Nano-coatings, ceramic coatings, CQuartz...

Dealerships are notorious for putting their new cars through their own detail shop to get them ready to sell only to have their so call in-house detailers install swirls and scratches at the same time they're supposed to be making the car look beautiful. It's sad to say, but that's how almost all the new and used car dealerships in the United States work.
So after getting your brand new car home, here's what you should do.

1. Wash with 2 buckets and dry using a blower and then with waffer weave towel.
2. Inspect the paint with your sense of touch and visually in bright, overhead sunlight.
3. Iron X paint and wheels - Then re-wash to remove the Iron X residues off the paint and wheels.
4. Clay - You should do this to remove anything on the paint surface.
5. Polish - If needed. A inspection will tell you.......Which is a must to do before layer any type of coating.
6. Apply a Paint Sealant, Ceramic coating or one that will protect the paint and last over a year, then top it off with a film system.

My car is getting the CQuartz Finest treatment next month. Looking forward to it

Or if you can, put a deposit down for a car and tell them not to fuckin touch the damn thing when it arrives haha. Or have them pay for a 3rd party detailer of your choices as an incentive for you to make the purchase. But I totally know all about what dealership detailers do to a car before they sell it. I used to be a detailer when I was in highschool over a decade ago and I admit we didn't give two shits about the cars besides doing a quick job. Even the dealers themselves don't car. One time I noticed a very small dent on a white car I just got done detailing for a sale and told the salesman he just told me to stay quite about it. That is why I never trust a word anyone at a dealership says.

As an accredited CQuartz Professional & CQuartz FINEST Reserve installer, I feel I can chime in a bit on the whole 'coating' topic.

First off - there has been a lot of good information and advise in this thread. @TabsAZ pointed out some great common misconceptions that are unfortunately brought into the marketplace by manufacturers and even the detailers that are simply wrong. Part of the reason I chose to become CQuartz Authorized was because of their openness, honesty, and fair marketing, as a matter of fact.

Coatings are not a magic product. This is almost the first thing I tell my potential clients when we begin the coating discussion. Typically, here is how I summarize the purpose of a coating in general when I am having to give a client a very brief run-down (note this is how I talk, not how I would traditionally type this out):

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"Coatings are not a magic product that will protect your car from everything the world throws at it. Just like anything else - if the vehicle is not properly maintained after the coating is applied, the effects of the coating will not last as long as they should. I promote a coating as designed to act as a sacrificial layer between the environment and your clearcoat - to provide essential, durable protection against UV rays, bird bombs, environmental fallout, etc. While they are not going to prevent heavy scratching, they do have some abrasion resistance depending on the coating chosen. However, the true key to benefiting long term results is that the surface becomes very hydrophobic, meaning that water and other forms of liquids can will simply glide off the paintwork and not 'stick' as easily. This makes maintenance washing and cleaning significantly easier - which in turn drastically reduces the possibility of instilling damage back into the surface during the wash and dry process."
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Over the past couple years, there has been an incredible amount of coatings appear in the marketplace; and really, why not? It's becoming a more and more popular choice for protection because of some of the points listed above and in this thread.

However - I strongly suggest that anyone looking at either A: Applying a coating themselves, or B: Having a coating professionally applied, seriously take into consideration not just the product you are buying and the potentially falsified or unrealistic claims tied to it - but instead focus on the products reputation in the professional world, the support provided by your supplier and/or the manufacturer, the claims tied to the product ("fire-proof and made out of space glass" is probably a bad sign"), and of course the budget you have in mind.


Over the past several years I have used many of the popular coatings available, including: CQuartz, GTechniq, Optimum, Chemical Guys, 22ple, Gyeon, and many more. Each of them has their strengths and weaknesses - but at the end of the day, I chose to become CQuartz Professional/FINEST Reserve Authorized because the manufacturer and the US/Canadian supplier markets fairly with honest and accurate claims of durability and protection - and truly stands behind their product.

OP - to more precisely respond to what you had originally asked, see my personal opinions below:

Wyborowa said:

So my question is short and simple..

If one would apply one of the 3 types of car paint coatings, will this theoretically make the clear coat thicker..? Can you claybar and Polish your car with a D/A orbiter AFTER one of these 3 coatings is applied?

There are (3) types of 'typical' protection - wax, sealant, nano-coatings. If you use a sealant, you can top with wax for it's looks, but doing this vice-versa would be counterproductive. If you are using a coating - that goes down first, and you can use the manufacturers recommended 'top-off' product after maintenance washes/whenever required.

Coatings will add some 'thickness' to the overall paintwork, in the sense that some of the better ones can add upwards of 3-5 microns of protection. However, this is not the thickness added to the clear-coat, just the thickness of the coatings (which should be taken as a sacrificial layer between the environment and your clear-coat).

With some coatings, you can use very specific products to polish afterwards - CarPro has the Essence Plus polish, which is essentially designed to repair coatings and remove very fine damages within it. I could go on and on about this product, but otherwise - NO you would not polish the paint after coating, nor clay bar. Use the suggest products for cleaning (IronX, TarX, Reload, etc depending on manufacturer chosen)

I'm looking to be able to Polish my car maybe 1-2 times a year lightly (no compounding/heavy cutting stuff) without worrying of removing the clear coat after 5 years owning the car..

If you decide to coat the car and perform proper maintenance washing and drying, there is no reason you should have to polish the car every year. You could potentially go years without polishing.

Will a coating system act in a way like a clear coat..?

Sort of answered above, but no. The coating is sacrificial and (if it's a reputable product) will make the surface hydrophobic (water repellent/easier to clean), resistant to UV damages, bird poo and chemicals, etc. When it dies off and fails, you can re-coat or polish/re-coat. When your clear-coat fails, however, you are respraying the panel.

SOrry for the confusing questions... Ask me anything if you need clarification!

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Sorry for my confusing answers! But there's a lot more that goes into everything above. I tried to keep it short.

Looking forward to my CQuartz Finest next week
Getting some Chemical Guys products too to treat my car afterwards.

ikbenben said:

Looking forward to my CQuartz Finest next week
Getting some Chemical Guys products too to treat my car afterwards.

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Nice! I would recommend using the CarPro Reset shampoo for your daily washes. Not so much what is in it, but what is not in it. No gloss enhancers, no added protection - nothing left behind. Otherwise, other shampoos will leave residuals behind that counteract the effects of the coating.

Or, use Hydrofoam to add some protection during your wash as well that will be compatible with the CQuartz coating.

Alright, I read through this but I just want to be clarified. I bought the $500 Nano- cure from Honda. I'm planning on washing my car and waxing it with car guys liquid wax link:......https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01E4MC066?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image ....After reading this discussion I came to the conclusion waxing my car would be a waste of time? Or will be adding that type of wax help? Sorry for the confusion I need some clarification.