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Thanks for the warm congratulations guys ! Sometimes even I am at a loss of words, so I’ll just say it with a famous theme song to explain what the Carnity family stands for: It's like you're always stuck in second gear When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but I'll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour) I'll be there for you (Like I've been there before) I'll be there for you ('Cause you're there for me too)

My GC is ceramic coated and did not have a swirl on it for the first year but after just 2 drives I started noticing the swirls and then gave up. Desert sand will blow of any car coated or not. Yes, I agree with the dust showing up in 30 seconds on a black car but that is something you can't avoid. It will happen even if you coat your car but will not look as bad when a car is coated or polished due to the reflections on a shiny black surface. To ceremaic coat a car you first wash, then have to decontaminate the paint to remove bonded brake dust and anything else stuck to the surface that you can not even see, clay the entire body and then polish atleast twice to remove all swirls and scrates that have not gone through the clear coat. Once all of the above is done, you have to wipe down with a non oily alcohol to remove any oils left from the polish and only then apply the ceramic coating. When you apply the coating, it can take anywhere between 60 seconds to 5 minutes to flash depending on the weather and has to be buffed immediately. If not buffed of at the right time, it will dry and then you will have to wet sand to remove it. A good ceramic job will cost at least 3k and last for about 2 years if you put in the effort to maintain it. Spend 200 every 6 month for a good waxing for the body and you will be good. One thing I always tell people when they ask about detailing is " Do it if you have the time to maintain/wash it yourself. The car wash places and the mall car wash guys will mess it up in a month"

Congrats @Wrangeld. Well done to both of you.

@Xafcongrats and well done. If you want to throw sand, drive behind me. 😅

Thing is people think ceramic coating is somekind of miracle auto carwash. That once they use it they will never have to wash or take care of their car again, at least for a year anyway. CC is really for those people who are nuts about their rides and like to keep it better than factory finish quality all the time. The kind that clean even the inside of the AC vents daily with a soft bristle brush More than anything it's paint protection the ease of cleaning is a secondary added bonus.

I totally agree with @Brette. I have done 3M Paint protection for my Pajero and it lasted max 6 months instead of 2 year warranty before minor swirls started to appear. However I was impressed with overall shiny look and smooth finish that last till now. It "might be" coz of the special paint and hardener I have used for the paint job and not only coating (not sure 100%). I paid 650 for 3M Paint Protection (Silicon coating) not ceramic, only for exterior from the 1050 package of interior (scotchgard) and exterior (paint protection) from Apex Gulf in 2017. Check the pictures here at there shop, just after the coating.

congratulations!!👍

@Shamil I have done my fair share of ceramic coatings for my car's and for paying customers too. Would not suggest you do a ceramic coating on your xterra or on any car being used for desert drives. The difference between the coating and a wax is that the coating stays put for around 18-24 months if applied the correct way and maintained. A wax on the other hand will last for about 3 months and is a lot more easy to apply. With ceramic coatings many dealers will give you a whole load of cr*p but don't fall for that. Yes, there are benefits and I would suggest it if the car is not being used in the desert and being maintained by someone passionate about always having their car spotless and swirl free. If a car is ceramic coated correctly, you invest in a good quality car duster and dust the car everyday and you can do this for about 2 weeks before you have to wash the car. However, if your car is parked outside and is dusty and there is dew overnight it does not make a difference if coated or not, you will have to wash the car to get it clean as once wet the dust will stick to ceramic too. Can give you more info on these coating if you want because they have a lot of advantages too but not for a car that gets a sand blasting every weekend. And yeah, don't try doing it at home because it's unforgiving if you mess up and will require wet sanding the car to remove it.

Congratulation @Frederic. You have made a very special place in our hearts from the time you joined our Carnity family. You are very helpful in nature, don't shy away from hard labour and still carry a huge smile and some witty remarks. You and your little blue dune tearing machine have proved that by putting the instructions to good practice you can conquer any dune. With your sweet nature you've put several smiles on each one of our lives. Thank you for being you.

Congrats Xaf. Your supreme control across the dunes is a pleasure to watch. I guess only being flown by you could be better!

Very good news, congrats @Frederic. We are so lucky to have you in Carnity!

some groups have a whats-app or telegram group. The upgrades are announced in those groups. Also all the drives and chit chat. I prefer carnity’s method, a whats group with notifications where nobody can response and a forum where we can chit chat. This keeps my phone free from all the notification and when I have time and i’m bored I can go online and dig in it.

Congratulations @Frederic for reaching the Expert level with Carnity Offroad club. Your love and dedication for offroading and genuinely helping others to learn and advance on the off-road drives made you earn this new off-road rank. Your creative solutions to any situation with an amazing presence of mind has helped everyone around many times. Added with your great sense of humor always ease up the task and add great fun after every drive (even w/o Belgian choc). Keep it up and its time for you to work on your leading and extreme recoveries skills to help others to demonstrate your skills and knowledge while supervising them to learn and practicing the basics. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Expert: Number of drives 10 (46 Newbie + Fewbie + Intermediate drives) Level of drives Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune & sand reading + map reading & basic navigational skills + strategic convoy driving Off-road gear Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 shackles, floor jack, jack board & GPS trackback Drive teamwork Capable of diverting the convoy to safe spot + part of sweep team Drive posting/joining Join any drive and lead fewbie & intermediate drives with Marshal / Crew permission Forum participation Share experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery + drive and route suggestions + post trip report + share route + track and waypoints + Help Marshal / Crew for alternate routing + marking safe exit Social media sharing & inviting friends & family to join offroad club is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Have had ceramic coating on a black car before, not here but in sweden. Not sure how much difference the countries make but i added it when the car was new from factory and it didn't do much. Cleanend it day 1 and dusty day 2 the only thing i noticed it that it seemed easier to clean, dirt didn't stick, so it just basically needed a hose and a dry and it was good.

Congratulations @Xaf. It’s an impressive rhythm of improvement!

congratulation @Xaf. Well done

Congrats Richard and Marjan. Its been a pleasure to have you on board

congratulations!!👍

thank you so much for your feedback @Brette. Actually one of the main reasons why i was looking into ceramic coating is because of the black color which starts showing dust on the surface just hours after a car wash. TBH, I didnt factor in the desert drives to this decision because i thought it wouldnt make a difference. I assume the soft desert sand would easily slip off the ceramic. Please do share more info as you said, and yes i think ill stay away from DIYing this.

congrats @Frederic. I am so happy for you. As always, its a heartening experience to drive with you in the convoy be it if your leading, sweeping etc, not just because of your technical skills that you are so willing to impart with the junior drivers but also because of your immortal sunny disposition. Your positive attitude is a reflection of one of my favorite idioms - "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine"

Congrats @Frederic. Well deserved and I second whatever Rahim Bhai said.

@Shamil, I was thinking about it, I don't have real knowledge about it, did some research on the net and youtube. How far do we have to trust reviewers on youtube, but still it was my decision not to do it. Main reason, I don't have an own garage to work on my car, you might have one. Labour costs are relative cheap in our area. I prefer to let my car wax once a year, to threat the small scratches. An example:

Congrats to both of you. It’s always a pleasure to drive with you. See you on Friday!

Congratulations Adil

Congrats Adil. Looking forward to many more drives with you.

Gefeliciteerd jonge. We are lucky to drive with you. Thanks for all the advice, support and tips. Well deserved.

Congrats @Xaf !

Welcome @Xaf to your current level.. all the best. Drive safe.

Congratulations @Frederic

Congrats Frederic Bhai...looking forward as Marshal soon..

Proficiat Fred!

Congrats Richard and Marjan

Congratulations Freddy boy. Your an absolute joy to drive with. Well deserved

I still don't have a car that is worth ceramic coating

Wow, wow, wow. We never expected that to happen so soon or to have been welcomed into this 4x4 group so warmly. Even though we are both truly delighted and humbled to have been upgraded, there's still a lot of newbie drives in us, and now we know a massive amount of learning to come. Thanks to everyone and we look forward to seeing you at oh my god o clock on Friday for the next adventure. Now we need to plan a bit longer drive on Friday as the Fewbie drive beckons. Richard & Marjan

If you need to ask you don’t need to know and I could get murdered in my bed for telling you this but.... Off roaders with carnity start out as newbie. Once they have a few drives under their belt they graduate to fewbie. Then intermediate then expert.

I tend to lean towards Turtle Wax. It's pretty good, not expensive and available at Carrefour. Yes, I do it myself. Afte to you wash the car, dry it and use the sponge pad that u get with the wax and apply a thin coat even coat in circular motions. Leave it to dry for about 30 minutes in the shade and then buff it of with a micro fiber cloth. Do it once in 2 months. It will take max 90 mins. A little elbow grease goes without saying...

Congrats @adildbx

Congrats @Xaf. . 👍🏻

Congrats @adildbx. Nice to see you grow and drive with more confidence

ok so this is very valuable feedback @Brette. I had no idea that the swirl marks would come on the coat after desert drives. So for the waxing option as you mentioned, which brand did you use and did you apply it yourself?

My favourite show and my favourite theme song. Now I'll have this stuck in my head throughout the day.

Dear all , please help me where i can find hyundai kona 2019 acc

Congrats TJ. Love watching that majestic orange gold beast crest the dunes with you at the wheel. Maybe some day we will join you on two wheels.

Congrats Adam. If I can learn to handle my Wrangler half as well ... I'll be mighty happy.

I am truly grateful for recognizing my contribution with this promotion. I can proudly say that our hard work generally pays off but unfortunately, from time to time, we drop the ball, forget something or simply don’t perform to our usual high standards. There is no secret that one of the key ingredients of success is evolution. There is always room for improvement, the first step towards making head way is step outside of your comfort zone and once you overcome the initial fear then you will notice immaculate things happen in your life. It was an amazing experience. Thank you @Rahimdad bhia I am so grateful for everything that I have learned from you, your guidance and tips are very helpful to everyone Thank you @Srikumar for your support, I couldn’t have become a better and more skilled member without your support and help. It's been a pleasure to learn and grow under your leadership. Congratulations and best wishes to members who have been promoted .

Congrats TJ!

Congrats Adil!

Congrats Adam!

Congrats Richard and Marjan !