Has anyone had a personal experience with any of these products?

The hype on properautocare.com make them sound pretty good, at least for german paints.

Thanks in advance,
M

 

I have been using it for about a year and a half. Great product that really brings out the depth in the ceramiclear paint. However do not attempt to use it by hand. You will need a machine preferably a rotary buffer to get the maximum advantage. I have used it with a Porter cable and it works well but it does take much more time to get the same results.

 

Hi Lou,

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, I have a DA Porter-Cable now But, I have a small sample of the products, so I'll give them a go anyway.

Do you mind briefly explaining the ceramiclears to me? I have heard them mentioned by name, but I've never seen what I consider to be a good definition or formulation.

Regards,
Dave

 

Dave,

The ceramiclear is a clear coat paint that was developed by PPG. Its benefit is that it is much harder than the conventional clear coat and will hold a shine much better, is less prone to chipping and scratching. The drawback is that it is much more difficult to work with than the older soft clears. However it can be worked but the use of the proper compounds, Menzerna being one of the few on the market. I would not worry about only having a Porter Cable since it will work. When I use the PC I start at a#2 setting, spread the polish and then step it up to a #6 setting. It will work for you.

Here is a brief excerpt from an article describing Ceramiclear.

The folks at PPG Industries, one of the largest paint suppliers for the auto industry, recently came up with a new clear coat paint they are calling "CeramiClear," which incorporates nanoparticles. These little pieces enable the new paint to offer what PPG calls "the highest level of scratch resistance among any of our commercial clear coats."

So what is a nanoparticle? Think small, really small. As the computer industry kept seeking ways to cram more digital information on to a computer chip, scientists began manipulating individual atoms and molecules. They came up with nanotechnology, a new area of scientific research and development.

To put this in perspective, a micrometer is one thousandth of a millimetre, but a nanoparticle is 1,000 times smaller again. Nanoparticles, also known as dendrimers, are tiny spheres whose width is ten thousand times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.

PPG scientists say the difficulty was in dispersing and stabilizing these little dudes in what is already a pretty slim material - a coat of paint.

Its proprietary process includes a "binder modification that imparts surface activity, while allowing for a high, cross-link density." In other words, it goes on easily, requiring no change in the traditional painting process.

CeramiClear has been tested extensively in the laboratory, surviving hundreds of automated washes using a special abrasive cleaning solution as well as a dry abrasive test using very fine sandpaper. It has been tested in the field on more than 150 vehicles throughout the world over several years.

After four years of research and development in conjunction with Mercedes, the new scratch-resistant top coat is being used on several 2005 Mercedes model lines and will make its way throughout the Mercedes line throughout the year.

 

Thank you Lou,

So here I am with some Menzerna products, the "wrong" polisher, AND a 2001 Mercedes without a CeramiClear top coat!

I'll use them anyway, unless you think it is a bad idea(?)

Regards,

Dave

 

Dave,

I helped my daughter's boyfriend do his 1996 E class (no ceramiclear) which was full of swirls and used the Porter Cable machine with the Menzerna polishes and it turned out great. Also #16 is a carnuba wax made by Meguiars that has been discontinued. Any good quality wax or sealant will work over the Menzerna lines.

 

Hello again Lou,

Thank you again for your time, kind attention, and guidance.

I'll have a go with what I currently have (1 of 3 different Meguiar's wax products) and I'll see how it turns out.

Regards,

Dave