Hi All,
My wife's white car is very prone to getting dirty and it does get very dirty quickly. It's like it needs a good wash every 4th day.
Would ceramic coating be a good idea to reduce the dirt it's catching? Is there one that you would recommend? Looking for a DIY option as not wanting to pay $1k+.
The car is a 2012 model Lexus if it helps.l and we plan to keep it for a few years.
Its the worse I have seen on this white car.. my other car, a metallic silver, doesnt look dirtly until it really is very dirty.
This is the first white car we have had and it is the worst when it comes to catching the dirt.
Is it a flat white or that metallic pearl finish?
It is a pearl white called Crystal Pearl
@MS Paint: Have learnt my lesson and never buying a car with color. But for now, I am stuck as the car needs to be taken for a wash weekly and it is only driven about 150 Km of city driving per week, so its not like she is taking it offroad.
I just did ceramic coat with Gtechniq professional (got it from Aliexpress).
If you need to do paint correction, it will take about 6 hours depending on your technique and attention to detail. It took me 18 hours because my car had such hard paint and swirl scratches that needed removal.
As naigrabzo said above you don't just slap on ceramic coating and call it a day.
Ceramic coating is the final step in a long and tedious process to prepare the paint to accept the ceramic coating. As your Lexus is 13 years old I'm guessing it needs a lot of prep work. To diy the complete process properly with a decent dual action polisher you'd be looking at $500 minimum in materials and a full weekend of hard work.
Agree with the long and tedious but you can get all the polishing goodies needed for around $100. By the polisher 2nd hand, AliExpress for foam pads and compound on special - I'm in the process of paint correcting for the first time and it's satisfying once you master the technique but by the second panel and the work involved it turns from fun to chore very quickly. I just remember it only needs to be done once, if you then care for the car!
That is true but I've been down the cheap arse route for paint prep gear. It takes longer, is more frustrating and the results aren't as good. Pony up for lake country pads, a high wattage dual action and mid tier products and the complete process can actually be enjoyable and the results extremely rewarding.
My $15 rotary is doing a perfect job. Don't see how a DA could do any better or deliver a different finish with the same pads and compounds.
We are just talking about a sponge rubbing clear coat in different ways. I like quick, quiet and effective which a rotary delivers.
I was going to try Lake pads but the Ali ones are removing scratches and deep swirls and then polishing to a high gloss..
I got second hand polisher 1200W and then eventually a DA polisher from SCA. Foam pads from Ali. Compound etc from a varitey of sources.
It's quite hard work and you are exposed to alot of vapours etc. I wore a full on PPE including expensive mask from Bunners.
It's pretty hard work especially if you are worried that you might ruin the paint.
Almost impossible to ruin the paint with a DA. Orbital on the other hand can burn through high points in no time.
@MS Paint: I tried to use the DA to remove shower scum and found a brush attachment on my drill much better for that! :)
TBH If the OP can borrow DA it's way better. I don't think I will be using the DA very much in the future.
@Naigrabzo: Yeah, i got a rotary for that exact reason - more useful, more effective in less time, quieter and cheaper.
And before the "know it all's" comment - yes you need to be more careful with a rotary polisher as it cuts far quicker but it is easy to judge - do 2 passes and check progress.
Picked up my rotary for $15 second hand. Spent more on polish and wax :)
@pilotg2: Rotary is definitely tricky. I think it's great to practice on an old car first. I tried it first time on a newer car and was a little terrified… :)
I haven’t bothered with it on my 2018 BMW or 2001 BMW.
Why would you bother with it on your 2013 Lexus?
Start simple
Turtle wax shine and seal
Thanks mate.. just looked it up and it sounds like a good alternative to ceramic.
Think I might give this a try first.. Other than washing with a Wash and Wax, do I need to do any other prep work before applying Seal N Shine?
Assuming this is the right product?
https://www.turtlewax.com.au/products/seal-shine-sealant-wax…
Yep, right product.
Up to you on the extent of prep work.
At minimum, Wash with quality wash only, not wash and wax
Then follow the instructions on the seal and shine.
Why do you think your wife’s car is any different to any other car?
It's a 13 year old Toyota with a special badge.
13yrs is a baby in Toyota years.
Did it with my daily Kia using this kit for $100 off EBay "CARPRO CQUARTZ UK 3.0" This one works well, its soft enough that if you have any high spots can buff out even year after application.
Recommend doing, however first Id suggest doing machine paint correction and wax, then 6 months later do it again for ceramic coating. Decade old car will require multiple passes to get the paint right, doing the wax prep will give you practise and 1st stage paint correction. The ceramic coating will take two days, one day clean/cut/polish prep, and day 2 is the coating application.
Results are worth it, polishing in value, looks like a new car.
How many ml did you need for your car? What size bottle?
Got the standard size, used maybe half a bottle. 1.7 x 4.4m car
Awesome. Do you have a link to the item? I'll grab some too.
I wouldn't really bother ceramic coating a 13-year-old car unless it's something collectible or you just love it. If I were you, I would just clay bar the paint then use spray on wax/ceramic and call it a day.
Even clay bar takes ages I find. But yes it's an essential part of hte prep. There are also clay towels these days.
never used a clay bar so watched a few videos.. couple of them suggested that clay bars cause minor scratches.. is there a way to avoic scratching?
Again, using a clay bar is just one step in a big process. It's impossible to avoid marring from a clay bar. You need to polish at a minimum after claying to remove the subsequent scratches.
If deep cleaning/polishing/coating your car was quick, easy and cheap then everyone would be doing it.
There are no shortcuts that offer long term results.
You can minimise minor scratches with a clay bar by, ensuring panels are cool, use alot of lube and keep the clay bar sliding easily, as soon as it gets slightly graby/sticking, stop and lube up.
I found it also helps to use your hand to feel the paint for lumps after lubing. Pick any big bits off with your nail (carefully) then claybar and feel again with hand - the paint should feel completely smooth before moving onto next section.
Even a quick hand polish will remove clay bar marks - if you are careful.
There are clay towels and scrubbers these days, and they're supposedly more forgiving than clay itself.
The clay lube plays a big part too.
Gyeon brand is very DIY friendly. The product itself is still over $100 and as mentioned needs good prep.
One cheat code could be to just use gyeon wetcoat. It's not ceramic coating but it is super easy to use, reapply every 3 months or so. Literally spray on, rinse off. It's activated by a stream of water, magical.
Wet Coat or Cancoat. I love Wet Coat because it lasts a while, and the spray-on hose-off application. Then top it up with P&S Bead Maker or Duragloss Aquawax.
Been using Mothers Ultimate Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax. Great results, easy to use
really? i thought white and grey cars gets dirty the least. I mean all colours get dirty the same but dirt is least obvious on white and grey cars compared to say, a black car.