About to pay $1600 for paint correction / ceramic coating / ding removal...

am I making a mistake here?

last month, I spent 8 hours to clay/correct/buff/ and apply sealant to my vehicle, and I am not happy with the results.

I recently got a vinyl decal applied to my vehicle and the shop, which did a great job, offered to ceramic coat my truck and correct everything for 1600, and I setup an appointment. This shop has a 5 star rating on yelp.

However, I am having that guilty feeling about spending money.

Pro's

1) I suck at detailing, and I will not try to apply ceramic coating myself.

2) it's a lifetime coating. since I plan to keep my car for a long-time, I think this will work out well for me.

3) No more waxing! every scratch and swirl mark on my vehicle has come from me waxing and/or touching the paint. I absolutely hate looking at it.

Cons

1)1600 dollars.

I am hoping to have someone talk some sense into me.

 

It's a Tacoma truck, Not a Maserati. Seems I could get a lot of mods for that.

 

second that

 

That’s a lot of money.

I bought a running, riding and inspected motorcycle for $1,100, if that helps put it into perspective.

 

i liked when my fenders got banged up. gave me the motivation to stop caring about anything beyond mechanical

 

Are you trying to talk yourself into it or out of it?

In my opinion, I love my truck and try to take care of it, but at the end of the day it's a vehicle. Some douchebag in a parking lot is going to ding you or some asshat with there keys on a carabiner is going to scratch it.

 

If you're a hardcore pavement princess, why not? Seems like a waste of money though.

I just wash my truck and let the wind dry it, spots be damned. Will eventually have pinstripes.

 

Maybe you could put the money towards Line-x. Wouldn't have to worry about scratches.

 

I don't really care about scratches from leaves or from idiots. It's the swirls and micro scratches that bother me.

 

I'm not saying coatings don't last "lifetime" I'm not at all a believer in that concept. It will still need some work to it if that were to ever be true, hence contradicting "no more waxing". Either it will need to be maintained periodically which likely includes some kind of topper.

More importantly the last line of all the scratches coming from you, that will still be the case with a coating. Sure it might prevent the absolute slightest of marring that you can barely even detect from a drying towel but it is in no way a scratch preventer. Worse yet by being a lifetime coating you're pretty much stuck with those scratches. Like PPF that can actually prevent scratches to the paint, they'll just be on the PPF.

Coatings keep the truck cleaner and easier to clean well beyond the capability of sealants and waxes but they're full of shit if they claim it will prevent scratches.

 

$1600 is a lot (to me). If money ain't the problem go for it! its your pride and joy! I wish i can spend money to get my truck detail and paint correction!!! HAAHAA I end up driving my truck through brushes and etc! soo.....

 

An old adage : A fool and his money are soon parted

 

I feel like I’m a little rough on my truck to justify that. Pin stripes for days!

It’s your truck. Pay for it how you use it!


I personally focused on suspension and armor first. Now it’s the glamping mods! I spent $1600 on a fridge and awning because my wife and I love camping comfortably and off-roading. Shrimp tacos under the awning after a day of wheeling in Moab anyone?

 

I go off road but mainly for backpacking and fishing. I don't really overland.

I was hoping that I didn't need to do more than powerwash and dry with a blow dryer with a ceramic coating. Then I will only use no-touch products to maintain the coating.

 

Dont do it

 

The problem is it doesn't really work out that way except for a barely dirty truck. At some point you've got to touch it to wash properly, especially for extended time driving in the rain. Blow drying without any towel is a big ask too you're better off sheeting the water off with a flood setting on a hose (a good coating helps massively here). Otherwise blow drying is tough to do unless it's cool out and out of the sun or you're moving A LOT of air quickly. In the sun the water will dry too quick which can result in water spots if using hard tap water. You could always rinse with DI water but then you're really going down the rabbit hole.

Now if the truck isn't a daily driver and lives inside most of the time that will help your cause.

 

Honestly, you keep defending your want for it, at this point it doesnt seem like we will change your mind. I say go for it!

 

Even if I use a non PH-neutral soap like Purple Power?

I currently have a water softener hooked up to my Power washer, so I am not worried about hard water.