What DIY ceramic coating do you use? What do you think of this one?

I'm crazy satisfied with this one. Applied it after the Mequiar's Ultimate wax below last fall and it's still beading water and looks GREAT. And Tacoma has been kept outside all winter.

 

Not ceramic, but has been one hell of a find for me.

 

I'm a big Adam's fan, so I like their spray-on ceramic coating. Supposed to last a year. Not sure about that as I haven't had mine on that long. Went on and came off easy. And the shine remains even after multiple mudding/wheeling trips. Adam's runs sales all of the time, so sign up for their marketing emails.

If I didn't take my truck off-road I would've gotten one of the professional coatings. Expensive? Yes. But so worth it. I've done it to two cars. One I had for multiple years and never waxed the entire time. Every time I washed it, it looked like I had spent a ton of time cleaning it up. Sadly, the second car got totaled.

 

that stuff is very easy to use since its spray-on spray off with hose instantly. I use to use the concentrate of that and make my own. Only downside it doesnt last super long and can sometimes spot on darker colors if you dont wash it off instantly

 

Decontamination? Yes, no more car washes. I have a soft mop thingy on a stick I carry around in the bed and use at the DIY car washes. Or at home when it warms up. I do my own car care.

 

mild clay and iron remover sprays to remove embedded contaminants that cannot be washed off

 

I'm sorry your car got totaled. AFter all that work, that stinks.

 

I've never done that clay bar thing. Seems intimidating, like I could damage my paint if I did it too hard?

 

LOL look at all your stuff!!

 

no, its super easy and super safe. Especially if you use the synthetic ones and not real clay like the older ones. if you drop a real clay bar it has to be thrown out. the synthetic ones you can rinse them off and not worry plus they last super long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4UUHeF4nq8

 

+1 for The Last Coat Black Ice. I've been using it for about 6 months with great results. I even use it on my boat because I tow it through some everglades dirt roads where it would get filthy, and the white dirt barely sticks to it.

 

So you put the Ceramic over top of the Ultimate?? Interesting. I use the Ultimate and want to try the Ceramic, but I was waiting until I used up the Ultimate. But it sounds like I can use both lol.

 

I did a bit of research on these coatings, but gave-up and went with Collonite wax (I forget the number) it is the one formulated for aircraft which sit outside always and do not get detailed often. I did it myself and would struggle to pay $1,000+ for a detail.

I've used it for years and years - on my OLD min cooper and on boats. It is tough and has done a great job this winter on the taco. The mini still looks fit for a coucourse D'elegance...

It does last a solid 4 months on tough environments performing well... would do 6 easy. Which seems on a par with some of the products mentioned above.

I mean, even teflon does not last years...

I'll keep looking into these coatings... just not sold at this time.

 

Two coats lasts a year. I’m 51 weeks away from giving a complete review. Still have half a bottle and my truck looks better than new. Used it on all exterior surfaces except tires and rims.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to use anything from 303, they make great products! I used their interior/exterior protectant all the time. I will say the best band for your buck is Turtle Wax's Hybrid Ceramic spray. I use it on my truck/cars in between detailings, works great!

 

I wax my vehicles twice a year. Takes me about 3 hours total per vehicle. Spring and fall. My buddy had his new camaro which came waterspotted, he had it fully paint corrected and then he ceramic coated it himself. Looked nice, paint correction was expensive, but I dont think any better than any other vehicle that was waxed. He talked about the water and dirt repelling. Then he told me he had to clay bar it and "refresh" the ceramic coating every 6 months. That turned me off, since I wax my vehicles every 6m, and now he has to "refresh" his ceramic coating every 6m. So much for it lasting for 3 years, since it has to be "refreshed" every 6m. Dont know the name of what he bought, but it was a best seller on Amazon.

 

coatings make things so much easier. Waxing if you are using actual wax twice a year is kinda pointless. Most waxes will last maybe 2 max 3months before they are basically dead.
I can clay and decon my truck in about 30min. So its not any hard extra work.
Refreshed means you are pulling out the embedded contaminate that cannot be washed off which will reduce the hydrophobics of a coating. It s not dead in the least and is still 100% protecting your truck.
Wax n general is basically dead unless you have a show car. you can use spray sealants that last SOOO much longer and you can do the whole truck in like 20min with little effort and no worries about plastic trim and such like with typical waxes.

 

But what are you using the Ballistol on?

 

It sucked, but can't change it.

If a true ceramic coat needs "refreshing" there's something wrong. It should look pretty damn good every time you wash it. True ceramic coating is a bitch to apply.

Also, getting paint correction should make your car look better than the day you bought it. Both of my cars that were done were amazing. One of them I never even realized how much metallic was in the paint until the correction was done.

Like anything there are different levels of what you're paying for. Neither one of my cars were cheap to get done and took two to three full days of work.

 

no, no and no