Thinking about ceramic coating my Model 3 myself the day I pickup, is this crazy?

Yes, crazy

 

Believe it or not, your paint will come with many imperfections from the factory, and the subsequent “detail” from the ekivery center. Might be with investing in at least a 1 step paint correction from a good detailer. Then you could do your own ceramic coating.

 

It's crazy if 50k for a car is significant for you..if not, got for it... For me, I'd do it myself on a 4k car, but it's all relative

 

That is exactly what I was thinking. I have a quote for $3,500 or about 6% of the price for Correction, Ceramic, A pillar forward PPF and window tint. If I did it I would notice every minor detail I screwed up and the quality would not be there.

 

Not crazy at all. I did it.My Model 3's paint looks amazing and is super easy to clean. Also, I highly recommend coating the wheels with CarPro Delux. It is a ton of work, but I love my car so I actually didn't mind.

I recommend watching some YouTube videos from Car Craft Auto Detailing. He has a few videos on applying coatings and the prep work required. I spend too much of my time watching detailing videos on YouTube and IMO the guy is the best, by far.

 

DIY! Some people say it's crazy because they have no talent to do it themselves!

 

Sounds reasonable to me. I was actually going put a clear bra on first though.

 

I agree with Turtlesz that getting clear bra for the front bumper will give you a better peace of mind on day one. I just had mine installed yesterday and it's nice to not have to worry about ugly chip marks on the bumper moving forward, not to mention that you want to install any clear bra/protection film before applying ceramic coats. (my place charges $550 for Xpel and I went with 3M for $400)

Subsequently I'm also planning to apply Cquartz 3.0 myself in a few weeks. But that's because I have the polishing equipment already.

 

...nope..exactly what i did..i took delivery in costa mesa and went to Coat My Car in Newport for a clear bra and ceramic coat..

 

I got a pre-cut Suntek kit off Ebay for about $311 that includes mirrors, lights, partial fenders, bumper and partial hood. I could have paid about $700 more to have the full hood and fender covered. But the very slight line of the partial piece for the hood and fenders does not bother me. I plan to apply most if not all of the ppf myself. But wanted to take a look at the kit and the front bumper of the TM3 before deciding whether or not I want to do the bumper myself. From looking at the pics of a TM3 bumper, self-installation seems doable. If the bumper looks too difficult, I will pay someone to install the pre-cut piece just for the bumper.

As background, I have done my own maintenance on cars for years. I can also do most home repairs, plumbing, minor electrical, install floors etc. But I must say I admire those who have the skill to install ppf. I have personally messed up on a bumper before and had to buy another piece and get it professionally installed.

 

I would recommend you perform single stage paint correction before applying even on a car that's just been delivered. It'll likely already have a good number micro scratches. (mine did)

 

Even if your car is brand new it needs to be cleaned and polished. When you pick it up run your hand over the paint. If it is not silky smooth it has contaminants embedded in the clear coat and needs clay barred and polished. If you don’t take this step you will just be sealing all those in with the ceramic coating.

 

Also, you ordered a white car. I would wait just in case you notice a paint mismatch later.

 

@Kenriko,
I'm interested in trying this after I get PPF on the front end of the car next week. What would you recommend for a newb in terms of a 'kit' for single stage paint correction? Starter kit of polisher, supplies, etc. The auto detailing sites are a bit too intense for what I want to do.

 

I did it myself and it turned out great. I washed and clayed it then did a quick Meguairs 2 step DA paint correction process then cquartz. My paint was pretty good so I did a very light job with the cutting discs.

I did 1 coat of it and it has a nice shine and super smooth.

 

I just did my Pacifica Hybrid on the weekend with CQuartz UK 3.0. The car is one year old and has never had any TLC in the past, other than quick washes.
This was my practice car so I am ready to do the Model 3 when I pick it up this week.

The steps I took were:

1) Foam Cannon soak
2) Foam Cannon and wash with microfiber mit
3) Iron X decontamination, rinse
4) Clay bar
5) Polish with random orbital polisher
6) Wipe down with IsoPropyl Alcohol (50/50 mix with water)
7) Apply CQuartz
8) Skipped the CarPro Reload for now as I am saving it for my Model 3

The whole process took me about 6 hours to complete. The clay bar definitely got rid of a lot of imperfections.

Here are the results: