Ceramic coat questions

[Baja_Bob]

Hi all,

I have been seeing a lot of people here talking about ceramic coating their trucks. I have a 21 Yukon XL that I bought last fall, it has only 1000mi on it and hasn't seen snow or salt yet. I was wondering how long does ceramic coat last, does it seal paint and clear coat, I've seen people coat their windows too, and what's the average cost for an XL size vehicle.

Thanks for the help.

 

[DenaliCountry]

Hi all,

I have been seeing a lot of people here talking about ceramic coating their trucks. I have a 21 Yukon XL that I bought last fall, it has only 1000mi on it and hasn't seen snow or salt yet. I was wondering how long does ceramic coat last, does it seal paint and clear coat, I've seen people coat their windows too, and what's the average cost for an XL size vehicle.

Thanks for the help.

Not sure exactly on the longevity but have read it lasts 3-5 years? As for the cost, if done right expect to pay a few thousand dollars depending on where you are located. Most places, if they know what they are doing will require the exterior be fully detailed before applying the coating.

 

[Steebu]

Go to youtube and search for “ceramic coat” - lots of great resources. The biggest thing is to find a reputable detailer.

Also, lots of misconceptions are dealt with, like, “If I get a ceramic coat I don’t need to wash my car, right?” or, “Does coating protect my car from rock damage?”

Leaning towards doing a PPF nose bra and ceramic coating once I get my rig.

 

[Baja_Bob]

I assume that a ceramic coated vehicle wouldn't need to be waxed for a long time

 

[Steebu]

Yep, that’s one of the advantages.

As @DenaliCountry noted the coat can last 3-5 years.

 

[ljn21]

Hi all,

I have been seeing a lot of people here talking about ceramic coating their trucks. I have a 21 Yukon XL that I bought last fall, it has only 1000mi on it and hasn't seen snow or salt yet. I was wondering how long does ceramic coat last, does it seal paint and clear coat, I've seen people coat their windows too, and what's the average cost for an XL size vehicle.

Thanks for the help.

Longevity will vary greatly by product brand and how well the surface is prepped prior to coating and what your maintenance routine is. If you want to do it yourself; there are several good detailing specific online forums with good information or you can go with a professional company like Ceramic Pro (pretty sure they are nationwide). Surface prep is absolutely critical both for longevity and how it looks after. In addition to some of the fallacies mentioned above, the other one is that ceramic coatings don’t need any maintenance. That’s false, you will still want to use topper products after coating. I use either Carpro Elixer or Myiabi Over Coat but you don’t have to spend an arm or leg on a topper…Turtle Wax Seal and Shine gets awesome reviews and it’s like $10 a bottle. Watch YouTube videos for reviews and torture tests of coatings…quite a rabbit hole once you start researching.

 

[Vinnoto1]

Hi all,

I have been seeing a lot of people here talking about ceramic coating their trucks. I have a 21 Yukon XL that I bought last fall, it has only 1000mi on it and hasn't seen snow or salt yet. I was wondering how long does ceramic coat last, does it seal paint and clear coat, I've seen people coat their windows too, and what's the average cost for an XL size vehicle.

Thanks for the help.

Just got a price for a ceramic coating on a Yukon For $1795, I would expect the XL to be a little higher. I looked for a shop using Xpel products, this is in NJ.

 

[BADRIDES]

Get the Meguiars's brand at Wal-Mart for $15 and you are set. All 4 of my cars are done and they bead up nicely. It's rained here for 4 days and my Tahoe still looks clean.

 

[2591tdj]

ljn21 is absolutely correct. You have to follow the application directions exactly. if not brand new, it make require cleaning the finish with clay or a buffer first.

I ceramic coated my Tahoe with Armor Shield IX from AvalonKing and got beautiful results using only one tiny bottle of the product. It’s super easy and quick to apply once the finish is spotlessly clean and wiped down with IPA. You must apply in small sections (2’x2’) and wipe the haze off as soon as it flashes (about 1 minute). If not, you will play heck removing the haze. It may last 2 years or more if garage kept. AvalonKing has excellent customer support and stands behind the product.

I coated the paint, metallic trim, headlights, windows and wheels. It produced an incredible mirror-like shine.

 

[Mike Diaferio]

Ceramic coating is more than water beading up nicely. If done correctly by those who know what they are doing, it is part of the process along with the paint correction which removes all swirl marks etc., from the paint. I have had my 2021 Denali done along with the front end 3M coated. Also had 3M applied to the headlight lens, A pillars, and mirrors. I have a 5 year warranty on it and bring it back every year where they wash and inspect it which was part of the program. To me it has been well worth the spend. The truck always looks good and I use the enhancer spray to keep it looking nice. Very easy to maintain. I have driven through rain storms and the truck always looks good.

 

[fr8bil]

Get the Meguiars's brand at Wal-Mart for $15 and you are set. All 4 of my cars are done and they bead up nicely. It's rained here for 4 days and my Tahoe still looks clean.

Agreed. Just be sure and read the instructions thoroughly about the first time application and keep the spray bottle well shaken at all times. Good product and a lot less $$ than $1795....YIKES !

 

[Baja_Bob]

Yikes is right! I hate to spend that much ($1795) but to have it done professionally would be so much easier. Back when I used to apply paste wax to my vehicles I would get bored/tired of it and rush through the other side.

 

[Plimbob]

I had my wife's black Lincoln Nautilus done at a shop in our area two years ago. We live in the upper Midwest, so we have the salt/ice/snow issues. They use the Xpler brand products. They had the car three days, detailed and removed all possible chips and swirls. We also had the 3M film coating put on the from including headlights and mirrors. She takes it back annually to dust it up. It has a 5 year warranty. The cost was $1450, but that was two years ago and it's smaller. From our perspective it makes a material difference. I drive a black 17 Tahoe which hasn't been done professionally but ceramic wax applied by your truly. There is no comparison between the two regarding surface retention of dirt/dust. You can take the hose and spray hers off and the dirt/grime comes right off, mine not so much.

 

[Baja_Bob]

Mine is also black with the gloss black 22 rims, when clean it looks good, I'd like to use something to repel the dust and water spots for a little longer.

 

[MrMonte]

I ceramic coated my 2018 Yukon the other day using CQuartz UK 3.0 which has high ratings with independent testing. A large but still small bottle allowed me to get 2 coats on.

The paint prep/correction is where the cost is. I did a wash, claybar then washed with a striper soap before doing paint correction/buffer then applied 2 coats of ceramic which is the easy part. The whole process took me 10hrs and my paint was in good shape before I started.

 

[zbad55]

Here is my black Denali Ultimate that was recently finished. The paint correction is the most important part and mine from the factory needed it. Mine was done with 450 miles on the vehicle, the deep gloss black is fantastic now and not a scratch or swirl mark on it,

 

[CASTLEDFW15]

My CC was about $1000 for a regular Tahoe. It does look good and yes normal hand washes after that. Two things to note……….


1. Make sure you get a Ceramic Coating safe washing soap.

2. No Automated car washes. That will eat the CC up and causes scratches.

3. Make sure the CC installer gets the paint correction first. If your the DIY on the CC same rules appliy……You want polish, wax, paint correction first, then work on the CC.

CC can be used on pretty much all exterior Surfaces. They even have a CC for glass.

For maintenance CC there are two types…..one is apply DRY and wipe with Microfiber towel.

The other is apply wet and remove excess with MF towel. I use the wet type and usually apply after rinsing the vehicle.

The general consensus is that three-five years.

 

[pa31p]

$1795 lot of money but it is on the low end for a pro ceramic coating for this size car. PPF and paint correction generally add few more bucks

(why I’m not a big fan) to keep the coating in top shape you do not want to wipe down/touch the car much with anything, so wash with soap gun and Air Dry with leaf blower.

For most folks a solid detailing is a great option as they will buff or wipe the $1795 off in about a year. I’m OCD about a clean car so would last 8 months for me.

Great dealer trick too, $1795 for CC on the invoice.

 

[Onlyone]

Who pays 1795 for a ceramic coat? 3-5 years? more like 3-5 months. Even the best quality coating won’t last a year. Where do you guys get this stuff? I can see a paint correction but on a new vehicle most times that’s not needed. Clay bar, some alcohol and ceramic coat it. The coating itself takes maybe an hour is you’re methodical. I took me 30 minutes to coat my Yukon Xl.

 

[MrMonte]

Seeing I just ceramic coated my Yukon last week I have fresh times. Wash, claybar & full paint correction from top to bottom 7 hours. 2 coats of CQUARTZ UK 3.0 ceramic coating with 1 hour wait between coat then a wipedown with Reload spray took 3 hours. To cure the ceramic coating the Yukon stayed in the garage for 3 days.

The soft towel pieces supplied to apply the coating turned rock hard after a couple of days. So far the rain washes my Yukon clean. I used less than $100 in materials + 10 hours of my time but I enjoy the detailing process.

I've watched some dealers wipe on or even spray on their ceramic package to paint with minor scratches & water spots then think it looks great. I always get my new vehicles delivered with a no wash request.