Review on 🚗 Chemical Guys HydroSlick HyperWax - Advanced SiO2 Ceramic Coating + High Gloss Car Wax (16 oz.) by Joel Gardner

I have been painting and detailing cars for 25 years. I've had pretty much every product under the sun that salespeople have given me to try over the years. I love 3M and TMP products because they just work. I have found a polymer top coat that I have been using for 13 years that protects and absorbs water for at least 6 months. Now I collect parts for hobbies, help neighbors and fix cars for resale. I no longer get suppliers with the latest and greatest to try. I approached the Chemical Guys about their marketing. I have used their Inner Clean product and carpet shampoo and was amazed and seen a lot about the new era of ceramic coatings and was really intrigued. until I saw the price. Then comes HydroSlick, which promises true ceramic protection with the ease of a traditional coating. I figured out what the heck and bought some. I took a leave of absence from work and decided to take my wife's 2011 Ford and give it a real finish. All fairings removed, washed and a full 3 step troubleshoot performed on the car (using Chemical Guys V32, 34, 38 Compounds). Washed and dried again overnight and applied HydroSlick the next day. I was very impressed with the application after managing to keep it on the applicator (the gel is shaking like jelly and wants to pop off the pad!). It seemed a bit more tiring for A: to keep track of where I applied the product, and B: it seemed to be more tiring to buff it (or maybe my hands were tired?). I was really impressed by the brilliance. Very beautiful. Neighbors even commented when I pulled it out of the garage. It was December 20th and now it's March, the car was parked outside during a downpour here at PDX and we drove it through another downpour. The rest of the car was in the garage. Now, a few months later, I wash my car and notice that the water isn't dripping off the car like it used to, it's barely dripping. And on top of that I find the car full of water stains! I have NEVER had a problem with water stains after treating my clients' cars and mine. I feel like I paid a heavy price for what was synonymous with snake oil. To say I'm not impressed would be an understatement. Perhaps if it were under $15 it would be worth using as you would obviously need to reapply every 45 days to maintain the "ceramic" effect. I went ahead and sanded the finish thoroughly to get rid of the water spots and went ahead and applied my trusty polymer sealer and I hammered it in with smart marketing. You won't get anything close to ceramic without buying an actual ceramic kit and spending around $100. Nice try, Chemical Guys, but it's a godsend.