I have played around with quite a few coatings. It is always best to follow the manufacturers application instructions. No coating should be left on the surface for 24 hours. That is asking for trouble. The cure time is different than the wipe off time.

If you are looking for a first time easy to use coating then I would recommend looking into something like Gyeon CanCoat. Advertised at 6-9 months but user friendly. It has coating characteristics but just not as long lasting as a fill coating. Think of it as a coating lite. Optimum Gloss Coat is easy to use but just not that durable. Cquartz TiO2 (aka Classic) is much easier to apply than Cquartz UK 3.0 but not by much. Cquartz UK 3.0 is much more user friendly than before.

Gtechniq crystal serum light is another easy to use coating. Just not as hydrophobic as some of the others. Some top it with Exo to add that hydrophobic layer.

One thing to keep in mind is knowing the limitations of a coating. They are not scratch proof. They can be swirled just like a wax or sealant with improper care. So don't by into the claimed hardness of 7H or 9H. The other thing is that they are not as long lasting as the manufacturer claims them to be. The environment the vehicle is exposed to plays a large factor in how durable the coating last. For instance a car in a sunny state will have longer durability than a state that deals with show and harsh conditions.

You also don't need to apply a wax over a coating. That defeats the purpose. A wax will mask the hydrophobic properties and the self cleaning properties of the coating. A wax tends to attract more dust as well. If you have the need to put something on top of a coating stick with one of the many spray sealants.

You want a soap that leaves nothing behind on the surface. Essentially no wash with gloss enhancers or wax. Soaps such as Adams Car Shampoo, Meguiar's Hyper Wash and Reset are a few that come to mind that work well with coatings.

 

I've been wanting to try this on a factory paint job after correcting and later a repaint after several months cure time.
But the one thing people on paint forums always say is that anything that doesn't allow the paint to breathe is bad.
Opinions on this thought??

 

Sorry, but you couldn't be MORE wrong. Wash and wax every 2-3 months? I do my 4 cars every week (no rich guy, my newest is an '06), and more often if I drive them in adverse conditions. Have been maintaining my cars like this forever and then took a flyer on a ceramic job. Delivered my perfectly waxed truck to a trusted friend /master detailer and let him have at it. He delivered a 190,000 mile F 350 that looked as tho it had just undergone a $7K-$10k paint job! Unbelievable! Based on that, I had my '02 SS Camaro done (89 K miles) and my '93 T Bird (4.6 DOHC/T56 conversion) done. The paint on all is beyond imagination, the upkeep a breeze (all of you guys need to try Doyle's "Bead Maker"). Just had my brother take his 1500 mile Audi S7 in for a coating...made the paint look like a $15 K job! PM me with questions or doubts...

 

I'm sorry but you are obviously misinformed and should talk to someone who actually knows what the hell they are talking about.