Ceramic coating d.i.y.

[ju015dd]

Ok, I have always been into detailing basically my whole life. Even did it on the side in my younger days for others. Has anyone on here applied any type of legit ceramic coating or similar? I have stayed away from them mainly just due to them being unknown to me and I don't do hype shit. Honestly never really seen a good coating in person either. And what I am looking for my not even be possible without going with a certified installer like gtechniq or similar. Really thinking about doing something on the wife's bronco being we like to take it out in the woods in some nasty roads and such. Would make my life way easier on thr cleaning afterwards side . Don't really want to go with something cheap that dosnt work. Looking for the real deal. Thanks

 

[TTSaleen]

I detailed as a side-hustle years ago.
I ceramic coat all my stuff.

The over the counter/affordable that works is gonna be Optimum Glosscoat.
Works great and has a deep shine. $100 gets you enough to do a couple of cars.
Easy to apply, just wash the car, do a claybar or nanoskin pad, then do any paint correction (such as 2500 and dual action polisher), then do an alcohol wipe down to remove grease, wax, contaminants.
This is easy to apply and lasts for months (longer if inside a garage).

Amazon.com

If you want high-end that actually lasts over a year (up to 3), you can go with Beeds.
Beeds HD and Beeds ELX and a great combo and last for years with a deep shine and protection.
You have to find a dealer to order these and they are pricey (hundreds of dollars).

Beeds Premium Ceramic Paint Protection

Beeds Premium Ceramic Paint Protection provides the ultimate exterior protection for your automotive or boat and gives a just-detailed look all the time.

beeds.com.sg

Since I quit detailing, I've gone back to using Glosscoat and am happy with it for the price and availability.
Good luck!
Ryan

 

[ttocs]

the price of them has always kept me away, and the fact I have a few different types of wax i am already happy with.

 

[ju015dd]

I detailed as a side-hustle years ago.
I ceramic coat all my stuff.

The over the counter/affordable that works is gonna be Optimum Glosscoat.
Works great and has a deep shine. $100 gets you enough to do a couple of cars.
Easy to apply, just wash the car, do a claybar or nanoskin pad, then do any paint correction (such as 2500 and dual action polisher), then do an alcohol wipe down to remove grease, wax, contaminants.
This is easy to apply and lasts for months (longer if inside a garage).

Amazon.com

If you want high-end that actually lasts over a year (up to 3), you can go with Beeds.
Beeds HD and Beeds ELX and a great combo and last for years with a deep shine and protection.
You have to find a dealer to order these and they are pricey (hundreds of dollars).

Beeds Premium Ceramic Paint Protection

Beeds Premium Ceramic Paint Protection provides the ultimate exterior protection for your automotive or boat and gives a just-detailed look all the time.

beeds.com.sg

Since I quit detailing, I've gone back to using Glosscoat and am happy with it for the price and availability.
Good luck!
Ryan

Is it really worth it? I am the always have to ride clean kinda guy. Is the glosscoat worth the time it takes to apply? Am I limited to what products I can't use after it is applied? Can it be applied to glass and trim? I am seriously thinking about trying something like this out. If I like it I will end up giving the 450 the same treatment.

 

[TTSaleen]

I've used it on the body with great results.
For glass I typically just use Rain-X.
The Glosscoat goes on super-easy by the way.
Simply do 1 section at a time because if you let it dry too long, you can see it and will have to buff it off. Ask me how i know. LOL.

My technique -
Put the glosscoat on the applicator pad in a X-shape.
Go from front of car toward back of car with your motion doing a section about 2 feet by 2 feet at the time.
I then go side to side in the same area just to ensure even coverage.
Most of the product will flash away (disappear) within 4 minutes. What doesn't (called high-side), you simply wipe over with a clean microfiber towel. Don't press hard, just simply glide the towel over it to remove the high spot.
Then after about 2 more minutes, simple wipe the entire area with the microfiber.

You should be able to do the entire car in about 30 minutes.
NOTE - The applicator that comes with it works, but can soak up alot of product (just means you'll use more).
I like using a block with suede cloth cover such as this - https://www.autogeek.net/speed-master-coating-applicator-block-bundle.html

Good luck.
There are other brands out there in that price range (search Autogeek).
But I've used this one and can vouch that it works well.

Ryan

 

[ju015dd]

I've used it on the body with great results.
For glass I typically just use Rain-X.
The Glosscoat goes on super-easy by the way.
Simply do 1 section at a time because if you let it dry too long, you can see it and will have to buff it off. Ask me how i know. LOL.

My technique -
Put the glosscoat on the applicator pad in a X-shape.
Go from front of car toward back of car with your motion doing a section about 2 feet by 2 feet at the time.
I then go side to side in the same area just to ensure even coverage.
Most of the product will flash away (disappear) within 4 minutes. What doesn't (called high-side), you simply wipe over with a clean microfiber towel. Don't press hard, just simply glide the towel over it to remove the high spot.
Then after about 2 more minutes, simple wipe the entire area with the microfiber.

You should be able to do the entire car in about 30 minutes.
NOTE - The applicator that comes with it works, but can soak up alot of product (just means you'll use more).
I like using a block with suede cloth cover such as this - https://www.autogeek.net/speed-master-coating-applicator-block-bundle.html

Good luck.
There are other brands out there in that price range (search Autogeek).
But I've used this one and can vouch that it works well.

Ryan

Nice, thanks for the input. I plan on giving it a go next payday.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I did my SN95 over the winter. Paint was terrible, so I had to do paint correction. Nothing to lose, and since i did 95% of the work, i applied a ceramic coating.

Here's the in-progress shot. This was after paint correction but before ceramic coating.


When i applied the ceramic coating, it made it look even "wetter" if that makes any sense. It was definitely a change in appearance for the better. Trying to find a decent post picture of it. But it's held up good. I've washed the car since and water beads right off. No sense of it "wearing" away at all. I get tons of compliments on the car now.

Downside is the time for prep. A new/cleaner car would be quicker, but I easily had 10+ hours into this to get it right and all of that was prep. The actual application of the product was fast.

Pic of car sometime after coating. Paint has defects like chips and such, but compared to what it was before, i'll take it. It's a good 10 footer and the ceramic coating really does make it look better in person. Been meaning to pull the wheels off and ceramic coat the barrels and outside, as I think it would help with cleaning the brake dust off.

 

[ju015dd]

I did my SN95 over the winter. Paint was terrible, so I had to do paint correction. Nothing to lose, and since i did 95% of the work, i applied a ceramic coating.

Here's the in-progress shot. This was after paint correction but before ceramic coating.
View attachment 36185

When i applied the ceramic coating, it made it look even "wetter" if that makes any sense. It was definitely a change in appearance for the better. Trying to find a decent post picture of it. But it's held up good. I've washed the car since and water beads right off. No sense of it "wearing" away at all. I get tons of compliments on the car now.

Downside is the time for prep. A new/cleaner car would be quicker, but I easily had 10+ hours into this to get it right and all of that was prep. The actual application of the product was fast.

Here's a "dirty" pic of the car. Been a few weeks since a bath. Been meaning to pull the wheels off and ceramic coat the barrels and outside, as I think it would help with cleaning the brake dust off.
View attachment 36186

Thanks. Definitely not worried about prep and paint correction. I have been polishing and babying cars since 05ish. Have all the products and tools to get paint ready for application. Thanks for the pics and your personal experience. I'm old school and have shied away from ceramic of now. Gonna pop my cherry soon.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'm old school and have shied away from ceramic of now.

Same, not sure i'll ever use wax again. Maybe for a quick application, but my experience so far is that ceramic is superior.

I'd love to do all my cars now, but I don't have that sort of time. Now i know why these applications run $1K+ if you pay a detailer to do it.

 

[ju015dd]

Same, not sure i'll ever use wax again. Maybe for a quick application, but my experience so far is that ceramic is superior.

I'd love to do all my cars now, but I don't have that sort of time. Now i know why these applications run $1K+ if you pay a detailer to do it.

Yep, paint correction is very time consuming and tedious work. If I can get a year out of something like gloss coat, then I will be extremely happy. The truck is a weekend warrior and stays covered and the bronco is babied and stays in thr garage when not in use.

 

[Bronco2Fan]

I ceramic everything I own. The ease of cleaning and appearance is great. I still have waxes and polishes too. They're just for touch-ups.

 

[TTSaleen]

I ceramic everything I own. The ease of cleaning and appearance is great. I still have waxes and polishes too. They're just for touch-ups.

Agreed.
Wax will add a slick feeling and adds some "warmth" to how the paint looks.
What alot of people may not know, most ceramics don't feel "slick" to the touch like you'd expect from wax.
For that reason, most companies make a "topper" spray you can use.
A popular one I use is Carpro Reload as a spray on quick-detail. It adds shine and the slick feel to the paint.
Here's a link - https://www.amazon.com/CARPRO-Reload-2-0-Hydrophobic-Self-Cleaning/dp/B0BWYX1J85

I had customers (when I detailed for the public) that would complain the coating didn't feel slick.
I promised them it was fully protected, but started adding the Carpro Reload and it gave that "slick to the touch" feeling and made everyone happy (important when you charge about $700 for a correction and coating).

Ryan

 

[ju015dd]

Agreed.
Wax will add a slick feeling and adds some "warmth" to how the paint looks.
What alot of people may not know, most ceramics don't feel "slick" to the touch like you'd expect from wax.
For that reason, most companies make a "topper" spray you can use.
A popular one I use is Carpro Reload as a spray on quick-detail. It adds shine and the slick feel to the paint.
Here's a link - https://www.amazon.com/CARPRO-Reload-2-0-Hydrophobic-Self-Cleaning/dp/B0BWYX1J85

I had customers (when I detailed for the public) that would complain the coating didn't feel slick.
I promised them it was fully protected, but started adding the Carpro Reload and it gave that "slick to the touch" feeling and made everyone happy (important when you charge about $700 for a correction and coating).

Ryan

Yeah thay is what I have heard about the slickness and such. Can any detail spray be used or does it need to be specific for ceramic applications? I have about a gallon of sonax bsd I absolutely love to cut with Chem guys v07. Doesn't like to be applied in sunlight or to a hot car but boy are they slick and make the paint pop.

 

[ju015dd]

These are from a couple years ago. Paint correction, with poor boys nattys blue wax. Topped with a mixture of sonax bsd and poorboys quick shine detail spray.


This is more recent after a light correction and some nattys blue with sonax and v07 mixture.

 

[TTSaleen]

Yeah thay is what I have heard about the sickness and such. Can any detail spray be used or does it need to be specific for ceramic applications? I have about a gallon of sonax bsd I absolutely love to cut with Chem guys v07. Doesn't like to be applied in sunlight or to a hot car but boy are they slick and make the paint pop.

Yes any "topper" is fine. Use what you have and it will be OK. Ceramic is not picky once it is fully cured/dried.
Some are quick to cure like glosscoat, and some take up to 24 hours like the Beeds stuff.
After that, you can use about any quick detailer spray to keep car clean, remove finger prints, etc.

Most of my customers only complained months later when they saw fine scratches in the paint.
I told them ceramic coat is not a bullet proof coating, not a real clear coat.
The scratches were mostly from maintenance washes where a customer would use an old sponge on the car or a cotten towel to dry it off.
I always recommend a foam cannon with lots of soap/suds, then a microfiber wipe (gently), then a full rinse with a pressure washer. Then a light touch with a microfiber to remove any water and prevent water spots.
This technique has allowed my personal cars to last a long time between corrections.
Inevitably, you WILL scratch it sooner or later. Some will be minor and only seen in certain light.
I always told my customers, I don't go "HARD" in the paint because you only have a certain thickness of clear coat to work with.

I had to make a decision years ago to not correct/buff my cars much anymore and live with the maintenance scratches.
Being OCD, this is very difficult for me.

NOTE - Hats off to you for detailing such a large truck and it being dark colored! Dark/Black colors are the worst to keep perfect!

Good luck!
Ryan

 

[ju015dd]

Yes any "topper" is fine. Use what you have and it will be OK. Ceramic is not picky once it is fully cured/dried.
Some are quick to cure like glosscoat, and some take up to 24 hours like the Beeds stuff.
After that, you can use about any quick detailer spray to keep car clean, remove finger prints, etc.

Most of my customers only complained months later when they saw fine scratches in the paint.
I told them ceramic coat is not a bullet proof coating, not a real clear coat.
The scratches were mostly from maintenance washes where a customer would use an old sponge on the car or a cotten towel to dry it off.
I always recommend a foam cannon with lots of soap/suds, then a microfiber wipe (gently), then a full rinse with a pressure washer. Then a light touch with a microfiber to remove any water and prevent water spots.
This technique has allowed my personal cars to last a long time between corrections.
Inevitably, you WILL scratch it sooner or later. Some will be minor and only seen in certain light.
I always told my customers, I don't go "HARD" in the paint because you only have a certain thickness of clear coat to work with.

I had to make a decision years ago to not correct/buff my cars much anymore and live with the maintenance scratches.
Being OCD, this is very difficult for me.

NOTE - Hats off to you for detailing such a large truck and it being dark colored! Dark/Black colors are the worst to keep perfect!

Good luck!
Ryan

Thanks man, yeah she is a bear to keep clean. I use a two bucket method for wash with foam cannon and such. My favorite has been griots deionized water machine. Pricey if used a lot but for me I need to swap media about every 4 to 6 months. So that 100.00 bucks is well worth zero water spots for me. I know it's a no no but my leaf blower is better in my opinion than putting microfiber to dry up all the water and such. I'm pretty o.c.d myself and have had to live with some scratches here and there but ole black beauty looks pretty good in direct sunlight for being a big black rig...lol. I learned on my 96 mystic back in 04-05 all about working with paint and bringing it back to life. When I got my cobra she had 82k on her and was a bit rough. But , made her shine with a little t.l.c. thanks again for all your input. Thus pic was around 2008-09