DIY ceramic coating on new Model 3?

[wrz0170]

I finally have my own M3 LR AWD (blue/white) coming very soon . My plan is to have PPF for the front portion. Bumper, hood. Those of you who did DIY ceramic coat; what is the most paint correction that you had to do on the rest of the car. My plan is within a week of delivery. Suggest products for the coating and helpful hints are most welcome! Thanks and look forward to being part of the Tesla family.

William

 

[bsk997]

Congrats on the new car!
Even though you're getting it brand new, given that it's Tesla also, you're not guaranteed to have flawless paint.
Getting the front end ppf is a great idea as it saves the car from all the rock chips on the hwy, etc.
Inspect the paint on the rest of the car and make sure to prep the paint for ceramic.
CQuartz UK 3.0 is probably the most popular consumer grade ceramic.
There's a lot of other ones include a new CQuartz lite that's even easier but doesn't last as long.
Just watch a lot of videos on how to apply. It's not hard.
My biggest recommendation would be to get good lighting!!! When you're putting in a ceramic, sometimes you can't all the angles and can miss a spot when you're buffing it out. This will cause high spots and will have to buffed out with a DA polisher later.

Good luck

 

[wrz0170]

Congrats on the new car!
Even though you're getting it brand new, given that it's Tesla also, you're not guaranteed to have flawless paint.
Getting the front end ppf is a great idea as it saves the car from all the rock chips on the hwy, etc.
Inspect the paint on the rest of the car and make sure to prep the paint for ceramic.
CQuartz UK 3.0 is probably the most popular consumer grade ceramic.
There's a lot of other ones include a new CQuartz lite that's even easier but doesn't last as long.
Just watch a lot of videos on how to apply. It's not hard.
My biggest recommendation would be to get good lighting!!! When you're putting in a ceramic, sometimes you can't all the angles and can miss a spot when you're buffing it out. This will cause high spots and will have to buffed out with a DA polisher later.

Good luck

Thanks! Wishful thinking on my part but I’m hoping to get away with just a good wash (foam canon) and clay bar, or in my case, a clay mitt. I guess we will see when it gets here.

 

[SK360]

Here’s my thread from when I did my coating.

Clay bars/mitts mar the surface, I personally wouldn’t use one without polishing after

Finished up my DIY Ceramic Coating

 

[slade037]

I did a wash, clay, and quick one step correction. Then used Gyeon Syncro and never looked back.

 

[wrz0170]

Here’s my thread from when I did my coating.

Clay bars/mitts mar the surface, I personally wouldn’t use one without polishing after

Finished up my DIY Ceramic Coating

Thanks! Great job on what you did. Looks fantastic!

 

[wrz0170]

I did a wash, clay, and quick one step correction. Then used Gyeon Syncro and never looked back.

Thank you! May I ask which 1 step you used?

 

[slade037]

Thank you! May I ask which 1 step you used?

I used Griots Boss Fast Correcting Cream with a different combination of pads depending on state of the paint. My P was an inventory car so there were some decent swirls on mine. I suggest getting a strong flashlight like Scangrip Matchpen Light to assess your paint and then make your polish/compound decision.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

IMG_6739

• slade037
• Jul 8, 2020

 

[kiNGng3]

After foam cannon, clay, wash, and dry:

 

[PNWLeccy]

After foam cannon, clay, wash, and dry:
View attachment 562365

How much does all of this set you back? I'm tempted to do this but I know there is a lot of prep work to do and I don't own a DA polisher which is much needed. Seems like I would be out the same cost of getting it done

 

[slade037]

How much does all of this set you back? I'm tempted to do this but I know there is a lot of prep work to do and I don't own a DA polisher which is much needed. Seems like I would be out the same cost of getting it done

I bought a 3in Griots polisher and borrowed a friends 6in polisher. They are probably around $150 each. Decon with Ironx and a clay bar will be around $40. Polish/Compound probably around $25. You'll need a handful of pads if you're trying to do it all in one day and thats around $60. CK UK 3.0 is like $70. Prep spray is like another $20. Microfiber towels and other odds and ends, you're looking at least $400 to start, give or take. I might be missing other things. So it depends on how much your time is worth to you. I was getting quotes around $1000 to $1500. So saving that much was worth it to me.

 

[linuxguyInMD]

My M3 had a ton of fine scratches at delivery. I spent a full day where I washed, dried, then used a DA polisher and meguiar's polish taking the scratches out. I then cleaned each panel with an isopropyl solution (IPA) and applied Cquartz 3 using a light on a tripod. Threw the applicator and microfiber wipe towels away and let the car sit for a day.

 

[hoops129]

I was looking to do a ceramic coating on top of my PPF. I'm hoping i'd be able to skip a lot of these steps when adding ceramic coating to the film as opposed to paint. Anyone have experience with that? If so, which ceramic coating do you recommend?

 

[slade037]

I was looking to do a ceramic coating on top of my PPF. I'm hoping i'd be able to skip a lot of these steps when adding ceramic coating to the film as opposed to paint. Anyone have experience with that? If so, which ceramic coating do you recommend?

It's really easy. I used Gyeon Syncro on my Suntek PPF for the front bumper and hood. I would use a heat gun on the ppf or leave it out in the sun to remove any light scratches you might have on the PPF. Then just apply the coating as instructed on the bottle.

 

[SK360]

I was looking to do a ceramic coating on top of my PPF. I'm hoping i'd be able to skip a lot of these steps when adding ceramic coating to the film as opposed to paint. Anyone have experience with that? If so, which ceramic coating do you recommend?

I wiped down my PPF areas with alcohol, the surface prep and coated. Non covered areas got clayed and polished first

I used Adams UV Ceramic Paint Coating

 

[kiNGng3]

How much does all of this set you back? I'm tempted to do this but I know there is a lot of prep work to do and I don't own a DA polisher which is much needed. Seems like I would be out the same cost of getting it done

That's true. Unless you have the equipment, the initial cost to get up and running might be cost prohibitive and as such, you might as well get it done professionally. I mean there's 2 schools of thought:

1) Get the equipment and always have it available so you can work on your car
2) Forget about it and get it done professionally each and everytime there is an issue

In regards to cost... it's just a few items here and there so it's marginal.

 

[PNWLeccy]

That's true. Unless you have the equipment, the initial cost to get up and running might be cost prohibitive and as such, you might as well get it done professionally. I mean there's 2 schools of thought:

1) Get the equipment and always have it available so you can work on your car
2) Forget about it and get it done professionally each and everytime there is an issue

In regards to cost... it's just a few items here and there so it's marginal.

Yea i go back and forth on it. Bought a bunch of cleaning supplies and have now officially cleaned the car once in 11 months so I'm less optimistic about me pulling out my DA Polisher in my apartment garage when another loser backs into my bumper and leaves some scratches haha.

Trying to be realistic with myself and figured a ceramic coating would keep it cleaner in the interim 6 months until my next wash but also like doing things myself if I can.