Is ceramic coating worth it?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Bill0927

Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2022
Posts
16
Reaction score
1
Location
San Diego, California
What’s your thoughts on ceramic coating.? I have a white 2022 and live in Southern California and unfortunately need to park My truck outside won’t fit in the garage. I’m a fanatic about keeping my cars immaculate is ceramic coating the way to go to protect my paint and keep the truck looking its best.? Or just have regular wax done a couple of times a year.?
 

Stan G

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
Posts
303
Reaction score
548
Location
USA
Absolutely!

I did it on my 2021 Raptor and it was the first time I decided to pay that much money for any coating. Normally I'd do it myself however, I wanted it done right and didn't have the patience to really perfectly prepare the paint. It was well worth it!

It makes it sooo much easier to keep the truck clean and the beading is fantastic! I just use Adams graphene CS3 after washes to get that good shine and extra protection.

Just like you, I like to keep my cars as clean as possible and this saves me TONS of time in detailing since the dirt falls right off and quick details are about 15 minutes instead of over an hour.

Get it done by a professional to save yourself the time and headache of paint prep-- (Remove plastic, Inspect paint, Wash, Iron remover, Tar remover, Paint corrections/UV treatments, Clay, put on ceramic coating perfectly, remove ceramic coat, Wait 24 hours to cure while sitting in garage, apply last minute fixes). Mine took 48 hours total and was well worth it.
 

So-Cal-Al-52

I Love Fossil Fuel
Joined
Jan 21, 2022
Posts
731
Reaction score
1,226
Location
San Diego
I totally agree it seems worth it. I did mine myself. After a good rain or off-roading session the dirt just slides right off. It is a lot of work to correctly but well worth it. Or like stated above if you have the money then have the pro's do it. I am glad I did it, the paint has zero swirls and always looks glossy and wet.

The only issue is if you do it right and do all the prep work and apply 2 coats the truck will be sitting in a garage for a few days.
 

Space Ghost

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2022
Posts
937
Reaction score
1,683
Location
FL
I did it on my own, spent like $150 and only extra time spent was doin a light polish before applying, only hard part was telling when it rainbowed in certain light. I still got some lines and swirls (minor), but im not cuttin into the clear coat too much to remove them, plus its hard to see on blue.
Overall didnt look any better than wax to me, but rain beaded off much better, and two months later when i wanted to clean it again it was much easier to clean off and dry. Bugs and other crap (poorly laid ashphalt) comes off easier too.

For the money i spent i thought it was worth it, idk about spending more than that though. Still got about half the bottle left, gonna do my lightning next.
 

pauliodotnet

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2023
Posts
29
Reaction score
18
Location
DC
very much worth it - just not the price of having someone do it IMO. It's a truck to me, so I did it out of ease of cleaning as mine will live outside.

I 2 step corrected my BMWs and did a two stage kamikaze ceramic.

For the raptor, i went Ammo NYC - so easy to apply, i buffed out some swirls but didn't do a major correction like I did for my wifes black m4.

Here's a great video of how easy Ammo is.
 
Top