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

[Reece @ DI]

I will still use my paste wax and hand wash. The time, cost, maintenance of ceramic is not worth it to me. Each person needs to decide what is best.

Never said anything different. If you enjoy a paste wax that lasts a few weeks, that's certainly a great option for you. I personally love the way paste waxes look as well, I just value a coating as it is more durable and offers much better protection than a traditional paste wax. But, I applied it myself so the cost was $70 (I already had items on hand to clean and polish), vs a professional application. For myself, something pushing $1K is just not in the buget when that could be put towards a tonneau cover, new tires, etc.

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[Surly Old Bill]

 

[Optimus]

Did you have the entire truck PPF'd or just certain areas. I'm debating whether to have some PPF or possible ceramic coating done (and paint correction). I'm waiting to see what my dealer does for the "industrial fallout" that my truck has. This was an issue I unfortunately didn't notice when I took delivery. My dealer is sending it to their body shop next week to see if they can fix this issue for me but honestly I'm a little scared, lol.

If I can get the paint right a little PPF on the high impact areas might be worth it to help with the stone chips that will eventually find their way onto my new Ruby Red paint. Here is a link to a thread I started regarding the paint issue on my Maverick:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/is-this-rail-dust-or-something-else.67662/

I had PPF installed on the full hood, full front fenders, front bumper, headlights, and door mirror caps. I also bought Gtechniq’s ceramic coating that is dpecific to PP

 

[ListedGuru]

I had PPF installed on the full hood, full front fenders, front bumper, headlights, and door mirror caps. I also bought Gtechniq’s ceramic coating that is dpecific to PP

Thanks. May I ask what you paid for that PPF? I'm still not sure if it's going to be worth it for me but I'm still looking into it.

 

[Optimus]

Thanks. May I ask what you paid for that PPF? I'm still not sure if it's going to be worth it for me but I'm still looking into it.

I paid $2000 for XPEL brand film. I like it very much and you can’t tell it’s even there. Between never owning a brand new vehicle before, and seeing all the posts of easily chipping paint, I had PPF installed immediately. I don’t regret it one bit! The only chips on the truck are in the cheap windshield (also well documented here on MTC).

 

[Optimus]

I have made the decision to NOT have ceramic coating applied to it. The main reason being I do not have the time to wash it every 1 to 2 weeks for years which is what I was told (by a reputable detailer), would need to be done afterward. It would need to hand washed as taking it to an automatic car wash should not be done.

Did they mention the brand of ceramic they would have used? I find their comment/requirement of such frequent washes to be odd.

As for car washing in general, every method has pros and cons. All have risks and can do damage in various ways, including hand-washing. Did they mention what they felt were the risks?

I usually do hand-washing with electric pressure washer, foam cannon, and a modified “2-bucket method” (a real thing. Google it if you have not heard of it). But I definitely don’t wash every 1-2 weeks! That’s nuts! In winter (Minnesota), I’m lucky to wash once a month. I will usually go to a do-it-yourself place using their gun and my bucket of soapy water. Or, new-to-me this last winter, was to purchase and use a battery-operated pressure washer that can draw (hot water) from a 5-gallon bucket. Can’t run a garden hose in the middle of winter!

I avoid “touch” car washes due to the all-but-guaranteed scratches and spiderwebbing they cause, and the risk of breaking antennas, mirrors, etc... I usually avoid touchless car washes, but for different reasons. Touchless typically uses stronger soap that can eat away wax/coatings, and touchless just never seems to do a good job for me. Oh, and I had one snap a bug shield off a different vehicle at one point.

The ceramic makes washing so much quicker! Less dirt sticks in the first place, and most of it comes off with the initial pre-rinse. Drying consists of using a battery operated leaf blower that gets 95% of the water off. Then I do one final dry with a nice plush microfiber towel meant for this purpose.

Might sound complicated, but my washes are faster than my old “normal” way of doing it. There are plenty if how-to videos on YouTube reviewing ceramics or other coatings, along with pro-recommended ways to do the wash. Two years of Mav ownership and still looks mint!

 

[myroncoxe]

This is the product my Detailer uses on my vehicles once a year. Makes the paint look like it Ian inch thick. I also use it on my boat.

 

[Toddman45]

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!

Yes I know I'm well aware I've always used McGuire's and have had great luck with their products it's never let me down. This hybrid ceramic wax ( not coating) has held up well on both my vehicles since applying to coats after washing and clean back in September.

 

[Reece @ DI]

Yes I know I'm well aware I've always used McGuire's and have had great luck with their products it's never let me down. This hybrid ceramic wax ( not coating) has held up well on both my vehicles since applying to coats after washing and clean back in September.

Meguiar's does make some great products. They were about to release a coating, but that ended up never being released. Instead they have stuck to the sio2 based sealants like the Hybrid Ceramic.

 

[Oscarbaron]

I will testify to the use of ceramic protections, that the ceramic lasts longer with a deep shine and about 10% of the manual labor to traditional wax, so why would you use old technolgy wax when the ceramic application is so easy.

 

[Oscarbaron]

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.

In addition to all the physical labor of traditional wax, rubbing on and rubbing off, a majority of time removing wax is getting all the wax out of crevices which takes forever, I'll do ceramic protection anyday, I just wipe it on with my microfiber mitt and I'm done with beautiful results and no labor or sweat.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Might be an old wives' tale, like changing oil every 3000 miles, but I've always been under the impression that wax traps microparticles, which then scratch the paint when you clean it to do the next waxing.

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