Ceramic Coating

[TBA]

Took deliver of my 2023 Lariat on Friday, and God Bless us but it decided to rain (no complaints - we definitely needed it). But it got me to thinking about how to protect my new truck.

Can someone please educate me on ceramic coatings and also recommend a place in the SF Bay Area. Much appreciated.

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[kvasiir]

I got mine done at Dynamic Detailing in Santa Clara. Great customer experience, and a couple hundred bucks off for doing our Mach-E at the same time.

 

[Pitbull2o08]

I ceramic coated my Mach-E. Just needed true microfiber cloths and I chose Chemical Guys. Took a couple hours and came out amazing.

If I had to do it all over again, I'll get a orbital buffer to buff on and off. Forearms were sore afterwards.

 

[F150ROD]

Looks good

 

[MaintGrl]

Hello Folks, So . . I had my 06 Taco and honestly did not take care of the paint job, The clear coat was flaking, which is no longer my problem since it got totaled in Nov, 2023.
Fast Forward to now, I got my Lightning XLT in December, and want to put a coating on the paint soon. There is so much misdirection regarding ceramic coatings. One group says this is the best, others say something else. "Car and Driver" recommends Chemical Guys Carbon Force, CNET (Not a Auto Reviewer) recommends CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 . , most all say the higher the Si02 the better, but most do not state the concentration in their literature, then there is BLACKFIRE Pro Ceramic Coating Black Edition which looks interesting.
I want to get this done as soon as possible (of course dodging the rain). I know it will take some time, and am wondering exactly how much prep, I need to do. any thoughts, Tips that you know of...
Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[sstevetx]

I paid someone to do mine and they used Symplex with graphene. They did a full detail with wash and then they polished it out. They then applied the coating and I believe it was 4-5 hours total for 2 people to do it. I have no idea if it is one of the better ones, but it definitely makes cleaning it easier.

 

[MaintGrl]

I paid someone to do mine and they used Symplex with graphene. They did a full detail with wash and then they polished it out. They then applied the coating and I believe it was 4-5 hours total for 2 people to do it. I have no idea if it is one of the better ones, but it definitely makes cleaning it easier.

So, what made you decide to use Symplex with graphene? Was that the only choice from the detailer?

 

[sstevetx]

They were certified with that brand. I think it is the only one they use

 

[MaintGrl]

So, I did research, checking recommendations/ sales pitches, and most seemed subjective. NO clear reasons why one was better than an other. I ended up getting :
"20H Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating for Cars" through Amazon.
Did a through Wash Job, and wipe down. Paint did NOT appear to have any imperfections, so I applied The coating. Seemed to go on easily. Had like an oily appearance when applied, but followed the direction, and buffed it out, that was the end of the day yesterday (2024-02-25).
Will go out today and inspect, Not looking for perfection, just a long term protection, to keep this from having the clear coat break down. Will see how it preforms over the next few months...

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