Dealer Ceramic Coating

what do you guys think of this brand, etc.

thinking about having them do this when the new rig shows up

https://www.stcharlestoyota.net/ceramic-paint-protection/

 

Ask the dealer what their process is for their ceramic coating.

The big cost in ceramic coating is the preparation. To do it properly, you need to spend about a day doing a all the prep work (wash, decontamination, any corrections/polishing) prior to applying the product.
If they are just applying coating, i'd pass. There are some good products that add some good protection that are very diy friendly.

 

I agree with @Danimal86, you would likely do better with a third party handling your ceramic work or if you like DIY you can do it. I ended up finding a local company with their own formulation, I don't think I'd own another vehicle w/o ceramic coating. Makes cleaning it so much easier too!

 

Im asking the dealer right now how they handle this, 3rd party and/or what prep work is included.

I have a really good dealer and they do a good job with things, so Im going to see what this is first.

that price is much more fair than most dealers, but then again, so has their pricing been for everything, Ive gone there a long time

I don't really want to DIY I don't think.

Im gong to try this on the 2023 Sienna though, but it's silver so more forgiving. Also, since it was built in IN and Im in IL I don't think it went on a rail car, the paint looks great and is super smooth, no rail dust etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PPXD25N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

meant to say, thanks for the feedback as well guys, Im new to this ceramic coat stuff but I want to keep this tundra looking better for longer since it will be a dark color.

just set-up my detailing kit for washing, with foam cannon, VE52 pressure washer, cox reel, ubberflex hose, etc.

 

+1 This. Most of the "pop" is coming from the paint correction and polish. Sure it makes the vehicle easy to clean but if they don't prep all the defect and fallout will remain trapped under the ceramic.

Possible the dealer has a high volume deal with a detailer I doubt they will go that extra mile for that price point but what do I know you might live in a very low cost of living area.

 

Could very well be a local detail shop doing the coating.

Ultimately i'd take Griots 3 in 1 every 6mo over a ceramic coating that lasts 2 years.

 

I've seen detailers get bulk contracts through dealer lots but they work'em like dogs.

Could also be a very hungry detailer breaking into the scene cutting the legs out of everyone by underbidding on price. Curious to hear if paint is even corrected at the price point.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum I may go with a "10+ year" coating next just for snorts and giggles.

 

Ill report back what they say, I have an email out to them.

my new rig is currently in transit and then it goes out to a body shop anyway when they get it to color match everything. So they work with a local body shop, maybe they have a detailer dude as well.

most dealers want an arm and a leg for this type of thing, the 700-900 bucks seemed reasonable , maybe Im way off

 

Cool. Possible you are getting a great deal. A coating can run about $100 so the rest is labor, it would be easy to check retail on that brand.

The coating itself may only take one to three hours depending on how many layers are applied add another 60 for a wash and dry.

The labor intensive part is decon, correction and polish. It could take half a day to a full day. Some corrections include touch ups like chips or scratches so it may take longer to before you can correct them.

As an aside you may want to hold off on a coating until the body work is done curing. Body shop should tell you how long you should wait before messing with it. It could be short order or they may recommend 60 days if you've had full panels painted. Some shops accelerate the curing with lamps some dont.

Straight from the body shop you may have overspray or orange peel to deal with. Coating will magnify these defects.

Best of luck and post pics after you get the work done.

 

I'll be interested to hear what they say their procedure is. CQuartz is a popular product, and isn't very expensive if you want to diy.

I spent every day after work for a week and did my commuter car with CQuartz with a full correction. Lasted about 2 years, soap wouldn't even stick.

 

Make sure it includes paint correction, as that is most of what you pay for is the time spent on paint correction. Even brand new vehicles will require correction and you will be surprised at the difference once it is done.

 

ok I was at dealer today to finalize the deal. They took my truck, gave me a loaner highlander for no charge, they will send out the truck to the body shop today for new color matched mustache, color match fender flares, color matched rear spoiler.

then it comes back to dealer who will swap out the tires to the Cooper AT3 4s 275/60/20 I wanted, change the lugs to black, change the center caps to the no chrome TRD ones, add the bed mat, add a second key fob.

I take the truck for 30 days at that point as the body shop said let it cure for 30 before you do a coating, that seems the best thing to do based on what I know.

Then after all the 30 days, they will wash and do paint prep , clay bar etc. and then apply the coating and the inside and out, 900 bucks (which is already paid) and I get the lifetime warranty.

I think thats pretty fair for that price, they have been great and this dealer doesnt do the BS like some, very straight forward.

so I went ahead and bought that package, Ill let you guys know and post some pics. MY sales guy said he would personally make sure it was done and send pics regarding the paint prep.

so I think thats good enough for me. Im not expecting a max kickass 2-3K full detail shop level here as Im not paying that either.

thanks for the input guys, Im almost a gen 3 owner and I was said too see my 16 go, but damn that new one looks good, I got to see it and take pics, check it out, build quality seems much better than the earlier builds I saw, panel gaps and alignment, etc were spot on.

 

Before you give your truck back to the dealer for your coating.....go over it very closely and identify any defects you want corrected. Go over these with the detailer who will be performing the work, and make certain the defects are corrected to your satisfaction.

 

will do, I’m not expecting miracles or the world for 900 bucks but that’s a good idea

I checked it at the dealer once already and didn’t see much of any defects , but I’ll check again when I get it in my own garage

 

if it's a sunny day...get it out in the sun....it never lies

 

Just to note that is not a true ceramic coating, it's more of a sealant.

Good luck with dealer coating. I wouldn't do it as the advertisement is making some big claims like 5000 scrubs and additional paint thickness.

 

Thanks , I’m not expecting miracles at this point for 900 bucks so I guess we’ll see what it looks like. I’ll update before and after if it helps other s

 

I should mention I was referring to the Megs product.

For the dealer coating did they say anything about reapplication?

 

o the megs product I’m going to put on our new sienna

but for the dealer thing for the tundra , I doubt that for 900 bucks

 

The reason I asked is some dealers offer paint protection but you have to go back to get it reapplied ever so often.

 

Many ceramic coating warranties require a yearly coating maintenance inspection and re-application (at additional fee) to any needed areas to maintain warranty. If an inspection is missed the warranty will revert to a much less warranty period and annual inspections are no longer required.

 

ok, truck goes in tomorrow for the glasscoat now that all the color matched parts had time to cure.

He said they will hand wash, clay bar, then do the coating.

so for the price, Im happy with that for now.

Ill report back and take some pics with how it looks after.

 

Just picked it up they did a great job, detailed the entire thing for me. Wash, clay bar, coating, etc.

Paint looks and feels REALLY nice, I have to say Im impressed for the cost at least up front.

much more glossy and blue looks deep as hell in person.

 

few more shots, couple at the gas station

went ahead and gave it a 93 V power fill up , HA.

hard to get the pics to do it justice, blueprint is really something

 

I'll check that out.

right now, I love this stuff, load in my foam cannon and wow does it work well.

Technicians Choice Grape & Glow

https://www.technicianschoice.net/products.asp#

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PBC9KK5?ie=UTF8

 

Looks very nice. Make sure you read the warranty thoroughly and maintain the coating properly.

Side note - I see that Toyota still loves its orange peel

 

Pretty sure every manufacturer does
I was looking at a 22 Vet the other day and a 20 Jag a few months ago both were terrible the vet was jaw dropping how rough the paint was

 

Awesome looks amazing. Yes, the Blueprint really something it looks so different in different shades of light