5 Year Ceramic Coat

[dfwxjer]

I got my Mojave ceramic coated last weekend using a 5 year crystal serum light coating.

The shop I went to was able to do a 2 stage paint correction to polish out some tree pinstriping and just did a heck of a job making my Jeep look better than new. It’s been a delight to power wash off grime, mud, and pollen.

Has anyone else professional ceramic coated their Gladiator?

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[be77solo]

Looks great, nice wheel choice too!

 

[Challenger85]

No, I do it all myself for 2K less than what they charge people. I have to do it every 2 years but works just as good. It is sweet though, cars always shiny, no water spots and dirt just washes away.

 

[darksidedesign]

No, I do it all myself for 2K less than what they charge people. I have to do it every 2 years but works just as good. It is sweet though, cars always shiny, no water spots and dirt just washes away.

What product do you use?

 

[Eric Kern]

I was teetering with the idea of getting It done, should have just did It on day one, now the amount of paint correction is gonna make the outrageous cost even more cost prohibitive.
The Mojave looks great by the way…

was also looking Into undercoatings as well…also expensive..,

 

[Challenger85]

What product do you use?

I used this with no issues. The professional grade stuff is different or at least that’s what they tell you. Even if this is “lower grade” it works fantastic for me for the last 2+ years on my challenger.

https://avalonking.com/

 

[Green_Gladiator]

Did the Opti-Coat Cermaic 5yr. Love it .. no regrets!

 

[dfwxjer]

No, I do it all myself for 2K less than what they charge people. I have to do it every 2 years but works just as good. It is sweet though, cars always shiny, no water spots and dirt just washes away.

I went with the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light which is good for 5 years. It was way less than $2k for the clay bar, 2 stage paint correction, and warrantied ceramic coating.

I was curious about the Avalon King stuff but I usually suck with cosmetic work so I left it with the pro. I do agree it's amazing to walk out and consistently see perfect finish.

I was teetering with the idea of getting It done, should have just did It on day one, now the amount of paint correction is gonna make the outrageous cost even more cost prohibitive.
The Mojave looks great by the way…

was also looking Into undercoatings as well…also expensive..,

Thanks! My friends and I made the mistake of turning down a side by side trail the last time we went wheeling and we all ended up with some pretty bad scratches all over our Jeeps. The detailer I went to charged $1100 all-in for clay bar, 2 stage correction, and ceramic on all painted surfaces as well as glass, wheels and tires.

The downside is now I am really hesitant to take it back out

 

[j.o.y.ride]

I prefer my cars to be a little dirty

 

[Eric Kern]

I went with the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light which is good for 5 years. It was way less than $2k for the clay bar, 2 stage paint correction, and warrantied ceramic coating.

I was curious about the Avalon King stuff but I usually suck with cosmetic work so I left it with the pro. I do agree it's amazing to walk out and consistently see perfect finish.



Thanks! My friends and I made the mistake of turning down a side by side trail the last time we went wheeling and we all ended up with some pretty bad scratches all over our Jeeps. The detailer I went to charged $1100 all-in for clay bar, 2 stage correction, and ceramic on all painted surfaces as well as glass, wheels and tires.

The downside is now I am really hesitant to take it back out

Shit for $1100 I dont see how you could turn that down, from you’re profile I’m assuming DFW means you’re in Texas?!? I’m in CT, they are shooting at least 50% more if not double for the same work…

 

[KHam]

Thanks! My friends and I made the mistake of turning down a side by side trail the last time we went wheeling and we all ended up with some pretty bad scratches all over our Jeeps. The detailer I went to charged $1100 all-in for clay bar, 2 stage correction, and ceramic on all painted surfaces as well as glass, wheels and tires.

I did the ceramic coat on my Raptor when I bought it. Went straight from the dealer to the business that does them and I told the dealership NOT to wash or clean it. It looked absolutely awesome. For the Jeep though, I wanted to do the self-healing 3M Expel wrap instead. More expensive but almost as shiny and pretty much scratch proof. That or a wrap. I ended up procrastinating and not doing it but wish I had. You don't have to worry about pinstriping it on trails with that stuff.

 

[dfwxjer]

Shit for $1100 I dont see how you could turn that down, from you’re profile I’m assuming DFW means you’re in Texas?!? I’m in CT, they are shooting at least 50% more if not double for the same work…

Yup, I'm in DFW however I drove up to Wichita, KS to a detailer that came highly recommended. Definitely worth the drive. I went through a ton of construction and thunderstorms the whole way home and just power washed it all off in less than 2 minutes. Still looks just as good.

For what he charged I tipped him well and definitely appreciate the 20 hours he spent on the paint correction

I did the ceramic coat on my Raptor when I bought it. Went straight from the dealer to the business that does them and I told the dealership NOT to wash or clean it. It looked absolutely awesome. For the Jeep though, I wanted to do the self-healing 3M Expel wrap instead. More expensive but almost as shiny and pretty much scratch proof. That or a wrap. I ended up procrastinating and not doing it but wish I had. You don't have to worry about pinstriping it on trails with that stuff.

I have to admit I wish I had gone with the self healing PPF for the exact same reasons. I'm definitely going to be much more cognizant of tree branches and such in the future.

For now the Mojave will continue on with desert runs to New Mexico, and normal wide open trails.

 

[iammacey]

My GT4, Fiesta ST, my mom's Honda Odyssey, my sister-in-laws Lexus and my girlfriends Cayman T are all coated using CSL and Exo.

I'll do the Gladiator next year.

Applying CSL and Exo are not difficult. Prepping the paint is the more challenging component. And if you don't have all the equipment can certainly get very expensive. Once you have all the stuff, the actual application is not that difficult. Proper lighting helps to ensure you get it all off, otherwise it's pretty straightforward.

I also use C5 on the wheels, which holds up pretty well.

Keep in mind, coatings do nothing to protect from chips and scratches. It's a great, longer term, protection product. The real work is in the paint correction.

 

[dfwxjer]

My GT4, Fiesta ST, my mom's Honda Odyssey, my sister-in-laws Lexus and my girlfriends Cayman T are all coated using CSL and Exo.

I'll do the Gladiator next year.

Applying CSL and Exo are not difficult. Prepping the paint is the more challenging component. And if you don't have all the equipment can certainly get very expensive. Once you have all the stuff, the actual application is not that difficult. Proper lighting helps to ensure you get it all off, otherwise it's pretty straightforward.

I also use C5 on the wheels, which holds up pretty well.

Keep in mind, coatings do nothing to protect from chips and scratches. It's a great, longer term, protection product. The real work is in the paint correction.

Agreed on the application. The ceramic coating was maybe an hour total, while the paint correction was around 20 hours. His shop had some excellent LED lighting to cover every angle in high detail. It was pretty cool to watch the paint come alive with every step.

 

[Challenger85]

I went with the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light which is good for 5 years. It was way less than $2k for the clay bar, 2 stage paint correction, and warrantied ceramic coating.

I was curious about the Avalon King stuff but I usually suck with cosmetic work so I left it with the pro. I do agree it's amazing to walk out and consistently see perfect finish.



Thanks! My friends and I made the mistake of turning down a side by side trail the last time we went wheeling and we all ended up with some pretty bad scratches all over our Jeeps. The detailer I went to charged $1100 all-in for clay bar, 2 stage correction, and ceramic on all painted surfaces as well as glass, wheels and tires.

The downside is now I am really hesitant to take it back out

Its super easy to do! Wipe on and buff off with a towel. I exaggerated a bit but it was like $400 when it was new and there are shops charging an unreal amount to do it, pure profit. I don’t fault you for having them do it, I’m sure it looks amazing. I did my own paint prep and it probably was nowhere near what an experienced pro could accomplish. But now that you have that done you can always do it yourself in 5 years for $100 lol

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