Ceramic paint protection

Truck is 2 weeks without a bath because of snow the last 2 weekends. I put CQ.UK 3.0 on my 2021 Tacoma myself. It was better than any wax that I have ever used. After Christmas bought the wife a new Volvo XC60 and put it on her SUV as well. It took about 4 hours for the truck and 5 for the SUV. I will try to get some pictures this weekend. I couldn't see paying the install price the dealers wanted.

 

Had both done with opti coat. Love it

 

Same here. Best ceramic coat IMO.

 

Showing off now. I miss my 2002. Yours looks great!

 

Here’s my 2019 ceramic coated. Take me about 2-3 hours and works pretty well. With a ceramic coating I’ve noticed the truck looked like it got very dirty quickly, but the dirt/ grime comes off very easily.

 

I've been using Aerolon Tech Shine too for about 2 years and it does work great for the lazy approach. I haven't found anything yet that's easier and works as well. If I grab a '22 Tacoma this spring, I will probably do the ceramic coat myself.

BTW, all you're garages in the images are way too clean

 

Awesome. That’s my favorite color Tacoma. Mines black in case anyone is wondering.

 

Yeah it was one of my favorites too. I was sad to sell it, but got a good deal on a 2022. If that 2019 ever comes up for sale again I’ll probably buy it back.

 

I did my DD 2017 Camry myself with a McKees 37 kit and, since it needed more paint correction than I was willing to do by hand, had my 2007 4Runner done professionally. Both look amazing. They bead water beautifully and they are much faster to wash since a lot of the crud comes right off.



HOWEVER I will never do another ceramic coating. About 2 months after I did my Camry I was driving to work when the vehicle in front of me swerved suddenly. When they swerved I saw something in the road but didn't have time to react. I hit whatever it was at about 70. Fortunately all it did was take paint off of the bumper in roughly a 4" by 6" area. Unfortunately after going to 4 body shops all 4 of them told me they won't touch a vehicle with a ceramic coating. They all told me they would have to sand every bit of clear coat off of the entire bumper to repaint that one small area so it would be $2k or more to repair. Now imagine that wasn't the bumper which can be easily removed but was the cab or, in my case, the unibody. Vehicle could be totalled by a minor fender bender due to the labor required to remove the ceramic coating for paint repair.

 

That is a beautiful truck!! Does the, what appears to be a vet get the same detail? as the tacoma?

 

100% bull shit. You do not need to sand and a quick 10min run with a rotary and polishing pad would remove the coating. That body shop was just full of idiots or didn’t want to do the job. Who are all these bozos that act like a ceramic coating is armor that can’t be removed easily

 

Thanks !!!

That's my 72 Camaro and yes it gets the same detail

 

Doesn't change the fact that I went to all 4 of my local body shops and can't get my bumper fixed.

 

Well sucks you have body shops that seem pretty stupid. Hell anything other than Optimim Opti-Coat Pro and Gtechniq crystal serum pro can be removed by a good chemical strip of acid of 2 or alkaline of 13
All of the coatings that can be sold to consumers that do not need training from the company for install only resist PH scale from 3-12

 

I ceramic coat it my self , once you polish the trunk just wipe on and whip off way easier than waxing and what a shine.

 

Any chance you have links to products for stripping? I'm probably going to wind up doing it myself since it's a small area.

 

You ceramic lovers can't have it both ways.

"It's perfect, works forever, never comes off, cures cancer, safe for babies"

"Your 4 body shops don't know what they're talking about, comes off easy."

Pick one and stick to it.

 

I def think it's a good product, but the price is too steep for what you get. I've been told by applicators/detailers - you pretty much have to hand wash every time. Well, for me, a daily driver, I have to be able to go through an auto wash from time to time, it's just that simple. And if an autowash soap and process is going to deteriorate the ceramic coating, well, forget getting ceramic coating. The quote I got for my SR5 was about $1200.

My guy nate who lives near by runs a detailing service and he charges me $80 for a full hand wash, dry, and ceramic spray waxing. I do this about once a month. The quality is good, and the truck literally stays clean or dust free for a good 1.5 to 2 weeks.

I'd rather do the upkeep this way or do a hand wax every 6 months with something quality like a Dodo Juice Supernatural carnuba or a Sonax wax.

Here's what my truck looks like after a hand wash and spray wax.

I think what you have to remember is, no matter what route you choose, maintenance is going to be required. What will require the least for the methods you will be using to clean the truck is the best one. If you plan to use auto washes at all, get a good hand wax job and mix in your hand washing and auto washing and rewax every 4 to 6 months.

For me, until I find my house, I'm willing to spend a little money with a detailer to keep her up.

 

you would have to mix up something. Not really any over the counter products for that.
I will say 3D Eraser which is a waterspot remover so its heavily acid base. I used it on my wifes hood I put Gtechniq CSL on and it stripped it off after a few mins and had to redo her hood.
You could try that
https://www.autoality.com/store/pc/3D-107-Eraser-Water-Spot-Remover-16-oz-320p7244.htm