Ceramic coat the GEN3? What brand.

[PerfectoR]

Oddly enough, I didn't think about windshield, what about interior hard surfaces?

Thats a good Q....The Raptor for me will be my primary all year round vehicle so I was considering the inside as well but im not sure how much durability the coatings would hold up to normal wear and tear. The company I have done business with does offer inside protection as well for another $800 more. Not sure if its worth it or not?

Here is what they offer:

Using a combination of Ceramic Pro's dedicated product line, we protect every surface on the inside of the vehicle.

• CP Leather on appropriate seating/armrests/shifter boots
• CP Textile on carpeting, floor mats, trim surfaces
• CP Plastic on trim, touch surfaces

 

[EMY92]

I just use Griot's interior detailer on my interior every week or two and it still looks new.

I did use ceramic on my windshield. It's like a much better version of Rain-X that lasts for a very long time. I did re-do the windshield after 2 years, but the side glass on moonroof are still in great condition. I could have gotten another year out of the windshield.

One note, while this truck is my nailer driver, I work from home so it does get driven daily and sits in my garage the majority of the time.

 

[Dr Racecraft]

Xpel and ceramic pro

 

[RotorOver]

One thing in general I'll bring up since it hasn't been mentioned is that there are certainly pros and cons of a ceramic coating and depending on how you maintain, use and store your vehicle should be considered.

With the cons for ceramic coating you have to consider they can be more susceptible to water spotting and if not checked, allow the minerals in the standing water to etch the paint (also the downside to a paint protection product that produces a beading heavy result vs. sheeting). So, if the vehicle is not garaged and you won't stay on top of it, going the sealant/wax route may be best as many of those products stand up better to water spotting. Like a sealant or wax, the coating must be maintained or you will not get the advertised longevity. Typically brands offer boosters or toppers that must be applied at least quarterly. Of course, the harder the vehicle is driven or if stored in the elements, the more effort to maintain the coating will be required to achieve the advertised longevity and the less likely you are to obtain that longevity. When considering install, as folks have mentioned prep is critical, so varying degrees of polishing will be required depending on the condition of the paint. Of course, that is generally true of any protection you apply.

One misconception, more so than a con, is that ceramics are going to prevent rock chips and heavy scratching, which is not the case. If 9H hardness is mentioned by the coating manufacturer, it's measured against a scale related to the hardness of a pencil lead (which is now graphite) not the 9H in the Mohs scale, which refers to hardness of minerals (think one step below diamond hardness).

Of course there are many pros to a ceramic coating. One big pro for me is if I'm going to need to do paint correction to apply a paint protection of any type, if I can do less of it (lasts longer) and have less steps (time) to apply and get what amounts to better protection for my use case, it's a win. Also, cleaning is much easier and from my observations, using a waterless wash product is more effective with a ceramic coat, so it could make winter washes in the garage doable.

I'll add, PPF needs to maintained as well. The top layer is a clear coat like your paint, so ceramic coatings can be applied to provide that protection to achieve the longevity and effectiveness of the product.

 

[Oggie]

I've been thinking about getting XPEL Stealth and Ceramic Pro for my Agate Black. Best guess is that the cost will be roughly $8,000-$9,000. For folks who have already gone down this road, is the cost worth 10% of the price of the truck itself?

 

[RaptorWhoSaysNI]

Here in NJ there are some very narrow trails (leading to some great fishing holes) which I plan on blitzing and those pines are not easy on the paint. With that being said, I plan on getting a full XPel PPF wrap with a ceramic coating on top for extra protection and ease of cleaning. I look at it as an investment in my investment so if I go to sell it a ways down the road the paint won't be pinstriped with scratches all over. To each is own but that is what I'm going with.

 

[Honeybadger_Zero]

for anyone looking into ceramic products, do it yourself or otherwise I found this great channel on youtube with lots of goo info, product breakdown as well as testing videos to see whats worth a damn and not.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChicagoAutoPros/videos

 

[Syberspace]

I've been thinking about getting XPEL Stealth and Ceramic Pro for my Agate Black. Best guess is that the cost will be roughly $8,000-$9,000. For folks who have already gone down this road, is the cost worth 10% of the price of the truck itself?

That seems pretty high. Good friend owns a local shop that does Ceramic Pro and is in the $2k range for a multi coat with 5+ year protection. The xpel on my Gen2 was $1k... but I only did A pillars and full front bikini (about 8" up the front, including fenders). I would shop around.

 

[EricM]

Unless you plan to keep the truck forever- why bother with it? The next buyer isn't going to pay a huge premium for a truck that is slightly more shiny. I understand it stays cleaner and looks shinier than standard wax (slightly), but you can get most of that shine and ease of maintenance with a coating of cheap syn wax and a ceramic detail spray after each wash. If you keep it inside, even more so.

 

[BalorGrayJax]

Unless you plan to keep the truck forever- why bother with it? The next buyer isn't going to pay a huge premium for a truck that is slightly more shiny. I understand it stays cleaner and looks shinier than standard wax (slightly), but you can get most of that shine and ease of maintenance with a coating of cheap syn wax and a ceramic detail spray after each wash. If you keep it inside, even more so.

In my experience, buyers will absolutely pay a premium or realize there is no negotiation in your selling price when buying a well taken care for vehicle from an enthusiast. A dealer isn't going to give you more on trade, but I don't usually trade in my cars.

Also, there is a huge, huge, crazy not even close difference between expensive/cheap coatings.

Ultimately the reason I do it is not for either of those pieces.. I do it for these reasons:

1. Carwashes become awesome. Dirt washes off with ease and especially on my black Tesla.. its a game changer to not have to worry about the typical dirt that follows the car around.

2. Paint and rock chips. Nothing can ruin my day more than a rock chip you won't take your eye away from. With a truck, I don't care so much about the little stuff.. on my other cars it's a bigger deal but even on my gen2 I could fly down our dirt road and I never had a rock chip kill my paint.