Trying To Decide on Ceramic Coating for 2025 Mav-Need Advice Please

[Happy Doc]

I just got a 2025 Mav. Trying to decide whether or not to get a professionally applied ceramic coating. Is it worth it? Should I have this done? Anything I should know? What would be a good price? Thank you for your advice.

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[dochawk]

I'm in the same boat, living in the desert. I don't care about darkening; I just want the UV and IR protection.

I put in the online bid requests for several places that supposedly offered it, and didn't get a single response that vaguely resembled a quote; just a bunch of "come in for a great deal" canned emails, and one that had a huge range that probably varied from a motorcycle windscreen to a 70s Cadillac!

And I need to be sure to avoid the shop whose owner gave a presentation at one of my car clubs . . .

 

[Reece @ DI]

I just got a 2025 Mav. Trying to decide whether or not to get a professionally applied ceramic coating. Is it worth it? Should I have this done? Anything I should know? What would be a good price? Thank you for your advice.

100% worth it. To have it done correctly, you are looking at $500 - $1500 in most cases, but this is very location and detailer dependent. Do you have experience applying any waxes or sealants? If so, you can certainly do it yourself. Also note that pricing can change based on vehicle condition, if polishing is needed, etc. Most reputable shops will want to see the vehicle before offering any quote. If they give you a flat price over the phone, that is generally a sign of a shop to stay away from.

When coatings hit the market, they were very hard (finicky) to apply. I remember having to perform a thorough prep process, apply indoors, set a timer before wipe off, etc. It was pretty labor intensive, but coating technology has come really far and application is much, much easier.

With that said, you do have to make sure you thoroughly wash the vehicle and prep with something like the Gtechniq Panel Wipe. All of the big brands have a version of this and it is designed to remove oils from the surface, allowing for a proper coating bond. Do not skip that step. Also note, that polishing is not necessary, but for the best results it is recommended. After the paint is clean and ready, look at items such as the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, Gyeon Mohs Evo, CarPro UK, etc. I have used many and those are just some of the better in terms of ease of use and looks.

Hope that helps and if you have any other questions just let me know!

 

[Carlitos_92]

I just got a 2025 Mav. Trying to decide whether or not to get a professionally applied ceramic coating. Is it worth it? Should I have this done? Anything I should know? What would be a good price? Thank you for your advice.

Thoughts on the subject abound...

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/search/4445581/?q=ceramic&c[title_only]=1&o=date

 

[Redline]

I've been thinking about doing it for almost 2 years now. The problem is that every time I get $1000, I spend it on something else that's higher up on the priority list.

 

[Happy Doc]

100% worth it. To have it done correctly, you are looking at $500 - $1500 in most cases, but this is very location and detailer dependent. Do you have experience applying any waxes or sealants? If so, you can certainly do it yourself. Also note that pricing can change based on vehicle condition, if polishing is needed, etc. Most reputable shops will want to see the vehicle before offering any quote. If they give you a flat price over the phone, that is generally a sign of a shop to stay away from.

When coatings hit the market, they were very hard (finicky) to apply. I remember having to perform a thorough prep process, apply indoors, set a timer before wipe off, etc. It was pretty labor intensive, but coating technology has come really far and application is much, much easier.

With that said, you do have to make sure you thoroughly wash the vehicle and prep with something like the Gtechniq Panel Wipe. All of the big brands have a version of this and it is designed to remove oils from the surface, allowing for a proper coating bond. Do not skip that step. Also note, that polishing is not necessary, but for the best results it is recommended. After the paint is clean and ready, look at items such as the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, Gyeon Mohs Evo, CarPro UK, etc. I have used many and those are just some of the better in terms of ease of use and looks.

Hope that helps and if you have any other questions just let me know!

Thank for this information. Could not do it myself.

 

[Toddman45]

This Meguiars works great, used it once on my maverick & explorer. Dirt and bugs come off so easy with a hand wash. Yes it looks like radioactive gel.

Wash, clay, then apply.

 

[AMTRV]

The two above posts are 100% correct.
Pick a good wax and don’t waste you money on the ceramic bs.

 

[dochawk]

I've been thinking about doing it for almost 2 years now. The problem is that every time I get $1000, I spend it on something else that's higher up on the priority list.

"If It Weren't For You Meddling Kids . . ."



anyway, for the body, I used backfire (?), and have almost finished putting it on myself.


Im still looking for the film for the windows; that's what I was referring to above.

 

[Reece @ DI]

I did old fashioned hand wax. I'm not paying someone 1500 to put on a coating. Had it on 1 vehicle and it was harder to keep spots off after washing than others that were not coated.

Waxes are great as well, but Ceramics will protect from swirls, imperfections, etc. at a much higher rate. They also last much longer than a traditional wax. I do really love that warm look of a wax though ...

For water spots, this is the area where most coatings do not perform well and that is due to the surface tension designed for water beading and not sheeting. Beads sit on the surface and the minerals in the water can more easily etch into the surface. This is why I recommend something like the Gtechniq C2. It is Si02 based, but at a much lower concentration so it helps sheet water away from the surface instead of beading it up.

If however you like waxes, try a newer sealant. Most apply similar to a liquid wax but you can get 3-4 months instead of 3-4 weeks of durability. Plus, most do not stain trim anymore like a traditional wax.

 

[Reece @ DI]

This Meguiars works great, used it once on my maverick & explorer. Dirt and bugs come off so easy with a hand wash. Yes it looks like radioactive gel.

Wash, clay, then apply.

This product is great, but it is not a coating. Love Meguiar's just throwing in all the tag words they can for marketing purposes. But ... if you want something that has a little Si02 in the formula, but applies like liquid waxes or sealants for a more traditional application feel then this is great!

 

[Reece @ DI]

The two above posts are 100% correct.
Pick a good wax and don’t waste you money on the ceramic bs.

I need to know ... why are you so against coatings?

 

[AMTRV]

I need to know ... why are you so against coatings?

There is nothing “ceramic” about these so labeled coatings…..they don’t provide any more scratch or UV protection than any good automotive wax.
On a second note……there is a lot of talk about “paint correction”.
All that means is that you clay bar, or even sand(very fine grade) the clear coat that covers the paint…..it does make for a nice smooth surface, but doesn’t touch the actual paint.
It’s all “snake oil” ………but it’s your money…….spend it like you wish.

 

[Dslaughterbeck]

I did old fashioned hand wax. I'm not paying someone 1500 to put on a coating. Had it on 1 vehicle and it was harder to keep spots off after washing than others that were not coated.

If you use soft water there will rarely be any spots, I'd say no wax job can compare to a ceramic coat, after 2 years mine still looks amazing.

 

[Reece @ DI]

There is nothing “ceramic” about these so labeled coatings…..they don’t provide any more scratch or UV protection than any good automotive wax.
On a second note……there is a lot of talk about “paint correction”.
All that means is that you clay bar, or even sand(very fine grade) the clear coat that covers the paint…..it does make for a nice smooth surface, but doesn’t touch the actual paint.
It’s all “snake oil” ………but it’s your money…….spend it like you wish.

Not all waxes, just like not all coatings provide UV protection. But, if you are comparing protection from swirls, scratches, etc. than coatings do provide a better and more durable layer of protection. This is backed by science and is pretty easy to look up.

For paint correction, clay bar has nothing to do with removing imperfections. A clay bar simply removes embedded contamination. This is just dirt and grime that is stuck in the pours of the clear coat and a clay bar will not remove imperfections and is not used to polish the surface.

The only part of this that is slightly correct is that you are not touching the paint. Yes paint used to be single stage where the clear was mixed with the paint color, but paint today is color on the bottom and clear coat on top. You are actually not removing any of the imperfections either. Polishing will just smooth the edges of the imperfections, changing how the light refracts from these areas. You see a bunch of imperfections, swirls, etc. that is the light bouncing off in multiple different areas. Smooth the edges during the paint correction process and you cause the light to react differently.

The only reason anyone mentions wax with polishing is that unlike some sealants and coatings, waxes often times filled in light imperfections. Once this wax wore away in a few weeks the imperfections were back and they had to "polish" with their wax again.

I understand that the car care industry might not help with this confusion with how products are marketed, but most of your claims are simply not true.

But it is your time, your money, you go ahead and apply that carnauba wax. I do not mean this sarcastically though, as waxes are great if you want to protect your paint for a few weeks and like the look of them. Just don't sit here and spew information that is so clearly false.

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