When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey all, I posted this in another thread, but decided to create a new thread for those interested. I know that some do not believe in this and others do, but for those interested this is for you. I have pictures that i'll post after this message. It wouldn't let me post because I went over my 10k character limit.
Ceramic Tint The rear windows and back window is smoked glass, they are not tinted. So not tinting the back windows with smoked glass is a huge mistake. On my red truck (previous to what I just got) I personally put 70% on all the windows in the truck including the windshield and pano sunroof. Then I put 20% on the driver and passenger windows to match the rest of the truck that has 70%. The back windows with the smoked glass are already dark, so adding 70% to the already dark windows will bring the amount of light coming in to around 21 or 22%. This will match the front 20% windows . The front windshield has 70% and you can't even tell there's tint there. The benefit of doing this; the UV light is what destroys your plastic and leather, not the heat. Now the heat is an added element that will cause damage as well, but the UV is the main culprit. Ceramic tint is 100% UV protection, period. So if you have every window tinted inside your truck, you will have 100% UV protection right from the start, it will pay off for you in the long run. Any questions please ask or send me a PM.
I got the truck tinted Saturday 5/21/2022 and I'm very pleased with how it came out. I ended up going with the below:
70% - Front Windshield
20% - Driver and Passenger Windows
50% - Rear windows and back window with the slide. (this brought the light in around 14-16% after you factor the smoked glass from factory)
70% - Pano Sunroof
Ceramic Coatings (Paint, Wheels, Glass, Plastic Trim, and now Leather): This is my favorite subject to talk about. I've been doing this for a very long time. You can have someone do it for you and pay the $2,000 or more if done right. Or you can do it for a fraction of the price yourself, but prepare to spend (2) days at a minimum on it and pack your patience for this. There are so many companies out there making ceramic coatings now. When deciding what ceramic coat you want you need to look at the pencil scale. That's the 1H, 2H, 3H, until 9H numbers you might see advertised. The hardest and top number is 9H on the pencil scale. Ceramic coating is dent and scratch "resistant" product, but the most important part is the UV protection. When you ceramic coat your truck you will have 100% UV protection and even better you never have to wax your truck again. Crazy to say, I know, but it's 100% true. Never wax your truck again, that alone is worth it for me. So really quick, you can buy the best Carnauba wax on the market and it still won't protect the paint like ceramic coating will. A little secret most people don't know; once the surface temperature reaches 187.8 degrees (give or take 1 or 2 degrees); the heat on the surface kills the UV protection in the Carnauba wax. So you spend half a day waxing your truck with really good wax that cost $150 give or take, until 24 hours later all you have is a smooth surface with 0 protection from UV rays. If you ever see an older vehicle that's dark blue or black start to fade on the roof and hood; that's the UV rays killing the paint. You won't need to worry every again. Well, for 7-8 years if you use the 9H ceramic coating.
Now, the company I prefer and used for my last (2) vehicle is called Carbon Collective. I'm still a big fan of Chemical Guys and there are plenty of supplies I have and use now, but Carbon Collective has some of the best products I have ever used hands down. A little pricy, but worth it because it goes a long way. I'm almost 45 and I'm an OCD freak when it comes to cleaning my car/truck. I think I've used just about every product on the market and I always come back to Carbon Collective. I use the coating for the glass, wheels, plastic trim, paint, and now leather. The leather one is a new product they have out now; I haven't used it yet to comment and give an honest assessment, but the other ones I can tell you about and they're fantastic.
*** Ok, the fun part. What do you need to do in order to get this on your truck and what you don't wanna do once it's on your truck.***
Step 1 - Wash your truck with a product from Chemical Guys called "clean slate". This will remove any wax you have or and mild oxidation. Step 2 - Tape off all the plastic and rubber trim on the exterior of the truck. If the coating hits that it will turn white forever. This is by far the worst part of ceramic coating your vehicle, but spend the extra time and do this right. Step 3 - Clay bar the truck with a light to medium clay bar. Brand new or not you still need to clay the truck. It shouldn't take you long since the truck is new, but it's a must to get right down to the clear coat. Step 4 - Use a good swirl and scratch remover. Regardless of the age just do this. If the truck is new this process will take no time. Step 5 - Apply the ceramic coat in small sections. You wanna lay it on the paint in an up and down motion and then follow up with a side to side motion. Let it sit for 1-2 minutes and then remove and residue with a micro fiber cloth.
***NOTE*** If you do not plan on spending the weekend doing this, then I strongly recommend you do your truck in sections. For example... everything you see in Step 1-5 do on the hood first. See how you feel and work your way down the truck. Don't waste your time claying the entire truck if you don't knock it out that day or weekend, because you'll need to clay the truck again after you drove it for the week or however long it takes you to finish the truck. If you wanna break this up into weekends that's fine, just make sure you prep the same way. I personally do the hood, roof and rear in one day and then I'll do the sides on day 2. If you try to knock this out in 1 day you'll be gassed out at the end of the day and you'll be taking corners on the most important part. Laying the coating down is the last thing to do and you need to focus and take your time. Follow these steps will make the remaining time with your truck very pleasant.
That's it you're done. Keep in mind this is a very long and tedious project. Take your time, do not take any short cuts and enjoy the idea of never waxing again. ((Never, Never, Ever, Ever)), take your car/truck in a car wash. This could and will probably scratch the s*** out of it. Yes, it's scratch and dent "resistant", but that much beating will scratch it for sure. Even if you don't use ceramic coating do not take your truck in a car wash. Even the touchless ones. Unless the car wash uses clean water and not the recycled water then you can do a touchless one. However, none of the touchless car washes use clean fresh water on every wash. Think about it, the high pressure water washing your truck with recycled water, all the dirt being sprayed at your truck is no good for the paint.
Well, that's about it. If you're looking for links to any of the products please see the next post below. I hope this makes sense and I'm sorry for the long post, but I wanted to be thorough. Any questions feel free to ask.
Last edited by ak5_platinum150; 05-25-2022 at 11:20 AM.
Nero Paint Coating – This is good for a top coat to the Molecule, this will give you the 7+ year protection. This gives the paint a 9H on top of the molecule paint coating. So yes you have to coat it twice lol. https://www.carboncollective.com/pro...ramic-coating/
SiO2 Ceramic Detailer – Get this, it’s awesome and it helps maintain the coating. Don’t spend all that time doing your car/truck and not maintain it with something. This is good stuff. https://www.carboncollective.com/pro...amic-detailer/
Leather cleaning and conditioner - I use this but it was before the leather coating. I need to make sure I can use it after I coat the leather. If you don't use the leather coating I strongly recommend this. https://www.carboncollective.com/product/leather-kit/
Here are some pictures of my car and truck with the ceramic coat.
im very intrigued. Realistically, is this something anybody could do correctly? How forgiving is the ceramic process? I was quoted $3500 for a 7 year product…but if I can do it myself for 1/10 of that, I’d like to give it a try!
There is someone in this forum that does this for a living. I'd love to see them chime in here along with how much the range for a PROPER professional job should be. I'm not saying what's presented here is or isn't proper, just highlighting that many professional jobs aren't actually proper. Since I don't know a damn thing about how to do this I am NOT going to criticize the OP on a great writeup. Some want to do it themselves, others can't or won't do it themselves.
im very intrigued. Realistically, is this something anybody could do correctly? How forgiving is the ceramic process? I was quoted $3500 for a 7 year product…but if I can do it myself for 1/10 of that, I’d like to give it a try!
Yes if you have moderate experience with doing similar work, but like I said you need to pack your patience and set aside 2 full days. It is forgiving, but you must tape off everything that isn't paint. That part is the most important over anything. You really just need to know what you're doing to be honest. Watch some videos and do some more research before you tackle a project like this.
05-16-2022, 10:30 AM
Ceramic Coating & Ceramic Tint (Detailed Explanation)
