HELP! Ceramic Coating. Worth it?

[hkbooner]

I see a lot of people talking about having their Bronco done but I am pretty much dumb to the topic and want to get y'all's feedback on if it is worth it or not. What are the pros, cons, upkeep, etc.? Just trying to see if it is worth the investment, especially since I have been quoted by a few places as to what they would charge. I mentioned that it is brand new and would (most likely, I believe) NOT need all the paint correction, water spot removal, etc. prep that seems to cost as much as the coating itself. Any advice and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

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[MnLakeBum]

If you want to understand the prep work and application process, there are plenty of online videos that explain the details, such as the one in the link below. If you are not handy, pay to have it done correctly. I personally wouldn't pay more than about $1,000 to have it done on a new vehicle because, as you mentioned, little or no paint correction is required. I prepped and ceramic coated my Bronco in a few hours when it had less than 200 miles.

 

[Rick Astley]

Zaino will run you $150 and zero chance of harming your paint.


There you go. I just threw 10 years of high-paid marketing jargon out the window and it turned out there was already a hydrophobic surface treatment available that won't hurt your vehicle or wallet.

Or, let the semi-erotic word "CERAMIC!" enter your body and open the flower of your wallet......

 

[Coloradonatives]

It certainly makes washing an easier and faster process.

 

[mbagne]

PROS:
* Surface dirt/mud, bugs, light road tar, and bird doo will all wash off VERY easily, sometimes without even using a brush . . . just touchless water pressure with foaming soap and the surface of your vehicle will be squeaky clean and shiny, as if it was just waxed. Some people say that the ceramic coating makes their vehicle look like it is always freshly waxed.

*Will protect against VERY minor pings from small bugs or tiny road pebbles .

CONS:
* Expensive to have done professionally.

* Will only last 2 - 3 years (more or less depending on how severe your local weather is and how often you can park inside a garage or under a carport). Frequent washes in automatic drive-trough car washes can also decrease the life of your ceramic coating

* Will NOT protect from scratching caused by bushes on the trail or pings from small rocks. Some folks add PPF (paint protection film) under the ceramic coating to add scratch protection, which can also be quite expensive.

 

[Badassbronco]

I forgot the prices exactly that I’ve gotten locally but it was extremely high for ppf or ceramic. Im not sure how much a high quality paint job but it be read it could be 3-8k. I don’t understand paying thousands for ppf and ceramic when you can just go get the Bronco repainted for a little more.

 

[Monster1926]

It won’t “protect” your paint. It will just make it bead water easier. If there’s dust and you run your hand across it, it will mar your paint. It’s basically wax that last 4 times longer.

 

[CoachTee]

If you want to understand the prep work and application process, there are plenty of online videos on the process, such as the one in the link below. If you are not handy, pay to have it done correctly. I personally wouldn't pay more than about $1,000 to have it done on a new vehicle because, as you mentioned, little or no paint correction is required. I prepped and ceramic coated my Bronco in a few hours when it had less than 200 miles.

What did you use and are you happy with it?

Been contemplating doing it myself - but there are so many levels and brands!
The less commital ones seem like they have less probability of operator error.

 

[Murph914]

It’s great stuff but not miracle juice. Its like long lasting wax. How long it will last varies. As you have seen the cost is in the paint prep which you shouldn’t need much of. Ppf is a higher priority ad it will actually protect the paint.

 

[AlexInNY]

I went from never having used a professional detailer, to getting ceramic applied to the Bronco. I’ve only had it on for five months but it is awesome. It was $800 for a “three year” ceramic (by some company called Gliptone) and a “one step” paint correction. Have no idea how long it will last and have low expectations, but so far I’ve only had it washed once but it somehow always looks clean, despite always being parked outside. The guy also applied something to the glass and trim.

 

[MnLakeBum]

What did you use and are you happy with it?

Been contemplating doing it myself - but there are so many levels and brands!
The less commital ones seem like they have less probability of operator error.

I've had great luck with all 3 of the products in this video. The Turtle Wax Seal and Shine is easy to find and very affordable and realistically should hold up for 15,000 miles in most climates.

 

[Daktari]

I'm doing it myself with Adam's ceramic, the UV reactive kind, can't think of the name now. Little bottle costs about $100 and application takes a bit of my time, I have time.

I would never ever pay what it costs to have this done "professionally", not on a Bronco. Maybe on a Koenigsegg or Lamborghini or other trailer to shows car, but not on a truck. Silly to me. I just don't really like washing cars, hoping that this "super wax" - which is more or less what these are - will make that easier for a couple years. It's not a baked on ceramic anything anyways, fancy marketing term, it's just a very hydrophobic coating.

I will wash mine and clay bar it (maybe never again, but want to see what that does) and polish it, then apply the coating, oh, creamic graphene something or other they call it, even fancier marketing name.

I don't understand why people spend thousands on having this or PPF applied to a truck, way cheaper to have damages fixed or the whole thing repainted in any color you like. But people do a lot of things to their trucks that I find silly, so what ever floats your boat. Not my money, proceed as you will

 

[427Comet]

I purchased the home kit from Avalon king. A diy kit that has great reviews and YouTube testimonials. The cost is nothing compared to having a shop do it. If you have the ability to wash and wax a car, why not give that a try. There are several diy kits on the market. I’m just waiting on my wildtrak so I can get busy with it

 

[Tacnav#1]

I see a lot of people talking about having their Bronco done but I am pretty much dumb to the topic and want to get y'all's feedback on if it is worth it or not. What are the pros, cons, upkeep, etc.? Just trying to see if it is worth the investment, especially since I have been quoted by a few places as to what they would charge. I mentioned that it is brand new and would (most likely, I believe) NOT need all the paint correction, water spot removal, etc. prep that seems to cost as much as the coating itself. Any advice and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I had mine done a couple weeks ago and love it. The shine is amazing and super easy to keep clean. I got the premium package for $1500.00 which has a lifetime warranty.
I had a bird take a crap in the hood and it had dried by the time I saw it. I sprayed it with my garden hose it slide off like it was on glass. Well worth the money if you plan on keeping it.

 

[Bad Andy]

I am a big fan and will be ceramic coating my Bronco if I ever get it.

I have had it on 2 cars now. There is a wide-wide range of brands and quality of the ceramic. Basically the idea behind it is a long lasting wax. At the chemical level it forms a cross linked atomic bond with the paint to add protection on top of the paint. It has a very hard property (about 10 on Rockwell hardness) which gives it some resistance to light swirl marks from improper car washes. But it is a very thin later. Paint Protection film is usually about 7-10 thousands thick. Can take a bunch of abuse. Ceramic coatings are measured in nanometers. usually just an atom or two thick.

surface preparation is key. A new car shouldn’t require much paint correction, but you will want to decontaminate any thing on the paint, like brake dust (from train transport), water spots, etc. then you need to make sure the surface is clean and clear of any waxes or “quick shine silicon” products. Either with a special wash or isopropyl alcohol.

products range in performance. Spray ceramic products last 1-2 times longer than regular wax. Think 4-6 months of protection. Other do it yourself products can last anywhere from a year to 4 years depending on the product. Some professional applied products have warranties and claim they last 6-8 years. The longer lasting, the more complex the application is with special applying, leveling, waiting for the product to “flash” and then buffing.

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