To Ceramic Coat or not that is the ?

[NOXCUSE]

Debating the second I pick my truck up I head to my local car detailer to have it ceramic coated. What am I gaining, never have ceramic coated any of my vehicles as of yet, but started to see some chatter on this topic outside of here. Cost would be $1500 to do the truck, with a lifetime warranty as long as this shop stays in business I guess lol. Thoughts???

 

[Debonnaire19]

Debating the second I pick my truck up I head to my local car detailer to have it ceramic coated. What am I gaining, never have ceramic coated any of my vehicles as of yet, but started to see some chatter on this topic outside of here. Cost would be $1500 to do the truck, with a lifetime warranty as long as this shop stays in business I guess lol. Thoughts???

I’ve never had it done before either so I am curios as to what people say. I was thinking about clear coat then the expel wrap.

 

[PapaRaptor]

You will need to figure that out for yourself. I have all my vehicles and my RV ceramic coated. Its a different way to go. If you like to hit the car wash at the quick stop its not for you.
AND

Some ceramic coats are the real deal and others are salesman bull shit products or a fancy wax. You need to get the right one and not over pay for some crumby ceramic wax job.

 

[Debonnaire19]

You will need to figure that out for yourself. I have all my vehicles and my RV ceramic coated. Its a different way to go. If you like to hit the car wash at the quick stop its not for you.
AND

Some ceramic coats are the real deal and others are salesman bull shit products or a fancy wax. You need to get the right one and not over pay for some crumby ceramic wax job.

What’s the right ones?

 

[PapaRaptor]

What’s the right ones?

You need to do some research maybe some you tubes and get info on the products. Lots of guys here have them and some have the self healing protective films. Everything has advantages and disadvantages. I like the Gtechniq products. I have a professional installer. They have years of experience with ceramic coating. I would not recommend you learn how to do it on a 80k or more truck. Retail cost for that product is over 2k the prices are going down a bit for ceramic coating. I put the Ryan West product on my jeep a few years ago and am very happy with it.

My Iconic silver 7.3 got the Gtechniq a few months ago. seems good so far.

I hand wash at home with low ph soap and my water is treated from an iron filter and softener. Don't wash with hard water or in the direct sunlight. For winter my shop is heated with a floor drain so its an inside job. Takes 30 mins to wash them with the ceramic coating. I dry them with a leaf blower no towels. they look like they were just hand detailed after every wash.

bird droppings, pine sap, comes off easy. Even bugs in the summer.

 

[Loshad]

Do you off road or do a lot of highway driving?
If so then go PPF. See how simple it is?

 

[BroncOh]

I opted to not ceramic coat or PPF for that matter. Will let the next guy worry about it on this vehicle.

 

[Tremor2020]

I took some serious time to do learn how to paint correct and apply ceramics I will always advocate for ceramic coating. It’s worth the money 100%. On the last truck I applied it on it took me 13 hours to do.

As for products there are a lot out there and not all are created equal. There are some self healing ones that are pretty nice but also a little softer and then there are some that are harder but not self healing. As for me I have had a lot of luck with a company called Adams Polishes out of Colorado.

One thing I will warn you of. If you take it somewhere that has a warranty on the coating, and you take it through a soft touch car wash, it will void any warranty that the installer has. It all needs to be touch less or hand washed. You may get away with once or twice but I am always tell when someone uses soft touch car washes after an application.

 

[Andrewm]

Do you off road or do a lot of highway driving?
If so then go PPF. See how simple it is?

How much would it cost to do the truck in ppf?

I just did the turtle wax ceramic coating. I like it and it last a few months. Watched project farm do a video on ceramic coats and turtle wax I think won.

I am curious about ppf because I want to be able to go off road without worrying about scratching the truck

 

[StrikezoneNJ]

I am getting XPEL PpF on front, rockers, under door handles and rear bumper and full ceramic coating (Arctic coating)

 

[Tremor2020]

How much would it cost to do the truck in ppf?

I just did the turtle wax ceramic coating. I like it and it last a few months. Watched project farm do a video on ceramic coats and turtle wax I think won.

I am curious about ppf because I want to be able to go off road without worrying about scratching the truck

I am all for front end

I am getting XPEL PpF on front, rockers, under door handles and rear bumper and full ceramic coating (Arctic coating)

i am debating this on the front for rock chips but why rear bumper rockers and door handles?

 

[Loshad]

PPF can get pricey at a good shop - $5-7K!
Or you can buy Xpel Track Day or Road Armour single use PPF.
I just bought enough Road Armour to last me a good year for $150! Doesn't take long to put on as it doesn't have to look good. Just start at the front with a 12" roll and go to the stern - two passes about does it. Get any bare spots with a 6" roll. Take a razor knife to the wheel wells and doors, carefully. Just don't leave it on more than a day!

 

[RedZilla]

Along the lines of another post in another thread a few minutes ago, these newer trucks are rife with value killing shortcomings from the factory. I don't know how much I would sink into a truck that will only provide a minimal of exterior protection on a vehicle that has the potential for big time value loss by 100K miles. If the truck is in great shape mechanically and electrically by 100K, you could probably get a full paint job for the cost of some of these "protective measures" added up.

I'm opting for limited PPF and a semi-annual thorough wax job.

 

[StrikezoneNJ]

I am all for front end

i am debating this on the front for rock chips but why rear bumper rockers and door handles?

@Tremor2020 Rockers I am still debating once truck is here, but if I get a little poke when I eventually go to 37s 12.5 , more crap will get picked up. Under the door handles because I noticed because of wedding rings especially my wife side , it gets scratched up on my F150, rear bumper , to protect more from the other guy… in a parking spot , street ect. Honestly I am anal enough that I would do the whole truck but now we are talking like 7k and ROI is not there for other cooler stuff to do the truck. Bare min has to be the front and under the handles for me

 

[TJ Carr]

Debating the second I pick my truck up I head to my local car detailer to have it ceramic coated. What am I gaining, never have ceramic coated any of my vehicles as of yet, but started to see some chatter on this topic outside of here. Cost would be $1500 to do the truck, with a lifetime warranty as long as this shop stays in business I guess lol. Thoughts???

If you use automatic car washes it’s a waste

 

[Tremor2020]

If you use automatic car washes it’s a waste

Can’t emphasize this enough. If you use a soft touch car wash after a coating you will void the warranty. Hand wash and touchless only. The coating that is supposed to last 5-7 years will look like crap after 1 year.

 

[meyersracing]

Lots of mentions on automatic car washes.. what happens to the coating? I assume it wont last as long, but is there more to it? I applied a DIY coating to my wifes daily (took hours). It has been in the drive thru several times. I havnt noticed anything.

 

[Tremor2020]

Lots of mentions on automatic car washes.. what happens to the coating? I assume it wont last as long, but is there more to it? I applied a DIY coating to my wifes daily (took hours). It has been in the drive thru several times. I havnt noticed anything.

Are you going through the touchless washes? The “soft touch” do a number on paint. Its the small dirt particles that latch into the cloth and foam attachments that just cause those tiny scratches and lines in the coating and paint. There are some coatings that self heal to a certain point with heat but most of the harder coatings won’t. You may not notice those scratches after a few washes but they build up over time.

Here is a paint corrected vs non example. Even with a coating and enough car washes you will get back to the paint on the left.

 

[meyersracing]

Are you going through the touchless washes? The “soft touch” do a number on paint. Its the small dirt particles that latch into the cloth and foam attachments that just cause those tiny scratches and lines in the coating and paint. There are some coatings that self heal to a certain point with heat but most of the harder coatings won’t. You may not notice those scratches after a few washes but they build up over time.

Here is a paint corrected vs non example. Even with a coating and enough car washes you will get back to the paint on the left.
View attachment 43120

Are you going through the touchless washes? The “soft touch” do a number on paint. Its the small dirt particles that latch into the cloth and foam attachments that just cause those tiny scratches and lines in the coating and paint. There are some coatings that self heal to a certain point with heat but most of the harder coatings won’t. You may not notice those scratches after a few washes but they build up over time.

Here is a paint corrected vs non example. Even with a coating and enough car washes you will get back to the paint on the left.
View attachment 43120

ok so the coating will swirl same as a clear coat. I bet I havnt seen yet because its a new foam touch carwash, hard to notice on white paint, and not a "true professional coating. Im going to avoid after reading this.

 

[Tremor2020]

ok so the coating will swirl same as a clear coat. I bet I havnt seen yet because its a new foam touch carwash, hard to notice on white paint, and not a "true professional coating. Im going to avoid after reading this.

Yeah it will still swirl for sure. While the coating is hard it is not hard enough to completely stop the damage from the automatic washes.