Ceramic coating - worth it?

[Splattered23]

Zero protection against dings.

Damn really? I was hoping it would at least offer protection against lighter dings like softer hail. Shoot.

 

[wadewoody]

I got mine several weeks ago. Got a local place to do it for $1500. I got the lifetime one from Ceramic Pro. I believe they put 8 layers on it. The jury is still out on it. It seems to clean up a lot easier but you have to stay away from automatic car washes as it will degrade the coating faster. The shop told me that it goes on your carfax which might be helpful down the road if you ever wanted to sell it. I still want to get a PPF done on the front. No shops in my area do that so I was debating on getting some film myself and trying to do the bumper to see how it turns out.

 

[Splattered23]

Dang we pay $1,500 and still have to be extra careful on how we wash it? Not that we're abusive but sheesh... seems like a lot of money to keep it pretty "unless" ... i guess i'll give this one some more thought then. Thanks for the info!

 

[wadewoody]

Dang we pay $1,500 and still have to be extra careful on how we wash it? Not that we're abusive but sheesh... seems like a lot of money to keep it pretty "unless" ... i guess i'll give this one some more thought then. Thanks for the info!

I had the option to get cheaper packages. I think the base package was 800 but that only lasted 2 years and was only 1 layer. The had a mid tier that was a little more and that was good for 5 years. I said screw it and went for the top one because I knew I would be keeping the truck for a very long time and seemed worth it in the long run.

 

[Splattered23]

I had the option to get cheaper packages. I think the base package was 800 but that only lasted 2 years and was only 1 layer. The had a mid tier that was a little more and that was good for 5 years. I said screw it and went for the top one because I knew I would be keeping the truck for a very long time and seemed worth it in the long run.

Yeah that's the thing... i want this to be my "forever truck" that i keep for at least 10 years, so it may be worth it but maybe not. Have to think on it.

 

[FaKtor34]

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.

My wife's new 2022 explorer timberline in black got rubbed by a white car on the edge of the driver's side fender, left white transfer on her new agate black car. While she was livid and hunting someone's head, I took and buffed it off in about 2 minutes with my hand and a towel, using meguiars scratch and swirl remover. Worked great, had she not had the ceramic coat I think it would have been much harder to fix.

 

[wadewoody]

That's good to know. I do a lot of trail riding at my deer lease and would always get little scratches in the clear from pine needles. If this makes it easier to get those out, then I am all for it.

 

[FaKtor34]

That's good to know. I do a lot of trail riding at my deer lease and would always get little scratches in the clear from pine needles. If this makes it easier to get those out, then I am all for it.

All I know is you can't even see where she got hit, and this was a dealership applied ceramic coating guaranteed for 5yrs. I got the same on my truck it's all part of a protection deal the dealership does, glad she had it.

 

[Guest368]

Mannnnnn I wish I got this color. All my other cars are red and silver so I felt like matching.

 

[Kenn]

I got mine several weeks ago. Got a local place to do it for $1500. I got the lifetime one from Ceramic Pro. I believe they put 8 layers on it. The jury is still out on it. It seems to clean up a lot easier but you have to stay away from automatic car washes as it will degrade the coating faster. The shop told me that it goes on your carfax which might be helpful down the road if you ever wanted to sell it. I still want to get a PPF done on the front. No shops in my area do that so I was debating on getting some film myself and trying to do the bumper to see how it turns out.

I think they may be misleading you. One coat of ceramic is all you need and the one I use says two are useless because they won’t bond. Something like EXO can be put over it, and maybe even two coats, but not ceramic.

 

[SDTremor]

There is a lot of information out there on ceramic coating, some good and some bad. My N=1 experience is this:
1) A good ceramic coat absolutely helps not only keep the exterior cleaner, but makes cleaning it much easier and faster.
2) As noted above, the ceramic coat definitely helps with light scrapes, rubs, though not much with actual dings/dents. Well worth it in this day and age where literally every bag or backpack possible will rub against the side of your truck!
3) Quality matters. My previous vehicle had a DIY coating. While the coating held up well during my four years of ownership, you could easily see the swirls that the ceramic "protected" since the prior owner did not do a solid paint correction first. Alternatively, my Tremor, looks like phenomenal underneath right now (I know, I just had it ceramic coated so it damn well better!).
3a) Quality matters. I went with a high end detailer I have worked with for years and we actually talked through the level of correction and type of ceramic coating. He was very open that two layers is all you ever need with the good modern coatings. The second layer is more to make sure there is an even coating than for added actual protection. If the coating is thin in some places it can affect the shiny look so they work to make it uniform with the second coat. As for bonding to the first coat it all depends on the chemistry of the product being used. Some are designed to bond to itself, others are not.
4) Guarantee - The guys I worked with were skeptical about any sort of lifetime guarantee. They seemed to think it was more of a hedge on people not keeping their care very long so it brought in added revenue. The indicated that with proper care and maintenance a high end coating on a daily driver, would last 5-7yrs. Just the reality of exposure to the elements and washes over that time.
5) Value - For me the value was there as for me like another post, this is a 10yr truck. After experiencing a coated vehicle, I wouldn't go back for anything I plan to keep a while.

My two cents worth on ceramic coating....

 

[Tremjay]

I was thinking about ceramic as well when I finally get my new truck. I have to park outside in the Arizona sun and my poor 20 year old truck is paying the price. Will ceramic protect from the sun and Arizona pin striping?

 

[SDTremor]

I was thinking about ceramic as well when I finally get my new truck. I have to park outside in the Arizona sun and my poor 20 year old truck is paying the price. Will ceramic protect from the sun and Arizona pin striping?

All of the good ceramic coatings will offer much better UV protection for the paint than typical waxes.

 

[ClulessWallob]

I got in touch with a local CeramicPro installer and this is the pricing they gave me. It seems reasonable, but I'm curious what you all think. Also is anyone else needing to take their ceramic coated vehicles in once a year for inspection and cleaning to maintain the warranty? This is $200 per year. The installer explained that they are Clearbra 1 Certified and provide a lifetime install warranty on the PPF. Thanks for helping me spend all my money!

Legend PPF Basically the front end of the truck(Hood, front bumper, front fenders and mirrors) $1800
CeramicPro Gold (Lifetime Warranty) Truck, all glass and outside of wheels $2,250
12" Rocker Panel PPF - $749
Total $4,479

 

[Kenn]

$200 per year for a lifetime warranty is not a good deal.

 

[Cheif2Slo]

Yea, mine said nothing about a lifetime warranty, 5-7 years depending. He did say he’d touch it up every year if I brought it in for a detail, that would cost me about $200-$400 but it’s not required, and he charges that for a detail anyway.

 

[AntiMatter22]

Ok so after reading this thread I had to do some research since I ordered an 402a AMB I figured as good as the paint looks it will look really bad if not kept nice

In Calgary AB we have tones of 3M dealers and Coramic coating places.

I found a deal for $1699 it includes a full Cora mix coating on the truck plus the front and roof of the truck in 3M protective coating. I feel like that’s a deal. I think I won’t even take the truck home until it’s been treated

 

[Badmothertrucker]

Ok so after reading this thread I had to do some research since I ordered an 402a AMB I figured as good as the paint looks it will look really bad if not kept nice

In Calgary AB we have tones of 3M dealers and Coramic coating places.

I found a deal for $1699 it includes a full Cora mix coating on the truck plus the front and roof of the truck in 3M protective coating. I feel like that’s a deal. I think I won’t even take the truck home until it’s been treated

If by 3m protective coating you mean a PPF film on the front and roof in addition to full ceramic coating that’s the best deal I’ve ever heard of.

 

[AntiMatter22]

If by 3m protective coating you mean a PPF film on the front and roof in addition to full ceramic coating that’s the best deal I’ve ever heard of.

Yeah I’ll call for details on Monday but I’m wondering if they charge a little more for full size truck.

 

[ClulessWallob]

I ended up calling another shop here in CO and got quoted $5,840 for full front end PPF, 12" rocker panel PPF and 7 year ceramic coating with paint correction. No annual inspection on this one. I checked further into the product the first shop used, CeramicPro. The warranty basically states that it needs to be inspected annually to maintain the warranty but is silent on whether you should have to pay for it. After you miss your first annual inspection the lifetime warranty converts to a 5 year.