We Decontaminated Our 16 Pro Ceramic Coatings After 1 Year | Should YOU Do The Same?

Does it really bring the ceramic coating back to life? Or are you better off letting the coating do its job? It's been an entire year since we test 16 different pro-level ceramic coatings on our employee Honda, let's see how decontaminating the paint goes for all the different ceramic coatings.
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[@ian300whp]

Looks like angelwax has the best hydrophobics before and after

[@272eddie]

Angelwax for the win for sure

[@ShineYourLightDetailing]

Update Videos RULE! Thank you Jason, truly appreciate it. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@achromaticwraps]

Cannot thank you enough for doing this! Huge amount of work and very well executed, Thank you Jason and the CAP team!

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

You are welcome!

[@neilwalker5041]

This series has been fun to watch and thank you because there has been a ton of work put into editing this video plus all the work on the car. Thank you for this fun series!

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

You are wlecome!

[@claudiadavies5110]

Gosh you work hard, thank you for your efforts 😊😊😊

[@aubreywhitley6889]

Thanks for a great video! There was a lot of work into applying this many coatings on various parts of the car! A few comments: I wish you would have shown more of the coatings performance after each product application. More that footage of you applying the products. That way we could have judge the effect of each product on the coatings It was interesting to see how the horizontal surface performed differently than the vertical ones. I guess that's to be be expected. Gravity you know. I don't know that I would have put tar remover all over the car. That seemed to have the most impact on the coatings And a few questions I'd like to know your opinion of which held up best before and after the decon. Which product did the most damage to the coatings?

[@verospremiumcarcare]

Another great video and SO MUCH time and effort put into this! Thank you Jason and the entire team at CAP and CSW! Now, to answer some questions! When doing Ceramic Coating Maintenance the Chemical Decontamination is PART of the process but using the brands Conditioner or Boost does help restore the coating even more. Not from an add more protection perspective but a “like likes like” perspective. Meaning if the last thing that touched the pores of the coating was a “like” aka ceramic based or ceramic friendly product vs. residual from other chemicals that don’t have any water behavior on their own you will see better performance. Essentially if the last chemical to touch the surface left nothing behind but the Ceramic Coating or gets along with the Ceramic you will see more water behavior. By Jason drying the paint it does help with removing residual product and that also is an important step in trying to “leave nothing behind” on top of the coating. When you think of residual, think of washing your hands with a strongly scented soap, you rinse and dry your hands but they still smell like that soap after. So what’s best is to use a chemical LAST designed to leave the pores of the coating with as little residual behind. This can be one of the reasons some coatings look worse after being decontaminated and some water behavior may return after the residual chemicals are washed away further. Also, chemically decontaminating a coating does not insure it’s completely contaminate free. If it’s 90% clogged before and 50% after you did improve the coating but it’s still not completely exposed. You can tell this by touching the surface after Decon. If it is not completely smooth then it may need another round or if the car is already scratched and swirled you can choose to LIGHTLY clay to speed up the process. You do risk marring the paint by claying so this is not advised on a properly corrected car. Coatings that are not completely exposed can not fully act like or look like themselves but may still completely be present on the surface. The best way to insure complete decontamination is to clay AND use chemicals but you do risk the chance of marring the coating. This is why you want to decontaminate more often. To stay on top of the contamination instead of chasing it when it’s too late. In a nutshell Iron Remover does not remove 100% of Iron embedded. Water spot remover doesn’t remove 100% of water spots. Etc. Stay on top of your maintenance in whatever brand you use and you will see much greater performance and get more longevity and use out of your Ceramic Coating. The longer you leave harmful contaminants on your coating, the more they attack your coating and cause premature failure. There is not a set standard for when to decontaminate your coating. Only suggestions. It depends on where you live, how much contamination is happening to YOUR vehicle over what period of time. Areas with major airports, rail roads, industrial factories etc will need to be decontaminated and boosted way more often then a Ceramic Coated show car. You’re your own best judge of when your car needs maintenance. Make sure you use Maintenance Conditioners, Toppers and Ceramic Boosts that are from the Brand of your Ceramic Coating. There’s no guarantee another Brand’s Ceramic Boost gets along with the chemistry of your Brand’s Ceramic Coating. But when they are designed by the same chemist, the two products are actually specifically engineered to get along together! I.E. Don’t put a Lexus Oil Filter on your Mercedes Benz. Hope that helps!

[@hudsonvalleydetail]

A important thing to consider is how well was it maintained with washes.

[@veedubfreak]

My Opti-Coat Pro is still going strong after nearly 9 years. But my car lives in the garage and only has 36k miles since having it done. Just did a polish last week and it's still smooth as glass. I was pretty amazed at how good the polish came out.

[@Ecdetails]

Waited a year for this 🎉 thanks fellas

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

You're Welcome

[@EclisseDetailing]

Wow I have not tried Angel Wax on my own vehicle or any clients but now i want to try it. I might have to order some for some of the next cars I do.

[@texfromro]

Im quite intrigued by the fact that you use carpro descale for cleaning the coatings but you dont have a carpro coating in test :). And also the tar remover is solvent based and not water based so it will not dilute in water... there's no need to use more when spraying on a damp panel

[@jbanda896]

Would be cool to see Shine Supply Beadlock pro and Marine on this Honda.

[@345detailing4]

The one product that I love for decontamination of coatings the most is Modesta M4 Smoke. I don’t know what it’s made of but it’s magical. I would suggest it for any coating

[@BradleyNilsen]

PDMS is a main ingredient lol, Polydimethysiloxane. What's in a lot of spray toppers.

[@amrautospa]

Angel wax absolutely killed it wow

[@Rickbearcat]

You might say to me that I should be the arbiter of the quality of the products after watching the video. But, KZbins compression and quality don't allow me to do that. And also, I don't have nearly the experience you do in this area. I rely on experts like yourself to give me that information. In your opinion, which system/product group did you like the best?

[@stephenlouden480]

that angel wax was the best by far from before starting throughout each step, and after.. awesome coating

[@mingoreyes1]

I would like to see mckees pro 2.0 and diy coatings on the list

[@daviddup1978]

Me too. For us DIY detailers lol

[@BillyStutz]

Great info. Appreciate your transparency. Curious question. Modesta, a coating you personally sell, seems to not be doing well. Will this test influence your decision to keep selling it going forward?

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

Yes, we no longer carry Modesta.

[@markthayne2408]

Was Genesis (pro line) or Legacy used for Angelwax? Their Genesis can be difficult to work with but one of the most durable coatings I've every seen/used.

[@Ecdetails]

Pro

[@kevinmonzon1509]

Wow!! a lot of them don’t like this decon process

[@robl6044]

Wow and these are pro coatings even with Jason doing proper maintenance only a couple of my really see her standing out G technic Angel waxs but I rooting for Dura slick And thanks for doing this

[@braedonseal4169]

System X: You have to 2k grit sand our coating to remove it! *or just drive your car*

[@iwayanadisaputra9733]

Isn't solvent will totally remove the ceramic coat? Thats why some coat act worse after the process.. 😅 I coat my car and apply coat safe sealant (usually water based) after every wash, wash the car every week. Even after several years the hydrophobic and water sheeting still pretty good without a decent maintenance.

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

Not if its a good coating

[@bulletproofbubbles6915]

A good ceramic coating will have great chemical resistance

[@erich6879]

Do you ever think about all the chemicals used in your industry that are being introduced into our water system? What is the car care industry doing to make sure all these chemicals are not ultimately harming us or our kids? JUST A THOUGHT.

[@seventysschev]

Reputable shops like this one have some kind of collection tank that has to get emptied out and processed through a treatment facility before re-entering water supplies. Many car wash/detailing chemicals are biodegradable as well. The EPA has regulations all over this industry. That said, Google is your friend.

[@purityautohygienics]

Where’s the 18 month update? 😅🎉

[@pristineclean5323]

Do you mind providing what SB3 product was installed in this testing? Was it their 5 year Alpha?

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

All brands tested in this video used each company's pro coatings!

[@Detailpops]

For some reason descale seems to clog or make my water stick more than before using it. No idea why. I use a regular water spot remover now to unclog coatings but descále didn’t help just made it worse.

[@orthodox1717]

I've read this before. Strange.

[@Detailpops]

@@orthodox1717 Yeah I went to to a declog on a customer and only one panel was sticking , after the whole car was. It was crazy.

[@bulletproofbubbles6915]

I've personally experienced the same thing and do not understand why

[@robwright3064]

Carpro Reset would have been a better option than descale, imo.

[@AJ56]

What are the specs on your pressure washer? Make, model and flow rate? Thanks.

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

ARBLUE 630. 2.0 gallons per minute.

[@AJ56]

@@ChicagoAutoPros thanks!

[@sierrag8412]

Which one would you recommend between Xpel and Gtechniq.

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

We can't make any recommendations. However, we offer Gtechniq at our locations.

[@johndinh2913]

Wow, so much for years of protection. Looks like they degraded really fast

[@oneemotiva4975]

hi Questions, can you or should you after certain time clay your car when is ceramic coated? then start again with polishing and ceramic coating>>>

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

You can clay a coated car, you do risk marring or scratching the paint.

[@oneemotiva4975]

@@ChicagoAutoPros thank you for the reply. So what should be the correct step? just wash, decontaminate and then re ceramic coat the car?

[@aubreywhitley6889]

@@ChicagoAutoPros Would you be marring the coating or the paint?

[@thebrasstack6523]

As a certified SystemX installer, my decon process goes as follows… Wash (CarPro Reset), rinse, iron remover (CarPro IronX), agitate, rinse, inspect for tar and spot clean where needed (CarBrite Eradicator), clay mitt very carefully (WorkStuff), rinse, blow dry, finish dry carefully with a plush microfiber towel. It is my experience that, even with a monthly maintenance wash, 9 times out of 10, the iron remover still doesn’t remove all of the contaminants and the rest still need to be removed by a careful clay mitt process. The clay mitt shouldn’t cause any damage to the coating if used properly. Tar remover CAN cause premature degradation of the coating IF it’s left on the surface too long. This is why I only spot-clean with this product rather than blanket a large area with it. Hope this helps!

[@aubreywhitley6889]

@@thebrasstack6523 A couple of things I'm surprised you don't do a final wash after the clay mitt. Just to be sure the IronX, Eradicator are neturalized and any contaminates loosened by the clay mitt are removed. I know they should stick to the mitt but ... What do you use for a clay lube?

[@tommyholt3465]

These got toppers previously, am I right? I think at 2 months and/or 6 months?

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

You are correct.

[@tommyholt3465]

Thanks for doing this. It’s very helpful.

[@waltergray9182]

@@ChicagoAutoPros where's gyeon

[@Rickbearcat]

What good is this video if you don't give us your thoughts and opinions at the end on how well you thought these products held up after the year?

[@bulletproofbubbles6915]

They've said they do not want to put any opinions out so people won't think they are biased. Look at it this way, the video displays professional installers applying professional ceramic Coatings and letting us see what happens over time to form our own opinion.

[@Rickbearcat]

@@bulletproofbubbles6915 The video quality is not high enough for me to see a clear “winner” here. And since they are the experts, i expect them to give an opinion on products they recommend. If they have a bias, that’s for a reason.

[@MyGuyKirby]

Just a thought but would these products be applied at various times during the year? All four is a bit overboard. Example is tar removal during warm weather

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

If you were to decon this is the process to do, I am failing to understand why it would matter if its warm or not.

[@trey6638]

All depends on what you are trying to accomplish since each one has it's own purpose in what it is trying to remove. For a big maintenance wash like this, I'd use the descale, tar remover, and iron remover. Descale will remove most water spotting, so I probably wouldn't use the spot rinse since it's essentially the same thing but just a little stronger. For me, I only do a decon every 6 months, once in the spring time to remove all the junk from winter, and once in the fall to get ready for winter again.

[@MyGuyKirby]

@@ChicagoAutoPros Unlikely to have road tar in cold temps or winter driving. Our summer heat and road construction is often when you find road tar on those lower panels in my experience.

[@larrysing]

Tar remover removed those coatings in the spots that went flat. It’s a murderer.

[@PeteyMcSavage]

Angel wax holy smokes

[@LCculater]

Dawn ultra dishwashing soap is the greatest and only cost 3 dollars and no fuss 😂 way too much work and time is money for the customer

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

Do you work for Dawn?

[@kenmartin756]

Now that I have seen a few videos, I prefer the old Jason look (with the longer beard)!

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

I think I am going to test some different lengths, LOL

[@orthodox1717]

Beards are masculine, the way it should be! Not this feminizing, emasculating culture we live in. Leave the shaving to women.

[@gustaafssoon1863]

oh some swedish love there from pureest

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

In love with Pureest

[@GeminiGiant]

Decontamination efforts seem to make almost all worse. Im curious as to how many of these products come from the same place and are essentially the same thing? Hmmm

[@jeff8039]

I'll stick to good old polish & wax. lol Not a fan of snake oil.

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

Wax works great, but would would have been completely gone and dead after 2 months in this test. Pretty good testament that ceramic coatings are certainly not snake oil.

[@bulletproofbubbles6915]

It's perfectly okay to have your personal preference. There are many that do not care what its best. They simply like the process of applying wax. It should be obvious at this point ceramic coatings are far far from snake oil and superior to wax

[@dontlook8748]

This dude looks so much better without the Taliban beard, shave every day, and look 10 years younger

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

I'm blushing.

[@amyotterness1906]

I think he looks handsome without and SEXY with. 🔥

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

First!!!!!!

[@MyGuyKirby]

Always you tag in to the great video content

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

@@MyGuyKirby 👍👍👍

[@HamidKhan-qu6mh]

Less talk more action . It be better if nit talk at all .

[@ChicagoAutoPros]

Noted! Thank you!