Should I ceramic coat my 4th gen?

Yup, the majority of that price is for decon and paint correction. Materials themselves are a fraction of that. As @MGMDesertTaco said above it's tough to beat gtechniq CSL/Evo, it's one of the best coatings on the market and you can get the 50ml kit (enough to fully coat a gen4) for sub $200

 

It’s a pickup truck not a car show pony?

 

The ceramic will highlight all the imperfections. That would drive me nuts. Everyone's different.

 

It was just minor imperfections. I'm talking like a dot here or there. I just didn't want to break out an aggressive pad on such a new vehicle.

I mainly did the ceramic for ease of cleaning, and as mentioned, the coating only lasts so long so it's not like whatever minor imperfections i see will be there forever.

Call me crazy, but I am over having a 'perfect paint' vehicle. I'm OK living with some superficial imperfections that I know I can get rid of with a good buff. I applied the same view on my 3rd gen and when I sold it, the new owner was completely enamored with the paint condition even though all I really did was wax it here and there, and regularly hose off the truck-wipe it down with bead maker.

 

If you guys only knew how easy it is to ceramic coat a car. Buy the ceramic liquid for $100 and watch YouTube. Paying someone $2000 , $3000 to apply this coat is simply insane.

 

It's not as simple as applying wax or sealant though. Temperature and humidity affect flash times and if it's not wiped off all the way or in time it has to be polished with compound to remove.

 

If you work at it panel at a time there is no issues. I usually let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes and wipe it off. Temp
And humidity doesn’t affect it too much as long as your wiping it off when it flashes (the rainbow color) start to show. It’s not that difficult.

 

That's entirely dependent on the product. Something like Gyeon MOHS Evo isn't going to be affected much by environmental factors due to the nature of it's quick flashing time, but something like gtechniq CSL/Evo which is a 2step process with slow flashing times will absolutely be affected. There's a reason you see shops in cold climates doing coatings under heat lamps.

 

Yeah, AZ is hot and drier than a popcorn fart.

 

No

 

A lot of people don't buy these as frequent or true work tools, and a lot of people have something in the ego, identity or persona realm tied up in what they drive so I can sort of get it.

I'm not purposely abusive but hauling stuff for my business, trail building and ski area support started the wear within a day of ownership. What I found works really well is the really low cost Turtle Wax ceramic product that is also clear and applies to black plastic and even the wheels pretty well. I'm about to use it again with a periodic detailed clean I'd do anyway with 11 months and 11,000 miles of ownership.

I think it is called Turtle Wax hybrid. At my work sites I park next to some people who've done very expensive treatments. After dirt, storms and winter salt it sure looks like they get diminishing returns for what they've spent.

 

Should I ceramic coat my <INSERT OBJECT HERE>

Yes. The answer is always Yes. I don't care what it is*. Yes.

Note* Don't Ceramic Coat your Johnson, ok. Anything else is fair game.

 

I would never ever purchase a $60k+ truck to use for work or tool. I would probably purchase a $30k or very minimal priced truck for work and I’m certain most people are like this as well.

So let’s separate the fact that some people buy these vehicle as a daily or second car and they would like to protect and care for it.

 

I think you misunderstood the context of my comment.

 

Amending that statement.

Ceramic Coating is GREAT and professionally applied at $4k is the best. But you can get really good results at home if you spend a Saturday Afternoon on it.
I've done a whole truck over a week by just knocking out a quarter-panel or two a night after dinner when the weather cooled off.

Total cost for a DIY could be around $100 plus a few hours of your labor. Is it as good as the $4k job? No. But is the difference between the 4K job and the $100 job worth the $3,900 in savings? Yes. Mine lasted about 3 years.

My process was:
1. Wash and Clay Bar the Vehicle
2. The finest polish / scratch remover. You want to remove as minimal as possible. Just looking to knock the edges off the scratches - ceramic fills them in. Rinse with water.
3. Iron Decontaminate. Smells bad but pulls contaminates out of the paint before you seal them in. Rinse REALLY GOOD with water.
4. Clay Bar. Rinse with water.
5. Wipe with alcohol - no water after this.
6. Start applying your Ceramic Coat.
7. Nothing wrong with two coats but it is a little tricky.

I could get 1-4 done on a Saturday afternoon easy. Then 6 and 7 over a week in the afternoons. Breaking up the Ceramic Coat like that means you start each quarter panel refreshed and focused. Otherwise if I do them all at once, I find that there is a difference in my quality from the first to the last panel.

 

My $100 DIY was applied in 2015 on my X5. It lasted til this year as I’m starting to see the water not bead anymore during rain or washes. So I will be applying it again myself for the next 10 years along with my Tacoma.

 

If you are that concerned about how your paint looks, you'll probably want a ceramic/PPF combo. Ceramic won't stop rock chips. $5K on a $150-200K Porsche might make sense but I would take the 5K, invest it, and then trade after a few years. Yes the 5K won't cover three years of depreciation but you're back in a new truck, new paint, new tires, new interior, new features, etc. But we're talking Tacomas right? Do we need perfect paint to enjoy our trucks? Are we so lazy that waxing our trucks a couple times a year is not an option?

 

ocd starter pack...

 

I did, I would again. It's the real deal. Its like liquid glass.