Recommedations - ceramic coatings
 

I'm not a professional by any means but I have been doing car detailing as a side hobby for a while now. I've been trying to read up on all the new and different type of ceramic coatings or equivalent and I'm just not sure which is the one for me. My LS is a daily driver (100 miles a day) that gets parked outside in the Houston weather. I usually polish and top with blackfire wet diamond but recently, I want something that lasts a little longer, preferable 4-6 months. What coating would be easiest to apply aka fool proof for a beginner like me? I wash once a week and the Houston weather is harsh on any wax/sealant combo I have used. Any recommendations would help. Thanks!

There are several existing threads regarding coating recommendations :) Do a search and check them out for some good information.

Cant go wrong with a coating if your looking for more of a permanent solution than just sealant, optimum gloss coat, gtechniq, and cqurartz are good brands that work very well.. There are many others, from my opinion I would stick to gtechniq or cquartz, Im sure there are other good brands out there too... pick one and don't look back.

i had my rc coated with opti coat pro because it was going to have to be parked outside and be target practice for birds out here in socal. it's only been a few months but it's holding up pretty solid so far. car looks great consider how much time it spends outside.

Nice do you still use optical in between washers?

Just remember, even a ceramic coating like Opti Coat won't really provide much more protection from bird crap compared to a regular sealant. If bird crap can eat through a factory clear coat it will certainly go through a ceramic coat quickly. Having the bird crap sit in hot sunlight is the worst and accelerates the damage that can happen in as little as 30minutes or so. I have also noticed certain kinds of bird dropping do much more damage then others, the little white sploches don't seem to do much damage but the worst are those large reddish/brownish somewhat clear ones with the seeds and grains in them that just destroys clear coat, wash them off as soon as possible no matter what coating you have. I had opti coat on my finish and the nasty bird crap still ate right through it and damaged the clear coat.

You might want to use a car cover if you car is going to get crapped on a lot by birds.

Good point, if anything whatever you put on the surface of your paint will only buy you time weather is wax, sealant, or coating, it doesn't make you invincible but it sure buys you a lot of time before any permanent damage, it sure makes life much more convenient though.

Personally, wether I get bird bombed, water spotted, i.e. anything else I wait for the weekend to remove it, I'm not the type that carries microfiber and detail spray to stop on the road and remove whatever on the surface. I do top all of my washes with some sort of protection however so I always know somethings there on the surface rather than questioning how much life my original application is remaining on the surface.

I'm in the same boat as far as detailing as a hobby goes. My daily drive is a lot shorter, and I have the benefit of parking under our building while at work. Endurance is much less of an issue for me, and ease of application was most important to me. Like sealers, you'll get good reviews for all of the major brands, and I'm willing to be the results will be pretty close. Based on recommendations on this forum (and others), I decided on GTechniq Chrystal Serum Light, and I'm very happy.

Application was roughly similar time wise to applying a coat of canauba paste wax. Although you need to be more careful not to miss anything so work in smaller sections. I honestly didn't expect much in terms of shine, because of my driving circumstances and car care habits. I was really impressed at the look and feel after applying the coating. It adds sort of a sheen that is very noticeable to me. It's awesome! I saw a 7 series BMW the other day with a similar sheen, and wondered if it's a GTechniq thing, or if it's a "coating" thing. What is really interesting to me is how much easier it is to keep clean. ONR quick washes once a week take not much longer than a QD, and I still do a QD in between washes just to maintain the shine. Water beading is awesome. I had some bird crap on the side recently, and sprayed a little QD on it for lubrication as I cleaned it off. It is so "hydrophobic" that the QD rolled right off, leaving it dry. I had to put the lubrication on my cloth. I thought that was cool. :)

Anyway, even with lower expectations to begin with, I became a BIG fan and will do my wife's car before winter. I have no idea what to expect about endurance. I suspect I'll be refreshing it well before it's gone. I'll also get their wheel coating, and maybe even the windshield coating.

I just took my car in today to have Ceramic Pro put on...It's a red 2017 GS 350. I am an enthusiast, but do not detail cars professionally. Until recently, my opinion of these new ceramic coatings was that it was just a newer incarnation of the old "PolyGlyCoat" stuff that car dealers used to sell in the '70s and '80s. But my son bought a 2017 Toyota Tundra, and he was convinced of the superiority of these new coatings. I told him it was a big waste of money, but it was his money.

I did accompany him to the detailer's shop (Pristine Auto Detailing in Nottingham, PA). We dropped the truck off one Saturday, and came back the following Saturday, a week later. My son had already used Meguiar's Ultimate Wax on the vehicle, and the finish looked beautiful.

When we picked up his truck a week later, I was shocked...The car's finish looked much better, which I did not think was possible. It was amazingly water-repellant, to the point where it hardly needs drying after a wash since the water just slips off.

After thinking these coatings were a waste of money, I had to admit I was greatly impressed, enough to have my new Lexus done. I suspect the finish's appearance was as much due to the paint correction performed before the application of the Ceramic Pro as much as the Ceramic Pro itself.

The bottom line: I felt after seeing my son's Tundra that the quality of the job was such that it was beyond anything I could achieve myself. Only time will tell how long this coating lasts, but like I say, I am trying it on my 2017 GS.

Again, I am not a professional, just a car enthusiast, so I will certainly be interested in the opinions of people more knowledgeable than I on car finishes.

Like many of the others, I'm an enthusiast too when it comes to car detailing. You won't regret your decision if you stick with any of the major coating companies (gtechniq, 22ple, carpro, and many others). Personally, I've used Gtechniq Crystal serum light, EXO, and Gyeon Mohs. I'd recommend any of them. The mohs was easier to apply and remove, but it is more expensive and requires 2 coats vs 1 for CSL. Adding the 2nd coat adds more time to the job which leads me to recommend CSL over Mohs.

The hardest part about the coating process is doing the prep step correctly, and it sounds like you're familiar with polishing, so you'll be fine. Read the instructions, use a prep product to clean any oils off the paint before applying the coating, and have lots of lights on hand to look for residue. It was mentioned before that the actual process of applying the coating is like applying a traditional wax or sealant. Wipe on and wipe off. The only difference is that you work a smaller area because the coating isn't as forgiving as wax if you miss a spot. Also the curing process takes a lot longer and requires the car be kept indoors for 12 hours or so (depending on coating).

Also, try to avoid touching the car. I forgot there was residue on my gloves, and I touched the glass and mirrors which left prints behind. Once the coating hardens, then it has to be polished off to remove the prints.

Here is a thread on my 1st attempt at applying Mohs: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...n-q2-mohs.html

Did you or your son take pictures of the Tundra after having the Ceramic pro done? I want to get this done to my car as well, but there are a couple of spots I need to have painted before doing so. What was the total cost of having this done?(You can PM me, if you don't want to say publicly) I assume they had to do a full detail wash, clay bar, compound, paint correction etc? Well maybe not so much for that new Tundra or your car but others. What made your son want to drive to PA to have it done or does he live there? Im sure there are plenty of reputable detail shops in VA.

Pearl:

To answer your questions: I am attaching a couple of pictures after the work was done, but the pictures DO NOT do justice to the work. I am also attaching a picture of my Lexus after it has been washed, but prior to the paint correction process, so you get an idea of what it looks like before the work is done - that car won't be completed until late next week - around August 24th.

The reason we drove all the way to Nottingham, PA (about 100 miles from where I live) is because my son had prior contact with the owner of this business and had seen the results of multiple vehicles he had worked on, and so he had confidence in his work.

My son had other work done in addition to the Ceramic Pro - he had window tinting installed. The total cost for everything was about $2,086. Also, he got the most expensive package for Ceramic Pro - 4 layers applied. For my Lexus, he has quoted me $1200-$1500 for the Silver package. I asked him to add one additional layer of Ceramic Pro 9H, for a total of two layers, which brings the maximum total to $1750. The reason the amount varies is that it depends on the amount of paint correction needed, and he can only estimate up front. Bear in mind BOTH my son's Tundra, AND my Lexus are 2017 models and had a manufacture date of February, 2017, but they both needed some paint correction done. This vendor is a perfectionist, though. He pointed to flaws in both my son's Tundra and my Lexus that I simply could not see myself.

Maybe this level of expenditure is still a waste of money - only time will tell. But my son was willing to give it a shot and so was I, after seeing the work. Perhaps after 4-5 years I might have a different opinion, I don't know. Regarding the Pain Correction - they wash, clay bar, wash, then buff, then wash again. It is a very labor intensive process, and given the labor involved, I can understand why it is so expensive.

Here are the pictures. The Red Lexus is after the initial wash, but before paint correction (very early in the process). All the Blue Tundra pictures are after all the work was done.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...a0d4d5b234.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...0e5ef90399.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...bd2955edc5.jpg

One other thing. The packages (and prices) I mentioned above also include some rain repellent applied to the windshield, and also, he coats the wheels with 9H (or something similar) as well - it makes it more difficult for brake dust to adhere. Finally, he does something to the wheel wells, which is why the wheels are off on the Lexus.

@btanchors WOW is all I can say. I have been looking around the DMV area for a place that thoroughly does this kind of job but to no avail. I know its costly but I think it is worth it. My car, unfortunately is not a garage queen and sits outside. So I definitely want to invest in protecting it as best possible. I am still on the fence about doing a clear 3M protection for the bumper/hood/mirrors for the extra protection when doing road trips. Your son's truck looks awesome and Im sure, like you say, in person it looks 10X better. From just the wash of your car it looks like the 9H is already applied. I can only imagine what it will look like when done. Please post some pictures after the final stage. Can you PM me or post the info for the detail shop? Im sure it would help others when looking for a place to get theirs done. Thanks!

Also what photo software did you use to attach the above pictures? When I attach my photos it shows up as small squares and not big like the ones you posted.