to lack the "depth" effect of some top-level waxes, which can make your clear coat look like if they'd be half an inch thick. This is only obvious in direct sunlight - so, not so much in winter months.

That said I still like ceramic coatings better, because they require far less maintenance, and also offer some level of physical protection, which waxes definitely do not. They are also more chemically resistant. And if you want, you can top off your ceramic coating with a wax coat. This will give you the warmer shine of carnauba waxes, at the price of greatly diminishing the coating's water repelling and self-cleaning properties.

If you're not sure what you want, I suggest you try CarPro's Reload first (in the 100 ml bottle), which is somewhere between true ceramic coatings and waxes. Then you'll see what kind of shine/gloss levels and water repellency you can get with a ceramic coating, but you won't have to prep your paint as thoroughly and won't have to invest serious money. The drawback is that it will only work "at full power" only for a month or so, after which it's gloss and water-repellency will diminish, and be completely gone in 3-6 months time.
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Great thank you so much for the info! I’m thinking I will use a coating on both vehicles instead of a wax/sealant for maintenance reasons. Would you say that the self cleaning effect makes up for the slight lack of depth in a coating (compared to a carnauba Wax)?


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I will give you MY OPINION: Depends on how you take care of your ride: If it's a DD not garaged and under outside elements, I would do a coating. If you have a garage queen and love to maintain your ride I would go a wax or sealant or both. I love to detail my ride. So I like to wax my ride. On occasion, I will do a sealant topped with a wax. I have tried all 3 and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. IMO you can't go wrong with any of these.

In terms of GLOSS or the wet look, I think and excellent quality wax is the best ON a black car. Again, this is my opinion.
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
I will give you MY OPINION: Depends on how you take care of your ride: If it's a DD not garaged and under outside elements, I would do a coating. If you have a garage queen and love to maintain your ride I would go a wax or sealant or both. I love to detail my ride. So I like to wax my ride. On occasion, I will do a sealant topped with a wax. I have tried all 3 and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. IMO you can't go wrong with any of these.

In terms of GLOSS or the wet look, I think and excellent quality wax is the best ON a black car. Again, this is my opinion.
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Both of these vehicles are outside 24/7 365 days a year in northern Michigan’s four seasons. Don’t get me wrong I love detailing my car just as much as anyone on this forum lol. I’m going with the coating from your suggestion because I want the most protection.


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Kamakaz1961 said:
I will give you MY OPINION: Depends on how you take care of your ride: If it's a DD not garaged and under outside elements, I would do a coating. If you have a garage queen and love to maintain your ride I would go a wax or sealant or both. I love to detail my ride. So I like to wax my ride. On occasion, I will do a sealant topped with a wax. I have tried all 3 and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. IMO you can't go wrong with any of these.

In terms of GLOSS or the wet look, I think and excellent quality wax is the best ON a black car. Again, this is my opinion.
Click to expand...


I will take this good advice one step further. You also need to consider you climate and lifestyle.

If I lived in Southern California, Florida, or other location with a mild climate AND had time to frequently wax my car, I'd be all over waxes. However, right now life is very busy for me and I live in the Midwest US, so I need something which will survive 6 months of bad weather which doesn't take a lot of upkeep. Initially I went with durable sealants, but have been since moved on to coatings as they are even easier to maintain and go much longer between applications.
 
Maxreed241 said:
Both of these vehicles are outside 24/7 365 days a year in northern Michigan’s four seasons. Don’t get me wrong I love detailing my car just as much as anyone on this forum lol. I’m going with the coating from your suggestion because I want the most protection.


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Based on your situation I would definitely go with a coating! I live in So Ca and I have a garage queen! In your case coating all the way! Pictures when you are done!
 
Desertnate said:
I will take this good advice one step further. You also need to consider you climate and lifestyle.

If I lived in Southern California, Florida, or other location with a mild climate AND had time to frequently wax my car, I'd be all over waxes. However, right now life is very busy for me and I live in the Midwest US, so I need something which will survive 6 months of bad weather which doesn't take a lot of upkeep. Initially I went with durable sealants, but have been since moved on to coatings as they are even easier to maintain and go much longer between applications.
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Couldn’t have said it any better!


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Kamakaz1961 said:
Based on your situation I would definitely go with a coating! I live in So Ca and I have a garage queen! In your case coating all the way! Pictures when you are done!
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I will be coating the Durango (Mom’s SUV) sometime this winter with Optimum Gloss Coat. And then in the spring I am going to coat my Impala with McKee’s 37 Paint coating (SiO2 enhanced). Pictures to follow... Stay tuned


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Great thank you so much for the info! I’m thinking I will use a coating on both vehicles instead of a wax/sealant for maintenance reasons. Would you say that the self cleaning effect makes up for the slight lack of depth in a coating (compared to a carnauba Wax)?
Click to expand...
As already said, I personally prefer a ceramic coating over a wax, because even though it doesn't look as good to me as some premium waxes do, but it requires far less maintenance, and is more resistant to environmental impacts. And because most people won't notice a difference anyway - because with their untrained eyes they will only register that the car looks "shiny" or "like new"; and possibly even more so with ceramic coatings, which have generally higher gloss levels.

That said it's all a matter of personal preference. Pick the sealant whose appearance you like best, and that fits your lifestyle the best. Meaning, if you enjoy redoing your car on a weekly basis and/or trying out new things and experimenting with stuff, then use waxes, because those will keep you busy. However, if you - like me -, are done experimenting, and just want to be done with the stuff for a while, then go for ceramic, because that's what holds up best, and requires the least maintenance.

With ceramics the only thing you need to do on a regular basis is washing your car properly and regularly (but even that far less frequently, than with waxes) - and whenever you do, you will practically regain the same gloss and shine you had right after you applied it. Other than that, you only need to rejuvenate the coating with a lighter sealant - which can be applied as fast as a spray wax - probably 3-4 times a years, and re-apply the ceramic coating every 2-4 years. That's a LOT less work, than what you'd have to do to maintain the same level of appearance with just regular waxes.
 
itsgn said:
As already said, I personally prefer a ceramic coating over a wax, because even though it doesn't look as good to me as some premium waxes do, but it requires far less maintenance, and is more resistant to environmental impacts. And because most people won't notice a difference anyway - because with their untrained eyes they will only register that the car looks "shiny" or "like new"; and possibly even more so with ceramic coatings, which have generally higher gloss levels.

That said it's all a matter of personal preference. Pick the sealant whose appearance you like best, and that fits your lifestyle the best. Meaning, if you enjoy redoing your car on a weekly basis and/or trying out new things and experimenting with stuff, then use waxes, because those will keep you busy. However, if you - like me -, are done experimenting, and just want to be done with the stuff for a while, then go for ceramic, because that's what holds up best, and requires the least maintenance.

With ceramics the only thing you need to do on a regular basis is washing your car properly and regularly (but even that far less frequently, than with waxes) - and whenever you do, you will practically regain the same gloss and shine you had right after you applied it. Other than that, you only need to rejuvenate the coating with a lighter sealant - which can be applied as fast as a spray wax - probably 3-4 times a years, and re-apply the ceramic coating every 2-4 years. That's a LOT less work, than what you'd have to do to maintain the same level of appearance with just regular waxes.
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This is extremely helpful! At first I wanted a good balance of shine and protection but now I’m thinking my main concern is extreme protection from the elements because of the climate I live in.


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The most shine and gloss you get with the finishing polish IMO. So really take the extra step and use a good finishing pad and a finishing polish to get that little extra gloss out of the clearcoat. It will maybe not look that you are getting so much out of it. But that is for the naked eyes and if you would had it read with a gloss level reader you get higher readings after. Something like menzerna sf3500 or carpro reflect or any finishing polish of choice would do it. I personal would go with a primer for the coating as it leaves a better bonding for the coating and enhance the durability of it. I don't think that Optimum has any primer for there coatings so hyper polish on a finishing pad would be my choice with that. Carpro and gyeon has there primers and is a combo of there finishing polish and glossenhancer and a sio2 base to get there coatings a great prep for coating.

And read up about the maintance of coatings as it is just as importened to do that as to a sealant and waxed car. For example use a car soap that don't leave anything behind as carpro reset and gyeon bathe. As a drying aid a Ech2o or diluted gyeon cure and maybe a little reload in Ech2o also is prefered. Then you have all kind of sio2 products that can be used if wanted to. IMO the coating on it self is a great product and if you want a more slickness to it I would apply a top coating that will be in synergy to the coating you have. And at last for a WW and rinseless wash I would get McKees 37 N-914 as it also doesnt leave anything behind.
 
SWETM said:
The most shine and gloss you get with the finishing polish IMO. So really take the extra step and use a good finishing pad and a finishing polish to get that little extra gloss out of the clearcoat. It will maybe not look that you are getting so much out of it. But that is for the naked eyes and if you would had it read with a gloss level reader you get higher readings after. Something like menzerna sf3500 or carpro reflect or any finishing polish of choice would do it. I personal would go with a primer for the coating as it leaves a better bonding for the coating and enhance the durability of it. I don't think that Optimum has any primer for there coatings so hyper polish on a finishing pad would be my choice with that. Carpro and gyeon has there primers and is a combo of there finishing polish and glossenhancer and a sio2 base to get there coatings a great prep for coating.

And read up about the maintance of coatings as it is just as importened to do that as to a sealant and waxed car. For example use a car soap that don't leave anything behind as carpro reset and gyeon bathe. As a drying aid a Ech2o or diluted gyeon cure and maybe a little reload in Ech2o also is prefered. Then you have all kind of sio2 products that can be used if wanted to. IMO the coating on it self is a great product and if you want a more slickness to it I would apply a top coating that will be in synergy to the coating you have. And at last for a WW and rinseless wash I would get McKees 37 N-914 as it also doesnt leave anything behind.
Click to expand...

As far as polishing goes, I am planning on using what I have right now. Which is, Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish and maybe D300 in a couple spots if it’s bad. Do you think these will do a good job? I also have Megs MT300 DA with 5 inch cutting and finishing MF pads. I will use McKee’s 37 N914 at paint prep ratio to clean any oils left from the UP. Thoughts? I’m not sure of what to use to maintain these vehicles but great suggestions and I will continue to research. Thank you


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Nice job. I just did recently a car with very similar color, and that also came out exactly like this. The ceramic coating has darkened the paint a tiny bit, but that only benefitted the gray, which was now shifted more towards black, and looked more elegant and glossy.
 
itsgn said:
Nice job. I just did recently a car with very similar color, and that also came out exactly like this. The ceramic coating has darkened the paint a tiny bit, but that only benefitted the gray, which was now shifted more towards black, and looked more elegant and glossy.
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Thanks! Yeah I think the longer it sits on the paint and cures, the better it looks. It looks more glassy to me at least. A rundown of the process: I compounded with Meg’s D300 and polished with Meg’s Ultimate Polish. Then paint prep with McKee’s N914. Last step, applied Opt Gloss Coat. I coated the wheels with McKee’s paint coating SiO2 enhanced because I ran out of Opt Gloss Coat.


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