How to maintain a good hydrophobic effect of the car paint?
Hydrophobicity is the most basic effect that you can get when protecting your car, and wax, ceramic coating, and PPF, all provide a certain degree of it. However, why is the hydrophobic effect different for all of these products? Which one is the most effective? How to maintain a durable hydrophobic effect for all these three products?
Today we will talk about how to make the most out of your hydrophobic effect.
Which product provides the best hydrophobic effect?
Wax
It was a big thing more than 10 years ago when ceramic coating popularity still didn’t reach its peak. It is relatively cheap and easy to apply, increase the glossiness of the car paint, and provides an excellent hydrophobic effect. Unfortunately, wax does not provide a real thick layer on the car paint, and its effect it’s limited to a few weeks only. In most cases, a simple car wash with neutral detergents will be able to decrease its effectiveness. Because of its relatively affordable price, wax can be re-applied every time it is needed, to maintain a good hydrophobic effect for the car paint. However, you should keep in mind that in the long run, the budget to invest in frequent wax applications might be higher than the one to invest in a ceramic coating.
Ceramic coating
Provides a wide variety of protective effects such as hydrophobicity, anti-corrosion, easy cleaning, and water repellency. Most ceramic coatings combine a multi-layered structure of 9H hardness with a final layer of nano-hairs, which is responsible for a more durable hydrophobic effect. This ensures several months of hydrophobic effect protection, which will help maintain your vehicle cleaner with little maintenance.
When your ceramic coating is affected by heavier contamination such as water spots or bird droppings, you will have to use stronger detergents to restore its original conditions. This will decrease the properties of the protective layer, which will have to be reapplied to restore the hydrophobicity. KubeBond’s new ION replaces the nano-hair of the past, with an actual solid 3D “spiked” structure that improves the resistance to strong chemicals. Therefore, the hydrophobic effect will still be visible even after using strong detergents and solvents on your vehicle. Remember to do regular maintenance of your car as suggested by your detailer, to maintain the hydrophobic effect always in the best conditions.
PPF
Widely known as the best solution to scratches and rock chips, PPF’s popularity increased in recent years. Most of the PPFs provide a good degree of hydrophobicity, which is granted by a layer of generic coating applied to it. Surprisingly, its durability is not as long as you would expect. Excessive pulling and stretching of the PPF during its application might compromise the coating layer on it, and limit the durability of the hydrophobic effect. Moreover, continuous exposure to the sun and other weather elements will contribute to the deterioration of the hydrophobic effect.
KubeBond’s KUBEBOND ION PPF - 高性能車體貼膜 was designed to break the barriers that limit the PPF industry nowadays. It replaces the generic coating of PPF with a thick ceramic layer of ION, which thanks to its 3D hydrophobic structure, grants a long-lasting hydrophobic effect. Moreover, it fully seals the surface of the PPF from contacting the weather elements, avoiding yellowing for a long time.
Which product do I choose?
Based on the above information, you might have concluded that ceramic coating is the best choice if you are looking for a long lasting hydrophobic effect. Avoid wax, as you will have to re-apply it several times to maintain a decent hydrophobic effect. On top of that, the polishing that is needed to remove the old wax from the paint will decrease the thickness of the clear coat. Although ceramic coating offers a more durable hydrophobic effect, contamination might still impact its durability. Therefore, we suggest you choose from the latest products in the ceramic coating industry, such as ION, to provide your car with the most durable hydrophobic effect. As for PPF, the industry is advancing rapidly, and we expect it to provide a more durable hydrophobic effect very soon. With KubeBond we always worked to be the pioneers of the car detailing industry, and we believe that our ION PPF will set new standards that will be followed by many.
