DIY Ceramic Coating? Anyone done it?

never done it - the real stuff can only be put on my someone who has been trained...i wldnt bother with the retail stuff...my 2 cents...i also wld only put it over ppf. if you really want to try it urself put it over ppf, not directly on the paint.

 

I’m not sure which brands you are getting adds from but for a consumer friendly coating that works really well, I would suggest going with Cquartz Tio2. If you prep the car and apply/remove correctly you will get great results.



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I did my 360 three years ago with Kamikaze ISM Coat and have been extremely pleased with the results. I certainly wouldn't shy away from doing it yourself if can put in the time. Job took 30-35 hours on mine, preceded by a lot of study ( reading, videos) and acquiring the right equipment. The most critical and time consuming part of the work is the paint correction. The application of the coating itself is really easy and straightforward. A good place to start researching is the Esoteric Auto Detail website. Excellent videos and product descriptions. And you won't find any "miracle" products, just top products for sale they use themselves.
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The spray on and wipe off coatings, like advertised on Facebook etc., are not real long-protection ceramic coatings. However, there are some actual ceramic coatings that are very good and are DIY friendly. I have used 2 different ones - first was OptiCoat https://www.opticoat.com a few years ago when they had a consumer-friendly version. They revised their product line and no longer offer a good DIY coating, they want to restrict their better product to licensed installers.

However, I had better results from Gtechniq's Crystal Serum Light, topped with their EXO v4 topcoat - like all ceramic coatings, Crystal Serum Light needs a touchup application annually, and the EXO coating serves that purpose. https://gtechniq.com/products/auto/protect/exterior/paint/ I used the CSL/EXO on two different Audis that are year round daily drivers, done 2 years ago, and the coating is still holding up perfectly.

As shad99 noted, meticulous preparation before applying the coatings is the key to getting good results, whether you have a professional apply or DIY. I watched multiple videos on the Gtechniq website and from other independent detailers on Youtube videos, and did not have any issues.

 

I did a "professional" ceramic coating (feynlab self healing) along with a detailer who was working on a car for me. Prep is everything, I can't see how training for ceramic is little more than learning how to wipe.
Since then I have done several, have no fear. Paint correct, wipe down with IPA mix, and wipe the coating on. Easy as that. Can't imagine what could go wrong, but in the event something catastrophic happens, just polish it off.

 

Peter. Super awesome. It made my paint pop. 5 years ago I used 22ple VX1 from suggestions in the detail section here. I would do it again. Great product.

 

I did my ‘16 GT3 RS myself with cquartz pro. I had the RS completely done in PPF, all painted surfaces to include the wing, Then I ceramic coated it. Since the PPF had just been installed, all I had to do was wipe it with 70% isopropyl alcohol then coat. I put three coats on and still had half a bottle left. Came out brilliant.

 

As mentioned, ceramic coating itself is easy to apply, it's the prep prior that can be difficult/time consuming before application. If you start with a bad base, no coating, ceramic or otherwise is going to help, nor will you be pleased with the result. If you don't know how, or don't want to spend the money to paint correct, best to just wax it.

 

There is an extremely detailed thread on ceramic coatings by a user named BudgetPlan1 on CorvetteForum in the Car Care Discussion forum of the General Corvette Topics section. BudgetPlan1 is apparently responsible for the care of a number of company vehicles where he works in NE OH. He has tested probably 15 or 20 coatings on various vehicles in his care and rated them on ease of application, slickness, durability, etc. The thread is definitely worth a read for someone considering applying a ceramic coating and applying it on their own. BudgetPlan1 will also answer questions posed via PM. Anyway, I have no connection, just wanted to pass on the info.

 

I agree. Its a permanent bond to your paint. After a lot of research I decided to pass.

 

I'd have a look at the Detailing World website. There's a great deal of info on ceramic finish products on there under the Waxes, Sealants and Paint Protection section. Kamikaze Miyabi+ Kamikaze Ism gets good reviews and is also available on the Esoteric website mentioned above.

Marco

 

The retail stuff isnt as strong and prob not worth playing with in my opinion.

 

Pete - I did my 458 with Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM (ISM went on top of the Miyabi). It is a great coating and honestly, this combination is no different than a detailer applied coating. It is VERY easy to apply as it is not as time sensitive as other coatings. I also have experience with the spray on coatings and honestly, they are not worth the effort. They don't last long and they provide a mediocre improvement in the depth of the paint.

Other people have mentioned it, but paint prep is the key. So if the paint is dull with scratches, you will only get the hydrophobic effect of the coating. If you want to get improved depth and shine, the paint should be corrected prior to applying the coating.

In terms of up-keep, a coated car is fantastic to keep clean. Bugs and road grime come off MUCH easier which is the main reason I went this route. Brake dust easily hoses off (if you coat your wheels) and the only thing you need to to is use a maintenance coating like Kamikaze Overcoat or Polish Angle Cosmic Spritz. Yes, over time the coating does start to breakdown and lose its hydrophobic properties. But if your car is a weekend car, then it will last much longer. In the future if you decide to polish the car again, you will not have any issues and you can then apply layer of coating.

This has been my experience and I hope this helps.

 

So the DIY coatings don't have the same concerns during removal as the semi-permanent ceramics described on the web?

 

havent been able to get a straight answer on this - some of the best guys around my area dont really understand what the retail stuff consists of. i know people dont want to hear it but id stick to the ceramic on ppf and not paint rule for a few more years as we see these things mature.

 

The Kamikaze coating can be machine polished off, just like a number of other coatings. Now, I don't have experience with the semi-permanent coatings, so I can't comment on them. With the Kamikaze Miyabi or ISM, it will "deteriorate" over time. Meaning, the coating will break down as it is exposed to weather. On my DD, I re-coated the car after two years because the coating was no longer offering any protection. I machine polished the vehicle to take out small scratches and it didn't take any extra effort to do so.

Now, am I 100% positive the coating was gone? I can't be certain of that, but I tried decontaminating the surface and even after doing that, water would not bead. I have brought a coated vehicle back to "life" by decontaminating the surface, and afterward it beaded water so this has been my determination on whether or not the coating is still there.

For what it's worth, I don't call the Kamikaze coatings "DIY" coatings as many detailing houses use it as their main coating product. I'm sure the first ceramic coatings had different chemical make-up than the new coatings and that could be why they gained the reputation they did. This is purely speculation on my part and have no evidence to back this up so unfortunately I can't provide a definitive answer.

 

I used Gyeon Mohs a few years ago on my CTSV three years ago. Did the claybar, machine polish, wipe down with the prep and did two coats of the ceramic. Car looks great. The comments about easy to keep clean are true. Plan on redoing the car sometime in the next few months. Look at the Esoteric Detail website. It has a lot of good info and many videos.

As a side note Esoteric offers a two day detailing class and a one day ceramic coating class. I'm planning on doing these classes sometime this winter.

 

Chemical Guys make a great product that creates a surprisingly strong bond and level of protection. Relatively easy to apply, just make sure you clean off any overspray, once it hardens it is a pain to get off.

https://www.chemicalguys.com/hydrocharge-ceramic-spray-coating/WAC23016.html




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I used Alien Magic - https://shop.alienmagic.co.uk/top-coat-pro-hydrophobic-ceramic-nano-coat-200ml

I put this on a brand new car with little preparation. It suggests it will last six months but gave a great shine. I need to re-apply. However I'm not sure how much of it is exactly 'ceramic'.
Picture was from last weekend and it needs redoing. Certainly kept it scratch free and this is my daily.
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I’m not a member there, do you have a link?


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Eric:
Try this.
Ernie

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4044972&referrerid=350970

 

You might want to check out the Forensic Detailing Channel. A guy in his garage who applies a scientific to reviewing detail supplies. He seems not to accept product endorsement. But you better set aside some time, his videos can be long and detailed.

In my view stick to the big names. Gyeon, Kamikaze and Cquartz.

I have applied to maybe 8 of my personal / friends cars. Including my 458 and Lusso... and soon my Pista. I could go on and on about differences but the Forensic guy is aligned about 80% with my views.

For out of the box thinking and to dip your toe into this. The new Meguiar ceramic spray is like the internet advertising stuff but work for 6 months, or so. It was hard to get my head around using this type of product. But after a lot of research I applied it on two of my wives friends cars. I’m not sure what that stuff is but it might be unicorn blood. High gloss, slickness and water beading. Little maring protection. They and their husband... not car people can not stop talking about it, which is funny, no paint correction and maybe a hour of effort.