Hundreds? That's cheap. I start at $1200 for a crewcab truck. Its not the physical coating thats the expensive part, its all the prep. The vehicle needs a full strip wash, chemical decontamination, mechanical decontamination, light polish (if new, or more advanced paint correction if paint is beat up) then paint prep wipe down, then apply the actual coating. yes, coatings are great. All my customers love how easy it is to maintain their vehicles after the coating. But they are not a miracle either. You need to wash them regularly. They will not prevent scratches and dings like some people tend to believe. It will prevent etching from sap, bird poop, bugs, etc.

 

yeah, after digging and researching locally , i saw similar prices. im going to give it a go, just to see it , and keep me busy, i can stretch this into a few day project if i want to

 

I just had my new F150 done - expensive but worth it for the paint correction if nothing else. 4 days in I plowed into a ton of tiny bugs - before the 7 day cure period. Removed most with most on my hose then blotted dry with microfiber. BAP and black truck I felt it was mandatory along with clear film on bumper and grill.

 

Ceramic coatings can be a game-changer if done right. I had Adams Graphene Ceramic professionally applied on my Jeep, and it's held up beautifully for 4 years. It involves prep work, paint correction, and a controlled environment for setting, so it's more involved than regular waxing. But the results last longer – mine still looks day one fresh. If you're up for the process, it's definitely worth considering!

 

Ceramic coatings offer longer-lasting protection compared to traditional waxing. They form a strong bond with the paint and provide better resistance against UV rays, dirt, and minor scratches. While applying them requires more care, they're worth the investment if you want extended durability. DIY kits are available, but professional application ensures optimal results.

 

A wax just lays on the surface of the paint and eventually dries up and dulls. The more layers applied, the more it takes to remove to get that shine back as eventually waxes will dull. Ceramic bonds glass to the paint, which hardens it and has hydrophobic properties that forms beads and sheeting of water. The less time water spends on the paint, the less effect it has on spotting and damaging it.

All ceramics have the same basic ingredient, SiO2, Silicon Dioxide. The amount and the resins used to bond it to the paint are where professional and home DIY are different. Pro coatings have resins that are very fast in flash times, and require a lot of training to be applied properly, DIY stuff, like you get from Amazon, Chemical guys etc. have slower flash times, which means less resins to bond with. Spray on ceramic, the hybrid types use, polymers that activate with water to bond the SiO2. Read the instructions carefully on any of them that you apply as they are important to get a good finish. It is very easy to screw up the paint with Ceramic if not applied correctly, and puts you back to square one with getting the polisher out and buffing the paint clean, which is the only way to remove cured ceramic.

I got my 2019 last August and did the entire cab with Cquartz UK 3.0, which I had done on the 2018 a month after it was built, which lasted to the day I sold it. So far I have washed my 19 3 times since coating it, and even with the layer of dirt on it right now, water still beads right off. I didn't do the bed so now when I wash the tuck, which I haven't done since May, I can do a direct comparison to see how the Ceramic holds up.