DIY Ceramic Coating

We picked up the wife a new vehicle. It still has near perfect paint, so id like to protect it. My cars get washed, clayed and waxed regularly. She may not be as good at washing hers, so its always much more work when I finally get my hands on it to detail, so Ive been looking at the ceramic coatings that are supposed to last a few years. Id probably be happy if it could actually make it through a year.

I have limited experience with it. A buddy used some parts store turtle wax ceramic and said it performed worse than just wax and didnt last very long. Ive been seeing a bunch of ads on the youtube guys I watch and it looks like avalon king is pretty cheap and performs okay.

I cant bring myself to spend 500-1000 dollars for a professional so Im only interested in DIY options.

Have any of you had any experience with the DIY stuff or and recommendations?

The really long lasting coatings seem to be the ones that come in small expensive bottles and take a while to apply. The parts store spray on stuff does seem to last long than spray wax, especially if you layer it. However it doesn't approach the longevity of the "proper" ceramic or graphene coatings - I got around six months out of it on the Alfa, which seemed fair for the price.

Keep in mind that for best results, the prep work isn't much different from the prep work for proper coating, but the spray on stuff is much less painful to apply.

I used this on my Harley. It seemed to work pretty good. When I would wash it bugs came off alot easier.  I used it on the chrome,windshield etc.

I really like the Griots stuff too. I have tried a lot of the spray on stuff and that seems to be the easiest and works the best for me. 
 

We also have a video on how to apply ceramic coatings at home. https://youtu.be/3nQjs8iFemI

I used Adam's Graphene Advanced on both my new Gladiator and her Mercedes GLC Coupe. First a good clay bar workout followed by a wash and iron remover. When dry and cooled down, apply the Adam's. It goes on and comes off very easily. The only downside is keeping the vehicle out of the rain or getting wet for 24 hours after applying. I've done 2 coats on my Jeep and water just beads and rolls off it. I do wash it with a foam cannon and the coating is holding up very well. I don't see detailing our cars any other way until the coating technology changes dramatically in the near future.

Based on this DIY Project Farm review I tried Turtle Wax 53409 Hybrid Solutions Ceramic and was really impressed.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxKQwZah1s   Not sure how valid the review is but since the product was cheap and easy I figured what the heck.

Cheap, easy to use and lasted a while -  definitely better than straight waxes - lately mostly Meguiars Carnauba Gold.  I did hit the cars with a DA buffer with Meguiars cleaner and polish before the Turtle Wax. 

In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :

Dang i didnt even think about Adams, I think it was their waterless wash I liked so much on my C5.

I ordered the "as seen on Youtube" Avalon King because they were running a decent black friday sale. I guess we will see how it works.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

I've used the same Turtle Wax and it seemed to be holding up pretty well, at least compare to the Meguiars spray on wax/ceramic. That one worked, but I like the Turtle Wax better from a durability perspective.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

I love project farm and watched that video out of sheer curiosity of how it was tested. Had I seen that prior to ordering I probably would have given it a try.

This should help answer some questions about ceramic finishes.

And here's how I do it:

How to easily, quickly detail your paint

Which is more or less this:

Also, with the Griot's 3-in-1 on the car, dirt comes off easily. So, win-win. 

I've said it in other threads, ceramic wax isn't the same as a true ceramic coating. 

A true ceramic coating takes a few days to do properly. Any spray-on spray off, isn't the real deal. 

In reply to z31maniac :

That's what I was told 4 or 5 years ago when the ceramic stuff started becoming more popular. Apparently some of the sprays have come along way though, based on the early turtle wax testing to what I've just seen. Not saying they are as good as a professionally done coating, but it looks like they are probably superior to the parts store waxes now.

I went avalon king which isn't a spray, and some tests have shown it to be a decent consumer grade coating. We will see how it goes, should be showing up soon.

Also, that green Griot's 3-in-1 wax will make your garage smell very, very nice. 

Update: I went with the Avalon King. I did the new camaro and my wifes Jeep since this post. I really like it. If it only lasts 6 months, Ill probably still use it over wax because it took half the time to do the camaro compared to a wax, and probably a third the time to do the jeep. If it lasts a year or longer, Ive seen some long term testing showing pretty good results at year two, Ill be ecstatic. It goes on and comes off real quick, seems to be less mess, I dont have to worry about getting it on rubber and plastic, and in fact it actually works better than back2black on plastics. So far it seems to be sheeting very well, and dirt comes right off.

Only negative i can think of is cost, but if its lasts half as long as advertised it ends up being very cheap. When I run out I will probably try the turtlewax stuff mentioned, because then its really no more expensive than a wax.

In reply to Opti :

Glad to hear the new ceramic wax worked for you and, yes, it ticks a lot of buttons: deep shine, long lasting and very easy to apply. 

When using it, I think of all the time spent waxing cars the old way.