Ceramic coating - worth it?

[Busaman14]

I use Pro and Local in Enfield CT. Paul has done mine and the wife’s last few vehicles and is an awesome guy to work with and a perfectionist. I’m pretty critical and I have yet to find a spot that he’s missed or had to touch up.

Expert Auto Detailing & Ceramic Coating in Granby & Enfield

Pro & Local Auto Detailing offers premium ceramic coating and detailing services in Granby and Enfield, CT. Quality craftsmanship over high-volume service.

www.proandlocal.com

Thank you much!

 

[ryan79260]

I did my own ceramic on my iconic silver last weekend. I love it! I really popped the metallic flake. Pretty easy to apply yourself if you take your time and keep it clean. All in with cleaners and ceramic, less than $250 plus about 8-10 hours of my time.

 

[High_Country]

So you can buy the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light off Amazon. It’s touted as the ‘pro-sumer’ version. Anyone know if this is the best available product to do it yourself? Are there more ‘commercial grade’ (better?) products out there?
(I’m frugal enough and handy enough to try doing it myself. But don’t want to spend the time using inferior products)

 

[Br549]

So you can buy the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light off Amazon. It’s touted as the ‘pro-sumer’ version. Anyone know if this is the best available product to do it yourself? Are there more ‘commercial grade’ (better?) products out there?
(I’m frugal enough and handy enough to try doing it myself. But don’t want to spend the time using inferior products)

 

[KCDave]

I saw a compare on several ceramic sprays, more consumer than pro, and Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating won. This was $16 compared to $100+ for the above. I'm not opposed to spending more for quality but the test was fairly impressive. It was tested against how it protected the paint against numerous assaults. High pressure wash, bug remover, several other cleaning type materials and the final was highly corrosive brake dust remover that said right on the spray, "do not let spray make contact on body paint" and the water still beaded after that. There were 6 in the compare and this fared best. I tried to find the link with no luck. I have a bottle now that I want to try but need a little warmer weather.
Here's the link - Turtle Wax

 

[TxT]

So you can buy the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light off Amazon. It’s touted as the ‘pro-sumer’ version. Anyone know if this is the best available product to do it yourself? Are there more ‘commercial grade’ (better?) products out there?
(I’m frugal enough and handy enough to try doing it myself. But don’t want to spend the time using inferior products)

Obsessed garage has tested a bunch and settled on gtechniq as one of the better coatings.

Turtle wax and/or meguairs also work well for a spray on coating if you are maintaining and re-applying every 6 months or so.

 

[KCDave]

Obsessed garage has tested a bunch and settled on gtechniq as one of the better coatings.

Turtle wax and/or meguairs also work well for a spray on coating if you are maintaining and re-applying every 6 months or so.

I would like to see a compare between the low/high end versions just to see what the difference would be. I've seen many times where more $$$ <> better.

 

[TxT]

I would like to see a compare between the low/high end versions just to see what the difference would be. I've seen many times where more $$$ <> better.

I think it’s more of a longevity thing.
Sprays are good for months , coatings for years.
Then typically when getting a coating, they will also correct the paint whereas people using a spray are just washing and coating.

 

[jshemmy]

I did my own ceramic on my iconic silver last weekend. I love it! I really popped the metallic flake. Pretty easy to apply yourself if you take your time and keep it clean. All in with cleaners and ceramic, less than $250 plus about 8-10 hours of my time.

what brand did you use? researching now
how many coats did you apply?

 

[ryan79260]

what brand did you use? researching now
how many coats did you apply?

2 Coats of Buff’s Graphine. Looked at what was available on Amazon and other sources but decided to go and talk to someone local here in San Antonio. Great service and they hooked me up.

 

[Cheif2Slo]

If anyone is near Enfield CT pro and local is offering 20% off with code “vday22” !

 

[SWFLTremor22]

Think I’m gonna go the cheap route and spray some Griot’s 3-1 ceramic wax on on after every couple washes. If properly maintained a single application stays hydrophobic for close to a year. Plus it costs $20 and takes 20 min to treat the entire vehicle.

 

[DingDongDoug]

Echoing what several others have said, if the goal is long term, ceramic coating is worth it. That being said, there are lots of "flavors" of ceramic coating from the DIY kits to the high end versions cured with IR light to actually bond with the clearcoat. My previous truck had a higher end coating and even after four years look showroom shiny after a quick wash. Part of this lies in the paint correction work done before application as the ceramic coating seals in any imperfections, swirls, etc. Depending on the level of paint correction you want, show car versus daily driver that can also affect the price. I have my Iconic Silver going in for ceramic coating in two weeks so I'll post some before and after pics. Total cost is about $2k with some PPF for headlights and such.

Let me know your guy here in SD.
I am definitely interested in the ceramics.

 

[Splattered23]

I'm also interested in ceramic coating now that i finally bought the truck, but this is all new to me. What are the general recommendations if any for getting this done after the truck is purchased? Like is it safe to do at any time down the road or generally within the first couple weeks or so many miles etc?

 

[Cranbery]

I'm also interested in ceramic coating now that i finally bought the truck, but this is all new to me. What are the general recommendations if any for getting this done after the truck is purchased? Like is it safe to do at any time down the road or generally within the first couple weeks or so many miles etc?

It's better sooner because it protects it from an earlier point, and you will save money on the prep because the truck is newer.

 

[Cheif2Slo]

The longer you wait the more paint correction will be required and the more it’ll cost you. I have had it installed on a used truck with 50k on it and it added about $800 due to paint correction. Truck turned out amazing but I paid for it! Here’s pics of the befor and after paint correction on the used Black truck.

 

[TxT]

For anyone wanting to DIY , I’ve been seeing lots of good comments for this stuff as being easy to apply and great performance.

Q² Mohs EVO

The all-new Q2 MOHS EVO is a durable polysilazane car coating that delivers a single layer coating that outperforms everything on the market.

gyeonusa.com

When my wife’s new expedition gets here, I think I’m going to use this and DIY .

 

[Splattered23]

The longer you wait the more paint correction will be required and the more it’ll cost you. I have had it installed on a used truck with 50k on it and it added about $800 due to paint correction. Truck turned out amazing but I paid for it! Here’s pics of the befor and after paint correction on the used Black truck.

Awesome thanks! I wasn't planning on letting it go very long, just curious if there was like a certain amount of time or miles where it would start to become more expensive. (Like a rule of thumb - before 2k miles etc)

May be a silly question, but would getting the truck help protect against light dings like smaller hail? My truck i just traded in avoided hail damage for years and then a year or two ago we got a decent storm and i got several small dents in the hood - nothing crazy - but it would be nice if a coating like this could help so i didn't need to worry about that as much.

 

[Cheif2Slo]

I think that would be all up to how you treat it. Don’t go through any automatic car washes with brushes and you should be ok. I think. I’m no detail geek though, which is why I pay to have it done instead of DIY!

 

[Kenn]

Zero protection against dings.