TTBear

On the highway, nothing beats the Valentine 1 for early warning - but, in town, its false alarms will drive you crazy. Escort 360 Max is a great option, especially now that V1's patent has expired on the directional arrows, and Escort has them too - it is much better at eliminating in-town false alarms. As I don't need in-town detection, I use a Valentine 1. It's saved my ass countless times.

Hahaha - thanks - we are still in "negotiations" LOL

So, I watched a couple of episodes of the "new" Top Gear USA, now called Top Gear America. It was just OK - the three new presenters are more than a little wooden, and the dialogue is so obviously scripted. I see they have adopted the UK format a little, which may or may not be a good thing. Maybe they need time to gel, and establish a rapport with one another? Hopefully it improves. It needs to. Quick question - in the second episode, the track test a Huracan Spyder. Several times, Tom Ford states that it is the "all wheel drive, higher horsepower" Spyder. Am I going nuts? Here are a few screen shots: Clearly, steel, cross-drilled rotors (where the Spyder Huracan - ie - LP610 Spyder) has carboceramics as standard: Front and rear end fascias clearly NOT the LP610/Spyder Huracan: Opinions - is this the Huracan Spyder (ie - LP610 Spyder) or the RWD Spyder (ie - LP580 Spyder)? (There may be a little wager involved with a fellow Lambro in this..... LOL) Thanks for your opinions, all!

EXACTLY - that Nero Noctis broke my heart. It looked absolutely fantastic when it was just detailed, but apart from that.... Jesus........ I will PM you regarding the Nanohide, in order not to detract from the OP's post. Thanks, Scotty

Thanks Scotty - I appreciate your input. I guess for me, I treat all of our cars equally, and would never run any of them through a car wash. I did consult with good friend who is a master painter (he has won multiple best in show awards for paint, specifically). He said to be cautious - that you cannot generalize, and say that trucks have harder paint than any other cars (in fact, he did say "Ford trucks have some of the shittiest paint I've seen, and when you sand it, it just powders off stupid easy"). So, for the OP, I would be especially careful. Just a thought. I think I know why some of your many Lambos had harder paint than others? My guy reminded me about ceramic paint - predominantly on Mercedes, but used on other higher-end cars, too (including Lambo, maybe?) - this might explain why you have encountered harder paint? Their paint code will end with a "C". Maybe? Dunno. I agree, though - lots of variation in clear coat hardness, even within the same manufacturer. Lexus seems to be consistent. BMW is all over the place. Lambo is also crazy variable - perhaps because they use ceramic paints, perhaps just because they use different clear coats. Was your black Murci Nero Noctis? My LP560 was, and it was soooooo fricking soft it broke my heart. That was definitely a case where applying a nanocoating made it less prone to marring! I have been wanting to try Nanohide, but can't seem to source it. I am not a professional detailer, so I am limited to accessing the prosumer products

Weird - sorry, double post.

WTF???? You've never driven my car?!?! I thought for sure you had. What am I thinking. Yes you have. FOOOK you. LOL!!!!

That is AWESOME! I wish I had made it to cars and coffee! I was the exact same - I had this massive poster of the Countach on my wall when I was a kid. I still have it. I pronounced it "Lamborgnee", LOL. Good for you, Sean. Glad for you.

If you are OK with driving your non-coated car through a drive-through car wash, then it's fine. If you are more fastidious with your car, and wouldn't drive through a car wash (I am), then I definitely wouldn't expose it to the harsh detergents of a drive-through, and certainly not any one that has stuff coming in contact with the car (jesus, what if the guy that went through the car wash just before you, just went off-roading or something similar... the amount of shit imbedded in those "soft cloths" would be brutal). Ceramic coatings are strong, but they are far from invincible - they have to be maintained just as regular clear coat does. If you go to autopia.org, they have a multitude of threads about scratch resistance of coatings, and universally, the pros will state that none of the ceramic coatings really provide any scratch/marring protection. (That said, the ceramic coating I did on my Nero Noctis LP560 was a godsend - ANYTHING would be better than that mar-prone paint!!!). Here is a good article on how to care for your ceramic coating: http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/mai...only-04-20-2017 After reading the article, I found that care of your coated car is basically just washing it carefully, just as you would do if you didn't want to damage your clear coat. I am a little more careful with my paint than the average guy, so my opinion may be a little more strict than others. I think basically, if you don't mind some micro-marring or swirls, then by all means use a drive-through, keeping in mind that the ceramic coating is not going to afford you much, if any protection against it.

From the XPel web site, in response to the question "Can I apply a ceramic coating on top of the film, and how does it affect the self-healing feature of XPel": Yes. Ceramic coatings will not harm the film and will not interfere with the self-healing properties of the ULTIMATE or STEALTH paint protection films. I top XPel with a ceramic coating all the time - it makes cleaning it much, much easier. Coating wheels with a dedicated wheel ceramic coating is a god send - brake dust just rinses away. Same thing with exhaust pipes. Can't say enough positive about the stuff.

It does, but only minimally. It's not really designed for that. Think of it as a super-sealant/wax. If you apply it over swirl marks, you'll just seal in the swirl marks in a nice glass coating. I know some of the detailer guys on Autopia have been asked to apply a coating on paint that is suboptimally prepared, and from a distance, the car looks great. Up close, however, when you get past the shine, you can still see swirls easily. It's really meant to apply over paint that has been corrected impeccably.

That is their basic formulation. Their CQuartz UK version is better - it is designed to be applied in, and withstand better, cold conditions. This is it: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/cquartz-uk-...ml#.WGVZDGczXcs (The Reload stuff is a second, sacrificial layer, that you apply once the coating is cured. You apply it periodically to maintain the coating - it actually works great, but it is tricky to remove without introducing streaks!)

It's not a waste of money if you apply the nanocoating on top of the PPF (which is absolutely fine, and works very well), in which case your car will still gain the benefit of a fantastic (and very noticeable, in my opinion) appearance, as well as being easier to clean, and keep clean! The Huracan above (my car) has full-car PPF coverage, and has a nanocoating applied over top of it. Perhaps the surface preparation on your cars wasn't perfect? That, of course, is the main determining factor in what your finish will ultimately look like. I can easily spend 30+ hours on a car's paint only, even on a car that isn't too badly messed up, before applying any last step protection. To each their own, of course. I love the results, in terms of appearance and ease of upkeep. +1 CarPro makes some phenomenal products - many of them truly innovative!

I have used CQuartz, and a few other ceramic coatings (Wolfgang Über ceramic is another of my faves - have also used Kamikaze Miyabi, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, and Optimum Gloss Coat). If you are new to the field of ceramic coatings for your cars, you will be amazed at the gloss that they impart to your car's finish. That said, you MUST ensure that the paint is polished/corrected perfectly, and is devoid of any marring, scratches, swirl marks, etc, prior to applying the coating. Once this is done, the coating will bead water like crazy, shine like you would not believe, and last for years (yes, years, in some cases). The only caveat that I might add, is that some of the carnauba wax purists deride the coatings' looks, saying that it looks "artificial", and "plasticky". The newest ones largely blur this divide, and offer unbelievable gloss, with the deep glow that carnaubas will provide. Also, there are consumer/prosumer ceramic coatings, and there are professional-detailer-only ones that us plebs can't even purchase. If you are considering CQuartz, there are a few types: CQuartz, CQuartz UK (designed to withstand harsher/colder environments), and CQuarts Finest (professional-only. There are some pros that state that UK and Finest are pretty damn close in terms of results, though. This past summer, I did a LP member's (12097) Superleggera with CQuartz UK. Here is a link to the detail: http://www.autopia.org/forums/click-brag-t...html?highlight= This is a link to the detail I did on my own car, a Nero Helene Huracan, done with Wolfgang Über Ceramic: http://www.autopia.org/forums/click-brag-t...html?highlight= A few pics, if you're too lazy to click on the links, LOL: That detail got featured on Autopia's Facebook page. My car: If you are applying yourself (and there's no reason not to - coatings are a LITTLE trickier to apply than your run-of-the-mill waxes/sealants, but eminently doable) - I'd try CQuartz UK, Wolfgang Über Ceramic, Kamikaze Miyabi, or Polish Angel Viking Coat (haven't tried this yet, but topped with their new "High Gloss" spray, it's supposed to be other-worldly amazing! It will be my next coating for sure). If you are getting it done professionally, I'd consider CQuartz Finest, Modesta (can't remember the exact model number, but it is STELLAR), or Kamikaze ISM. Modesta has a limited number of detailers that carry it, but wow - it is truly breathtaking. Try it - I was sceptical, but now, I'd never go back to a wax or sealant. Good luck in your decision!

+1. ExotiCARe is amazing - their workmanship and choice of finishes is startling. www.exoticare.ca https://www.instagram.com/droid6/ I have no affiliation with them, but like to give credit where it's due. Every time I buy a car, I already have a custom set of mats from Andrew at ExotiCARe ready to go.