I choose to just wax my car. I enjoy spending time and waxing the car every couple months.

 

I’m pretty satisfied with DIY graphene.

 

DIY. The money spent on what you need to do it all yourself is a fraction of what it would be to get it done professionally.
The only real part that you need to careful with is the paint correction. Putting the actual product on is super easy. There are so many videos that fully go through the process, there is no reason to pay unless you just can't trust yourself. Evasive Trueno in here explains it all in here: https://www.gr86.org/threads/protec...rotect-your-investment-a-diy-guide-to-ceramic-coating-your-gr86-brz.9002/page-2
I did it on my FRS and it made a big difference in care since stuff really doesn't stick to the paint as easily. Not sure how long it eventually lasted but when I sold it had been on I think 3-4 years and it was still doing what it was supposed to. I used this:https://www.amazon.com/20H-Advanced...d_rd_r=a10d520e-48ca-4351-8eab-396ed65893fb&ref_=pd_hp_d_atf_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m but I know there are much better products out there now. I haven't done the 86 yet as I need a covered area for the drying period after it's done and that's the only reason it's not done yet.

 

I totally agree with this. The paint is soft so is really affected by bugs and bird crap. Paint maintenance isn’t difficult if you do some research and try. It’s more satisfying when you do it yourself and know how to touch it up if it needs it.

 

I just use a combination of wax + hydrophobic sealant that’s applied every 2-3mo or so. Cars shiny and feels slick. Dirt and water flies right off when washing . Costs me a fraction of the cost of a ceramic coat 🤷‍♂️

 

This. I understand that everyone has a different take on this but the cost of a dealer or body shop ceramic coating is just way too high. Especially as many of us are not daily driving our BRZ. It’d be a waste of money for a car that sits a lot out of the elements. There are so many great products available now for the DIY detailer that you don’t need to go crazy with a professional job, IMO.

 

I usually wax and polish the car twice a year.

 

No professional ceramic coating here, but I do now believe in the ceramic product.

$15 bottle of ceramic wax, $3.00 clay bar, and $10 soap with water gets it going. A week later throw on $15 wax. In total $43 and about 4 to 5hrs of self labor gets the incredibly deep shine. I do this twice a year and have only had to buy the goods once 🤙

-- Mike

 

dont even get me started. Huge proponent of ceramic coating, and doing it yourself. go buy gtechniq crystal serum. Do it yourself, and if you want to touch it up, use a ceramic spray-on for maintenance every few months. I made a few posts outlining how to do it.

Just to prove a point, this photo shows how well they hold up even though this car is my daily. For context, the last wash I had prior to this photo was 3 months before, and at this point, ive had my ceramic coating on for a year. If you zoom in, you can see dried up rain droplets from the monsoon rains (in AZ) on the windshield, yet the paint still looks like glass.

But if you ceramic coat, make sure to not use the spray ones should you do it yourself. The "ceramic sprays" are post coating, and for maintenance only. A good rule of thumb is: If the product does not have the ability to potentially mess up the paint due to flash times, it is not a true ceramic coating, or one that will last long.


edit: I just noticed they quoted you $900. If you dont mind some manual labor, I think all the items you need you can get for around ~$200-$300 and its really easy to do yourself in my opinion, but it is time consuming and it will take you about a day or two including curing times. furthermore, you can put a ceramic coating over your PPF as well. Gtechniq Halo is what i used on my PPF.

 

If you DIY it then it’s absolutely worth it. Doing it over PPF is incredibly simple. Over paint it requires a little paint correction, but even if you need to buy literally all of the supplies it costs a small fraction of what a detail shop charges.

 

Hi everyone!
I recently purchased a trueno blue gr86 and love the car. I already had PPF installed on the front bumper and headlights.
Wondering if ceramic coating is worth it or if an annual detail will keep it looking in great condition.

I am aware of the benefits of ceramic coating such as gaining the hydrophobic qualities but does it really last?
I am being quoted about $900 for 3 year ceramic coating and light paint correction since the car now has 1600 miles.

Hi everyone!
I recently purchased a trueno blue gr86 and love the car. I already had PPF installed on the front bumper and headlights.
Wondering if ceramic coating is worth it or if an annual detail will keep it looking in great condition.

I am aware of the benefits of ceramic coating such as gaining the hydrophobic qualities but does it really last?
I am being quoted about $900 for 3 year ceramic coating and light paint correction since the car now has 1600 miles.

Congratulations on your car! Consider having the hood and fenders PPF’D if you can. You won’t regret it.

 

i like ceramic coating.

i suggest removing the wheels and coating them as well. i also do brake calipers but honestly the factory calipers on my brz don't look worthy of the effort.

 

I wash once a week, wax every 3 months, clay once a year. No ceramic. Car sits outside all year round (100+ degrees in the summers, snow in the winter). Car still has a nice deep gloss.

 

I was mine, then spray turtle wax green ceramic spray. Easy, cake. Looks good for month. Takes 20 mins total

 

For $900 for 3yrs, I would rather pay $25 a month for unlimited washes at the express wash and get the so called, "sealer wax" and have access to free vacuums. But, in 10yrs you will probably have to repaint parts of your car.

 

Professional detailer here. A lot of people here seem a bit uneducated / confused.

For starters, if you're polishing your vehicle and NOT ceramic coating it you're wasting time. You can only polish a vehicle so many times. Polish and compounds are abrasive and diminish your clearcoat. If you polish your vehicle by hand you're more likely than not marring and scratching your paint / clearcoat and for anyone who will argue this I encourage you to reply to this post with a photo of your vehicle in direct sun. Not in the shade or wet.

If you're polishing your vehicle with anything other than DA you're wasting your time. If you're not surface prepping as you go anything you put on top of it (Wax, Coatings etc) will not adhere properly.
Now that we have all of that out of the way I would encourage you to DIY the ceramic coating on your car. It's easy to do. I have a very detailed thread on the topic HERE

As far as wax goes you're wasting your time with wax if you genuinely want protection. Wax is full of fillers and serves a purpose for aesthetics. In the professional detailing world wax is about the equivalent of those tacky black car bra's you used to see vs modern paint protection film. Look into products like WetCoat and CanCoat from GYEON or 303's Ceramic Touchless Sealant.

WetCoat and 303 are applied to a freshly cleaned car by simply a few sprays per panel and rinsing bottom to top then back top to bottom panel by panel. Entire car done in 5-10 minutes. Can be used on glass, wheels, plastic trim and paint. Far more effective than any "wax" and provides ceramic coating like beading and protection. CanCoat is a very easy DIY 1 year coating. My writeup shows detailed information on how to install GlossCoat from Optimum which is a three year coating.

I would love to help if you have any questions but yeah, don't waste your time hand polishing and waxing your car.

 

This is great! Will definitely be trying a DIY ceramic in the future. Once my current inventory of sealants and waxes are emptied lol

 

DIY it. And listen to this guy @EVASIVE TRUENO you won’t regret it.

Video is short and straight to the point.

the linked thread is worth a look. Good information!

 

Never had my car’s paint look better than ceramic coating.

 

Looks just as good a year later too.

 

For $900 for 3yrs, I would rather pay $25 a month for unlimited washes at the express wash and get the so called, "sealer wax" and have access to free vacuums. But, in 10yrs you will probably have to repaint parts of your car.

Thank you!
With detailer did ensure me they would clay bar and polish the car prior to application.
For 1 year of protection I'll definitely look into this. How often do you recommend I polish my car using this method?

Will make sure to watch your video!

Polishing is really only necessary if you plan on applying a semi permanent form of protection immediately after.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend polishing the vehicle for anything less than a 3 year ceramic coating. The only situation I’d say you could fudge the rule is if you clay the car and the paint gets marred up (which will happen on these cars) and you need to just remove that surface level marring.

In that case, soft black pad / finishing pad and a few passes at very low speed. Not building up heat and throw that sealant of choice on there.

Again though I still really believe if you’re going to go through the hassle of claying your car and polishing it you may as well ceramic coat it. That prep work is 90% of the coating job to begin with.

Otherwise, I’d recommend a very thorough exterior detailing / decontamination wash using iron remover and then apply your sealant of choice without polishing the vehicle.

 

Hard to beat ceramic for good looks with ease of care.

 

Nice color 😎🤙

 

why do people say ease of care? doesn't it always be ease of care once you wash it? its the same steps anyway for a dirty or clean vehicle to me. hit with water, soap, buckets, rinse, dry.
idk. im not a pro and idc about ultimate looks as I dont polish or anything, I just use PPF and keep it clean, wax is just something fun to do.

 

why do people say ease of care? doesn't it always be ease of care once you wash it? its the same steps anyway for a dirty or clean vehicle to me. hit with water, soap, buckets, rinse, dry.
idk. im not a pro and idc about ultimate looks as I dont polish or anything, I just use PPF and keep it clean, wax is just something fun to do.

First, you're correct. If you don't care about ultimate looks, there's no need for ceramic coating. I love when a car looks clean with flawless, glass-like paint. Maintaining that standard on a daily driver without a lot of work is tough. If you’re fine without that level of detail, that's great, and we can end the discussion here.

The problem and difficulty with these types of discussions is everyone shows their max-age-of-2-years-BRZ/86 and say, “doesn’t mine look great without all this extra money and work?”

That's the equivalent of a person working out for a week and asking "where's my 6-pack"? (inverse example, but still valid nonetheless)

The real concern is longevity. As our pro detailer mentioned, there's a limited amount of clear coat. Over time, you'll notice more swirls from washing, yellowing of PPF, or you’ll eventually strip the clear coat if you frequently paint correct and cut.

Ceramic coating addresses these issues. It can be applied on top of paint and PPF (preventing PPF from yellowing), adds insane hydrophobic properties, and protects your clear coat by taking the scratches itself. Plus, it provides a beautiful glass-like shine that’s easier to maintain over time.

Let’s revisit this discussion in 5+ years and compare our vehicles' paint or PPF. You'll see significant differences and less time spent on paint repairs whilst one keeping that glass look.

edit: updated to be more clear and concise

 

The pros of ceramic is it stays cleaner longer. You still get the small hairline scratches and such. If you're washing your car on a weekly basis, I don't see the point. I had one car coated once and it was nice during the winter when I couldn't wash it much and it stayed much cleaner than usual, but the rest of the year it made no point to have it since I was just washing it anyway. Anymore I just use turtle wax hybrid ceramic spray wax and it lasts a few months. A couple layers of it and gets through the winter looking better than usual. If you want to do it, go ahead. Its not bad. But unless you do it yourself, I don't see it being worth the money. Put that money towards a front end PPF.

 

my logic exactly, exactly what I did/doing. looks good as can be for me.

 

Do it yourself. I did and was absolutely astounded that people charge over a thousand dollars for it. I use a ceramic spray every other month to keep it slick and shiny. Everything just comes off the car so easy. Way way way WAY better than wax.

I do wash my car once a week, sometimes 2 weeks if it's been sunny and dry for a while, but each wash is effortless. Work smarter, not harder.

 

Nope ceramic is better.