Thoughts on ceramic coatings (1 Viewer)

[jlm43]

This is my first time getting a vehicle ceramic coated so the advantages for me are still yet to be seen.

I'm usually a function > fashion person and have a hard time paying good money for anything that is purely cosmetic. The LX is a beauty from 20 feet away, winter is over, and dirt road season is coming right up. Time to give it a bit of love that hopefully makes summer time washes that much easier. Which for me is hose it down and call it good as I generally don't care if my car shines. But to be honest, I've never had a car look this good when it shines.

I brought it to the detail shop so they can take a look at it to give an accurate price. I was quoted $350 to $400 for a paint correction, wax, and sealant. Or $900 for paint correction and the 3 year ceramic coating. My wife has a 2017 GX in dark blue that needs the same love and the shop said they'd do both for $1,500 so I decided to give it a try. Mine goes first for $800 and if I'm happy, hers goes in for $700.

Moral of my rant is that I'm learning that ceramic coatings aren't for everyone. If you enjoy detailing your cars, wax or ceramic coat with the DIY method and save a bunch of cash. If you don't care how your car looks, save the cash and drive it in the rain for a good wash. If you need to have the shiniest car in the hood or if you just purchased something and want to give it a refresh, getting it professionally done might be for you.

My shop is using SystemX Crystal+ for this go around. Fingers crossed it works out for me.

 

[jlm43]

I don’t think this ceramic coating provides much scratch protection maybe a little bit. For me it was the paint correction was the big thing and sure I probably could’ve DIY it but I’m not really into what was probably literally 30 hours of buffing and polishing. I’m also not a show card guy who’s into waxing a vehicle. In fact I had never waxed the cruiser which is probably why the paint was kinda not awesome. I think of the ceramic coating as wax on steroids that does not need to be applied as frequently. The practical benefit of it is the really good hydrophobic nature of it washing. The car is noticeably different now. When I get covered it dirt mud grime, or whatever it’s really easy just a sort of hose it down and hand dry it.

For true pinstripe and scratch protection, I use RhinoHyde panels.

This is precisely why I decided to get mine coated. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[kcjaz]

One side note on PPF. Quality of product matters a lot. On my 2015, the PO had either had PPF applied or more likely it was dealer installed on the leading edge of the hood door edges the back of the mirror the typical places. The PPF on the hood had totally failed where it was starting to flake. The detailer was a bit hesitant to tackle the PPF and warned me that he would do it, but there was risk. The paint would be damaged and I’d have to repaint certain the hood. You wouldn’t even touch the mirrors or the door edges or doorhandles, etc. because he knew he would damage the paint the hood turned out OK no paint damage but it did take them about 10 hours to remove the PPF on it then I had them reapply the top line PPF on the hood.

 

[urinalcake]

Your biggest issue may be your truck color. Toyota may have changed between your year and mine (2008), but my guy wouldn’t ceramic mine because of some deal with the black paint in 2008. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but that’s the only reason mine isn’t ceramic coated. I have a white tundra I had done and it is butter.

That is so bizarre. Wonder what about black that shop doesn't like - other than black gets much hotter in the sun than lighter colors.

 

[rlynch356]

That's what I was thinking.... I need to do a set of Bush wraps on the truck. I did get a quote on Ceramic coating but other than the shine aspects the rest of what they were trying to push I considered snake oil since I was mostly interested in how it help with smaller scratches from Brush, etc..
it does make the shine very nice and really beads water, but so does a good wax.. I guess I'm old school there, or would be if I had the time.

 

[gasman4u]

That's what I was thinking.... I need to do a set of Bush wraps on the truck. I did get a quote on Ceramic coating but other than the shine aspects the rest of what they were trying to push I considered snake oil since I was mostly interested in how it help with smaller scratches from Brush, etc..
it does make the shine very nice and really beads water, but so does a good wax.. I guess I'm old school there, or would be if I had the time.

Ceramic won’t help for scratches from your use case imo. Mall crawl bug strikes, sure. Sticks - no.

 

[urinalcake]

After years and years of hobbyist detailing - primarily for my own vehicles and for family/friends - I decided to ceramic coat my rig and haven't looked back. Yes, it is significantly more expensive than traditional waxes/sealants ($20 for a 12oz bottle) vs. ceramic coating at $150-$200 for per ounce. However, ceramic coating has proven to be more hydrophobic and dramatically more durable. To quantify the durability, in my experience to maintain the same level of hydrophobic properties, traditional waxes applied every 4-5 months vs. 3-1/2 years and counting for my rig. I live in the salt belt of NE Indiana, so it is a pretty abusive environment; although it does park in a climate controlled garage. Each wash is so much easier with a ceramic coating. Most people would be satisfied with the results of just a pressure washer cleaning; us clean nuts hand wash and dry for the spot free appearance.

As others as mentioned, surface prep is critically important. I spent 18 hrs of prep of mostly polish, but a few areas of rubbing compound and just a handful of areas to wet sand. The ceramic coating definitely yields a significantly deeper, richer gloss compared to the myriad of liquid/paste waxes and sealants available. There is also a noticeable difference in the tactile feel of the surface. Fingertips can certainly feel the difference - ceramic coating it is a thicker smoother coating.

When ceramic coatings came onto the scene several years ago, they were finicky to apply correctly, requiring a regimented technique to apply and cure correctly. In the last several years, the formulas have been developed and fine tuned into a product that is much easier to apply for the DIYer.

Here are some attempts at photos of my black rig in direct sunlight, which is arguably THE most difficult color to hide flaws. The glossiness is incredible.