New Taco - Wax?

Well we will see. The ceramic coating job they did on my truck has a lifetime warranty. Just comes down to who's...theirs, or mine.

 

Yeah. Hoping ELM is thick.

 

That's great! what product did they use? Do you remember?

 

i hope it lasts. 10 years or more. I wonder what lifetime is defined as since most “lifetime” warranties have a set definition and possible deprecated returns. Again if you’re happy with it great. I would hope with tender loving care 5 years is lifetime, remember any exclusions. Tree sap, water spots, bird dropping that were left on the surface any length of time

 

Really have no idea, the simoniz dealership it was sent out to that did the job. You could see the paint under the glass like coating it now has....its flawless. All i know is tree sap, and bird poop just wipe right off with a wet rag. With my tundra that had nothing, but being waxed once a year....that crap was baked on, and you really needed to scrub it to remove it. They told me to never wash, or wax the truck as long as i own it. It sits outside in the new england weather 24/7, so we will see.

 

It’s not rocket science and anyone of average intelligence and in reasonably in good health can apply ceramic coatings. I went to a vo tech college and the distributors and company reps showed us how to apply the products. Save money and buy the products directly from detail supply businesses, even average size cities will have these. Look at the local detail shops and you’ll notice they buy directly to save. To answer your main question yes ceramic coatings work and only those willfully ignorant are using waxes today.

 

Im on 5 years and with the right maintenance it still gets compliments and looks great. But i paid for the Pro plus which is supposed to last 7 years but as the guy said 6 years would be a good time to get it reapplied.

 

^^ If you really care about the paint, this is what you'll do ^^ even out of the factory, the paint has swirls in it and defects from transport. Waxing the paint only fills in those swirls and makes the paint appear to be smooth. Once the wax wears off, the swirls will appear again. If you really want to protect it, clay bar, polish and compound it to get all of the imperfections out first. Then apply a ceramic coating to lock in the perfected paint.

 

If it still looks this good after 5 years thats a win for me. My tundra looked like crap with all the paint chips after 5. Its been half the time with the tacoma, and you cannot find a paint chip anywhere on it. Imo, the test will be on the roof of the cab. The clear coat peeled on my tundra, and it had been waxed yearly. We have extremely hot sunny days to below zero temps here in new england.

 

This is true, HOWEVER most companies have dealer installed product lines that are substantially better than consumer level products. Any yes, they are better. I begged the IGL rep here to sell me pro level coating but he said it's important to be trained because the product is so difficult to apply.

I say this as someone who always applies my own coatings to my vehicles. It's just a matter of finding the best coating I can get at the consumer level.

There is a learning curve. These coatings are considered PERMANENT meaning that if they are applied incorrectly, they have to be polished off.

 

I washed my new Limited as soon as I got home, then applied some Meguir's gold carnauba with an orbital polisher, then after that dried out 2 coats of Turtle Wax Hybrid solutions ceramic spaced 12 hours apart.

Hard where I live to keep it looking immaculate, but I think it's pretty damn good.

 

Looks good, bet it’s hard to keep clean on dirt roads

 

I drive mine through a car wash about once a week. have a membership so i can go as often as i like.
Too old, and no time to do all that anymore.

 

I think they’ve got you over a barrel in Hawaii, here on the mainland just too many ceramic products vying to be “the one” it’s why we’ve got three different levels 3, 5, 7 years with corresponding prices to match. The SEMA show in Vegas is the best venue to see the new products and compare the claims made by the respective companies.

consumer level products like Maguire’s, Turtle Wax, and all the Carnuba waxes are using technology that is over 100 years old. It works but comes right off after a few washes on hot days. If you’ve never been to detail supply company first thing you’ll notice is the products are better and cheaper than consumer level. Downside is you buy in volume most often gallons instead of those cute little bottles you’d find at autozone or Walmart.

while your at it Google Bigfoot like the pic shows, it’s a pleasure to use and gives professional results. Also built in safety no chance of burning or wearing through using foam pads using the Rupes system.

 

Well i have better than average intel, so i've been told, and in decent health, but i'm no detailer...most experience was washing, and waxing my cars. I knew little all the prep work required before applying the coating. You have to know your limitations. Last thing i wanted to do was screwup a brand new vehicle's finish by doing something i knew nothing about. I took the dealers advice, and had it shipped to a highly recommended outfit to be done by pro's. Imo, using wax's is old school by today's standards, especially when there a longer lasting choices out there that protect much better.

 

Agreed. I’m a lawyer. I’m good at that. I’m not as good at things I don’t do daily, despite my intelligence. Crafts take time and I respect that.

 

Geez, i was at my lawyer's today after a meeting with him, and a hearing with the cities probate judge.

 

Like me!

 

Screen ProTech is a great product

 

I totally get taking it to a professional. I would like to but at this point I can bust my ass for a day and do a pretty good job and save some money. I enjoy the process and the results. One day I'll decide it's time for a professional...