Follow up on Ceramic Coating....

[kevin]

Good evening to all, I am in the final stages of my ceramic coating of the vehicle. This has been an extremely busy year and I had to unfortunately break the car up into stages for the coating process. I just completed the roof, rims, brakes calipers, and fender linings. I wiped the car down with one of my favorite toppers and snapped a few photos as the sun was setting. I will try and re-wipe the car and do a better photo shoot with better lighting soon. I work a lot and sun goes down before I get off, so this is very difficult to get everything to line up just right. Anyways, for those who want to know, the entire rim and brakes , fender lining coating took 9.5 hrs. from start to finish. Enclosed is some photos for detail and peeps who love photos such as I do. Enjoy and stay safe.


Details entail: Rims cleaned thoroughly, clayed, polished with Car pro Essence, 2 coats ceramic coating, (Carpro of course), Following by Reload and then Pearl on the Tires

 

[VroomDaddy]

Lookin Good! How well do you think the coat quality turned out?

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

Wow you did everything yourself? Would you recommend an amateur try this?

 

[kevin]

Good morning to all, in regards to how well did it turn out... it looks amazing! For those that don’t have experience with ceramic coatings... it’s like when you wash the car, the sponge doesn’t even get dirty.. feels like your washing ice because the surface stays slick as ice for years! If the car gets any dirt on it, it’s only a light film. Plus you have the amazing clarity that is enhanced and also the paint depth. In regards to doing it yourself, yes ... I recommend it, if you have a passion for auto detailing and want to take it on. The paint needs to be corrected before application, and it’s a lengthy process for prep time, but the rewards to me are far worth it!! I use Carpro products and love the company!!! I can attest to the fact that they fulfill their claims if maintenance is properly done!

 

[brancky3]

Wow you did everything yourself? Would you recommend an amateur try this?

Yes, absolutely so long as you know how to properly wash, clay, and polish your car. Ceramic coating itself is no harder than waxing, there's just a lot more prep work

 

[NoVAGT2]

One of the things to pay attention to when doing a ceramic coating are the flash times of the liquid. Once it sets, it is a lot harder than wax to get off. My impression is that the more durable the coating, the faster the liquid flashes. Here is what one reviewer had to say about CarPro Cquartz:

"If you keep wiping and the streaks are still there, you’re either wiping off too early or too late. Unfortunately, Cquartz has a very short window of when it’s good to wipe off and with temperature ranges that window is harder to find. For example, in warm weather, you should be removing it anywhere from 2-3.5 minutes roughly. In colder weather, it can be 2.5/3 minutes up to 5-6, which makes it hard to get it perfectly right. The best solution is simply using it on a small section, timing it and finding the time range that allows it to be removed in the easiest manner.

Keeping in mind that if you start removing too early, you’ll simply be wiping and wiping while it keeps streaking and streaking. It will be easy to wipe as it is still mainly in liquid form. On the other hand, if you wait too long to remove, you’ll still get the same streaking look after wiping a lot, but you’ll know you waited too long by feeling quite a bit of resistance or it being “grabby”.

Bottom line, CarPro Cquartz is a great product that needs a bit of a learning curve initially, but provides great looks and protection."

Full review here.

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

Yes, absolutely so long as you know how to properly wash, clay, and polish your car. Ceramic coating itself is no harder than waxing, there's just a lot more prep work

Ya i think id rather leave it to the pros, but that means ill never justify the cost to get this done How about you stop by the midwest and help me out

 

[NoVAGT2]

@DaBears4Lyfe It's mostly a time investment, paying attention to a few details (lotsa detailers on YouTube or ask @kevin ). Crystal Serum Light looks to be more forgiving possibility.

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

@DaBears4Lyfe It's mostly a time investment, paying attention to a few details (lotsa detailers on YouTube or ask @kevin ). Crystal Serum Light looks to be more forgiving possibility.

 

[BEEK]

I did it myself and used 22ple hpc. Product was very easy to work with and there was a long window of time for me to wipe the product off after it flashed. steps and timing;

• hand wash - easiest part....I paid someone to do that!
• clay bar - never did it before. very easy and cheap. took < hour. got product from here Clay Bar & Paint Prep | Free Shipping Available - Detailed Image
• alcohol wipe - very easy and cheap. 30 minutes tops.
• all that was done in an afternoon. then applied coating of HPC ($170 for a bottle that does 3 coats). took about 60 - 90 minutes. then waited 12 hours.
• applied coating 2 of HPC. Again, 60 - 90 minutes. then waited 12 hours.
• applied coating of final coat vs1 ($30 - should do 6 coats). less than 60 minutes. Very easy to apply and wipe off.
• done....spent around 6 hours. Saved at least $800.

I did a lot of research on the various coatings. There are many good ones out there from the reviews. I chose HPC because for a higher end product it was very easy to work with.

 

[terrelltechsup]

Mines coated in Feynlab Ceramic Plus. Amazing stuff. Did my first wash and it took 20 minutes... One wipe and pat dry and done. No waxing etc. If anyone is looking for a place in the San Antonio area look up Relentless Shine. They did a fantastic job.