Pearl Nano ceramic coating

tom.gnade · 01-23-2017, 07:50 AM

I just finished applying Pearl Nano coating and the car looks awesome. I can see why they charge so much now. It took a serious amount of time and effort: pre-treat, wash, clay bar, wash, polish, alcohol wipe-down, paint repair with dr. colorchip (3 passes), more alcohol (for me and the car), then spot polishing to remove every visible swirl mark and minimize scratches. All that just to get ready to apply the product!

The ceramic coating is 2 stages. They need to be applied in a warm, dry environment, so I ran a heater and dehumidifier in my garage, which kept it at about 70 degrees. The coatings need to be applied very evenly and carefully, without any gaps in coverage. After it is applied, you have to wait a temperature-dependent period of time (2-4 min) before buffing. When I missed removing the material in one spot on my outside mirror, the product appeared to have flashed to a pale haze, but it came off without much effort.

The coating process itself is easier than waxing, since the material applies and buffs so easily, but it needs to be done very methodically, 1 panel at a time, keeping the dry time consistent. As a precaution, I alcohol-prepped each panel immediately prior to applying the base coat material. The top-coat ceramic applies directly over the base coat and definitely adds an extra measure of gloss.

Total time was about 15 hours of work. My wife wasn't too happy about it - she got stuck with a tricky 2 year old for an entire weekend because all the work has to happen in back-to-back sessions, so the car stays spotlessly clean and dry.

Applying this stuff is a real pleasure, it's almost like liquid glass going on the car. Very cool stuff. Hopefully it will hold up over the next few years, because I won't feel like doing that again for a while! I'm going to go take some advil now. Lol.

tom.gnade · 01-23-2017, 11:25 AM

Pics

cpie168 · 01-23-2017, 03:55 PM

Awesome job my friend!!!

PerthBMW · 01-24-2017, 12:14 AM

Very very well done and extremely impressive - you won't want to take it outside now!!

SHEEDI · 01-24-2017, 09:51 AM

Looks Great

Gig103 · 01-24-2017, 11:23 PM

Daaamn! That shine is so awesome, it looks wet!

tom.gnade · 01-25-2017, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gig103

Daaamn! That shine is so awesome, it looks wet!

I know, I love it!

01-23-2017, 07:50 AM	#1
tom.gnade Apex Forged 19", AA headers, MILVs, 3IM, Euro Intake, Swift Spec-R 87 Rep 255 Posts Drives: 2013 328i coupe Join Date: May 2016 Location: Forest Hill, MD iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW 328i [0.00]	Pearl Nano ceramic coating I just finished applying Pearl Nano coating and the car looks awesome. I can see why they charge so much now. It took a serious amount of time and effort: pre-treat, wash, clay bar, wash, polish, alcohol wipe-down, paint repair with dr. colorchip (3 passes), more alcohol (for me and the car), then spot polishing to remove every visible swirl mark and minimize scratches. All that just to get ready to apply the product! The ceramic coating is 2 stages. They need to be applied in a warm, dry environment, so I ran a heater and dehumidifier in my garage, which kept it at about 70 degrees. The coatings need to be applied very evenly and carefully, without any gaps in coverage. After it is applied, you have to wait a temperature-dependent period of time (2-4 min) before buffing. When I missed removing the material in one spot on my outside mirror, the product appeared to have flashed to a pale haze, but it came off without much effort. The coating process itself is easier than waxing, since the material applies and buffs so easily, but it needs to be done very methodically, 1 panel at a time, keeping the dry time consistent. As a precaution, I alcohol-prepped each panel immediately prior to applying the base coat material. The top-coat ceramic applies directly over the base coat and definitely adds an extra measure of gloss. Total time was about 15 hours of work. My wife wasn't too happy about it - she got stuck with a tricky 2 year old for an entire weekend because all the work has to happen in back-to-back sessions, so the car stays spotlessly clean and dry. Applying this stuff is a real pleasure, it's almost like liquid glass going on the car. Very cool stuff. Hopefully it will hold up over the next few years, because I won't feel like doing that again for a while! I'm going to go take some advil now. Lol. Last edited by tom.gnade; 01-23-2017 at 01:07 PM.. Reason: to fix title
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01-23-2017, 11:25 AM	#2
tom.gnade Apex Forged 19", AA headers, MILVs, 3IM, Euro Intake, Swift Spec-R 87 Rep 255 Posts Drives: 2013 328i coupe Join Date: May 2016 Location: Forest Hill, MD iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW 328i [0.00]	Pics Attached Images
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01-23-2017, 03:55 PM	#3
cpie168 Major 173 Rep 1,117 Posts Drives: 2010 E90 328i 6MT ZSP BSM Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: K/W and GTA, Ontario, Canada iTrader: (1)	Awesome job my friend!!!
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01-24-2017, 12:14 AM	#4
PerthBMW Captain 219 Rep 690 Posts Drives: 2019 X3 M40i Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia iTrader: (0) Garage List 2019 BMW X3 M40i [0.00]	Very very well done and extremely impressive - you won't want to take it outside now!!
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01-24-2017, 09:51 AM	#5
SHEEDI Banned 602 Rep 2,703 Posts Drives: 2009 335i - Sport PKG Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 335i [8.50]	Looks Great
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01-24-2017, 11:23 PM	#6
Gig103 Major 68 Rep 1,324 Posts Drives: 2014 Tesla P85D Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Gilbert, AZ iTrader: (1)	Daaamn! That shine is so awesome, it looks wet! __________________ Was: 2008 335xi sedan 6MT Black Sapphire Metallic Is: 2014 Tesla P85D (Blue Metallic) Wife's: 2013 Infiniti G37 S sedan 6MT, Black
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