Ceramic coating - Applying ourselves Vs. Professionally??

[CapnOMatic]

@CapnOMatic i have a question.

Did you tape any areas off so they wouldn’t get coated? I’m thinking about things like door handles, door trim and Tesla emblems.

That and possibly needing to do this in cooler temps are my primary concerns right now.

I did not tape any areas off. I did coat these areas:
1. Door handles
2. Front and rear Tesla emblems because I didn't see why not..lol
3. Driver and passenger side mirror enclosures - The metallic gray parts and little black plastic piece (you will see that when you wash the car).
4. Front and rear light enclosures. - It was easy to just swipe over them like all the metal areas.

I did not coat the small housings for the cameras on the side or the glass on the B2 pillars where the cameras were. Also I did not coat anywhere where there was any glass. I did not worry too much about the metallic trim to much either. If it got some coating, then fine, but I didn't stress over it getting touched or smudged by the coating because it generally wiped smooth like all the rest of the areas. The glass I also did not coat because glass is shiny enough and easy to clean and doesn't need a coating, plus not recommended anyway.

Once you get to applying the actual coating you will realize that this is truly the easy part of the whole endeavor and wish it only consisted of this and not the other stuff

If you are going to tape anything off I would recommend doing your taping before the polishing phase to prevent polish from getting inside your panel gaps. This is especially true for the rear lighting enclosure gaps because there is no way to open the doors or hood to clean the gap out. If you go over your panel gaps you will see what I mean. It's the rear windows, front headlights and rear lighting enclosures. This of course I found out the hard way. If you didn't do this, no biggie, I had to find some small pieces of cardboard (The mothers clay box) where I could slide it in and pull out the excess. Its better to leave a small line unpolished than have to fuss with getting polish out of a small gap crack.

 

[voip-ninja]

I did not tape any areas off. I did coat these areas:
1. Door handles
2. Front and rear Tesla emblems because I didn't see why not..lol
3. Driver and passenger side mirror enclosures - The metallic gray parts and little black plastic piece (you will see that when you wash the car).
4. Front and rear light enclosures. - It was easy to just swipe over them like all the metal areas.

I did not coat the small housings for the cameras on the side or the glass on the B2 pillars where the cameras were. Also I did not coat anywhere where there was any glass. I did not worry too much about the metallic trim to much either. If it got some coating, then fine, but I didn't stress over it getting touched or smudged by the coating because it generally wiped smooth like all the rest of the areas. The glass I also did not coat because glass is shiny enough and easy to clean and doesn't need a coating, plus not recommended anyway.

Once you get to applying the actual coating you will realize that this is truly the easy part of the whole endeavor and wish it only consisted of this and not the other stuff

If you are going to tape anything off I would recommend doing your taping before the polishing phase to prevent polish from getting inside your panel gaps. This is especially true for the rear lighting enclosure gaps because there is no way to open the doors or hood to clean the gap out. If you go over your panel gaps you will see what I mean. It's the rear windows, front headlights and rear lighting enclosures. This of course I found out the hard way. If you didn't do this, no biggie, I had to find some small pieces of cardboard (The mothers clay box) where I could slide it in and pull out the excess. Its better to leave a small line unpolished than have to fuss with getting polish out of a small gap crack.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to be using Kamikaze Miyami coating to coat the car. I do need to find out what the lowest temps it can be applied are as my earliest opportunity to coat the car would be next weekend and it's not supposed to get above 50.

I examined the car when I picked it up and it was polished pretty well. Six weeks later it's still fairly good, there are some small scratches but as I've only hand washed it with microfiber there are no swirl marks etc.

Since the car is getting PPF Tuesday AM, if it turns out I can coat in those temps then I might see how much the shop will charge to do a very minor polish, especially any scratches on the area they will be filming.

If I can't coat the car till it warms up I will just drive it with the PPF and then polish it myself when I'm about to coat.

Every single shop in the area that was worth a damn was backed up for 4-5 weeks minimum when I picked it up and they are all charging crazy money for coating, so here I am.

 

[hamtonp]

Add me to the Gyeon Syncro users. I bought it during a labor day sale and been waiting for the temperature to drop to apply it.
Finished it over the weekend. So far, I'm very happy with the results.

My process:
1. Wash car with dawn dishwasher soap
2. Clay Magic clay bar entire car
3. Polish entire car with Meguiar's #82 Swirl Free Polish (very light polish)
4. Wash car again with dawn
5. Gyeon Prep Spray
6. Gyeon Mohs 2x waiting 2 hours between coats
7. Gyeon Skin the next morning.

I wanted the slickest product so I got the Syncro kit. My other option was cquartz uk for simplicity.

 

[CapnOMatic]

Add me to the Gyeon Syncro users. I bought it during a labor day sale and been waiting for the temperature to drop to apply it.
Finished it over the weekend. So far, I'm very happy with the results.

My process:
1. Wash car with dawn dishwasher soap
2. Clay Magic clay bar entire car
3. Polish entire car with Meguiar's #82 Swirl Free Polish (very light polish)
4. Wash car again with dawn
5. Gyeon Prep Spray
6. Gyeon Mohs 2x waiting 2 hours between coats
7. Gyeon Skin the next morning.

I wanted the slickest product so I got the Syncro kit. My other option was cquartz uk for simplicity.

Post a photo i'd like to see how it came out.

 

[hamtonp]

Took some quick shots after work. Kind of hard to show depth with a white car.

View more here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cMF8sFKRK7DAppUA8

 

[CapnOMatic]

Took some quick shots after work. Kind of hard to show depth with a white car.

View more here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cMF8sFKRK7DAppUA8

The car looks like it came out nice! I like the tint as well. I haven't done mine yet because the Maryland laws don't allow for a very dark tint.

 

[voip-ninja]

Okay, just got done with mine.

My first comment is, unless you want to learn more about doing this yourself, pay someone else to do it unless you find this kind of thing enjoyable. I had been quoted $600 for a consumer grade coating, which did not include paint correction.... in hindsight it might have been worth it to go that route since this is a daily driver.

Second comment.... you need a lot of light when working with ceramics. I bought a 3000 lumen LED work light for this job and it was barely adequate for inspecting my work. This is probably one of the most overlooked things in doing a project like this. You will need cool white light (5000 kelvin) to inspect for imperfections or even to see where your coating is going and you will need a LOT of it.

I was under the gun as I wanted to get the car coated before temps dip any lower and weather starts to deteriorate. My other option was to use a spray wax to hold me over till Spring and then do a coating then... or pay a pro to do it now, I opted for the "save money" route.

1. Got windows & PPF done by local highly rated detailer. In the process they did a free detail of my six week old car. This reduced the amount of work I had to put in to do ceramic but I still spent about 7-8 hours on it today nonstop.

2. I started out by removing any service contaminants with clay bar and soap/water mix.

3. Then I moved on to polishing. Used Meguiars M205 mirror glaze and a Rupes Random Orbital polisher (loaned from a friend along with loan of the yellow polishing pad). My polishing did not turn out perfect. There were some scratches I missed but definitely it improved the final results. I don't know that I would skip the polishing step. Doing by hand would be a lesson in misery.

4. I used a kit from Esoteric Car Care that included their #1 selling consumer grade coating, Kamikaze Miyami.... along with Gyeon prep solution, a couple of micro fiber cloths, some water spot remover and a Kamikaze topper that can be used to spritz up and preserve the coating.

The 40ml bottle of Miyami was not enough for me to do two full coats on my car. In hindsight I would have been better off getting 50ml bottle. I probably used more product than necessary due to my inexperience.

For me, coating was not the easy part, that was polishing. Coating was hard because of all the compound curves on the Model 3 and the general shape of a lot of the body work. I kept restraining myself from rushing as the job wore on into multiple hours.

Probably 1 hour of general prep, 3 or so hours of polishing, and 2-3 hours coating.

I ended up doing one full coat on the entire car, but not the wheels. I did a 2nd coat on the hood and front fenders, but with daylight gone I opted not to do a 2nd coat on the front bumper which probably would have come close to exhausting my supply of product. I ended with maybe 10 or so milliliters.

Results are pretty good. A pro would do better. I removed some fairly deep scratches on the car but during coating found some I had missed.

Now I have to let the car cure for the next 24 hours and not let it get wet. Fingers crossed that it will look good when I see it in full brutal Colorado sunlight for the first time in a day or two (supposed to snow tomorrow).

 

[hurjio]

Heh, I've heard people who've never detailed before and try their hand at ceramic coating say the same thing about paying a professional next time. They don't realize how labor intensive it is and that there is SOME skill involved. It kind of depends how OCD you are with your own car, and what color you have (silver and white more forgiving than dark colors). I'm still evaluating my options... Either $900 for a pro coating or pay $250-300 for a mobile detailer to do the polishing step for me and DIY the ceramic coating part (another $100-150 in supplies).

 

[CapnOMatic]

Okay, just got done with mine.

My first comment is, unless you want to learn more about doing this yourself, pay someone else to do it unless you find this kind of thing enjoyable. I had been quoted $600 for a consumer grade coating, which did not include paint correction.... in hindsight it might have been worth it to go that route since this is a daily driver.

Second comment.... you need a lot of light when working with ceramics. I bought a 3000 lumen LED work light for this job and it was barely adequate for inspecting my work. This is probably one of the most overlooked things in doing a project like this. You will need cool white light (5000 kelvin) to inspect for imperfections or even to see where your coating is going and you will need a LOT of it.

I was under the gun as I wanted to get the car coated before temps dip any lower and weather starts to deteriorate. My other option was to use a spray wax to hold me over till Spring and then do a coating then... or pay a pro to do it now, I opted for the "save money" route.

1. Got windows & PPF done by local highly rated detailer. In the process they did a free detail of my six week old car. This reduced the amount of work I had to put in to do ceramic but I still spent about 7-8 hours on it today nonstop.

2. I started out by removing any service contaminants with clay bar and soap/water mix.

3. Then I moved on to polishing. Used Meguiars M205 mirror glaze and a Rupes Random Orbital polisher (loaned from a friend along with loan of the yellow polishing pad). My polishing did not turn out perfect. There were some scratches I missed but definitely it improved the final results. I don't know that I would skip the polishing step. Doing by hand would be a lesson in misery.

4. I used a kit from Esoteric Car Care that included their #1 selling consumer grade coating, Kamikaze Miyami.... along with Gyeon prep solution, a couple of micro fiber cloths, some water spot remover and a Kamikaze topper that can be used to spritz up and preserve the coating.

The 40ml bottle of Miyami was not enough for me to do two full coats on my car. In hindsight I would have been better off getting 50ml bottle. I probably used more product than necessary due to my inexperience.

For me, coating was not the easy part, that was polishing. Coating was hard because of all the compound curves on the Model 3 and the general shape of a lot of the body work. I kept restraining myself from rushing as the job wore on into multiple hours.

Probably 1 hour of general prep, 3 or so hours of polishing, and 2-3 hours coating.

I ended up doing one full coat on the entire car, but not the wheels. I did a 2nd coat on the hood and front fenders, but with daylight gone I opted not to do a 2nd coat on the front bumper which probably would have come close to exhausting my supply of product. I ended with maybe 10 or so milliliters.

Results are pretty good. A pro would do better. I removed some fairly deep scratches on the car but during coating found some I had missed.

Now I have to let the car cure for the next 24 hours and not let it get wet. Fingers crossed that it will look good when I see it in full brutal Colorado sunlight for the first time in a day or two (supposed to snow tomorrow).




View attachment 351493 View attachment 351494
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It looks great!! Honestly pro detailers do a good job yes but it might not look that drastically better. Even in the cloudy sky your car looks like it came out great. I totally agree with the need for a bright light.

 

[daver6640]

I had my front portion of car wrapped with Xpel on November 1st and was told by my installer to wait 7 days before applying a ceramic coating. That said I am now done!

My process:
1. Wash car
2. Mothers Clay kit
3. Paint correction using Griots orbital polisher with Meguiars M205 polish
4. Gyeon Prep
5. Gyeon Mohs Snychro kit

Since I had the car already wrapped partially the process was not as daunting. Started about 6 am and finished by 7:30 pm.

If you are a bit DIY person it is worth it. Obviously having it done professionally is ideal but I was on a budget so for me it was well worth it.

 

[CapnOMatic]

I had my front portion of car wrapped with Xpel on November 1st and was told by my installer to wait 7 days before applying a ceramic coating. That said I am now done!

My process:
1. Wash car
2. Mothers Clay kit
3. Paint correction using Griots orbital polisher with Meguiars M205 polish
4. Gyeon Prep
5. Gyeon Mohs Snychro kit

Since I had the car already wrapped partially the process was not as daunting. Started about 6 am and finished by 7:30 pm.

If you are a bit DIY person it is worth it. Obviously having it done professionally is ideal but I was on a budget so for me it was well worth it.


View attachment 351776 View attachment 351777 View attachment 351778

I didn't know you could polish the area where you had paint protection film. Wouldn't that ruin the film? I'm just curious.

 

[Glamisduner]

I didn't know you could polish the area where you had paint protection film. Wouldn't that ruin the film? I'm just curious.

I'm thinking he polished prior to PPF?

Curious if I should buy M205 polish or will the ultimate polish work well enough?

Also, for prep before ceramic can't you use use 50/50 rubbing alcohol and water?

 

[voip-ninja]

I didn't know you could polish the area where you had paint protection film. Wouldn't that ruin the film? I'm just curious.

He probably didn’t polish the PPF area, I know I didn’t. It was recommended to me to tape the transition between paint and the PPF so that the polishing didn’t lift the edges of the film so I did that using 3M baseboard trim that has the better adhesive.

A low grit polish wouldn’t hurt the PPF as far as I know but wouldn’t help either.

 

[voip-ninja]

I'm thinking he polished prior to PPF?

Curious if I should buy M205 polish or will the ultimate polish work well enough?

Also, for prep before ceramic can't you use use 50/50 rubbing alcohol and water?

You need to look at the cutting level of what you are going to use and you need to inspect your finish under very bright light before you start cutting and again after you think you are done (and find out you still have scratches and need to cut more). It is hard to see scratches on the darker colors while you are working but if you can get the right angle with a ton of light you can. This is why higher end pro shops have outrageous levels of light to put on the cars.

If you have any scratches you need a cutting level of four, that will get most light surface scratches out but you will have to work at some of them a while. I had one set of long scratches on my driver door, looked kind of like someone walked by the car and rubbed up against it with a bag or purse. Got it out with M205 but took a while.

If the car is more scratched you would have to polish twice, once with something that cuts more than four and then again with a mirror polish. You would be cutting more clearcoat at that point and might have to tape certIn areas off. Using more aggressive cutting compound increases chance you burn the clearcoat although this isn’t too big of a risk if you are careful, don’t press down hard, and use a good dual action random orbital that protects you against mistakes.

You don’t want to finish with any combo product that includes a sealant since you will be stripping the paint before coating anyways.

Good luck.

No matter how careful you are the car is going to get scratched after you coat it even if you are careful. I figured since it is a daily driver I would just do it myself, learn a bit and save some money.

 

[Glamisduner]

You need to look at the cutting level of what you are going to use and you need to inspect your finish under very bright light before you start cutting and again after you think you are done (and find out you still have scratches and need to cut more). It is hard to see scratches on the darker colors while you are working but if you can get the right angle with a ton of light you can. This is why higher end pro shops have outrageous levels of light to put on the cars.

If you have any scratches you need a cutting level of four, that will get most light surface scratches out but you will have to work at some of them a while. I had one set of long scratches on my driver door, looked kind of like someone walked by the car and rubbed up against it with a bag or purse. Got it out with M205 but took a while.

If the car is more scratched you would have to polish twice, once with something that cuts more than four and then again with a mirror polish. You would be cutting more clearcoat at that point and might have to tape certIn areas off. Using more aggressive cutting compound increases chance you burn the clearcoat although this isn’t too big of a risk if you are careful, don’t press down hard, and use a good dual action random orbital that protects you against mistakes.

You don’t want to finish with any combo product that includes a sealant since you will be stripping the paint before coating anyways.

Good luck.

No matter how careful you are the car is going to get scratched after you coat it even if you are careful. I figured since it is a daily driver I would just do it myself, learn a bit and save some money.

Ultimate polish has some sealant but worked magnificent in my dad's 13 year old dodge truck. It then removed a number of other scratches with enough passes. I was thinking the rubing alcohol would remove any sealant?

I guess I'll grab a bottle of their regular mirror glaze then to be sure, I think it is similar without the sealant. They sell it at the local Walmart.

My plan is to polish then ppf, then wash and ceramic coat when it gets back from ppf?

 

[voip-ninja]

Ultimate polish has some sealant but worked magnificent in my dad's 13 year old dodge truck. It then removed a number of other scratches with enough passes. I was thinking the rubing alcohol would remove any sealant?

I guess I'll grab a bottle of their regular mirror glaze then to be sure, I think it is similar without the sealant. They sell it at the local Walmart.

My plan is to polish then ppf, then wash and ceramic coat when it gets back from ppf?

That would be my plan as well if I had more time and if I was confident it would not get scratched in the time between polish and getting it back.

Once they are polished they will scratch if you breathe on them so maybe put a wax on it that you can strip off before you coat it.

I have some scratches at the PPF transition due to no polish beforehand but you have to really look for them to spot them.

 

[ddm3]

I had my Model 3 professionally coated though I thought I could do it myself after reading up on it. I just leased a Fiat 500e and decided this would be a good test to see if I could do it myself. I went through all of the typical steps (wash, clay, polish, etc) over a weekend and can say that I made the right decision by having pros do the Model 3.

Even though the 500e is a very small car, it still took many hours. The coating itself was pretty quick, but all of the steps to get there took what seemed like forever. I had never polished a car before so that was nice to learn, but I ended up skipping polishing the roof because it was brand new, didn't seem to need it, and I settled on "good enough" at that point since this was just a lease car.

If i did my 3, it would have taken me much longer because it's a bigger car, and I wouldn't be able to settle for "good enough".

 

[daver6640]

I didn't know you could polish the area where you had paint protection film. Wouldn't that ruin the film? I'm just curious.

Sorry for the confusion. Because I had the PPF on the front portion of the car I did not clay bar or polish that area. I did polish the other parts of the car. I think because of the PPF I had an easier job compared to others.

 

[voip-ninja]

One other piece of advice for anyone thinking of undertaking this adventure on their own... make sure you have a more than ample supply of very clean microfiber towels for the job. If you think you will need 5, buy at least 10. I bought a dozen new ones plus the four that the ceramic kit came with and I had three when I was done.

Most were dirtied in the clean/polish/prep phase.

If you drop a towel, immediately throw it in your dirty pile.

The ones you will use to mop/buff the ceramic coating will get hard anywhere from one to four hours after application depending on the product you are using and you will want to just throw those away.

 

[CR Ceramic]

There are many ideas and opinions on how ceramic coatings perform and how they should be applied. A ceramic coating is a penetrating sealer. It penetrates and attaches to the porous substrate - the clear coat. It seals the pores, and leaves a residual layer. So primarily ceramic seals the clear coat from environmental pollutants that would otherwise "attach" to the surface. This is what gives it a hydrophobic quality. Bonding to the surface on a molecular level, is also what gives it exceptional adhesion.


As far as its effectiveness in preventing scratching or impact damage, consider the mil thickness of the installed product. There are companies that will charge exorbitant amounts to layer ceramic coatings. The clear coat on your vehicle, is roughly 2.0 mil thick (0.05 mm). A ceramic application will add about 1 micron (0.001 mm) per application, or in effect adding 2% depth to the clear coat. Additional coats will also offer only marginal film build, and because the coating flashes dry very quickly - over applying can leave a really splotchy appearance.


Ceramic coatings are, however, very hard. They will resist some scratching, and they can resist temperatures in access of 1,000 degrees. The better products have test results from third parties, such as Boeing. As a chemically resistant coating, they offer protection that you will not get from waxes and sealants (which are more chemically soluble). Ceramic coatings will make the surface of the paint easier to clean, and will provide some additional UV protection. The gloss effect caused by the coating is also more robust, just like the coating itself.


Surface preparation is key. Any contaminates or imperfections will effect adhesion and the finished appearance. Will some people still be happy after a DIY application? Absolutely. Will some be happy with a ceramic product that only lasts a year or two? Sure. Its all a matter of expectation. If you want a slick finish, better performance, long term warranty, and a near perfect surface appearance, hire a pro.


Pricing is ultimately dependent on the level of paint correction. Even a "new" car has experienced extensive time outdoors before it has been delivered to the customer. I use System X Diamond, which comes with a lifetime warranty. It has been tested by Boeing for aircraft use. If you would like more information, feel free to check out my website.


surfacecraftcr.com