--- title: "Nanolex Si3D Review: Five Tiers Under One Confusing Name" description: "Nanolex Si3D ranges from a 30,000 km DIY coating to the Detailer-only Si3D HD rated for 75,000 km. No tier carries a published Nanolex warranty." type: compare service: ceramic-coating publishAt: "2026-10-12T15:00:00Z" canonical: "https://coateau.com/compare/nanolex-si3d-review" sources: - label: "Nanolex Car Care: Si3D official product page" url: "https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d/" - label: "Nanolex Car Care: Si3D HD official product page" url: "https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d-hd/" - label: "Nanolex Car Care: Si3D Cerabide HD official product page" url: "https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d-cerabide-hd/" - label: "Detailers Domain: Nanolex Si3D 30ml product page and chemistry description" url: "https://www.detailersdomain.com/products/nanolex-si3d-30ml" - label: "Nanolex UK Shop: Si3D HD, approved-detailers-only listing and price" url: "https://nanolexuk.shop/products/nanolex-si3d-hd" --- # Nanolex Si3D Review: Five Tiers Under One Confusing Name Nanolex Si3D is not one coating but five, all German-made polysilazane formulas sold under the Si3D name with real differences in access and durability: base Si3D and Si3D APX are DIY, Si3D Cerabide is an easier DIY formula, Si3D HD is restricted to approved detailers, and Si3D Cerabide HD fuses the HD and Cerabide formulas. None of the five carries a published Nanolex-branded warranty. The confusion starts with naming. Some retailers also sell an "Si3D Ultra Set", which is not an official Nanolex product tier at all, just a bundle of Si3D or Si3D HD with a base coat, finishing spray and applicators sold under a retailer's own kit name. Buyers comparing specs should check whether they are looking at an official Nanolex page or a retailer bundle before assuming a product called "Ultra" is Nanolex's flagship. ## Key facts - **Si3D (base)**: DIY, rated 30,000 km or 30 washes, roughly $69 for 30ml. - **Si3D HD**: Detailer-only, rated 75,000 km or 75 washes, roughly £96.55 for 50ml (about $120). - **Si3D APX**: DIY entry tier, rated 15,000 km or 15 washes, up to about 1 year. - **Si3D Cerabide / Cerabide HD**: DIY-friendly Cerabide rated around 75,000 km; the HD fusion tier rated up to 100,000 km or 100 washes. - No official Nanolex warranty program was found for any tier; a 2 year, 20,000-mile claim seen in one install quote came from an independent detailer, not from Nanolex. - "Si3D Ultra Set" is a retailer-bundled kit name, not an official Nanolex product tier. ## Verdict Nanolex Si3D is a legitimately engineered German coating family, but the five-tier lineup and thin published spec sheet make it harder to evaluate than CarPro or Gyeon's more clearly documented products. Base Si3D is a fair DIY buy at its price point; Si3D HD is worth it only if a local approved detailer can install it, since no Nanolex warranty backs the result either way. (Rating: 3.8/5) ## Five Products, Not Three Clean Tiers Most coating brands sell a simple good-better-best ladder. Nanolex's Si3D family is messier: Si3D is the base DIY product, Si3D APX is a shorter-lived entry option, Si3D Cerabide is a separate DIY-friendly formula aimed at inexperienced users, Si3D HD restricts access to approved detailers, and Si3D Cerabide HD combines the HD and Cerabide chemistries into a fifth, even longer-rated option. None of the five is simply a bigger bottle of another; each uses a distinct formulation. All five share a polysilazane-family base developed and produced in Germany, but the specific chemistry differs by tier: Si3D uses an advanced polysilazane, Si3D HD a hybrid polysilazane formulation, Cerabide a 3D silicon-carbide matrix with hybrid solid particles, Cerabide HD a combination of organopolysilazane and coated nano-SiO2 particles, and APX a glass-like SiO2 hybrid compound. ## Durability Across the Lineup Nanolex publishes durability in kilometers and wash counts rather than a flat years figure for most tiers, which is more specific than many competitors but harder to compare directly against a US buyer's annual mileage. _Nanolex Si3D family, published durability and access_ | Product | Access | Rated Durability | Price | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Si3D APX | DIY | 15,000 km / 15 washes, ~1 year | Not fully published | | Si3D | DIY | 30,000 km / 30 washes | ~$69 (30ml) | | Si3D Cerabide | DIY | ~75,000 km | Not fully published | | Si3D HD | Approved detailers only | 75,000 km / 75 washes | ~£96.55 / 50ml | | Si3D Cerabide HD | DIY or pro | Up to 100,000 km / 100 washes | Not fully published | > A 30,000 km rating on base Si3D sounds short next to Cerabide HD's 100,000 km, but it reflects a genuinely different, lower-cost formula, not a defect. ## Why Si3D HD Is Detailer-Only Si3D HD is explicitly marketed as detailer-only, both on Nanolex's own product page and by UK retailers that gate the listing behind an approved-detailer requirement. The restriction appears tied to application difficulty and the need for consistent indoor conditions to hit its longer 75,000 km rating, not to a certification or auditing program the way Gtechniq or Ceramic Pro restrict their top tiers. That means there is no public Nanolex-branded guarantee behind an HD install, just a gatekept product. One UK detailer's own installed quote for a single-stage polish plus Si3D, with a self-issued 2 year, 20,000-mile claim, landed around £495 before being negotiated down to roughly £320, a figure that forum commenters called high relative to comparable work from other shops. ## Hardness and Thickness: Thin on Paper Only Si3D HD carries a specific hardness figure in official marketing, cited as 9H+. Base Si3D, Cerabide and APX do not carry an official pencil-hardness number; one UK retailer assigns its own 9 out of 10 hardness rating to base Si3D, which is a retailer opinion rather than a manufacturer pencil-test result. No tier publishes an exact micron thickness; Nanolex's own language describes the cured layer only as "several microns thick." This thinness of published hard data is a real gap compared with brands like CarPro, which cites an exact 70 percent SiO2 content, or Gyeon, which splits its durability claims cleanly by layer count. Nanolex buyers are mostly working from durability-by-kilometer figures and brand reputation rather than a full data sheet. ## Is Nanolex Si3D Worth It Base Si3D at roughly $69 for 30ml is competitively priced against Gyeon Mohs EVO and CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0, and its 30,000 km rating is a reasonable, if modest, claim for a DIY coating. Si3D Cerabide and Cerabide HD look like the better value within the family for buyers who can access them, given their higher kilometer ratings, though full US retail pricing for those two tiers was not consistently published during research and should be confirmed with a Nanolex-authorized retailer before buying. Si3D HD is worth seeking out only if you can find an approved detailer locally, since its restricted access and lack of a documented warranty mean you are paying for chemistry and application skill, not for a backed guarantee. Across the whole family, treat Nanolex as a solid, German-engineered option without the paperwork depth of Gtechniq, Ceramic Pro or CarPro at the professional end. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What is the difference between Si3D and Si3D HD?** A: Si3D is the DIY-accessible base product rated for 30,000 km. Si3D HD is a hybrid formulation restricted to approved detailers, rated for 75,000 km, with no public warranty program backing the install. **Q: Is Si3D Ultra Set an official Nanolex product?** A: No. It is a retailer-created bundle name combining Si3D or Si3D HD with a base coat, finishing spray and applicators. It is not a separate tier in Nanolex's own official product lineup. **Q: Does Nanolex offer a warranty on Si3D coatings?** A: No official Nanolex-branded warranty program was found for any Si3D tier. Any multi-year protection claim attached to an install, such as a 2 year guarantee, comes from the individual detailer, not from Nanolex. **Q: Can I apply Si3D myself?** A: Base Si3D, Si3D APX and Si3D Cerabide are all DIY-accessible and sold to consumers. Si3D HD is restricted to approved detailers and is not sold for self-application. **Q: What hardness rating does Si3D carry?** A: Only Si3D HD carries an official hardness figure, cited as 9H+. Base Si3D, APX and Cerabide do not carry a manufacturer pencil-hardness number. ## Sources - [Nanolex Car Care: Si3D official product page](https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d/) - [Nanolex Car Care: Si3D HD official product page](https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d-hd/) - [Nanolex Car Care: Si3D Cerabide HD official product page](https://www.nanolexcarcare.com/coatings/si3d-cerabide-hd/) - [Detailers Domain: Nanolex Si3D 30ml product page and chemistry description](https://www.detailersdomain.com/products/nanolex-si3d-30ml) - [Nanolex UK Shop: Si3D HD, approved-detailers-only listing and price](https://nanolexuk.shop/products/nanolex-si3d-hd)