OK...Borg Collective, need your opinion.

I bought a membership at Quick Quack Car Wash for my 2011 Venza some months ago. It needs to last until I go to meet our Lord and Savior, so I'm thinking another 25 years (Lord willing) and keeping it clean is a good start. Possible? Maybe, seeing how my '97 Corolla is still going strong and I only have 78,400 miles on the Venza so far...well less than 6,500 miles per year. And it stays garaged.

To that end, Quick Quack offers their best membership that includes "Ceramic Coating" in their wash/wax process and it's only $4 a month more than my current membership. Sure...I can afford another $48 a year to keep my car clean, but is "Ceramic Coating" just a fad or is it truly all the rage and does protect your car's finish to some degree?

Thanks for any advice! TGIF!!

I have a membership at a local car wash and added the ceramic coating option. It's been over a year now and I think it does help somewhat. Bird droppings and the like seem to come off very easily. For the small amount extra every month I would say it's worth it!

I would spring for the $4/month, with the understanding that you aren't getting a true ceramic coating, but instead a quick wax with maybe some very low level of ceramic resin blended in to provide additional slickness.

A true ceramic coating is applied using a solvent. The ceramic resin bonds permanently with the paint. The coating is only microns thick, but does in fact leave a visible layer of protection on the paint. If you don't apply it correctly, you can very much see the streaking of the ceramic coating that hasn't been properly buffed down and blended in ("leveled"). Such a process usually costs a few thousand dollars, inclusive of the paint correction needed to get swirls and scratches out (otherwise you just seal in the I perfections).

That said, many products now exist that incorporate ceramic resins into the formulatuon--spray waxes and the like. Many of these are very good by traditional wax standards. I see no problem upgrading to a wax package at the car wash that might have added ceramic resin, with the understanding that you aren't going to exactly get $4 in value a month. The upgrades are nearly entirely all profit for the. Ar wash.

No input on your question but thought I'd add something to consider. If it's not touch less I don't think I'd use it too frequently. If it's touch less I'd ask for the "ingredients" in their wash additives. Some use additives that are caustic (on the caustic side of the pH scale) to help remove dirt. Long term I doubt that's good for paint. Most people only own their cars for a few years, since you're keeping yours it may matter.

As background, I grew up with a father in autobody who painted cars, helped prepare (i.e. did the shit work Dad hated doing) 3 cars for complete repaintings, painted cars/motorcycles some (no where near as good as Dad), and one of my hobbies is detailing my truck and motorcycle.

Starting at the beginning of COVID, I began using ceramic infused products to maintain the appearance of my truck and motorcycle. I started off with mechanical and chemical decontamination, machine polish, and then applied a ceramic sealant. Monthly, I kept it topped off with a ceramic and wax drying aid.

Last Thanksgiving, I started off with mechanical and chemical decontamination, machine polish, and then applied an actual ceramic coating (Aetocoles had a good explanation of difference between a ceramic infused product and an actual ceramic coating) to my truck. Then about 4 weeks later, did the same to my motorcycle. Both will be chemically decontaminated quarterly and have a ceramic sealant topper applied as I want maximum longevity from the ceramic coating.

The two flaws I see with the OPS plan:

he wants a 25 year longevity. I don't see how that's possible with an automatic car wash. If it's a touch car wash then invariably there will scratches caused by the process or other previous vehicles grime. If it's a touchless carwash, as mrvmax stated the soaps/detergents will be pH 11 to 13 which is extremely caustic and hard on the paint. See below for explanation of clear coat.

The ceramic infused spray wax is being sprayed indiscriminately. My Dad had to machine polish that crap off my aunt's windshield because its optical clarity went to hell especially with sun in eyes or night driving.

Clear coat explanation:

Modern paint consists of a primer for corrosion protection and promoting adhesion to metal/plastic, a base color layer, and then a clear coat.

The clear coat is the thickness of a post it note. In other words, it's very thin and easy to scratch through it or wear through it.

The clear coat provides the ultraviolet light protection. The half-life of the its ultraviolet protection is approx 5 years.

Besides looking good, the main purpose of ceramic coatings, sealants, waxes, etc. is to provide a sacrificial layer of UV protection so that the clear coat's UV protection isn't being degraded.

Applying ceramic coating, sealant, or waxes doesn't do much good if the automatic car wash is scratching or abrading the clear coat.

When the clear coat fails, rust isn't far behind

If the OP's definition of longevity includes looking good, not having failed clear coat, and not having surface corrosion then the automatic car wash is the wrong route. Instead, I recommend hand washing with a pH neutral car shampoo once or twice a month and hand applying a spray ceramic sealant 2x per year (the modern stuff is really good and takes 5 minutes). There are some really simple techniques and products for maintaining the vehicle's paint that are extremely gentle on clear coat which will go along way toward keeping it 25 years. If the OP is interested, I'd be happy to share some videos on simple techniques and recommend some budget friendly products.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

i've got a lifetime with superstar!

their best advertises both simonize ceramic protect + ceramic shine for a little more than i'm paying/month now!!

good thread!!

Here's another consideration: most car washes re-use their wash water over and over. So any "product" that a previous customer paid for will be present (to some degree) in the water used to wash your car, along with dirt, salt, and other gunk.

So you might already be getting a dose of the ceramic for "free."

quote:

If the OP is interested, I'd be happy to share some videos on simple techniques and recommend some budget friendly products.

If he isn't, I am.

Also, the Venza is awesome vehicle!
Great choice.

For a garage-kept car like this it is probably less of a concern, but on a car like mine that has never seen a day under even a roof, the paint must be free of any embedded particles. If not, waxes and other coatings will cover and seal them in.

I’ve used the Meguiars spray bottle version. It helps somewhat with bugs and stuff but it’s not a miracle product. For $4 unlimited in a month I’d probably go for it.

Given the OP's location I would think that the quickie types of additives should provide a extra level of protection. I am envious of those that are able to wash their cars in the driveway year round as I live in the winter wonder land of Wisconsin. A good sealant or ceramic hybrid should do you well in Texas. Lots of good DIY products out there for all levels of experience and care. I use Griots brand 3 in one product twice a year and top it with a 3D brand bead it up product for extra shine and protection. Car exterior care is a deep rabbit hole. Go as deep as you wish.

Thanks for all the replies and opinions, y'all.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
If the OP is interested, I'd be happy to share some videos on simple techniques and recommend some budget friendly products.

Thanks, tatortodd, but I'm not much of a DIY kinda guy. Quick Quack does a pretty decent job for what I want it to do, so rolling it through the car wash 3-5 times a month is fine with me.

Considering all the pros and cons everyone mentioned, I'm still in the decision phase of adding QQ's "ceramic coating" to my membership.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Can't comment on how/if it works, but seeing what they charge for wipe on ceramic coating kits cost, you can't be getting very much of it for $4.00

quote:

Originally posted by sigmoid:

quote:

If the OP is interested, I'd be happy to share some videos on simple techniques and recommend some budget friendly products.

If he isn't, I am.

This is a good video on the techniques, tools, and reasons. Larry is a professional and routinely works on million dollar cars. Additionally, the audio and video are both excellent quality.


Larry's Ammo line isn't budget friendly so here are some budget friendly products:

You don't need fancy buckets with stickers and gamma seals. Just use 3 clean 5 gallon buckets and use a sharpie to write wash, rinse, and wheels

Harbor freight has inexpensive dirt guards . Pick up 3.

Wheel and Tire Brushes

Tire Dressing Applicator

Microfiber towels. I like these 16x16 from Chemical guys as they're good quality and come in several colors.

Rag company chenille microfiber wash mitts are two for $10, and high quality.

Microfiber drying towel. This Rag Company Gauntlet is not a bargain, but it's high quality at a good price point. Splurge here as drying is an area where scratches and marring can be induced.

Glass towel. Don't use regular towels as they'll leave lint everywhere. Surprisingly, these Harbor Freight glass towels work well and the price is right.

Auto shampoo. Adam's makes a good one, and I've been using it for years. A gallon is 42 car washes and it'll end up being $0.83 per wash. They make smaller sizes if you just want to try it out.

Wheel soap. I just put a little Adam's in there. It's mainly for knocking the grime off tools between wheels and it helps with "kick back" when using brushes on wheels.

Wheel and tire cleaner. Just pick-up some Super Clean from Walmart . Use it undiluted om wheels and tires.

Spray ceramic sealant. Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax.

Tire dressing. If you like the wet look then Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel looks good, lasts long, and doesn't sling.

Glass cleaner. Invisible Glass works well and can't beat the price. I even use it indoors as it doesn't streak like Windex.

Microfiber wash. Use a dye free scent free laundry detergent, and wash separately. Polyamide is one of the components of microfiber and melts at low temperature so be careful. Wash on cool or warm, and tumble dry or dry on very low heat.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

^^^^
I would add that I never use drying towels. It just introduces the possibility of scratches…
Don’t laugh but I use my leaf blower and it works great…

Tatortodd,
Most excellent!
Thank you

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
^^^^
I would add that I never use drying towels. It just introduces the possibility of scratches…
Don’t laugh but I use my leaf blower and it works great…

Just like Larry's video, I use a drying aid when using a drying towel. The one that'd pair with my list above is Griot's Ceramic Speedshine or original speedshine. Personally, 75% of the time I had been using McKee's N914 mixed 1 oz to gallon of water (ie one $25 bottle makes 32 gallons).

Just bought a stubby nozzle off Etsy for my 40V Ryobi. I hated it with the factory length nozzle (too long and no anti scratch tip) and don't have an opinion on the stubby nozzle after one use. As much Ryobi stuff as HD sells, I was surprised that the more mainstream companies hadn't produced a stubby Ryobi nozzle and I had to resort to Etsy (ie a dude with a 3D printer in his garage).

i got a freebie test on the $25/month super protect car-wash & the difference between the $19.95/month super clean i've been getting for 3+ years is easy to see!

i'll make change to the best plan after current billing cycle is paid.

blow dryers coming out of the chute makes wiping down with damp towels, both damp/dry water-spots a breeze + air nozzles to blow out nook/crannies