Ceramic Coating?

[Luke3.0]

I’m considering a professional ceramic coating on a brand new JL. Not to be confused with ceramic infused sealant or wax. Anyone with direct experience with this?

From what I researched it seems to be a good product to prevent scratches or swirl marks and such. Any truth to that? Will it prevent light brush and branch type scratches?

A friend of mine swears by ceramic coats, but he also babies his cars, garage kept, and certainly doesn’t take it off road nor doesn’t daily drive it. I’m more interested in daily drivers experiences.

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[John VonJeep]

Ceramic will not prevent trail rash. You're better off investing in PPF for that.

If your buddy tries to tell you otherwise, perhaps he will offer one of this ceramic-coated cars for a demonstration? Please post the results.

 

[Beetroot]

I bought a JK from a friend four years ago. It had been professionally ceramic coated. The Jeep has been parked outdoors in Phoenix and SoCal since I bought it and it still shines like new after every wash. Looks like it has just been waxed. Really impressive stuff.

But like John ^ said it will not offer any protection from trail scratches.

 

[areuriding]

I've had 6 of my vehicles ceramic coated, the do scratch like anything else. The good thing about ceramic is the hydrophobic properties that allows water beading as if it's been freshly waxed. Before the coating is applied they do a paint correction that makes the paint look awesome. If your Jeep is going off road I would spend the money, instead I would have self healing PPF done with ceramic applied over that. I always have my wheels and calipers done just to make them easier to clean.

 

[mwilk012]

What is the difference?

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

What is the difference?

PPF is a film that comes in sheets and cut to fit. Ceramic coatings are applied like wax but are chemically designed to creat an ultra hard finish. Ceramic coatings are awesome until you get a scratch you want to buff out….the coating must be removed first…which is difficult. The same with collision repair and repainting. PPF will be more expensive however. I did both on my Tesla….neither on my Jeep.

 

[Luke3.0]

Not sure I want to invest in PPF on the Jeep. Good point that ceramic coatings are more difficult to work with on future paint corrections/repair. I may take a pass on that as well. I’ll probably just roll the dice on the trails and if something happens I’ll use the money I saved to repair it. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[wranglerbro]

Big fan of ceramic coatings, especially on a new vehicle as it makes washing off dirt and debris a dream. It's basically an another layer of clear coat, but harder.

While you're right that it won't prevent scratches from trees or branches, as no coating or wax will, a ceramic coating does a better job than the latter. Swirl marks are simply the result of poor washing and/or drying techniques. With ceramic, you can literally use a leaf blower to get the remaining beads of water off after a wash. It's that easy.

If you have the right tools and pads, you can compound out scratches in a ceramic coating and it is NOT hard. You'll just have to reapply additional ceramic coating to the area after you correct it.

If you don't want to spend the money on a professional ceramic job, just do it yourself and save a ton of $$. Preparation is key and the application of the coating is stupid easy so long as you have the right light sources to identify any flashing.

Whatever you do, at least put something on that paint to protect it.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

I do a lot of off roading with my JLU and regularly get trail rash. I found the easiest thing for this is using Meguiars ultra polishing wax usually about once every 3 months. As long as the scratches are in the clear coat only they go away once I use the da polisher. Don’t waste money on ceramic or any other treatment if your going to wheel it. Just throwing money away in the long run.

 

[AzScorpion]

Ceramic coatings are good but most aren't user friendly especially if you're not into detailing. As already said they're harder but not scratch proof, you could just PFF certain areas if needed.

I've been using the 303 Graphene and really like it. You can use it over any other wax or ceramic without issues. Also there's no cure time like most ceramic coatings. I did two coats (you can do up to three) last November and in out heat it's held up great. Very easy to apply and buff, a little goes a long way. Yes, I do wheel mine a lot it's not just a mall crawler.

https://www.goldeagle.com/303-graphene-nano-spray-coating/

 

[Reinen]

I'm using a DIY ceramic coating. Professional is just too expensive and persnickety. I see it as being better than traditional wax and DIY makes the cost reasonable. In winter I have few opportunities to wash so something that repels some dirt makes washing easier is a huge plus. However I'm under no illusions that it will fend off all pinstriping and keep a car show perfect finish. It won't, especially given the off-road and extreme winter conditions I put paint through. I'm using it to maintain "pretty good" paint, not perfect paint.
So far, so good.

 

[mferrara91]

Check out LLumar Valor PPF. It has ceramic coating properties built into the topcoat. You get the best of both worlds...protection from scratches as well as self-healing properties along with the hydrophobic coating of ceramic to help making cleaning much easier.

 

[mwilk012]

If you guys don’t mind, what are y’all spending on these products? Applying yourself or professionally done?

 

[Luke3.0]

I was going back and forth with this but in the end I couldn’t resist. I had my Jeep coated. Removed all stickers and had it tinted as well. Speaking to the installer as far as scratches or trail rash, I’ll cross my fingers and avoid it as much as possible but the installer said he can easily buff it out and reapply to those areas if necessary. Essentially the coating is also a sacrificial clear coat. We’ll see how it goes…

 

[jplusk]

I’ll just leave this here…

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