Ceramic Coating?

[BradWatson8541]

I guess you could consider ceramic coating an exterior mod so that's why i'm posing this here. My knowledge on them is extremely limited to a few articles and a YouTube video, does anyone in this group have real experience with ceramic coating and can you give us some pros and cons of doing it to your paint? The gladiator i ordered is black and it will be my first black vehicle and this seems like it would be a smart investment for me considering all the dirty roads i drive down to get to my work. but they seem pretty pricey to have it done right. Is it worth it?

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[Troybilt]

Ive been looking into a protective wrap.

https://www.xpel.com

 

[Rover_boy]

Ive been looking into a protective wrap.

https://www.xpel.com

Wrap cost about $1500 min correct?

Ceramic DIY - $100
Ceramic pro - $500

I too have this dillema but if I were to go off road none of this matters as the damn layers will be stripped.

 

[Fordfreak]

I had ours ceramic coated before we even drove the truck by our local detailer, who also did my other truck last year, also when purchased new. He charged us $850 for a lifetime warranty coating. I will have done on every vehicle I ever buy going forward. Unbelievable product. I would strongly suggest only having done by a professional unless you have paint knowledge yourself. Seems like a easy way to ruin a paint job if you didn’t know what you were doing. Just my 2 cents however.

 

[Sorbs]

I have it on my 2015 Hellcat. Two words...totally bitchen...

 

[steffen707]

I have it on my 2015 Hellcat. Two words...totally bitchen...

Oooh, nice Hellcat.

We did a paint protection film and ceramic coating on Dory! I think for the Gator JT i'll do the ceramic coating, but not on my leased one. The ceramic coating windows is AWESOME! its like super Rain-X.

 

[Iron Wolfpack]

I have it on my 2015 Hellcat. Two words...totally bitchen...

Beautiful car. Is that the ceramic coating or protective film?

 

[Sorbs]

Beautiful car. Is that the ceramic coating or protective film?

Thank you! Ceramic coating. It makes for easy cleaning.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Ceramic can be great stuff. KEY is the HARDNESS. About the best stuff out there is about a 9 in hardness, the would be extremely hard graphite pencil lead.

LOTS of scammers out there, $750 and beyond for a low-level ceramic wax job you can buy at Wal Mart and do y our self. ASK how hard and the application process..

I do not say this often: Best left to the pros if IF they use the right juice, otherwise you threw money away, on the other hand, you can do it yourself, BUT you have got to follow the steps exactly or you wasted your money.

Get hold of the folks who do it ask for a detailed step by step process. The key, is in the prep, that is everything. Smart move = drop it off at the detailer the day you buy the car!!!

You can buy the same exact pro kits they use, cost about $100 +/- and if you got strong arms + time + inside you can get the same results they do. Friend of mine did his and he was at it most of the day with 80% of the time getting ready to apply the product. He told me he will never do it again, next time he will pay to have it done. But his truck was over a year old...

 

[BradWatson8541]

Ceramic can be great stuff. KEY is the HARDNESS. About the best stuff out there is about a 9 in hardness, the would be extremely hard graphite pencil lead.

LOTS of scammers out there, $750 and beyond for a low-level ceramic wax job you can buy at Wal Mart and do y our self. ASK how hard and the application process..

I do not say this often: Best left to the pros if IF they use the right juice, otherwise you threw money away, on the other hand, you can do it yourself, BUT you have got to follow the steps exactly or you wasted your money.

Get hold of the folks who do it ask for a detailed step by step process. The key, is in the prep, that is everything. Smart move = drop it off at the detailer the day you buy the car!!!

You can buy the same exact pro kits they use, cost about $100 +/- and if you got strong arms + time + inside you can get the same results they do. Friend of mine did his and he was at it most of the day with 80% of the time getting ready to apply the product. He told me he will never do it again, next time he will pay to have it done. But his truck was over a year old...

Thank you for the info. I don't have the indoor space nor the time to attempt to do it myself so i will definitely pay for it. I've only contacted one place around me that had good reviews but they were $1400 and came with a 9 or 7 year warranty. ( cant remember which) seemed really high but i didn't know anything about it so maybe that is a normal rate for something like this from a good place. seems like it will be worth it especially since the JT i ordered is black and not garage kept.

 

[RedTRex]

Ceramic can be great stuff. KEY is the HARDNESS. About the best stuff out there is about a 9 in hardness, the would be extremely hard graphite pencil lead.

LOTS of scammers out there, $750 and beyond for a low-level ceramic wax job you can buy at Wal Mart and do y our self. ASK how hard and the application process..

I do not say this often: Best left to the pros if IF they use the right juice, otherwise you threw money away, on the other hand, you can do it yourself, BUT you have got to follow the steps exactly or you wasted your money.

Get hold of the folks who do it ask for a detailed step by step process. The key, is in the prep, that is everything. Smart move = drop it off at the detailer the day you buy the car!!!

You can buy the same exact pro kits they use, cost about $100 +/- and if you got strong arms + time + inside you can get the same results they do. Friend of mine did his and he was at it most of the day with 80% of the time getting ready to apply the product. He told me he will never do it again, next time he will pay to have it done. But his truck was over a year old...

Yea man, thanks for the insight

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Thank you for the info. I don't have the indoor space nor the time to attempt to do it myself so i will definitely pay for it. I've only contacted one place around me that had good reviews but they were $1400 and came with a 9 or 7 year warranty. ( cant remember which) seemed really high but i didn't know anything about it so maybe that is a normal rate for something like this from a good place. seems like it will be worth it especially since the JT i ordered is black and not garage kept.

$1400 is stupid money unless you are do9ng a 5th wheel trailer. I will assume its for your jeep, no bigger than an ordinary car.

The top 9H kits will run about $100 +/- $25 or so. The pros (I use that word LOOSELY) if they are the real deal they are bying in bulk. And they are getting 99% pure ceramic. So for about a $100 bucks you <4 oz in most cases of 99% 9H. Figure a day to clean, prep and apply plus 24 hrs to cure. To do right, car out of commission for 3 days and best to be parked inside.

What you need to do is find a shop and what they do is detail cars full time. If it's in the back of Wong Hung Low Chinese Take Out and Stomach Pump Room...RUN. If they tell you they can start work now, move on.

$1400 buks of which well over $1000 is labor for a days work by a High School drop out who is getting paid $10 an hr. This kid does not give a FLYING CHUCK about your car, he is there because he is lazy and he won't be there 6 mo from now.

Warranty: 3, 5 10, lifetime. Really. First, no such thing as lifetime if they say that they are lying. Ceramics are about as good as it gets, but under testing 6 mo - 1yr and then you need to apply another coat of sealer. If you off-road, or live on the ocean close enough to get salt spray not likely get much warranty out of them. I had a 16 ft seawall in front of my house, the salt spray destroyed my paint on my cars in no time and I mean destroyed paint!

Your best bet is to find a guy who actually does this and makes a good living at it. These are often Mobile guys vs the shop where the owner is getting rich and his workers are just min wage and come and go. You want a guy who does the job so he can come back and do it again and again...that is how it makes his living.

 

[BradWatson8541]

Thanks @Ole Cowboy, I think the investment will be worth it and ill take your advise and shop for a good reputable person in my area to have it done with. this will be my first black vehicle so i think it will be money well spent.

 

[megamucho]

$1400 is stupid money

...

Warranty: 3, 5 10, lifetime. Really. First, no such thing as lifetime if they say that they are lying. Ceramics are about as good as it gets, but under testing 6 mo - 1yr and then you need to apply another coat of sealer.
...

Thanks @Ole Cowboy, I think the investment will be worth it and ill take your advise and shop for a good reputable person in my area to have it done with. this will be my first black vehicle so i think it will be money well spent.

Maybe I missed something while skimming the thread, but $1400 for a single year of protection is ridiculous. I'd rather keep $100/month in my pocket and clay/wax the truck on a quarterly basis.

edit: I met and kept in touch with a guy several years ago while we were awaiting window tint installation. We both had black cars. He was getting ceramic paint protection while I left mine naked. Fast forward a few years and his car's finish was terrible (cat paws all over the hood) while mine was the typical black swirl mark city - easy to correct with a random orbital and some corrective pads and polish. Lots of variables there, but speaks to the legitimate life expectancy of the product... Guarantees or not.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Maybe I missed something while skimming the thread, but $1400 for a single year of protection is ridiculous. I'd rather keep $100/month in my pocket and clay/wax the truck on a quarterly basis.

edit: I met and kept in touch with a guy several years ago while we were awaiting window tint installation. We both had black cars. He was getting ceramic paint protection while I left mine naked. Fast forward a few years and his car's finish was terrible (cat paws all over the hood) while mine was the typical black swirl mark city - easy to correct with a random orbital and some corrective pads and polish. Lots of variables there, but speaks to the legitimate life expectancy of the product... Guarantees or not.

You are right on!

Wondering:

Could we take the ceramic (which is clear and mix it in with Clear Coat that almost all mfgs use today????

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