To ceramic coat or not?

[z28oc91]

I know this is a hot topic but want to get guys opinions about ceramic coating..in theory it sounds great, I’m more worried about upkeep with cost..I know it will cost me around 800-1200 but I’m worried about it not lasting several years. What are your expierences with it and if you would do it again? Just for info I live in Chicago northwest suburbs (Midwest) so winters can be harsh and it will be stored outside. Thanks in advance

 

[Thekidcasual]

Do it!

 

[Tdurham19]

I ceramic coated my last 3 cars using the cquartz coating. I would strongly suggest you look into doing it yourself to save you a crap ton of money. But if you are anal about keeping your truck clean I would definitely recommend it. You can foam your truck, rinse with a power washer and blow the water off with a leaf blower, this will keep it super glossy and swirl free for years with little maintenance. For the Ram though I decided to actually not ceramic it. It’s a truck so I wasn’t planning on keeping it super clean all the time. Also I did miss waxing my cars when they were ceramic coated.

 

[KCViper]

I ceramic coated my last 3 cars using the cquartz coating. I would strongly suggest you look into doing it yourself to save you a crap ton of money. But if you are anal about keeping your truck clean I would definitely recommend it. You can foam your truck, rinse with a power washer and blow the water off with a leaf blower, this will keep it super glossy and swirl free for years with little maintenance. For the Ram though I decided to actually not ceramic it. It’s a truck so I wasn’t planning on keeping it super clean all the time. Also I did miss waxing my cars when they were ceramic coated.

^^^Agree 100% You can do it yourself and have some fun doing it. I've got everything ready to ceramic coat mine (Adams Graphene). BTW, there are many different products that will help you easily maintain the ceramic coating...increasing longevity. My truck will unfortantly have to live outside and I wanted an easy way to keep it clean and most importantly easy to blow dry off once foamed and washed. I was not willing to pay the $1500 to ceramic coat it! However, I did PPF the front, mirror caps, etc....which i highly recommend.

 

[z28oc91]

^^^Agree 100% You can do it yourself and have some fun doing it. I've got everything ready to ceramic coat mine (Adams Graphene). BTW, there are many different products that will help you easily maintain the ceramic coating...increasing longevity. My truck will unfortantly have to live outside and I wanted an easy way to keep it clean and most importantly easy to blow dry off once foamed and washed. I was not willing to pay the $1500 to ceramic coat it! However, I did PPF the front, mirror caps, etc....which i highly recommend.

I’ve always had a hard time fine detailing a truck, I find myself to be impatient a buddy of mine said he would wax, clay bar, and color correct and ceramic coat for a very nominal fee. I might go route. Thanks for the tips!

 

[BobK]

I bought everything I need. Just waiting for a nice 70 deg weekend day that I can spend probably 6 hours to Wash, Clay, Surface prep wipe then ceramic coat. Actually not looking forward to it now that I saw how much work it will be. Then deciding if I want to get a polisher that would be another step in the process before the ceramic. But without a polisher, its about $100 in material so big difference.

 

[DSTJ99]

I decided to use the new turtle wax ceramic spray knowing I’m not going to be able to keep up with washes and will ultimately have to periodically go to the car wash. Didn’t want to spend alot on professional ceramic for it to be depleted by car wash. There aren’t any touchless washes close so I figured I would just try this route with a reapplication every 6 months. Holding up well after 3 months but I garage all our cars so they stay nicer.

This thing takes a while to wash!


‘21 1500 Ltd, Max Steel / Indigo Frost

 

[MrSixStrings12]

A friend of mine had his Ram done and honestly, it looks gorgeous. It gets a lot of compliments at work, always looks clean/showroom finish. He paid a pretty penny for it but got the top tier coating done that includes a couple annual touch-ups (that he doesnt get done for whatever reason). I like the fact that it keeps the truck clean for longer and will help protect the paint as best as possible, other than getting PPF for the whole thing. And even then, crazy detailer guys will ceramic coat the PPF hahah

I've watched alot of videos recently cause I pickup my truck tomorow. I've opted to DIY for money reasons. I have experience doing polishing work and stuff so I am comfortable with that and Adam's Ceramic Coat is visible under UV light so I can double check my work.

On the topic of different products: There is a guy on youtube that did a 22 brand shootout and Adam's Ceramic coat was one of the only ones that are "generally available" and held up at year 3 with the professional grade products he tested. Definitely worth checking out that video. I also watched a pretty informative video where these detailers talked to an actual chemist and he explained that the whole graphene thing seems to be a sham at this point. I opted for the Adam's UV Ceramic Paint Coat. That kit, plus iron remover spray, and a new clay bar; i'm around $115 and probably a full day worth of work. Compare that to my friend's >$2000 professional job.

 

[scottmoyer]

I just purchased the AvalonKing ceramic coating kit. I haven't received it yet. I like a vehicle to look good all the time so if this will help me keep it clean, I'm happy.

 

[z28oc91]

I just purchased the AvalonKing ceramic coating kit. I haven't received it yet. I like a vehicle to look good all the time so if this will help me keep it clean, I'm happy.

Let me know when it comes how you like

 

[z28oc91]

A friend of mine had his Ram done and honestly, it looks gorgeous. It gets a lot of compliments at work, always looks clean/showroom finish. He paid a pretty penny for it but got the top tier coating done that includes a couple annual touch-ups (that he doesnt get done for whatever reason). I like the fact that it keeps the truck clean for longer and will help protect the paint as best as possible, other than getting PPF for the whole thing. And even then, crazy detailer guys will ceramic coat the PPF hahah

I've watched alot of videos recently cause I pickup my truck tomorow. I've opted to DIY for money reasons. I have experience doing polishing work and stuff so I am comfortable with that and Adam's Ceramic Coat is visible under UV light so I can double check my work.

On the topic of different products: There is a guy on youtube that did a 22 brand shootout and Adam's Ceramic coat was one of the only ones that are "generally available" and held up at year 3 with the professional grade products he tested. Definitely worth checking out that video. I also watched a pretty informative video where these detailers talked to an actual chemist and he explained that the whole graphene thing seems to be a sham at this point. I opted for the Adam's UV Ceramic Paint Coat. That kit, plus iron remover spray, and a new clay bar; i'm around $115 and probably a full day worth of work. Compare that to my friend's >$2000 professional job.

Thank you for opinion! I love a clean truck but I think my biggest concern is keep the paint solid, I wanna keep this truck for years to come and want it to look as prestine as possible and having a single car garage my truck won’t fit in it now, or else I probably wouldn’t do the ceramic coat but since it will be exposed to all elements I’m really going back and fourth.
By any chance do you know the link for that video?

 

[Royalist_Ram]

I have a paint correction and Ceramic Coating scheduled for early May. I’m going with CQuartz UK. It’s one step up from the base, but below the Premium and Reserve coatings. I just want something that will make the black paint shine and look nice, and be easier to clean for the next 1-2 years. The Coating itself was quoted at $350. Don’t feel like you have to spend an arm and a leg on it unless you got the money. Ceramic Coatings don’t protect against rock chips and scratches anyways, it’s really just to keep a shine and make it easier to clean.

 

[MrSixStrings12]

Thank you for opinion! I love a clean truck but I think my biggest concern is keep the paint solid, I wanna keep this truck for years to come and want it to look as prestine as possible and having a single car garage my truck won’t fit in it now, or else I probably wouldn’t do the ceramic coat but since it will be exposed to all elements I’m really going back and fourth.
By any chance do you know the link for that video?

I'm with ya there. I use my garage as a woodshop, not that the truck would fit in there. We have a huge oak tree that overhangs the driveway so anything that can help the paint last is a plus for me. The Chicago Detail Pros guys have a lot of nice videos. One of the most recent ones I've watched, they had a trunk lid half ceramic coated, half not, and drove it around salted roads and whatnot during the winter. The ceramic side was significantly cleaner cause of the hydro-phobic properties.

The final update for the ceramic coat video:

Graphene vs Ceramic video:

Adam's Ceramic Coating Instructional Video:

Other Chicago Detailer Pros video showing cermic vs non ceramic sides (around 3:20):

 

[z28oc91]

I'm with ya there. I use my garage as a woodshop, not that the truck would fit in there. We have a huge oak tree that overhangs the driveway so anything that can help the paint last is a plus for me. The Chicago Detail Pros guys have a lot of nice videos. One of the most recent ones I've watched, they had a trunk lid half ceramic coated, half not, and drove it around salted roads and whatnot during the winter. The ceramic side was significantly cleaner cause of the hydro-phobic properties.

The final update for the ceramic coat video:

Graphene vs Ceramic video:

Adam's Ceramic Coating Instructional Video:

Other Chicago Detailer Pros video showing cermic vs non ceramic sides (around 3:20):

2 places that were recommended to me by coworkers are auto image inc in barrington or Chicago auto pros in glenview. I think I am leaning towards having my coworker do it for a while 1/4 of the cost

 

[shrubs2000]

Absolutely do it! Besides the amazing shine and paint protection, it's sooo much easier to keep clean. I had mine done last year and also had PPF applied to the front of the hood, a-pillars. and the small pained surfaces on the front.

 

[KCViper]

Xpel PPF is on and I'm ready to ceramic coat. Now, to find a weekend to get it all done

 

[MrSixStrings12]

Xpel PPF is on and I'm ready to ceramic coat. Now, to find a weekend to get it all done View attachment 87184

Holy crap! Very nice! Post pics when your finished!

 

[Thekidcasual]

Xpel PPF is on and I'm ready to ceramic coat. Now, to find a weekend to get it all done View attachment 87184

Would’ve you want to coat it immediately? That’s way it doesn’t contaminate again

 

[MrSixStrings12]

For what its worth, I just got done doing about half the truck. Dealer washed it, I stopped by my parents and then straight home (about 5 miles total). Iron Remover did not turn a color on the front end, indicating minimal iron particles on the paint. So I went straight to clay bar. Did the whole truck, minus roof. Then followed the instructions for the Adam's Ceramic Coat. I did fenders back, minus roof. Process was pretty straight forward. I'll probably go in early at work and take advantage of the large garage we have to do the roof tomorow night. Ill do hood and front after I get PPF done. For the life of me, I could NOT find swirls in my paint while the sun was up. I ran the polisher over one fender and could not see a difference so opted out of polishing. When the sun was down, and I had my work light set up, I saw minimal swirling and I was okay with my decision to ceramic coat over it. Definitely varies truck to truck, mileage, and im sure the hydro blue paint hides it also.

Edited to add truck porn

 

[KCViper]

Would’ve you want to coat it immediately? That’s way it doesn’t contaminate again

Xpel Dallas took care of all the proper prep on the front where I had the PPF put on. Contamination is not a problem as I'll be taking it through all the proper prep prior to ceramic being applied. Like @MrSixStrings12, I too could not find any swirls in the billet silver paint. Will be doing a polish before ceramic coating.