DIY Ceramic Recommendations Please

[TRP]

Looking for some DIY ceramic coating suggestions. I was leaning towards the Chemical Guys HydroCharge and HydroSlick combo but have read mixed reviews. Griot's Ceramic 3 in 1 wax seems like a good product as well.

I do not have an enclosed garage either. I have a carport that I can hang plastic around to temporarily enclose during the process if it's absolutely necessary. Your opinions on this?

This will be my first foray into ceramic so any info that will make it easier for would be greatly appreciated

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[The Electric Duo]

Looking for some DIY ceramic coating suggestions. I was leaning towards the Chemical Guys HydroCharge and HydroSlick combo but have read mixed reviews. Griot's Ceramic 3 in 1 wax seems like a good product as well.

I do not have an enclosed garage either. I have a carport that I can hang plastic around to temporarily enclose during the process if it's absolutely necessary. Your opinions on this?

This will be my first foray into ceramic so any info that will make it easier for would be greatly appreciated

We did DIY Ceramic on ours using the stuff from Adam's Polishes (https://amzn.to/3ia3e23). They seem to have good products and good reviews. We also like that they are a local company for us (Denver) and really supportive of the car community. Each month they organize Cars & Coffee events and have other special events as well.

The process takes a couple of hours, but the results are fantastic. We did make a couple of mistakes. If you don't wipe off the ceramic coating evenly you can get "high spots." We ended up having some areas with high spots that are noticeable in certain lighting conditions. Supposedly, you can polish those out but I haven't had a chance to try that yet.

We filmed our entire process and will film the correction process as well. Once that is done, we'll pop the video on YouTube as a follow up to our DIY PPF video.

 

[GrumblesTheDog]

I have really enjoyed the look of Turtle Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray. It's not as durable as traditional ceramic (ie I think it tends to last 6 months per application or so) but it is WAY easier to apply, and something I don't mind doing once or twice a year. It also works really, really well - mine still beads like it did when I first applied it two months ago. If you look on YouTube for reviews of this stuff, it seems like a real sleeper hit and fantastic value.

 

[Scooby24]

+1 on the Turtle Ceramic Spray. It's soooo much easier to use...just do NOT spray in direct sunlight or you'll end up with it flashing off too fast and you'll end up with the same rainbow issues that need to be lightly polished back out.

The benefit is it's not as permanent so that means you don't have to worry about doing all the prep work if you don't wish to. Super light polish, IPA wipe down, Spray coat it, done...good enough to get through winter.

 

[TRP]

+1 on the Turtle Ceramic Spray. It's soooo much easier to use...just do NOT spray in direct sunlight or you'll end up with it flashing off too fast and you'll end up with the same rainbow issues that need to be lightly polished back out.

The benefit is it's not as permanent so that means you don't have to worry about doing all the prep work if you don't wish to. Super light polish, IPA wipe down, Spray coat it, done...good enough to get through winter.

Looks way easier to use and apply then any of the other products I was looking at

 

[taikajim]

Looks way easier to use and apply then any of the other products I was looking at

There are other similar ”apply dried” SiO4 quick coats, and if you want something even easier, wet coats that don’t even need drying.

Dry is usually good for 6 months, wet coats tend to last 3.

Performance-wise they all seem pretty equal, as long as you pick a ”good brand”, like the mentioned TW, or stuff like Gyeon.

Oh and I just slapped on some TW hybrid ceramic, because knowing from experience on our salt-crusted roads, professional ”multiyear” coats don’t last that with the amount of washing the facia and skirts need. So spending hundreds to cover 20% of the car has been a bit of a wasted money.

 

[Peugfan]

Looking for some DIY ceramic coating suggestions.

I do not have an enclosed garage either. I have a carport that I can hang plastic around to temporarily enclose during the process if it's absolutely necessary. Your opinions on this?

My first ceramic coating adventure was 2 months ago. I can't comment on the best brand. I went with Nano Bond 9H because it rated well in long term test reviews and was still available to the non-pro. Get yourself the best lighting you can find to light up your current working area. Get an extra supply of applicator cloths and small sponges (from Amazon). When I finished applying a small section I had only about 2 minutes before I had to wipe it down and buff it to avoid possible streaking. If you are working alone, what do you do with your damp suede cloth and sponge to prevent drying when wiping down. I used a zip lock bag. Eventually the ceramic will dry/cure on your applicator cloth and will have to be discarded. It would go a lot smoother if you had two people doing the application and wiping. Wipe down the area you are about to coat just prior to application especially if you are working outside. I used Mothers ceramic cleaner. There is other prep work I have not mentioned. You can do a good job yourself if you plan the procedure anead of time and save lots of money.

 

[EELinneman]

We did DIY Ceramic on ours using the stuff from Adam's Polishes (https://amzn.to/3ia3e23). They seem to have good products and good reviews. We also like that they are a local company for us (Denver) and really supportive of the car community. Each month they organize Cars & Coffee events and have other special events as well.

The process takes a couple of hours, but the results are fantastic. We did make a couple of mistakes. If you don't wipe off the ceramic coating evenly you can get "high spots." We ended up having some areas with high spots that are noticeable in certain lighting conditions. Supposedly, you can polish those out but I haven't had a chance to try that yet.

We filmed our entire process and will film the correction process as well. Once that is done, we'll pop the video on YouTube as a follow up to our DIY PPF video.

Patrick,

The video of you and Live doing the PPF was excellent. I am looking forward to the one on the ceramic as I am considering that too - provided Ford can build and deliver my car.

Oh, and we have a common acquaintance here in Denver. It's a very small town.

 

[TRP]

I did watch your video you posted here. You guys did an awesome job. Still not something I'd want to tackle tho

 

[The Electric Duo]

Patrick,

The video of you and Live doing the PPF was excellent. I am looking forward to the one on the ceramic as I am considering that too - provided Ford can build and deliver my car.

Oh, and we have a common acquaintance here in Denver. It's a very small town.

Thanks! @Liv is just getting started on that one but she is pretty quick.

Denver is small in a lot of ways -- that happens a lot here.

What's the latest on your car?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

If you're looking for a nice shine, good hydrophobic action, and better than wax longevity, I think the Turtle Wax and Adams sparys are fine. 3 to 6 months. If you're looking to step it up to a higher level of ceramic coating, I used Avalon King's ArmorShield IX on one of our ATV's. A fair amount of prep work and you'll need extra applicator sponges and microfiber cloths for wiping, but the results are excellent. And with proper maintenance can last years.

My mach-e was professionally done.

 

[Al-E]

Is the ceramic spray something you use on the windshield and roof glass as well?

 

[Scooby24]

Yes you can and it works well.

 

[Brofessional]

Looking for some DIY ceramic coating suggestions. I was leaning towards the Chemical Guys HydroCharge and HydroSlick combo but have read mixed reviews. Griot's Ceramic 3 in 1 wax seems like a good product as well.

I do not have an enclosed garage either. I have a carport that I can hang plastic around to temporarily enclose during the process if it's absolutely necessary. Your opinions on this?

This will be my first foray into ceramic so any info that will make it easier for would be greatly appreciated

I would start with “Pan the organizer” YouTube channel. You’ll be up to speed in no time.

Fair warning: The detailing rabbit hole goes deep. One minute you’re looking for a good wash mitt, the next you’ve got a couple grand worth of power washing equipment in your Amazon cart.

 

[EELinneman]

Thanks! @Liv is just getting started on that one but she is pretty quick.

Denver is small in a lot of ways -- that happens a lot here.

What's the latest on your car?

The latest on the car....well the dealer had some new person contact me as the sales person was let go. He said "When we looked it is scheduled to be completed soon and Ford just received a huge batch of microchips so hopeful some of those early reservations will be fulfilled." Which means nothing. Sure could use it as our youngest son totaled one of our cars a few weeks ago.

But, the universe is 13.9 billion years old or something like that. Waiting a bit more is not that long in the big picture. We closed our office at work, so I'm not on the road much and, well, I have to wait.

Thanks again for the videos - they are informative and entertaining. You and Liv are doing a lot for the MME community.

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