Time to Line-X the entire vehicle:
Pick your poison:
Velcro inside - Line-X outside. Sounds like a plan to me.
HTH
Ceramic Coating Opinions
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Time to Line-X the entire vehicle:
Pick your poison:
Velcro inside - Line-X outside. Sounds like a plan to me.
HTH
Ya, the cost would stop me for the foreseeable future. But it’s a pretty practicAl coating for folks who constantly get scratched. Maybe it’s less that I think.
I was surprised to hear how it doesn’t seem to overheat as I originally thought it might. Not that into the look/feel, but maybe it makes sense.
Ya, the cost would stop me for the foreseeable future. But it’s a pretty practicAl coating for folks who constantly get scratched. Maybe it’s less that I think.
I was surprised to hear how it doesn’t seem to overheat as I originally thought it might. Not that into the look/feel, but maybe it makes sense.
$3-5K maybe: Line-X the whole truck
In the overall scheme of things, and in context, not so expensive.
Just sayin'
There is a few rigs running around here that have it done. I see an 80 series from time to time.
@Taco2Cruiser ‘s Truck was actually disassembled to do his high quality surface, but he did some variant that I think is less common. Can’t remember the particulars...
The only way I could ever justify the cost would be if every other remedy failed. At this point, my paint is in pretty decent shape considering it’s never in a garage, and nearly 12 years old.
So I'm a total believer in this fancy-pants coating stuff now. I predict at some point that manufacturers will start applying this stuff at the factory.
A good friend just picked up an almost-new GMC Sierra pickup. After my experience with the 7 year old paint and ceramic coating on my Miata, I talked him into bringing it over, letting me do a full paint correction and applying a coating. I had him buy all the CarPro products on Amazon, this is the kit he bought:
Amazon product ASIN B07D4NXNTV
It was pretty dirty when he brought it over this morning, so I had my work cut out for me. I used the CarPro Reset shampoo to first foam cannon, then hand wash (dual bucket system). Then I inspected and removed all the bugs and crud. Then I soaked it with IronX to remove any iron contaminants (wow that stuff stinks), then a thorough rinse. Then I clayed the entire truck, and another hand wash. Another inspection, I carefully polished out any scratches and defects using 3M Scratch Remover. Then polished the whole truck with CarPro Reflect, with a final cleaning with alcohol/water prep.
You wipe this stuff on with the special applicator in the kit, wait about 30 seconds for it to haze over, then buff it off with the special towel. The shine when I buffed that stuff off is incredible. Like nothing I've ever been able to achieve before. Photos don't begin to show how shiny this truck is now.
The coating has to now cure in a closed garage for 24 hours, but I can already tell it is going to be awesome and very durable. The paint is absolutely slippery, it's crazy. This the future in paint protection.
A good friend just picked up an almost-new GMC Sierra pickup. After my experience with the 7 year old paint and ceramic coating on my Miata, I talked him into bringing it over, letting me do a full paint correction and applying a coating. I had him buy all the CarPro products on Amazon, this is the kit he bought:
Amazon product ASIN B07D4NXNTV
It was pretty dirty when he brought it over this morning, so I had my work cut out for me. I used the CarPro Reset shampoo to first foam cannon, then hand wash (dual bucket system). Then I inspected and removed all the bugs and crud. Then I soaked it with IronX to remove any iron contaminants (wow that stuff stinks), then a thorough rinse. Then I clayed the entire truck, and another hand wash. Another inspection, I carefully polished out any scratches and defects using 3M Scratch Remover. Then polished the whole truck with CarPro Reflect, with a final cleaning with alcohol/water prep.
You wipe this stuff on with the special applicator in the kit, wait about 30 seconds for it to haze over, then buff it off with the special towel. The shine when I buffed that stuff off is incredible. Like nothing I've ever been able to achieve before. Photos don't begin to show how shiny this truck is now.
The coating has to now cure in a closed garage for 24 hours, but I can already tell it is going to be awesome and very durable. The paint is absolutely slippery, it's crazy. This the future in paint protection.
Is it really though... I'm going to play internet contrarian just for the sake of it. Yes, ceramic coatings are nifty and they allow you to achieve a level of gloss, and really a "wet" look, that most products can't replicate. Additionally, their biggest benefit for the majority of consumers is likely their ability to make vehicle cleaning easier since you can typically blast dirt off of them.
The number one downside from my experience, water spots. My vehicles live outside which makes them super susceptible to having rain sit on them as I can't be there to blow dry them whenever necessary. While coatings continue to improve, they still water spot and that etching can go through the coating. On a non-coated car, I can generally remove even stubborn water spots with an aggressive clay mitt. On my coated car, no such luck. So you might have to correct the spot out, which means removing the coating and then re-applying the coating and this sort of defeats the purpose of the coating.
In the same vein, the Land Cruiser will get pin-stripes from off road use. Want to correct those out? Again you need to fully remove coating, correct, and go through coating application again. You're not going to be able to do this correctly on a spot by spot basis, but on a panel by panel basis. I find it easier to use some type of hybrid sealant that I can more quickly remove, often chemically and not mechanically, and also "fix" on a spot by spot basis than dealing with entire panels. This same idea applies if your car needs body work, the body shop needs to be informed of any coatings as they will need to mechanically remove the coating from any panel that'll be touched.
On the flip side, say you don't care about these imperfections and you're not into chasing perfect paint. Without a doubt, a ceramic coating is the longest lasting protection you can apply, and it's protection that'll make cleaning the vehicle easier.
Anywho, not disagreeing with you, just offering another perspective for folks. That said, I'm using more and more products that are at least SiO2 or TiO2 infused so they have those desired coating-like characteristics of extreme hydrophobicity and wet-like gloss.
And yes, that truck does look nice, good work!
Interesting perspective, good points.
Water spots: I was under the impression that after the coating fully cures (~48 hrs) that water spots won't happen. I have none on my Miata and I happen to know the past 2 owners did not park it in a garage. Pro shops will speed up the curing phase by baking in an oven or with heat lamps. CarPro has you let the coating cure for a couple of hours, then you put on a layer of Reload sealant to help it final cure. It also really looks amazing after you buff in the sealant.
Panel repair would definitely be a pain for the paint shop.
Water spots: I was under the impression that after the coating fully cures (~48 hrs) that water spots won't happen. I have none on my Miata and I happen to know the past 2 owners did not park it in a garage. Pro shops will speed up the curing phase by baking in an oven or with heat lamps. CarPro has you let the coating cure for a couple of hours, then you put on a layer of Reload sealant to help it final cure. It also really looks amazing after you buff in the sealant.
Panel repair would definitely be a pain for the paint shop.
Going by my experience and looking at detailing forums, water spots still can happen. Now questionable prep and cheaper coatings might more be the culprit than a properly applied higher end coating. Not sure. Could also speak to the chemical composition of the rain different areas receive. Coatings continue to advance so it might have been a byproduct of an older, mid-grade coating. We used Dr. Beasley's about 2.5 years ago and I believe it was thoroughly prepped and was stored in a garage for nearly 3 days. Definitely didn't see water for a week.
I use Reload and couple other similar products as more of a standalone sealant and drying aid. I'm no expert, I just play with a lot of different products on my own vehicles, and occasionally help a friend out.
edwardg
SILVER Star
I coated my car with cquartz uk when it was new 3 years ago - thorough correction and prep including ironx and alcohol wipe down - and also had issues with water spotting. With as frequently as we get rain of some kind out here, I have been using Reload in the same way as you. With regular washes, it's less hassle than dealing with the coating (spotting) was and looks pretty much as good. Started doing the same with the LC and am really happy with how it looks and how little work it is. I'm not about to spend hours and hours getting the truck perfectly detailed just to go get it dirty immediately
I coated my car with cquartz uk when it was new 3 years ago - thorough correction and prep including ironx and alcohol wipe down - and also had issues with water spotting. With as frequently as we get rain of some kind out here, I have been using Reload in the same way as you. With regular washes, it's less hassle than dealing with the coating (spotting) was and looks pretty much as good. Started doing the same with the LC and am really happy with how it looks and how little work it is. I'm not about to spend hours and hours getting the truck perfectly detailed just to go get it dirty immediately
Exactly, the experience isn’t to say don’t coat your vehicle, it’s more about managing expectations. I’ve talked with several detailers who say ceramic coatings are best for those who want the ease of cleaning, it’s the biggest selling point. They’ll tell their “concours” clients we can coat it, but you don’t just get to polish it up for a big show, especially if imperfections have been introduced to the paint. Just depends what each customer wants.
I’ve thought about coating the 200’s roof and glass just for fun. And I’ll continue to look out for the latest and greatest.
Ceramic coating is well worth it. I've done our BMW 7-series and our Mercedes E-class and it's a tremendous difference. I have gone from washing them once a week to washing them about once every 4-5 weeks. Dust doesn't really stick to them, and almost no water spots. I ceramic coated them both about 2 years ago and the coating is still in great shape. I got quotes from around $1200 to $1500 per car back when i was shopping it around. I ended up buying the materials myself and doing both cars over a few days. It took me about 2 evenings (after work) to do the BMW and about the same to do the Mercedes. I used McKees ceramic coating. McKee's 37 Paint Coating is a nanoglass ceramic coating that shields your vehicle against the elements for up to two years!
Make sure your paint is clean before hand. Wash it with detergent to get any wax off of it, then claybar if your paint is a couple years old or older, to get contaminants off of the paint. Then ceramic coat. Takes a little time, but if you're a DIY'er type, it's not bad at all.
Make sure your paint is clean before hand. Wash it with detergent to get any wax off of it, then claybar if your paint is a couple years old or older, to get contaminants off of the paint. Then ceramic coat. Takes a little time, but if you're a DIY'er type, it's not bad at all.
I'm dropping off our 200 to get recharged tomorrow. It will be the first time since I had it coated (see page 2 of this thread) so about 20 months. Interested to see how much the hydrophobic properties come back. They're not bad now, but they aren't what they were when it was fresh in 2017 either. Still glad I had it done as it has been pretty durable. Lord knows there isn't anything else that has held up this well after 20 months and over 35,000 miles.
We don't detail this 200 at all and I do a nice careful wash with a gritguard etc periodically but we also average over 20mi of dirt drive a WEEK and live in the woods so any coating is going to have it's work cut out for it in that use case.
We don't detail this 200 at all and I do a nice careful wash with a gritguard etc periodically but we also average over 20mi of dirt drive a WEEK and live in the woods so any coating is going to have it's work cut out for it in that use case.
SQRRRL
SILVER Star
Incredible .
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I get the same results from turtle wax silicone do it every couple weeks takes 15 minutes but it looks like, acts like ceramic coating. Cost about nine dollars a spray bottle and I can do the car three times with one spray bottle. Just pointing out a cheaper alternative
SQRRRL
SILVER Star
Right.......
Is your LC super white or blizzard pearl? My super white gets dingy fast and if I can ceramic seal it, that would be fantastic.
SQRRRL
SILVER Star
Pearl