nc211

I can't find the old thread about it, so starting a new one. Please feel free to merge with the old one if more efficient!

So two years ago I detailed the 212. Instead of the polish/wax/wax route, I went polish/alcohol/ceramic/ceramic. The stuff I used was called Deep Ice by this company that popped up online one day and thought what the heck, I'll give it a try. Note, I clay bar the car every time I do this. I used that stuff on the windshield, and the chattering wiper blades greatly reduced. Figured it would be like RainX and wear off pretty quickly. It actually held up for nearly 2 years. I did it again recently, same routine of clay/polish/alcohol/ceramic/ceramic - and once again, they're smooth as can be (and they weren't that bad to begin with). Also to note, these are the exact same blades, I've not had to replace them since the last time I did this chore in 2020.

So moral of the story - I think these ceramic coatings on the windshield, when given enough time to cure (mine was 24 hours to stay dry and 7 days to fully harden/cure) - do actually work to quiet the blade chatter on the glass. Before I tried this route, they were horrible. New/old, didn't matter, the blades would chatter and dance/wiggle unless at highway speed. I don't think it necessarily matters what brand of ceramic coating you use, but that it be one that doesn't wear off in like 6 weeks. Something that needs you to pay attention to applying and able to hide the car indoors for a little while to let it dry and harden. Mine was this "the last coat" company, and their product is called "deep ice". They have a hybrid called "the last coat" that lasts a few weeks. It's been good to us too, but that's not the one I'm talking about here and don't think it's much more than a little ceramic stuff mixed in with polymer stuff that wears off (obviously I know very little about this stuff to speak on it intelligently). Only reason why I went this route two years ago was because I just didn't want to do the grind of polish/wax/wax again knowing it doesn't last very long. This was far more easier to use.

atraudes

Nice! I'll have to try this on my rear window. The wiper noise is unbearable. Could you go into a little more detail on what the clay/polish/alcohol/ceramic/ceramic steps are like? I have a clay bar and understand you just polish with that until it feels nice and smooth, but what do you do for polish and alcohol? Do you just use something like Turtle Wax polishing compound? Is the alcohol step just cleaning it with rubbing alcohol?

Thanks, I'm not too well versed in this area yet.

nc211

Sure, and no worries, the learning curve on detailing it isn’t too steep (for us garage warriors). I haven’t a clue on the pro stuff that costs $x,xxx to do. Here are my steps (and why I only do it once every two years, because it takes my 48 year old self that long to recover).

wash the car with dish washing soap. This eats old wax off.

new bucket of soapy water. Use that as lubrication for the clay bar. Clay bar the entire car, depending on type of clay will depend on how much pressure to use. I go light, maybe a couple of pounds of pressure, and just go over the entire car. I do the rims, glass and head/tail lights too. Basically trying to get all stuck on containments off of everything.

(think you can skip this one if you’d like) then I coated it with an iron decontamination and wiped that down with a wet sponge and rinsed, but not sure how much that helped anything. First time I ever tried that part.

then DRY it! Get the water spots off the car and glass. Makes life easier for later.

since mine is black, I then use Mequires ultimate polish and a basic 10 inch random orbital buffer to polish the car. Pretty easy. Will use a basic microfiber rag to get in the corners/grooves where the orbital can’t reach. Then I remove the wax.

since I’m using the ceramic, the surface needs to be clean of oils. That’s where the 70% isotope alcohol comes in. Spray and wipe with a clean microfiber towel (I LOVE those yellow towels from Costco). Wipe everything down with the alcohol. You can buy a bottle at any pharmacy, and get a new spray bottle to use it with.

then from there is just whatever the instructions say to do for whatever ceramic coating you want to use. Deep Ice uses very very little. Just trying to put a very thin coat on all surfaces. I can do my entire car with maybe ½ an ounce of the stuff. I let it sit for an hour and then do it again. I do three coats. After that is just a waste.

Lots of black trim restorers out there. My personal favorite for the last several years has been the “wipe new” from rust oleum. Stick to hell and back, but absolutely shines/restores/protects all black plastic for YEARS with just one coat.
it’s no TV studio editing BS. It truly works and lasts for at least two years. I don’t use it on tires though, just the exterior plastic trims.

and that’s it!

atraudes

I appreciate that, thank you!

nc211

Attached should be a short video I got today while sitting at a stoplight in light rain to show how quiet the wipers are.

draculr

It may be mostly the clay bar that does the trick. Whenever I have wiper issues I first try to clay bar and it definitely improves things a lot!

nc211

no doubt the clay bar definitely helps, but it’s been my experience that it needs a little lubrication as well. The clay alone will make the glass perfectly clean, so clean the rubber of the blades also adhere to it too much.