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RowdyAudi01

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Hey all. I just picked up a 2001 golf tdi. It is in pretty good shape paint wise although I did fix one small clear coat spot on the hood. Long story short I have 80% clay barred. On Wednesday I'm going to wet sand the small clear coat fix then polish the whole car.

I currently have a few bottles of liquid caranuba wax I was going to use up. Is it worth using for a daily or should i pick up a ceramic coating? I live in PA. I want to make the car last as long as possible. The caranuba wax seems convinient at the moment since I already have it in my garage and would like to get everything done in a timely manor since I am going to start driving it after it's waxed.

It seems that everybody and their brother is making a ceramic coating these days from 20 to 100 bucks. I had a bunch of input on these before when i was looking to protect my dads nice new truck. For a daily driver that I know I will be washing and caring for more frequently do you think the caranuba wax will be good for now and just do ceramic down the road? Is an affordable ceramic better than regular caranuba?
 
There's a lot of options in between carnauba and a ceramic coating. Sealants and ceramic sealants may offer more longevity without going the full ceramic coating route.

Where in PA?
 
I am in the harleysvillle area.

There are plenty of options. I am debating if it is worth using wax for now then at the end of summer or early fall doing a ceramic coating. Basically wondering if there is a downside in using the carnanuba wax to bridge the gap
 
RowdyAudi01 said:
Is an affordable ceramic better than regular caranuba?
Click to expand...

The word better depends on the context.

A correctly installed ceramic coating will LAST LONGER than a Carnauba wax.


It takes,

More skill
More products
More towels
And in most cases, more prep work including machine polishing the paint first - before installing a ceramic coating.


Do you own a polisher?

I'd recommend taking a look at products like BLACKFIRE One Step or 3D Speed if you're just starting out. Get an entry level dual action polisher, a half doze foam "polishing" pads and machine apply a cleaner/wax.

Then do some more research, get more supplies and then wade into the coating river.



:)
 
Personally i think if you are going to wait to ceramic coat the car in the fall i would not waste your time polishing it now as you will need to do that b4 you install a coating to. I suggest getting a ceramic spray sealant to hold you over until you go to polish and apply a coating at a later date.
If you would rather use up the carnuba in the meantime, then just keep applying that every so often
 
yes I do own a polisher. I have a g9 I bought from autogeek. interesting. so just put the wax on and hold off on the polish until I can do ceramic coating? either way I want some protection before I daily the car. it's 20 years old and pa is harder on cars and there's nothing over the cleaecoat now. basically just clay bar clean waiting my next moves
 
I guess that makes sense but I'm an overthinker so let me right it out. Don't polish yet becuase i'd be removing clearcoat. But go ahead and wax it because it is a protetive layer until I can ceramic coat it?
 
Yes, you need to machine polish b4 appling a coating to get the best possible finish and for the coating to have the best chance for proper adhesion. Aka longest durability. PREP is key for coatings.

You would just be wasting your time machine polishing now.
 
got ya. I assume that's not needed for the caranuba wax? I'd hate to polish it twice within a couple months of eachother
 
RowdyAudi01 said:
yes I do own a polisher. I have a g9 I bought from autogeek. interesting.

so just put the wax on and hold off on the polish until I can do ceramic coating? either way I want some protection before I daily the car. it's 20 years old and pa is harder on cars and there's nothing over the cleaecoat now.

basically just clay bar clean waiting my next moves
Click to expand...


The above will work. Machine apply the Carnauba Wax using the 2-3 speed setting and a foam polishing pad.

Follow directions on label. If directs say let wax dry, let it dry then wipe it off. If directions say apply and wipe-off, the don't wait to wipe it off.

This will get some shine and protection on the paint until you're ready to machine polish.

Watch this video, it shows you the entire machine polishing process for a WAX.

When it comes to a ceramic coating, after the machine polishing step you would wipe the car down with a Panel Wipe, (solvent), and then install the coating.




:)
 
Thanks for all the input! I will keep it waxed for protection until I have a weekend for polish and ceramic coating. How long do you think my wax will last with bi-weekly maintenance cleans?
 
RowdyAudi01 said:
How long do you think my wax will last with bi-weekly maintenance cleans?
Click to expand...


Been typing this and saying this for years...


How long ANYTHING lasts depends on how it's "touched".

Wash your car with a brick? Nothing is going to last very long.

Wash your car with a clean, soft wash mitt or multiple microfiber towels and a quality car wash soap? Then whatever you put on the paint as the best chance of staying there and thus lasting as long as possible.


See my article here. The technique shared works for ANY LSP - LSP stands for Last Step Process


How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach






:)
 
If you want to try Powerlock +, I'm fairly local. That might last longer.
 
No its not needed. Either way if you polished or not carnuba wax wont last more than maybe two months especially being we are in summer.

Just apply your wax for now, wait to do the rest when you do a coating.
 
I'm going to throw you a curveball...

Polishing before you apply whatever LSP you're going to do now is not a waste of time in my opinion. It will make the car look better between now and whenever you decide to go with a coating. Who knows, you may never even go the coating route.

As for your concern over removing clearcoat with multiple polishings, take that out of the equation. The amount of clearcoat removed during routine polishing is miniscule.

If I were in your shoes and getting ready to apply a wax LSP, the condition of the paint would be the deciding factor of whether or not to polish. Not any concern of removing clearcoat. If the paint needs polishing... Then polish it.
 
It's a white car. Its not the most noticable color in the world for the hairline swirls. It could definitely benefit from a polishing but i've just been in debate if it is worth putting the time and product into it if I plan on doing a ceramic coating before winter. If I had enough time to get a decent product here by the time i got home Wednesday I'd probably ceramic coat it then
 
I don’t think you can go wrong whether you polish or not. It’s all opportunity cost. You can put the effort in twice in six months or let the white hide the damage now. As 2black1s said, don’t be concerned about removing too much clear with a DA. It won’t be much and you’ll more thank likely have a lot less work in the fall if you decide to polish now.
 
I am thinking about using Griots 3 in 1 ceramic instead of the Caranuba. I can get it locally (sorry Mike) and the reviews seem pretty good. I can get 2 coats on there also between Wednesday and Thursday.

does anyone have experience with the product? reviews seem good everywhere and I think it will protect better and longer for a daily then the caranuba will.
 
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