Scubaz66
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- Oct 20, 2021
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Enjoyed reading the thread regarding Ceramic or not..... Thought I'd give my take on the product and attache pictures of a finished 2022 2500 Big Horn Black Edition.
Lots of hype regarding Ceramic coatings and as as Brutal HO identified, Graphene is the newest product on the shelves. While looking for a Wax product to put over my Ceramic Product I noticed every company with every product mentions Ceramic on their label. Even the self serving car wash in my town tries to up sale Ceramic in their wash for an additional charge.
I'm sure we have Chemical Engineers here on the forum.... I'd really like their take on these products.
Took delivery in Jan so because of snow and salt on the roads couldn't get to the project for a few weeks. Feb gave us a week with temps in the mid 60's. Perfect Weather for detailing a truck. Day one included a drive through the touchless car wash. Just a basic wash because I wanted a clean truck without added chemicals or waxes.
Took the truck home and wiped it down with a bucket of hot water and a microfiber towel to remove all the dirt and scum the car wash left behind, then proceeded to polish the paint with a 6" orbital hand buffer. This process took me about 5 hours, but I wanted to ensure the paint was ready for Ceramic. I'm one of the guys that likes to baby my ride and I don't use my truck for construction. I then started applying the Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray and buffing it out with a second microfiber towel until all streaks were gone and I had a nice flat mirrored surface. See the attached pictures. Took me about 2 hours to apply the Ceramic Spray. Yes! I already know it's not a true Ceramic coating according to the professional Detailer's who do this for a living and want your hard earned dollars in their pockets instead of yours. I've been detailing my own vehicles since 1972 so I've used hundreds of different products and Turtle Wax Hard Shell Paste has always been my go to product, but at my age I'm looking for something a little easier to apply and remove. I DO NOT work for Turtle Wax nor do I endorse their products. Just happens to the the one I felt got the best reviews on U-Tube.
I waited a couple days and applied a second coat of the Ceramic Spray as per the directions (24 hours). The Ceramic coating has been holding up quite nice after several washes and my trucks sits outside because it doesn't fit in my garage. Yes! Truck was wiped down prior to the second coat to remove any dust or pollen that may have accumulated overnight.
About a week ago I used the Touchless Car Wash to remove some heavy dirt from being out at my sisters farm. Muddy Road! LOL When I wiped down my truck I used the Ceramic Spray as I wiped the water that had beaded up and didn't sheet off the truck. This is what I considered a third coat or a touch up coat.
A few days later after sitting in a down pour at a friends house I started the drive back to my place and noticed the water was beading well, but the water wasn't sheeting and being blown off the truck.. I posted my comment on a Turtle Wax Users Group on FB and received many answers. I concluded the Ceramic Spray was doing its job to protect the paint, but there wasn't enough slickness in the Ceramic to allow the water to sheet. I've purchased the Graphene Wax Brutal HO mentioned and have spent the day applying. According to the directions I can also use this product as a maintenance or a TopCoat Product. It does seem to have more slickness to it than the Ceramic Spray, maybe because it has Wax in it.
As picky as I am on the condition and looks of my vehicles (OCD'd) I'm very satisfied with how the products work. I've got $40 in product and materials as well as less than 12 hours in the entire process with a second coat. Not including the Graphene Wax Procuct I purchased today for $26. I also know the whereabouts of every tiny scratch and rock chip on my truck. The Ceramic Coating will not keep your vehicle from being scratched as I noticed a few tiny hairline scratches here and there. Nothing that won't buff out.
I'll do another Polish and Buff come October to prepare for the winter months as well as another couple coats of Ceramic Spray. May try a different brand to compare products.
All said and done I enjoy getting up close and personal with my truck so the labor intensive process wasn't bad and the costs surely outweighs the price of a Professional Ceramic Coating with the so called Professional Detailers. I'm not knocking the guys who do this for a living, they need to get paid for their professional knowledge, but $1-2K I personally think is too much.
So! If you don't mind a few hours of labor and getting to know your truck, I'd say this is a great DIY project most anyone who can read and understand instructions can accomplish. Take the other $900-$1800 and treat yourself to a nice little vacation, use it to buy that nice set of wheels or or save it for a couple tanks of fuel..... LOL
Lots of hype regarding Ceramic coatings and as as Brutal HO identified, Graphene is the newest product on the shelves. While looking for a Wax product to put over my Ceramic Product I noticed every company with every product mentions Ceramic on their label. Even the self serving car wash in my town tries to up sale Ceramic in their wash for an additional charge.
I'm sure we have Chemical Engineers here on the forum.... I'd really like their take on these products.
Took delivery in Jan so because of snow and salt on the roads couldn't get to the project for a few weeks. Feb gave us a week with temps in the mid 60's. Perfect Weather for detailing a truck. Day one included a drive through the touchless car wash. Just a basic wash because I wanted a clean truck without added chemicals or waxes.
Took the truck home and wiped it down with a bucket of hot water and a microfiber towel to remove all the dirt and scum the car wash left behind, then proceeded to polish the paint with a 6" orbital hand buffer. This process took me about 5 hours, but I wanted to ensure the paint was ready for Ceramic. I'm one of the guys that likes to baby my ride and I don't use my truck for construction. I then started applying the Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray and buffing it out with a second microfiber towel until all streaks were gone and I had a nice flat mirrored surface. See the attached pictures. Took me about 2 hours to apply the Ceramic Spray. Yes! I already know it's not a true Ceramic coating according to the professional Detailer's who do this for a living and want your hard earned dollars in their pockets instead of yours. I've been detailing my own vehicles since 1972 so I've used hundreds of different products and Turtle Wax Hard Shell Paste has always been my go to product, but at my age I'm looking for something a little easier to apply and remove. I DO NOT work for Turtle Wax nor do I endorse their products. Just happens to the the one I felt got the best reviews on U-Tube.
I waited a couple days and applied a second coat of the Ceramic Spray as per the directions (24 hours). The Ceramic coating has been holding up quite nice after several washes and my trucks sits outside because it doesn't fit in my garage. Yes! Truck was wiped down prior to the second coat to remove any dust or pollen that may have accumulated overnight.
About a week ago I used the Touchless Car Wash to remove some heavy dirt from being out at my sisters farm. Muddy Road! LOL When I wiped down my truck I used the Ceramic Spray as I wiped the water that had beaded up and didn't sheet off the truck. This is what I considered a third coat or a touch up coat.
A few days later after sitting in a down pour at a friends house I started the drive back to my place and noticed the water was beading well, but the water wasn't sheeting and being blown off the truck.. I posted my comment on a Turtle Wax Users Group on FB and received many answers. I concluded the Ceramic Spray was doing its job to protect the paint, but there wasn't enough slickness in the Ceramic to allow the water to sheet. I've purchased the Graphene Wax Brutal HO mentioned and have spent the day applying. According to the directions I can also use this product as a maintenance or a TopCoat Product. It does seem to have more slickness to it than the Ceramic Spray, maybe because it has Wax in it.
As picky as I am on the condition and looks of my vehicles (OCD'd) I'm very satisfied with how the products work. I've got $40 in product and materials as well as less than 12 hours in the entire process with a second coat. Not including the Graphene Wax Procuct I purchased today for $26. I also know the whereabouts of every tiny scratch and rock chip on my truck. The Ceramic Coating will not keep your vehicle from being scratched as I noticed a few tiny hairline scratches here and there. Nothing that won't buff out.
I'll do another Polish and Buff come October to prepare for the winter months as well as another couple coats of Ceramic Spray. May try a different brand to compare products.
All said and done I enjoy getting up close and personal with my truck so the labor intensive process wasn't bad and the costs surely outweighs the price of a Professional Ceramic Coating with the so called Professional Detailers. I'm not knocking the guys who do this for a living, they need to get paid for their professional knowledge, but $1-2K I personally think is too much.
So! If you don't mind a few hours of labor and getting to know your truck, I'd say this is a great DIY project most anyone who can read and understand instructions can accomplish. Take the other $900-$1800 and treat yourself to a nice little vacation, use it to buy that nice set of wheels or or save it for a couple tanks of fuel..... LOL