Anyone try a DIY Ceramic coating?

[4stroker]

I purchased the chemical guys ceramic spray coating and it’s about a 14 ounce bottle that I used about 80% on the vehicle. The only thing I did not spray with it was the glass since I had just put rain X on it. I feel like it was a pretty daunting task overall, since the coating went on very thick and oily and took many stages of buffing to bring it back to a nice shine. I feel like the overall drying time for it is well over 24hrs at my temp and humidity levels. I do have to say, the results are pretty phenomenal but I’m looking forward to seeing just how resilient it is in day to day driving with cleaning dirt off of it or bird droppings or simply brake dust. Has anyone tried anything like this themselves or maybe even professionally? I did not shop around for a professional to install it, as I just assumed it was going to be very pricey.

 

[YAH DEF]

Yup, some folks here do their own. I had it done professionally. I haven't had enough driving time/conditions to notice anything yet, except that it looks amazing. Ceramic guy told me not to wash it for two weeks, as it continues to cure. Just FYI, in case you didn't know.

 

[JerseySXP]

I do my topcoating myself which is similar to the ceramic application. I would have done mine but the product I went with is only sold to certain detailers unfortunately.

Good job DIY-ing this!

 

[4stroker]

Yup, some folks here do their own. I had it done professionally. I haven't had enough driving time/conditions to notice anything yet, except that it looks amazing. Ceramic guy told me not to wash it for two weeks, as it continues to cure. Just FYI, in case you didn't know.

Thanks. Didn’t know that.

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[4stroker]

I do my topcoating myself which is similar to the ceramic application. I would have done mine but the product I went with is only sold to certain detailers unfortunately.

Good job DIY-ing this!

Thank you.

I do my topcoating myself which is similar to the ceramic application. I would have done mine but the product I went with is only sold to certain detailers unfortunately.

Good job DIY-ing this!

thanks. Not sure I’d recommend this to everyone unless you’re going to pay close attention, and watch it like a hawk during the curing process. I reached out to my local Detailer twice but never heard back from him—business is great lately for him.

 

[PassingTime]

I purchased the chemical guys ceramic spray coating and it’s about a 14 ounce bottle that I used about 80% on the vehicle. The only thing I did not spray with it was the glass since I had just put rain X on it. I feel like it was a pretty daunting task overall, since the coating went on very thick and oily and took many stages of buffing to bring it back to a nice shine. I feel like the overall drying time for it is well over 24hrs at my temp and humidity levels. I do have to say, the results are pretty phenomenal but I’m looking forward to seeing just how resilient it is in day to day driving with cleaning dirt off of it or bird droppings or simply brake dust. Has anyone tried anything like this themselves or maybe even professionally? I did not shop around for a professional to install it, as I just assumed it was going to be very pricey.

Congratulations on your DIY. Hats off to you for trying this yourself. I was too concerned about the possibility of screwing up the finish on a $50K plus car and then either paying someone else to clean up my mess or living with my 'install gone wrong' for several years. I read just enough about ceramic coating to realize that it was something I did not want to try without having some experience. Don't know anything about the spray type that you used but clay bar and wax/polish is about as far as I go on auto paint detail. Luckily, I won't even have to mess with that on my T.

 

[JerseySXP]

Congratulations on your DIY. Hats off to you for trying this yourself. I was too concerned about the possibility of screwing up the finish on a $50K plus car and then either paying someone else to clean up my mess or living with my 'install gone wrong' for several years. I read just enough about ceramic coating to realize that it was something I did not want to try without having some experience. Don't know anything about the spray type that you used but clay bar and wax/polish is about as far as I go on auto paint detail. Luckily, I won't even have to mess with that on my T.

I'm with you on that front. The only way a DIY-er would mess up their finish is if they tried to do their own paint correction. Clay bars are forgiving and if someone really applies the coating too thick they can strip them off fairly easily with spray on products or just keep buffing like a mad man!