Is ceramic worth it?

I have this new 2021 Tundra that sat in a dealership for 3 years before I got it with 100 miles on it so it is in perfect shape. It is white and unfortunately this will not be a garaged truck so I am thinking about ceramic just to protect the paint and and make it last longer.

Any pro, cons to ceramic? Would it be ok to take it through car wash after? Anything else I need to know?

I plan to do this at a Toyota dealership and they said they need it for 2 days to do it right. Is that accurate statement?

 

Thank you Sir

 

+1 to do it.

 

I will never have another vehicle without it. Bugs, tree sap, everything wipes right off without scrubbing. Like said already just be sure to maintain it using a good ceramic soap. I thought it was overrated until I bought a black truck that had already been done. Black is near impossible to keep looking good but with the ceramic on there it would shine from just getting rained on. That was enough to sell me on it

 

The self cleaning properties after having it coated is amazing.

Also, do some diligence on who is doing the work if you are hiring it out. I wouldn't have my dealership for anything like that to my vehicles. Don't trust their staff and I don't know who they would be outsourcing the job to on that day. Go direct to a professional who's entire livelihood depends on the quality of their work.

Just my .02

 

Yea don’t take a ceramic coated car through a touch car wash. Touchless carwashes are fine but I usually just wash my cars myself. Easy and doesn’t take a super long time.

Also do not take it to a dealership to have it done. They will overcharge you and use cheap products. Find a good detail shop and let them do it. They will do it properly and with good products.

as for if it is worth it that is up to you. At the end of the day it makes cleaning your car way easier but you will have to wash it yourself or hire someone to detail it. It does help protect against scratches better but will also make deep scratches harder to correct. I had my Tacoma coated and will be doing my new tundra in the next couple weeks. Tacoma sat outside for about 2 of the three years if owned it and the paint looked as good as it did when I bought it new when I traded it in recently. It’s worth it to me just for that aspect. But it won’t protect against rock chips like PPF, so something to keep in mind if you do a lot of dirt road driving.

 

White is the easiest color to keep looking like new. (Doesn’t show scuffs and scratches as much)

ceramic isn’t a bullet proof shield, but as others have stated it makes cleaning a vehicle 100x easier.

my opinion is that you shouldn’t care so much about perfect paint. Give it a wash, iron decon/mechanical decon with “clay” towel. Then a quick polish. (Use a rotary with a red diy detail pad, and follow their “process” Wipe down with a panel prep product, then apply coating. The cleaner your paint surface the better for your coating (and any wax/sealant for that matter.



then be amazed. I applied Diydetail 8 year coating and topped it with their 3 year coating. Super easy to apply. I’d never installed one before.

I have a wash membership (touch less and hybrid (soft touch)). I go once a week, sometimes twice a week for 5 months now. Coating is still there.

coatings are chemical resistant and do not require any special care on a regular wash basis. But once or twice a year (or if the coating loses its properties) then you apply a water spot remover to “de clog” it. At this time it’s a good idea to do another iron remover and mechanical decon.

supposed;y coatings are more subsceptible to water spots. I have not experienced this as of yet, but apparently you can use a spray wax/sealant as a drying aid that will reduce this.

I the spring I plan to to,do an apc rinse, then contact wash, water spot remover ( I use car pro descale), then iron remover and “clay” towel. (Maybe tar remover if needed).

periodically I’ll do a “wash clay and wax” which is basically using a spray wax as a clay towel lubricant after a wash. Gets your paint nice and smooth and shiny.

 

Sorta. As long as you don't get bent over price-wise, and it's a legit product, then totally worth it. Doing a truck should run about $900 for the ceramic. Correction would be extra.

 

Ceramic coatings are worth it....but ignore the claims of longevity....there are too many factors that influence how long any coating will last. As with most things, the better you maintain it, the longer it will last. I used Gyeon MOHS EVO on my truck....it is super easy to apply. Do a proper wash and decontamination of the surface. A suggestion was given earlier to use a rotary...I'd advise against that unless you have used one before. If you are doing this yourself, use a DA polisher instead. You significantly mitigate the risk of burning through clear coat with a DA vs a rotary. A good basic finishing polish will likely suffice, unless there is legitimate correction to be done. Toyota clear is generally soft, so a hybrid (aka one step) such as 3D One or Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro ! and Done will work well with a light cutting pad.

Once the polishing step is complete.....a panel wipe using an IPA solution, or a panel prep like CarPro Eraser will get rid of any of the polishing oils and give you a clean surface for the coating to bond to.

In the event you decide to take it to a shop, be prepared to spend a decent chunk of change for this work....upwards of 1k would not shock me.

 

I am in research mode and I am getting a lot of great data point from this thread for sure. Even some conflicting points as well I just want the best for my truck and maximize my $$$ of course.

 

I can go either way and I have several cars to drive so doing this truck in one-stop-shop will be better for me. Just drop it off for few days and be done with it Money is really not an issue, is just finding the right shop who does the job right and they know what they're doing. And as we all know not all shops are made equal unfortunately

 

I wouldn’t let a dealership do it. No telling if the guy they have applying it has any idea what he’s doing. It’s just a money adder for them and I’d be surprised if they do a good job.
It’s an 8 hour job for a pro, probably less on white paint. If you’re in the north Houston area, Stephen with Attention to Detail does great work, has very competitive prices, and will come to you. No need to leave your truck somewhere for a couple of days.

If you’re going to use automatic car washes don’t bother. I wouldn’t bother with anything honestly. It’s going to trash your paint regardless of what protection you have on it.

 

You trusted Safelite?

 

Thanks Sir. Did you have a personal experience with Stephen at Attention to Detail? Looks like he got good reviews.....

 

Yes sir. He did a paint correction and ceramic on one of my trucks a few years ago when I was new to detailing and wasn’t equipped or confident enough to do it myself yet. He knocked it out in my driveway in about 8 hours.
He did excellent work and was very professional. He’s a really good guy. These pics are from the morning after.

 

I’d like that myself. That’s one of the warehouses at work. I’d parked it in there because rain was coming and the coating hadn’t cured yet.

 

Thanks Jason and I am about to call Arnold right. I understand he is a veteran? That's even better as I very much support our troops and heroes.

 

Ok I am going with your guy Jason for the System X Max G+ 10 years warranty and do a yearly refresher with him as well. Lets hope it goes well Will keep you updated.

 

Honestly I wouldn’t go this route. Ya want to coat it right away if you do the full decon and polish.

coating can be done in one weekend easy. Do all the prep (wash decon polish) on Saturday. Ya should be done in time for dinner. On Sunday AM ya need to wipe it down and coat. You could knock this out by lunchtime.

this needs to be done in a garage BTW

 

Sorry half that message was to the OP lol ^^^^^^^^^

 

I am dropping the truck off for 2 days in their warehouse. I am told they will need it for 2 days so I guess that's good enough for me.