I’m considering either having this done or doing it myself *after* a detailer fully preps my car. Have any of you done this yourself? Results? Was it hard? I’ve been reading and watching YouTube videos for three days...

Yes. I have used a few. Good ones are just that, good. Bad ones are really terrible.

Email is in my profile. Feel free to email me or get my number. I’d be more than happy to chat about detailing.

This isn’t just like waxing a car. It’s so much more. The flash time is a big deal. Most flash in 5-7 seconds. Getting it wiped in that time and not to crystallize on the paint isn’t as easy as one would think. When that happens, you have to use a rubbing compound and buff it off, then start over again.

I have spent a lot of time on detail forums and have many, many years of detailing cars and paint correction. I have corrected many factory finishes to make them look better than the day they were sold new. All done with a buffer, the correct pads and compounds for how much you wish to cut the paint.

I had a few people that wanted to try out the ceramic finishes. I had great success with one from Gyeon and one from Britemax.
CQuartz (CarPro) is trash, as well as a lot of the others I have tried.
The other issue I have is when they start to wear. It looks blotchy. Then you’re buffing to get it off and correct the paint after.

Seriously, a good sealant/polish will give you better results for less money and heartache.

Check out Autogeek. They have some good videos. Get a random orbital buffer. You can get a less expensive one with 5/16” of throw for a really good price, and it’ll do great.
If you have the coin to throw down, one with more throw. The better ones range from 15-21mm.

A quality buffer and great polishes/sealants will do so much more than the ceramic/quartz sealants and last about as long with much easier reapplication.

I’m not trying to dissuade you, but honestly, I think there are better things out there. I used glare polish and had some amazing results.


Wash with dawn and rinse
Buff with 3M Perfect It II
Wash with dawn and rinse
Gyeon Iron and fallout remover.
Wash with dawn and rinse
Griots synthetic Clay bar
Wash with dawn and rinse
Second rinse with distilled water and is isopropyl alcohol (spot free) 16 oz isopropyl per gallon of H2O
Hit with Gyeon paint prep anywhere that isn’t perfect
Polish with Glare.
Wipe down with clean DRY towels
Polish with Glare

I too thought I'd try doing a full blown ceramic job on my truck, but after researching, it seem a lot more complicated than I initially thought, so I gave up on that. What I did do though, is use
Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. Fairly easy to apply. The first application requires a bit of buffing, but subsequent applications require only a quick spray on to a wet vehicle after the wash and then towel dry. I'm very impressed with the outcome. Not near as much protection as a professionally done ceramic job, but better than most liquid quick waxes and it stays for months. There are youtube videos around that demonstrate how easy it is to apply along with some unscientific test as to durability.

Just and option. I'm sure someone will be along with better advice on doing an actual ceramic job.

If you're going to do ceramic, have a professional do the entire job. Paint correction is absolutely key with ceramic. The ceramic material is very expensive and you'll use a lot more of it yourself than a professional that works with it often. I honestly don't know if it's worth the extra money considering it lasts 3 years or so.

I used Meguiars ultimate polish on my newish Expedition and have been very happy, also very happy with Rejex.

Sounds good guys... y’all are echoing what I’ve read. I flip flop on this. One min I’m sold on it, then I want to do it, then.... I really appreciate the input. I’ve been quoted $1100 to $1700 to totally prep and apply the coating on our Infiniti Q70. That’s a tough nut to swallow. We’ll see.

That Infiniti should have a good OEM 2K clearcoat on it.

Is there something about it you don't think is up to par?

It’s a 2015 and needs some minor buffing to get out some swirl marks from drive through car washes no doubt. We just got it a couple of weeks ago. The ceramic coatings are used in lieu of waxing every so many months.

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
Sounds good guys... y’all are echoing what I’ve read. I flip flop on this. One min I’m sold on it, then I want to do it, then.... I really appreciate the input. I’ve been quoted $1100 to $1700 to totally prep and apply the coating on our Infiniti Q70. That’s a tough nut to swallow. We’ll see.

Ceramic is expensive, but that pricing is a bit steep unless the surface on your paint is really bad and will require a ton of correction prior to coating.

As I've mentioned here before, I've done amateur detailing for over 25 years. There is no such thing as a cheap or simple to apply ceramic sealant that is also a quality product. Ceramics are very finicky, and one screw up in application can leave you with a big mess. If you decide a ceramic coating is for you, have a pro do it for you. But I;d shop a bit before plunking down $1700.

Yeah, the $1700 shop is out of the running. The $1100 estimate is much more reasonable. Thanks again for the advice.

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
Yeah, the $1700 shop is out of the running. The $1100 estimate is much more reasonable. Thanks again for the advice.

One last thing. If you opt for the $1100 shop, wait until they prep a car similar in color to yours with ceramic, and then go look at the final results before the owner picks up their car. Personally, I'd check out their results on a couple black, navy blue, or forest green vehicles. If they can get those colors done right, they know what they're doing. Good luck.

Just a side note.. there was a shop I used for a Lexus GS in black we use to own. Didn’t do ceramic on it, but did do a level 1, almost level 2 paint correction on it, plus a really good standard wax/sealant. The car was just beautiful. Our Infiniti is kind of a metallic dark blue, almost a hint of purple. I’d love to have that look on this car..but on a semi permanent basis that the ceramic would provide.

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
Just a side note.. there was a shop I used for a Lexus GS in black we use to own. Didn’t do ceramic on it, but did do a level 1, almost level 2 paint correction on it, plus a really good standard wax/sealant. The car was just beautiful. Our Infiniti is kind of a metallic dark blue, almost a hint of purple. I’d love to have that look on this car..but on a semi permanent basis that the ceramic would provide.

Like I noted, real ceramics are exceptionally hard to apply 'right'. But if a pro detailer can get it right on a black car (corrections and coating), the results are pretty spectacular. That's why I always recommend that people check out a particular detailer's work on a black vehicle.

Is a ceramic coating really going to stop the reappearance of swirls from an auto car wash?

For that money, assuming I didn't want to do anything to my car myself, I'd consider the correction and good wax, find a decent touchless wash and a detailer you can trust to do minor correction and wax every several months.

But then again, I've only taken a car through a auto wash <4 times in the past 3 decades, each for winter gunk. They are awful if you actually care what the car finish looks like, IMHO.

The right ceramic coating is worth it's weight in gold IMO. I've been using them for about 10 years and every year they get better and better. As others have said, IT IS ALL IN THE PREP. Every new vehicle I have bought in the past 10 years get treated right away. My last vehicle needed a day of paint correction fresh from the dealer. I used to do all my detailing work myself but I do not do my own ceramic. It is worth paying a professional IMO. $1100-$1700 sounds like a reasonable range depending on how much correction you need.

Regarding performance, I have had it done to white, black, blue, and red cars. The black was AMAZING. It does not completely stop swirls but I would say 95% of them. My current truck is two years old including the ceramic and it still looks great but is starting to wear off as it doesn't shed water as easily. They are now coming out with self-healing ceramics that will fix it's own swirls

Hey again guys... I didn’t want to beat a dead horse and start a new thread, so I’m resurrecting this.

I’m about to do this for reals finally and wanted to see how sane my plan sounds to the couple of detailers we have. I’ve watched SO many videos I feel like I can quote them. I found a professional detailer that is going to fully prep my Infiniti. Wash, clay, decontaminate, paint correct, etc to get it totally ready for the ceramic coating. He’s charging $500-600 for that. I think I’ve landed on Gyeon Q2 “Pure” for the coating. It’s got better than average reviews and does not sound too terribly hard to work with. The Gyeon is about $100 and I would apply it.

If what I’m reading is correct, maintaining it properly should get one to two years of solid protection with no need for “wax”. When it’s at the end of it’s lifespan, another prep and coat at $600-700 doesn’t sound too bad.

Thoughts, once more? Thanks