Is the ceramic coating on truck worth it?

wondering if its worth it , how long it lasts, think dealer was charging 750$ if I remember correctly

 

I can tell you right now that a true full ceramic coat is a couple grand. $750 is not a ceramic coat.

 

If you take care of it properly, it is worth it. I also wouldn't get it done at the dealer. Look for a shop that will do it, or try and tackle it yourself (sans paint correction, unless you are handy with a buffer).

 

I am going to go against the grain and say it's not worth it. I put Duraslic Pro+ on my 2022 F350 and it actually required MORE maintenance than what I have been doing for years. Cost $1800 with minimal paint correction on a brand new vehicle.

I'll stick with a full detail 3-4x a year + wax/sealant.

 

A good ceramic coat will protect the paint longer than traditional wax but not as long as they claim. Most of them recommend coming back for occasional repeat maintenance/treatments at additional cost. You can save a lot of money by having your paint clay bared, polished and waxed once a year. I have done this on a 2005 Sequoia we own since it was new and the black paint is original and looks almost new at 273,000. We run it through the carwash once a week which does put swirls in the paint but the clay bar and polish always removes the swirls. The yearly paint detail costs around $180. Hope this helps you look at the different options to protect your new truck and welcome to the forum.

 

depends on the prep work. Simple clay bar and ceramic is about that much.

 

Absolutely worth if the vehicle is outside 247. Don’t have the dealership do it…

I used to clay and polish yearly but the ceramic is far easier to maintain. Everything just wipes off.

 

$750 is not a realistic number for a good ceramic coat that will last you.

I just did the Turtle wax Graphene Flex on my tundra and it does wonders. It takes a lot of initial prep work and to apply, 2-3 hours worth of work but it makes a huge difference. Oh and the spray bottle is under $30 plus some micro fiber towels.

Now I just spray wash the truck with ease and the water just beads right off.

 

I second this. $1800 for a “lifetime” coating for me as well and while it’s a nice novelty, it’s not worth it. If for no other reason than the fact that you can’t buff out minor scratches anymore, you have to strip the ceramic coating off, repair the scratches then reapply. Ridiculous.

 

I had the slightest idea what ceramic coating was when I got my new Tundra and was completely sold on the hype of it. Luckily the guy at the detailing shop was a cool ass dude and told me it would be a waste of money for me (quote was $1800). This came after only one question from him, "do you plan on taking your truck off-road?" As soon as I answered yes he told me I can't take you money man, you'll be pissed off the first time this thing gets scratched up off-road. I thanked him for his honesty, promised he's gonna get all my detailing business from here on out.

 

I did my own ceramic coating for just about $100 and a day of labor. I didn’t paint correct my Tundra since it was brand new (a bit lazy on my part but it’s white paint), but it looks amazing. I’ve done ceramic coatings (nano particle SiO2 solutions) myself for the past 10 years or so. I’ve used many brands (Miyabi, Gyeon, Pinnacle, Carpro, Adam’s, and Gtechniq). Most good coatings are basically the same. It’s all the install. With regular maintenance I’ve gotten about 4-5 years before I’ve removed and reapplied the coating. My personal coating of choice is Gtechniq Crystal Serum light (mostly for single cost application and ease of application) but there are many great choices. Don’t let the dealer or detailer do it for you, it’s just too easy to do and fun as well. One tip, if you do it yourself, use nitrile gloves (provided with lost good coatings) as instructed - nano particles of any type deserve a healthy respect for their ability to penetrate your skin and get into your bloodstream.

 

thanks , I guess for that price not a ceramic coat,

 

$750 could very well be a ceramic coating. What we dont know is what prep work was to be included with the $750. I do detailing on the side and $750 is about going rate for a basic coating service with either a simple clay bar or a "shine enhancement" polish and then coating. The $1,000+ quotes usually include full paint correction and then you can add additional coatings or higher quality product...again, we dont know specifics of the $750 to give good feedback.

 

absolutely yes, ceramic pro or miyabi and ism. game changer how you wash and dry your vehicles. also xpel clear bra for the front end. Speaking of going to start a rock chip thread i would like to know experience of vehicles with miles on them where these trucks tend to attract rock chips.

you do a quality coating then get yourself a master blaster. makes life so easy.

https://www.autopia-carcare.com/met...ZySxNJs3QOd5ytbszg4aAm-jEALw_wcB#.Yxfy2ezMI0Q

They can be found cheaper on other sites but just wanted to share what it is. Crazy the price now, they were $300-400 when i got my first 2 which was about 12 years ago. Both still work perfectly. They blow so much volume and i feel the pressure is higher than a 120psi compressor with a quality nozzle. I did the wall mount kit and 30' hose. Use it for so many things.

 

One thing to add, on my nismo we did full body paint protection film then 2 coats of ceramic pro 9h then probably 10 coats of their light lol. The car i have had since November of 2014 and it still works. I blow dry it every time. I do think the coating tends to bond to paint protection film a little better than to paint but none the less pretty impressed with results. Also not all ceramic coatings are equal. There really is a reason why some of the stuff costs $250-400 per little bottle. ive tried the cheaper stuff on some of my other cars and it lasted a couple months..

 

in a nutshell ...


The vehicle that should be ceramic coated:

• Has paint that’s kept in near-perfect condition
• Driven regularly in all conditions but isn’t neglected
• Washed often, with proper wash techniques and products
• Can benefit from the ability to wash quickly and easily

The vehicle that would be better off with a sealant:

• A daily driver that gets abused
• Gets very dirty, and isn’t washed right away
• Likely to be scratched or dented
• Owned by someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money

The vehicle that only needs wax:

• A show car that requires very little protection
• Appearance is more important than longevity
• May have been previously sealed and just needs a slight boost

pretty good break down @ https://avalonking.com/blogs/car-detailing/the-truth-about-ceramic-coatings


personally i have no use for one due to location (4-6 months of winter crap), hunting, fishing and lack of motivation to actually clean the truck exterior compared to when i was in my younger years. i can go weeks without going thru a car wash and usually its only to get rid of the bugs.

big waste if you go off roading, that pin striping will negate it instantly in most cases

 

1) Never get anything detailing related done at a dealership.Don’t even let them wash it in make ready.

2) In my opinion, not worth it unless you get one hell of a deal, and only because the paint correction they do is where the real work and improvements are done.
Apples to apples, you can get the same result way cheaper with a good sealant. Ceramic only lasts as long as they say it will if you top it regularly with a sealant. That sealant is doing the major work, so just do the sealant.

If you’re dead set on a ceramic, have it done in the winter when detailers are struggling for work. Right before Christmas you can usually have it done for half what it costs in the spring/summer.

You can absolutely find a good detailer that will paint correct and apply a ceramic for 750.00 (at least in my area). That dealership is almost certainly not doing a paint correction, and a new truck shouldn’t need it anyway.

On a brand new vehicle you’ll need to do a paint decontamination. That and a ceramic can be done yourself for 200 bucks worth of product and a few hours’ time. Even then, you’ll save money and time using a good sealant and get the same results.

 

PPF is the overall best option for paint protection but it’s crazy expensive.

Do you think the ceramic is making a big difference vs just having the film? I can definitely see it bonding with PPF better than paint but I’d think the ceramic would be overkill. I could absolutely be wrong about that though. 8 years is a ridiculously long time for any chemical to hold up.

 

I had my 2020 tundra ceramic coated and my 2022 Tacoma I use consumer meguiars ceramic detail spray and as long as you use it a few times a year I don’t see any difference in my results.

 

BTW, don’t ever use car care and (machine) car wash in the same sentence; NOT mutually exclusive. If you EVER plan on taking your vehicle through a car wash, then a ceramic coating is NOT for you. Standard car washes are horrible for your finish and Coated vehicles require special soap to achieve the full “benefit”.

 

Same goes for PPF, whatever solvents those touchless washes use. That solvent breaks down PPF film over time softening it and making it prone to chip and discolor.

 

I just had my new supersonic ceramic'd. One thing the detailer mentioned is that there was a coating on the paint that caused it to be very hazy, he has seen similar from new Ford vehicles recently that took a while to remove (train/travel protective coat or maybe something else?), and he also said there was a bunch of contamination in the clearcoat that looked like bits of peanut shells, he had never seen that before. Took him a lot of extra time to remove all of that before he ceramic'd it. Used IGL Quartz ceramic, truck looks fantastic. Never had ceramic before so can't really comment on is it worth it yet

 

Shiny

 

I’m planning on getting mine ceramic coated ASAP. I do drive off road, but pretty wide open spaces in my area, and typically on the beach where the risk of pin striping is non-existent. I used to take my Tacoma on some relatively narrow trails, but I’m just not willing to do that in the new full size Tundra. I feel like ceramic coating my black paint is just a necessity. I’m waiting on Toyota to figure out how they’re going to fix their failing paint protection film they installed before delivery first. That’s been a whole mess in itself…3 months and the dealership continues to drag its feet.

 

Yes, get the ceramic coating, it makes washing a lot easier, truck also looks cleaner and shinier all the time. Make sure to get the paint corrected first so no more swirls marks. Get some paint protection film also. That price is really cheap, I’d look for an independent guy. I have a good guy in canton Ohio if you’re near that location let me know.

 

The OP states in this thread: is ceramic coating for your Tundra worth it? what we don’t know is how much is a good ceramic coating ? is ceramic coating worth it at $1,500 or $2,000 or $2,500 or $750? it appears the shine is deeper an luxurious with ceramic but i haul stuff mostly wood and sometimes firewood, my Tundra will be sitting outside (will having the Tundra outside affect the longevity of a ceramic coating ?)mostly , and I tend to wash her maybe 12 times a year. However, I love shiny things. is ceramic coating worth it ?

 

No.

 

@t300 I’m also looking to have my Tundra hybrid ceramic’d (once I actually get the truck). Is the shop you used in Winnipeg by chance?

 

Close, IDC. I’ll pm you