My first attempt @ ceramic coating

I've always been a nerd when it comes to detailing my cars and trucks but this past weekend I attempted my first ceramic coating on my truck.

I did a lot of research with my main criteria being a product that was easy to use for a first timer. I ended up using Polish Angel Glass Coat V2 with their primer and cosmic spritz and couldn't be more please with ease of use and end result.

First step was a good old fashioned clay bar session. After that it was time to move on to the fun stuff....polish. My paint is pretty clean so I didn't need to get to aggressive with any paint correction/compounding so I used my Porter Cable DA polisher with Lake Country white polishing pads and the PolishAngel primer. The primer has some light cutting/polishing ability with hardeners in it that the glass coat will adhere to.

Next was the actual coating itself. In this product's directions it states the Glass Coat needs to be applied within 9 hours of the primer removal for proper adhesion. Did two coats by hand with 2 hours cure time in between coats. All that followed up with the Cosmic Spritz that is supposed to accelerate the cure time from 24hrs to 12. During the curing time the paint is not to see direct sunlight and definitely no water of any kind. I wasn't taking any chances and just let her sit for a complete day until I pulled it out of the garage.

All in all...very happy with the results and look forward to seeing just how long this lasts on my daily driven vehicle. Sorry for the ramble...just wanted to share and if anyone out there is hesitant to do it themselves I say go for it!

A couple pics trying to capture the clarity and how wet the paint looks.

 

awesome, i just cquartz'd my 911 myself after paying stupid money to have ceramic pro put on my hot rod

 

looks great!

 

Thanks for posting this, I didn't think it was rambling, more along the lines of helpful.

 

Nice

 

Where'd you buy it from @Newm ?

 

What year 911?

 

Thanks guys!!

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

I waited until they had a 20% off sale, which they have routinely, and pulled the trigger.

 

Wow! That looks great!

 

Awesome! Wish I had that kind of patience!

 

'01 turbo

 

How has this held up coming up on 2 years now? I'm thinking about getting it done.

 

I actually sold the truck this past Christmas so it didn't get to see it at the full two year mark but the 19 months I did have it, it held up well.

I pretty much hand wash my truck once a week and usually used, at least every other time, a ceramic boost type product or something similar. The hydrophobic qualities diminished greatly around the 12-14 month mark but the coating was still there as nothing would stick to the paint. No tar, no sap and just a few small light water marks ever stuck. I could tell though the last few washes that I had on the truck it was going to need to be recoated at the two year mark or close to it. I could just tell it was failing as things were just starting to require more of a scrub to get contaminants off. I have no doubt in my mind though IF I had not used a ceramic maintenance/boost product it would have failed waaaay earlier. Possibly around the 12-14 month mark but who knows.

I am honestly not sure If I will do it again though. IMO it's not a magic coating and still requires maintenance with topcoat of some sort of ceramic boost/enhancer and at that point I think any quality sealant would work almost just as well and much more user friendly. That and with a sealant I can recoat anytime I want where a ceramic coating needs to be polished off really to reapply and get it to stick.

I have a black Tundra now (detailers dream or nightmare not sure ha) and will be paint correcting it in the next few weeks and sealing it with something...just don't think it's going to be ceramic this time.

 

Thanks for the informative insight.

 

Thanks for the update. Best of luck with the black one....it's not a color, it's a lifestyle. Tons of sealant options out there....my two favorites are McKees HiDef and Jescar Powerlock

 

I’m not overly impressed with my ceramic either, but I believe it’s because the guy who did it half assed it.

 

Did mine, love the look!

 

Ha...I like that! ^

Agreed, we have tons of great options anymore as it really is hard to pick a bad product as long as you stick with a quality name/company. I always revert back to Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. So easy to use and usually can get 6 months out of an application. On Edit: Man I miss that truck sometimes and this thread reminds me of that. I loved that inferno when it was polished up and gleaming in the sun.

 

I tried Blackfire one Step after claying to get the paint clean. It doesn’t do much for correction but I was using a polishing pad. Next step is a coat of the Wolfgang sealant. I’ve yet to find something I like better.

 

Agreed...once you get the paint clean the Wolfgang sealant is legit. Some of the most satisfying stuff ever to remove as well.

 

I have to give Klasse my props.

It’s been around forever, but I did my MGM about a year ago and water still beads, and the truck has incredible shine after washing.

It’s also pretty darn easy to apply.

 

looks great!!

 

Did you use the All In One in the red bottle or the sealant? The AIO is easy and cleans paint well but I don’t know how to use the regular sealant to make it easy. First time was a nightmare to remove. Second time was better because I knew to use a towel that was real damp with spray wax or polymer but still a chore.

 

I was going to put a coat of Wolfgang on my truck today. When I shook the bottle it sounded like water. It came out like water too. Think I had it for about three years so I guess it goes bad. Only other thing I had was Pinnacle Sovereign liquid so I used that but really wanted another coat of polymer before using wax. Live and learn.

 

I used the sealant.

It went on very easy and also buffed off using microfiber towels easily.

Granted, I did mine in summer when it was dry. Humidity might make the removal tough, but using very thin application, and doing 2 coats, I got good results and it was easy. I did the truck at night, let coat #1 cure overnight, and did coat #2 in the morning.

 

How long did you leave it on before wiping off? Some say to let it dry for hours and others say the trick is to remove it immediately. It is very durable.

 

I believe I followed the instructions and tips on AutoGeek, and allowed it to dry to what I perceived as ‘completely’ dry. It was hot, and dry, so I waited perhaps :30..?

Another tip I followed was to dampen my microfiber with quick detailer. I make my own QD out of water and ONR.

I don’t remember having any trouble buffing out the dried Klasse after.

I do remember the next day my oldest daughter walked through the garage and asked me why my truck looked black...

Mine is MGM, but in the shade of the garage, the appearance of gloss and depth did make it look pretty dark.

 

I typically do my entire truck starting with the hood and even after that I let it sit for another 30 minutes or so. In total I would guess I let mine sit on there for at least an hour or so. It comes off so nice as long as your paint is clean. If I want two coats I let it sit for another 12 hours after buffing it off and do another coat following the same procedure as the first.

 

One guy said he uses it like a spray wax. He pours it in to a 6 or 8 oz. spray bottle and sprays it on lightly. Then spread it out, turn the towel and wipe off. Mike Phillips at Autogeek never recommends it because too many people have trouble working with it. Some say it’s easy and some say it’s a total headache. I think I let it dry too long both times. Might give it another shot.

 

I still use the Klasse Sealant Glaze too. I mix a combo of Wolfgang Uber Rinseless, Klasse Sealant and distilled water in a QD bottle. Takes the applied Klasse SG off no problem and doesnt stain trim like nufinish. I have been applying beadmaker on top of that, so far so good, hard pressed to try ceramic with how easy it is to care for the acrylic sealants.