Should I get one of these?

In theory there's nothing really wrong with using an orbital buffer to apply wax a bit quicker but i doubt it'll really save all that much time, so not sure there's any real value in spending even £60 on one just spread wax a bit faster.

Where/how are you washing the car? Would some sort of 'spray on / rinse off' type sealant (megs hybrid ceramic or gyeon wet coat type product) not be a better solution to the problem in the first place?
 
Kenai said:
Where/how are you washing the car? Would some sort of 'spray on / rinse off' type sealant (megs hybrid ceramic or gyeon wet coat type product) not be a better solution to the problem in the first place?
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Thanks I never knew products like that existed I’ll look into it.
 
I've used Wet Coat for when I've not been able to polish/wax in winter and it gives decent protection. Bought a bottle of CarPro Hydro2 Lite which is supposed to be better but not had the chance to try it yet. Both just need spraying onto a clean car one panel at a time and then rinsing off with a pressure washer.
 
Wax can give you bit more gloss but only if the paint is in excellent condition to start with. Wax is used very rarely these days in the detailing industry.

The spray on sealants are much faster and easier these days. I've used Wetcoat, Autobrite Magishield and Bilt Hamber Touch-on. All are fantastic products.
 
I fear I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this ceramic coating stuff. Firstly I’ll still have to apply it like a wax which defeats the purpose of doing so in the first place.

Secondly I probably should have ordered a spray on one but got carried away with the Auto Express reviews. Seems preparation is key whether you use a spray on one or hand application and that’s something I’m not good at.

I’ve never clay barred my car let alone waxed it and applying a ceramic coating requires some level of experience to do it properly.

I might just keep the bottle for use at some point in the future and use the normal carnauba wax I already have for the time being which is more forgiving in application.
 
I think you need to start small and work your way up.

Learn how to do a 2 bucket wash and then apply either a wax or a synthetic sealant OR one of the newer 'ceramic' (Not really a ceramic coating) finishing sprays.

You only NEED to clay bar to remove containments from the paintwork and this will all depend on the age of your car, conditions it has been driven and kept in among other things. Remember, a claybar is a light abrasive and it's just as possible to mess up your paintwork using it compared to say an orbital machine.

Overall it depends on what your objective is. Do you just want a clean car with some surface protection? Does your paintwork need correction? (As you have identified, this takes a degree of skill and the right process and products) You may have also noted the car detailing world is an endless black hole if you want it to be. You could, in theory, use a prewash treatment, foam, shampoo, de-iron, tar remover, clay-bar, separate wheel wash product for a maintenance wash and then a large choice of protection all with different pros and cons.

You appear to have started this journey wanting to save time applying a paste or liquid wax then ended it looking into ceramic coatings. What you will find is ceramic coatings actually require MORE care and attention to maintain than not having had one. There are plenty of easily applied paste wax products that you can probably largely get on the car by the time you have decontaminated your buffing pad and set-up the machine in preparation for use.
 
Well I’m going to order some spray stuff as well. I think what I have ordered is more geared towards the professional application and I just want something simple. It might not last as long as a “proper” ceramic coating but that’s harder to achieve and requires expertise.

I’ve got an Amazon gift card coming for Christmas which will pay for it. I’ll just keep the Shelby stuff with my collection of valeting products for future use one day maybe.

Thanks for everybody’s advice, I never would have got here without it.
 
Whilst some of them have ceramic in the name, things like Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic are not 'ceramic coatings' - they're a spray on sealant and that's all you need if you want something quick you can spray on and rinse off. They work best with a pressure washer but adequately enough with a decent pressure hose and spray nozzle.

This is why i initially asked 'how are you washing the car' - these spray on jobs won't be any better for you if you're trying to rinse the car out of a bucket with no running water, or with a low pressure hose but a hose with some decent pressure might well be ok.
 
I’ve got a Worx hydroshot which has a bottle attachment which I fill with some diluted AutoGlym Polar Blast to pre wash the car. Then I use the two bucket method to wash the car with some AutoGlym Body Shampoo and a microfibre wash mitt.

Rinse it down with the hydroshot and dry. Then I will fill the bottle with some ceramic spray stuff and spray all over the car, after which I will rinse again and dry.
 
The products i've mentioned don't need to be added to a washer attachment, just trigger spray on direct from the bottle and then rinse off with the hydroshot.

For what you describe, AutoGlym Polar Seal would be a better product, that's designed to be applied through a 'foam lance' type attachment. The entire AutoGlym Polar range sounds like it's pretty much ideal for what you're trying to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1x4AnWViGI
 
Thanks the bottle of stuff I was looking at didn’t have a spray nozzle on it. It was designed to go in a foam bottle. The Autobrite Direct Ceramic Magiseal 500ml.

Or should I go with Meguiar's G190526EU Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax 768ml which I can spray directly on.

What’s best for me Polar Seal, Autobrite or Meguiars?
 
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I've not tried them myself but Autobrite Direct stuff is usually good and Polar Seal reviews well, I doubt you'd be disappointed with either of them and they'd suit what you're trying to do.
 
Kenai said:
I've not tried them myself but Autobrite Direct stuff is usually good and Polar Seal reviews well, I doubt you'd be disappointed with either of them and they'd suit what you're trying to do.
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Thanks, the thing is I’ve only got one battery for the hydroshot and I can’t get another from Amazon because they can’t be flown over to Jersey. Also I’ve got a convertible roof and it’s not recommended to get Autobrite or Polar Seal on it.

In which case using the hydroshot as little as possible would be preferable in which case the Meguiars G190526EU Hybrid Ceramic Spray would suit as it would be one less use of the hydroshot.

If not I am sure I can find some way to juggle things around to allow me to charge the battery in between.
 
One way of doing it would be to Polar Blast it wait 10 minutes then rinse it down with hydroshot. Put the battery on charge. Then wash it with AutoGlym body shampoo and dry it with microfibre drying towel.

Maybe I don’t need to dry it at this stage but it’ll take half an hour to charge the battery by which time the car might be drying with the shampoo on leaving water marks.

Then when battery is charged either spray on Polar Seal or Autobrite and rinse it off with hydroshot, then dry with a second microfibre drying towel.

Only thing is does the paint need to be wet when you apply Polar Seal or Autobrite?
 
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