oilmoneymerch
Member
Just picked up the 2024 ZR2. With the 6.2 in black with the dark essential package, has anyone ever done a professional ceramic coating, or know of any places that can be recommended?
Ceramic coating
- Thread starter oilmoneymerch
- Start date
Yes, do a search and you will find lots of information on this topic!
OP
oilmoneymerch
Member
I have paint corrected and ceramic coated many of my cars, trucks and bikes over the years. New and classics.
My ZR2 came with Ceramic Pro from the dealer. It’s prob the worst of the brands I’ve seen in terms of water spotting.
Gtechniq CSL and Exo V4 was the best I used - but I did a 40 - 50 hour paint correction process on that vehicle so the starting point was pretty flawless.
Short answer: if it’s a new vehicle I would give it a light polish and use Tec582 applied wet, follow proper washing technique and reapply as needed.
Ceramic coating isn’t worth the time, hassle or money for the negligible difference in performance over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Washing isn’t that much easier and it doesn’t stay that much cleaner. YMMV.
All it’s really done is turn car valeting into the “detailer” trade which is a bit of a money grab.
I am not a detailer by trade and never will be.
My ZR2 came with Ceramic Pro from the dealer. It’s prob the worst of the brands I’ve seen in terms of water spotting.
Gtechniq CSL and Exo V4 was the best I used - but I did a 40 - 50 hour paint correction process on that vehicle so the starting point was pretty flawless.
Short answer: if it’s a new vehicle I would give it a light polish and use Tec582 applied wet, follow proper washing technique and reapply as needed.
Ceramic coating isn’t worth the time, hassle or money for the negligible difference in performance over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Washing isn’t that much easier and it doesn’t stay that much cleaner. YMMV.
All it’s really done is turn car valeting into the “detailer” trade which is a bit of a money grab.
I am not a detailer by trade and never will be.
I've used DIY stuff from Turtle Wax and Adam's. Takes about 4-5 hours for a good polish and ceramic application on a new truck. I've got about $750 worth of tools and accessories, so factor that in.
It definitely works, but you still have to keep up the work to have black trucks looking good.
I use my trucks in a lot of different conditions, so it's hard to tell if ceramic makes much of a difference. They will always get some kind of wear and tear under normal use. Seems about the same as polishing and waxing it occasionally.
The paint in these rigs is notoriously soft, and ceramic won't save it from dings and chips. I don't see the sense in spending $1000-2000k+. But if you spend $500 to $750 it may be worth it.
Here is a recent post on the topic…
Ceramic coating done and a few good pics
Just picked my truck up from having it ceramic coated and black PPF installed on the front bumper to save it from rock chips. A good friend of mine owns the detail shop and does a fantastic job. While it was there they stuck it in the photo booth so I thought I'd share. Have a great weekend...
www.chevyzr2.com
securityguy
Well-known member
I had it done to two vehicles and will never own another vehicle without it. I am like @AXE where I bought all of the polishing tools and high quality products years ago to do my own paint correction and ceramic coatings going forward. It is not hard to do at all with the right products. To spend $1500-$2500 to have this done "professionally" is just crazy to me unless you don't want to be bothered with doing it yourself...which I understand many will not. gtechniq, Adams, R1 are just a few of the DIY ceramics that are awesome.
OP
oilmoneymerch
Member
securityguy
Well-known member
Then it either wasn't done properly, wasn't prepped correctly or they used a spray ceramic versus the "professional" way of doing a ceramic. Most ALL ceramic coatings have a minimum 2-3 year warranty. Who did it and what did they use?
The dealer coated mine as part of the deal and I’ve never had to scrub it with a brush. I power wash it and all of the dirt and mud just falls off. I live and commute on dirt roads and have been very impressed with how easy it is to clean. Rock chips are another story, this paint is weak. My wife’s jeep is not coated and I have to scrub the shit out of it to get it clean. Both vehicles are white. I’m going to coat hers this summer. I can’t believe the cost to have someone else do it.
Had my truck about 3 months and gave up trying to keep wax on it. Had it coated by a local company that makes their own products.
Makes it much easier to wash these massive vehicles and that alone is worth the money twice over for me.
My wife’s car was done as well. Much needed protection in the Florida sun.
Just be mindful of snake oil. I swear Listerine will be the next thing to slap the word ceramic or “graphine” on the label.
Chemically stripped, paint corrected, product applied and cured with UV. Spend the money on the real stuff. Do your homework.
Makes it much easier to wash these massive vehicles and that alone is worth the money twice over for me.
My wife’s car was done as well. Much needed protection in the Florida sun.
Just be mindful of snake oil. I swear Listerine will be the next thing to slap the word ceramic or “graphine” on the label.
Chemically stripped, paint corrected, product applied and cured with UV. Spend the money on the real stuff. Do your homework.
I would have to look. I was mainly just having PPF done, but they threw in some CC so it was probably not the best product.
I bought my Black ZR2 end of November. Had local shop that has ceramic’d all my vehicles apply it to my truck. Worth every penny. I went with Adams ceramic coating. Good for 9 years. Good luck! My truck is going into the shop on Tuesday for a 1.5 leveling kit and new Fuel “Rebel” wheels and BFG All Terrains. 295/70/18. I hate the stock rims. Truck is black and Chevy throws in Chrome and gold accent wheels. Don’t like the Goodyear Mud Terrains either.
BaneZR2
Member
Yes, had mine done professionally last year since I had to go on TDY a week after buying the truck. Paid for the convenience and warranty basically. They did my last truck and wrapped my motorcycle: https://www.exoticvehiclewraps.com/
honestly you can do this yourself...the ceramic coating itself you can buy for 100 or less...its the labor u are paying for. save yourself 1k...especially if you have a garage big enought to park your truck in. its not rocket science at all..
pre wash
wash
decontaminate : iron remover then spray off
clay bar with detailer
polish truck
apply ceramic coating of your choice...
i havent done it myself -- but those are pretty much the steps necessary. the only reason i havent done it is because my truck cannoot fit into the garage and my lazy ass would need to wake up really early to begin the process outdoors - plus i would need to buy a decent oribital polisher.
heres a really good step by step on how to do it. some of the steps can be removed.
pre wash
wash
decontaminate : iron remover then spray off
clay bar with detailer
polish truck
apply ceramic coating of your choice...
i havent done it myself -- but those are pretty much the steps necessary. the only reason i havent done it is because my truck cannoot fit into the garage and my lazy ass would need to wake up really early to begin the process outdoors - plus i would need to buy a decent oribital polisher.
heres a really good step by step on how to do it. some of the steps can be removed.
securityguy
Well-known member
You are spot on. I have done it myself several times and it only gets a bit more complicated if the color is dark and needs paint correction. If you have the right tools to do it, it's a no brainer and a HUGE money saver. Surprised to see how many folks will spend $1500-$2500 to do something so easy
FuzzLife
Active member
What's the dollar difference between pro and done by yourself even after purchasing everything you need. Also, does it take longer to do on your own and is the product the same as pro?
Just wondering which route I should go.
securityguy
Well-known member
You can buy a nice polisher for well under $200...closer to $150. You can buy quality pads for under $30. Polish is cheap...a great quality polish is under $20. To do iron removal, that cost less than $20 for a bottle. A clay mitt is about $30-$40. You, most likely, already have a good quality soap. They make ceramic paint prep you can buy, but you can also wipe the entire truck down with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol before applying the ceramic. The ceramic itself goes on very easy. Just read the directions and, when it "flashes", you just wipe it off and move onto the next section of paint.
With all of that being said, for under a $250 investment, you can do it yourself and save a TON of money. What it really boils down to is 1. do you have the time? 2. Do you have the patience to spend a day detailing your truck? If you answer YES and YES, than I highly suggest you give it a try. Once you do, you will never take your vehicle to a "professional" ever again unless the paint correction that needs to be done is way more than you want to tackle.
FuzzLife
Active member
WOW that's not bad at all....The only issue I can see in my situation is not having a covered area that can get wet. Mine would all need to be done outdoors
Silverado ZR2 Photos
Silverado ZR2 Photos
