SomewhereInIndy
New member
I spent an enormous amount of time researching online information on applying ceramic coatings and felt confident I could be successful. This first attempt was going onto a 2018 F150 pickup. If I messed up, I would have a huge target for people to shake their heads at in bewilderment. I`m sure most here have already done multiple applications and will find this rather boring, but in my research I was looking for first-time experiences to gauge if this was something I wanted to tackle.
I bought the CQUK 50ML car kit, since I wanted to do multiple coats, and this is a full-size pickup. Actually, I bought two kits, as I didn`t want to be caught short on materials. Anything left would be for my second car.
For my work area, I setup my garage with high-intensity T5 fixtures on each side of the truck to complement the overhead LED lighting. I would have plenty of light sources to check my work.
Prep work:
My process started outside with two pressure washer rinses and hand-washes, with the second using a wax removing shampoo. Each wash was finished with a pressure washer rinse and a complete towel and air blower drying so I could identify any problems.
The truck was returned to the cool garage. The paint was in good condition and required very little correction. I had already lightly polished the surface, so no new polishing was required. Two complete claybar treatments pushed the surface from good to excellent. Never underestimate the value of claying a car. Another pressure washer rinse-down and dry followed.
The next step was two laps of the truck with CarPro Eraser as a final step to ensure there was no remaining wax or polish. Even with all the prior cleaning to remove wax and polish, there was a notable difference after each Eraser treatment. If you haven`t noticed, I like doing things in twos.
It was time to call my wife, the QA inspector, to give the truck a final review. It`s amazing what a new set of eyes can find. Most of the issues required a simple buff out.
The coating:
Now comes the part that gave me concern. Like I already mentioned, I had researched as much as I could, and watched a number of videos, both amateur and product company videos. Everything I watched spent very little time on the actual ceramic coat treatment. They all seemed to jump from opening the bottle and applying a small patch followed by "Voila" the car is done. Maybe it was really that easy.
I started on the top of the cab. If I messed up, it would be in an area that isn`t easy to see. The first application went on 1/4 of the top. I was surprised at how grabby the material was when applying. I found I had to reapply additional material to the applicator for this roughly 3x3 area. With two MF towels in hand, I buffed the section out with the first, and completed the task with the second.
For the rest of the top, I found I could do 1/4 of the top, and go ahead and apply to a second section. The time it takes to apply the second section was just about the time needed to let the first flash and be ready for buffing. Once the entire top had been treated, I grabbed a soft, fluffy MF for a final buffing. Amazing!
So, I made the call to go for it. The next section was the hood, followed by working my way across the driver`s side, and then the passenger side, and finally the tailgate. The chrome grill, bumpers and running boards also got treated. After each major section, I would stop, assess and do a full buff with a soft MF.
I ran through two more full coatings. I found the time it took to complete one coat was just about perfect to start the next. I expected the second and third coat to go on easier, similar to what I would expect in applying paste wax. Nope. It was the same experience for each. I used a complete 50ml bottle of CQUK for the three coats.
After three coats of ceramic, I took a step back and was literally floored by the shine and depth of gloss. It was worth the time invested in the effort. But wait, there`s one more step:
At this time, the QA inspector gave thumbs up after a few corrections. I was ready to apply CarPro Reload. Reload is the final topcoat/sealer for the ceramic finish. A 3oz spray bottle of Reload was included in the kit It is literally a spray on, wipe off process. A final inspection found a few areas where i had to spray on some more Reload in order to buff out the hazy spot. Reload took an amazing gloss to spectacular.
Apologies that I failed to get good before pics, but I started with a rather dirty car and felt it wouldn`t be a good basis of comparison. But for the final results, I have pictures!
Results!
The truck spent the next two days in the garage to allow initial curing.
Observations:
Pros:
Cons:
The next step is to finalize my go-forward protocol for maintaining the finish. With a conventional finish, I would use a detailing spray for light cleanups between washes. It seems there are a ton of options for ceramic finish maintenance that I`ll need to sort through. Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.
I hope this gives someone else the confidence to give it a go. For those that have multiple coatings experience, what would you do differently on my next coating effort?
I bought the CQUK 50ML car kit, since I wanted to do multiple coats, and this is a full-size pickup. Actually, I bought two kits, as I didn`t want to be caught short on materials. Anything left would be for my second car.
For my work area, I setup my garage with high-intensity T5 fixtures on each side of the truck to complement the overhead LED lighting. I would have plenty of light sources to check my work.
Prep work:
My process started outside with two pressure washer rinses and hand-washes, with the second using a wax removing shampoo. Each wash was finished with a pressure washer rinse and a complete towel and air blower drying so I could identify any problems.
The truck was returned to the cool garage. The paint was in good condition and required very little correction. I had already lightly polished the surface, so no new polishing was required. Two complete claybar treatments pushed the surface from good to excellent. Never underestimate the value of claying a car. Another pressure washer rinse-down and dry followed.
The next step was two laps of the truck with CarPro Eraser as a final step to ensure there was no remaining wax or polish. Even with all the prior cleaning to remove wax and polish, there was a notable difference after each Eraser treatment. If you haven`t noticed, I like doing things in twos.
It was time to call my wife, the QA inspector, to give the truck a final review. It`s amazing what a new set of eyes can find. Most of the issues required a simple buff out.
The coating:
Now comes the part that gave me concern. Like I already mentioned, I had researched as much as I could, and watched a number of videos, both amateur and product company videos. Everything I watched spent very little time on the actual ceramic coat treatment. They all seemed to jump from opening the bottle and applying a small patch followed by "Voila" the car is done. Maybe it was really that easy.
I started on the top of the cab. If I messed up, it would be in an area that isn`t easy to see. The first application went on 1/4 of the top. I was surprised at how grabby the material was when applying. I found I had to reapply additional material to the applicator for this roughly 3x3 area. With two MF towels in hand, I buffed the section out with the first, and completed the task with the second.
For the rest of the top, I found I could do 1/4 of the top, and go ahead and apply to a second section. The time it takes to apply the second section was just about the time needed to let the first flash and be ready for buffing. Once the entire top had been treated, I grabbed a soft, fluffy MF for a final buffing. Amazing!
So, I made the call to go for it. The next section was the hood, followed by working my way across the driver`s side, and then the passenger side, and finally the tailgate. The chrome grill, bumpers and running boards also got treated. After each major section, I would stop, assess and do a full buff with a soft MF.
I ran through two more full coatings. I found the time it took to complete one coat was just about perfect to start the next. I expected the second and third coat to go on easier, similar to what I would expect in applying paste wax. Nope. It was the same experience for each. I used a complete 50ml bottle of CQUK for the three coats.
After three coats of ceramic, I took a step back and was literally floored by the shine and depth of gloss. It was worth the time invested in the effort. But wait, there`s one more step:
At this time, the QA inspector gave thumbs up after a few corrections. I was ready to apply CarPro Reload. Reload is the final topcoat/sealer for the ceramic finish. A 3oz spray bottle of Reload was included in the kit It is literally a spray on, wipe off process. A final inspection found a few areas where i had to spray on some more Reload in order to buff out the hazy spot. Reload took an amazing gloss to spectacular.
Apologies that I failed to get good before pics, but I started with a rather dirty car and felt it wouldn`t be a good basis of comparison. But for the final results, I have pictures!
Results!
The truck spent the next two days in the garage to allow initial curing.
Observations:
- The gloss is spectacular!!!
- If you can wax and polish a car, you can do a ceramic treatment
- Surface prep is critical!
- Wear gloves to keep oily fingers and hands off the surface. Even with gloves, keep a clean towel in your free hand - it will eliminate any hazing if you happen to touch the surface.
- Have plenty of MF towels on hand - I consumed 8-10 towels on the job, two for each major section, and a couple more softer MFs for the final buffing
- I spent 8-10 hours on the project
Pros:
- The results are impressive!
- Application was far easier than I expected (I`ve got to quit over-thinking things), and I`m prepping to do my second car
- The cost is relatively low - I spent under $300 for the two kits, towels, Eraser, claybars, and towels, towels, towels
- Did I mention the results are spectacular?
Cons:
- I found the material grabby when applying - I`m not sure if this is specific to the specific product I was using, the temperature and humidity (I was working in a lightly air conditioned garage on a 95 degree humid day)
- Ceramic kits aren`t readily available locally - this is likely to change as brick and mortar suppliers see the demand
- The kit really could use more applicators and micro suede covers
- CQUK by itself isn`t terribly "slick"
- Towels didn`t slide off the hood like I expected until Reload was applied
- It was slicker than bare paint, but not what I expected
- Have a respirator handy or use in an open, well-ventilated area; CQUK has a definite odor when being applied
The next step is to finalize my go-forward protocol for maintaining the finish. With a conventional finish, I would use a detailing spray for light cleanups between washes. It seems there are a ton of options for ceramic finish maintenance that I`ll need to sort through. Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.
I hope this gives someone else the confidence to give it a go. For those that have multiple coatings experience, what would you do differently on my next coating effort?
