Talk me into ceramic coating

I've read a bit about ceramic coatings and it sounds like a big sales pitch. Is it worth doing? My truck is black (218), lives outside and is a daily driver. I do enjoy taking care of it and would like the paint to last. I tend to keep a vehicle until the wheels fall off. Then I fix it and keep it 10 more years.

I've contacted a handful of detailers in my area. Only 1 called me back. He uses Ceramic Pro and Opticoat. His recommendation was to go with Opticoat Pro. Prepping the truck and applying Opticoat Pro to everything on the exterior except for the glass and the wheels is $1250 bucks. That's a LOT of money to me these days. Some older posts on here have quoted figures for the same work for about half the money.

Why am I considering it? I'm under the assumption that it will help protect the paint against swirl marks, among other things. The more I read, the more I think I might be wrong and that protecting against those nasty swirl marks isn't really what this is for. The shine and easier time washing is neat and I'd certainly like to have it, but that's not what's motivating me. It's the swirls that I'm trying to avoid. Yeah, black paint-I know, I know... It sure looks good when it's clean, though.

So, before I and begin to cry, I could use a good talking to. $1250 could do a bit of damage to that stock suspension, get me rocking out with some ********* goodies or any number of other things to get the truck dialed in my way. Will I be happy with a ceramic coating?

 

If I ever buy a truck new I will get it coated for sure. I'm trying to get my paint corrected to the point I can coat my truck.
With you're truck being black its even more inventive to get ceramic. It will indeed make it easier to wash but it should also protect against swirls and light scratches. Black vehicles that have ceramic coatings look amazing, that deep dark wet look is unbeatable.

 

Do it! It protects from UV light. It helps repell water and dirt. Makes cleaning a breeze. And as @Pudge mentioned it will help protect against swirls and small scratches. Better to do soon as possible, less paint corrections needed the cheaper it will be.

 

Look into DIY. Much cheaper. The prep is labor intensive and I understand why the price, but with much help from @driverdog (he supplied all of the knowledge and most of the work) I did mine with Cquartz UK 3.0 two weeks ago. About 18 man hours invested. Lots of other guys here that are also extremely helpful.

 

I did this the day after I drove it home from the dealership. I’ve been detailing my own vehicles forever so the paint correction was easy. The latest versions of the ceramic coatings are easy to apply and keep the paint looking fantastic. DIY or pay for it, either way DO IT!

 

You guys are going to bankrupt me. At least I'll have a shiny truck to go to court in.

I had no idea DIY was possible for ceramic coating. I'm familiar with paint correction and can handle that myself with a good bit of confidence. What brand do you all recommend?

 

That was an impressive typo that somehow made perfect sense when I submitted my post. It was supposed to be 'brand'. I haven't even been drinking!

 

Shoot 1,250 is cheap. I just paid $2,200 for paint correction and 8 year modesta on a brand new truck. And yes a brand new truck needed paint correction.

Modesta is the best though and no maintenance. Don’t listen to any detailer say no paint correction needed. IMO when it comes to a coating it’s best to hire the best.

My detail included

Paint correction
Primer
Modesta BC06 8 year guarantee
On paint; calipers; wheels; and exhaust
Ceramic windshield coating

 

OH YEAH

 

Well, I think I'm going to give this a go myself. I've been watching YouTube videos on how to apply it and I don't see anything intimidating. Getting the paint as close to perfect as I can seems to be the biggest challenge. I've done that before, so I think I should be ok. I'm looking at this

$93 CARPRO CQUARTZ UK 3.0 - Ceramic Coating for Cars, Quartz Based Nanotechnology, Bonds to Paint, Glass, Metal and Plastic - (50ml Kit w/Reload 2.0)

CarPro Cquartz UK 3.0_50ml Kit w/Reload. Is there anything else I should have on hand? How about removing the wax and sealant that's already on the paint?

 

Full disclosure, I have not applied a ceramic coating yet. I have plenty of it on hand, but haven’t had the chance yet. That said, I’ve researched it like crazy, so I’m prepared.

First, that kit comes with some suede towels to buff the product off with. It doesn’t look like enough to me, so I ordered more from Carpro. I know some guys just use microfiber towels, but I wanted the same thing that came with the kit.
When you correct the paint, don’t use anything that has fillers or waxes in it. Just straight compound and or polish.
Yes, you will need to remove the wax and sealant that is on there. I recommend Carpro Eraser. It’s what I use when I want to strip that stuff off to try a new product. It also works incredibly well on windows, which I just discovered about four days ago. There are cheaper or homemade options, but I haven’t tried them.
I’m sure with your research you already know not to get it wet for 24 hours or to wash it for a week.

@Sky's the Limit Car Care is a member here, and is gracious enough to pop in here and answer questions for us. The guys at Carpro are very responsive to email also. Those guys are happy to offer advice and recommendations in my experience. Very good people there.

 

I had my '14 and my '16 professionally coated, very nice. You can now buy a spray on ceramic coating, just clay bar the vehicle, spray it on and wipe off, I've done that to my other two tundras, will last for about 6 months, a bottle of the spray costs about $50 and will do roughly 3 applications. The application process takes about 1/2 the time it does to apply traditional wax, I'm a dealer for the spray on stuff, I'll send you a bottle at a discount if you want to do the application your self

 

Chicks dig it.

 

I use this for wax/sealant removal. Works just as good if not better than car pro eraser and it’s cheap.

 

The common misconception people have of ceramic coating is that it’s a miracle product and the truck will take care of itself after install. My sister in law literally was gonna get it done because she thought all you have to do is rinse the car off and you’re done. Ceramic coating is for those looking to get that extra shine and hydrophobic qualities. Think of it as a harder clear coat, while it is “less” susceptible it’s definitely not swirl and scratch proof. You’d still need to take necessary precautions to avoid swirls. Imo if your truck lives outside I’d look into a PPF like xpel or suntek. It’s a film that provides actual protection. That being said my truck is coated with modesta and I love it, truck is garaged and very well taken care of. My wife’s vehicle has xpel ppf on it so I have experience with both products

 

me likey those sequoia LEDs

 

Reading this thread I am convinced, but my truck is used, can ceramic fix any existing swirls and bring it back to a shine??

 

Wow, lots of labor involved for sure, and worth the price. Thanks so much for the information!!

 

Great information here. I have been thinking about ceramic coating also. As a follow-up question; once the coating is applied, what are the do's and don'ts? Should/could it be waxed after the coating? Would clay bar after the coating remove or damage the coating? I never do full paint correction, but I typically do a clay bar cleaning about 2x a year. Would that be needed or advised after ceramic coating?

 

No waxing or clay bars. That’s one of the benefits of ceramic coating, the shine/“water beading” will last the life of the coating. How long your coating will last depends on how you treat your vehicle. Ie a garaged vehicle’s coating will last longer than one left outside. Modesta comes with maintenance products that cleans and boosts their coatings. Not sure if the other brands do. Here’s a vid of the products to upkeep a modesta coated vehicle.

https://youtu.be/hjmsyLkrMB0

 

what if you drive trails and get pinstripes all the time. Is it a waste of time doing it on your truck ?

 

Yes, you’d be wasting your money. Look into ppf

 

Thank you for the detailed response. Much appreciated.

 

I can't thank you guys enough for all of this information. It's a LOT more than I anticipated. This forum is different from most that I've been involved in. People are welcoming and friendly. That's refreshing.

As for the coat, I'll have to do some research and see which one I land on. I do wheel the Tundra-nothing weird-so I'll get some pinstripes from time to time. I can't handle buggering up a vehicle that costs this much so I'll be a sissy about where I go. Regardless, the deep shine and gloss is irresistible. Thanks again!

 

I just came across a VinWiki video about ceramic coating and whether or not it was snake oil... I'd never heard of it until this post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuUfTVf_mMU

 

Just do it

 

Sexy!!! Looks even faster, which is hard to believe since it’s the fastest color already!

 

Well, I have to admit that I'm a big fat sellout. I called one last place about ceramic coating and they were almost $500 under my original quote. Plus, they do the glass, plastic and wheels. Same 5 year warranty. I can't pass it up and have an appointment tomorrow to get the truck done. I'm a bit bummed that I'm not doing it myself. On the other hand, I'm happy to get it done in one long day and not have to screw with it.

@driverdog has mentioned a few other things that are used on top of the ceramic coat-Reload, Beadmaker and...something else. They look like they all do the same thing and are safe to apply over the ceramic coat. I'm going to order one of them tonight. Is one better than another, shinier, faster or more resistant to Prius drivers? I'm excited to do this. It's my first (and probably last) new vehicle and I want to keep it's appearance up.

Thanks again.

 

I’d be weary about 1 day to coat your truck. They should have it for 2 days minimum

 

My installer took 2 days to install and then let the truck sit in his shop over the weekend to finish curing before he would let me drive it (did the same with the other 2 vehicles I've had done with him).

Looked so good under the lights, I almost didn't want to drive it...almost: