Paint Correction & Ceramic Coating

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Venom_Raptor

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Have some fitment issues with the truck and my garage. Not sure if I'll be able to remedy them well enough for day to day use so the truck will likely live in the driveway and be pulled into the garage only during hail/ice storms.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to get the truck ceramic coated to protect the paint a bit. In conjunction with the coating, I'm planning to at least have a 1-step paint correction done on the truck. For those who have had this done, or are knowledgeable about it, what's an appropriate price to pay for this type of work on a vehicle the size of a Raptor? Have received quotes of $1000-1,900, which seems like a pretty wide range.

Definitely NOT looking for the cheapest person on the block... quality matters to me, but this isn't something I've ever had done on any vehicle I've owned. Thanks in advance! Cheers.
Well there really is a wide variety of options out there, from lasting short term to long term. Me personally I like the long term options and not the quick spray on ceramic coatings and things that last a few weeks to even a few months sometimes. If I were you I would do this, inspect the damage first and see exactly what you want. For example are you going to want protection from rock chips? If so your more then likely gonna want to put a paint protection film like XPEL,3M, etc. on the front parts of the truck. Ceramic coatings kinda help with small rocks but anything a pebble size and up it’ll go right through. This is quite pricey typically tho between $1000-$3000 for someone to do it for you depending on the area you live in. I hear it’s a nightmare installing ppf on your own if your not trained so highly recommended to have a credited profesional do it for you, also if you wanted to do that on your own you could but it be a very time consuming risky task. Keep in mind thats just for the important parts, front bumper, fenders, hood, roof, A pillars, and mirrors. Everything else would cost you more. Now if you really don’t mind the random rock chip here and there you could just skip that and do a good 2-6 Year ceramic coating. You could ppf and ceramic coat on top of the ppf if you really wanted to for that extra extra protection and hydrophobic property. I could go on and on about which is the best ceramic coating out in the market but there are so many reviews and videos out there that compare every single one, do some research and find one you think you would like the most, every detailer has there favorites, so there really is never a bad option unless you pick a very cheap one, Ive always done the Qtechniq Crystal serum light and exo kit for a my trucks and it usually runs me between $110-$220, other coatings vary. Now before you decide to do any of those 2 things, your paint needs to be in either perfect or near perfect condition, now what does perfect condition mean, it means check if you have any swirl marks which you will more then likely have, check if they are deep or light swirl marks, deep scratches you can usually see in low light environments typically and you can really see in bright lit areas, if you can barely see them in heavy lit areas you will Only have to do a 1 step polish paint correction, if you think you have very heavy swirl marks you will need to do a 2 step compound cut and then polish paint correction. Now when it comes to money I wouldn’t pay someone to do a paint correction unless it was a 15 plus year old vehicle or if the clear coat is very thin and scratched to hell. Paint correcting is fairly easy to learn on new vehicles and can be learned through many good profesional detailers on YouTube that show you exactly what to do. If you needed a number on how much this would cost you to do, it would mainly come down to the cost in supplies like a random orbital polisher, polisher pads, polish, compound, good towels, and maybe even a bright light. Typically running around the $300-$400 mark all together for the generic non profesional things you can find at places like auto zone that work great. Now you have a Gen 2 so I’m assuming you would just need a 1 stage paint correction and ceramic coating unless you've ran that truck through the car wash every single time since you’ve owned it or there is literal tree branch scratches everywhere lol. So $410-$620 if you were to do it and learn on your own. If you want to save your labor and time, spend the extra cash you already know your quotes, $1000-$1900 ain’t to bad In my area.
Hope this helped haha
 
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New recaros

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Not worth it, the yearly required maintenance make the economics bad. You can get the same 9H protection for way less.
 

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New recaros

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So you have to put a spray coating on once a year by the installer for 300-400 bucks to maintain it. Why not use a quality spray on like Adams advanced coating or Chemical Guys twice a year? Same protection for less than the annual maintenance of the high dollar coatings. They also require you to fix all scratches or imperfections each year to maintain the warranty. So you add that cost on top of the yearly maintenance. It’s a rip off for trucks.https://adamspolishes.com/products/graphene-ceramic-spray-coating%e2%84%a2-advanced
 
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Venom_Raptor

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So you have to put a spray coating on once a year by the installer for 300-400 bucks to maintain it. Why not use a quality spray on like Adams advanced coating or Chemical Guys twice a year? Same protection for less than the annual maintenance of the high dollar coatings. They also require you to fix all scratches or imperfections each year to maintain the warranty. So you add that cost on top of the yearly maintenance. It’s a rip off for trucks.https://adamspolishes.com/products/graphene-ceramic-spray-coating%e2%84%a2-advanced
Yeah see that’s just the thing with me, those spray ceramic coatings do work and tbh are very easy to apply, they are fairly cheap $40-$100 and can be done by anyone. Now there’s nothing wrong with those, but I am a longevity person. In my experiences those spray ceramic coatings don’t last the 12-18 month span that they say they do. At most I’d say maybe a good 5-10 car washes before you start noticing less hydrophopic property’s on certain areas or just don’t retract dust or dry/clean up as easy as others. Me personally I probably wash my truck 5-8 times every 2 months or less. So I’d have to reapply a spray coating every 2-4 months. So Why do I go for the 3-10 year ceramic coatings, one yes you do have to do a 6-12 month maintenance to make sure it’s working at its best, but to me it beats having to re-spray ceramic coating every 2-4 months to keep it working at its best. Now granted I don’t pay anyone to do it, and the maintenance is basically spraying a rejuvenator to the ceramic coating which is just like spraying a ceramic coating. For me I’ve learned to do all of this on my own and I don’t pay $1000+ on any of this stuff. At most like I said just $500 for my tools I use on more then one occasion for other vehicles. At the end of the day for me since I can do it on my own I just go that route but if you don’t want to do it or learn how to do it then yeah spray ceramic coating isn’t a bad option If your okay with reapplying it every so often to get the best outcomes
 

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I live on a dirt road and easily wash once a week, usually twice. I install a coat in the spring to ensure I have UV protection and mud don’t stick, then again in the winter so the snow slides off.
I wanted exactly what you are describing, but found out you still end up using a topper over the ceramic.
I bet both trucks shine like diamond in a goats as..
 

Scottx

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Look up opti coat. Videos on utube
Go to website this chemist invented it all and was first. In Tennessee.
Then go to Autogeek in Florida for best price, they also have, or had videos on opti coat, application(been 31/2 + years now for my raptor )
I have used this, done it myself on two mustangs and my 19 raptor
IMHO fantastic results and long lasting.
Also at Wal Mart clear vinyl sheets, self stick,, not with adhesive, used it to cover headlights, door handle pockets ( which get severely scratched up over time) and gas cap door. Pleased with results truck paint still looks like new beads water like crazy agate black and always lives outside. Zero complaints and so glad I did this. Still have my 14 mustang and paint still shines and looks like new.
But hey to each their own.
 

Scottx

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It is optimum polymer technologies
For web site. Google it.
Hope this helps ya.
 

WKUSMC

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Going by price is kinda difficult. Up here they run $500 and up. The chem guy we have come up from mass says they’re getting up to $3000. With the same P&S legend ceramic.

Maybe check out the shops and find good reviews for them.

I also do all my own work (detail shop) lol. Im not a huge fan of ceramic but thats not saying its bad, Its just personal preference.
I washed my own or I go to the car wash let them hand wash, then I put the frosting on top. My truck sleeps outside and it’s smooth as glass. I like adams VRL but Adams interior cleaner works great on the seats. On my new Rapturd no leather cleaner protector oils. I don’t like that sheen on my pleather. New car smells is still intact.

Have some fitment issues with the truck and my garage. Not sure if I'll be able to remedy them well enough for day to day use so the truck will likely live in the driveway and be pulled into the garage only during hail/ice storms.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to get the truck ceramic coated to protect the paint a bit. In conjunction with the coating, I'm planning to at least have a 1-step paint correction done on the truck. For those who have had this done, or are knowledgeable about it, what's an appropriate price to pay for this type of work on a vehicle the size of a Raptor? Have received quotes of $1000-1,900, which seems like a pretty wide range.

Definitely NOT looking for the cheapest person on the block... quality matters to me, but this isn't something I've ever had done on any vehicle I've owned. Thanks in advance! Cheers.
 

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plasticsdoc

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I spent the last 2 days putting a ceramic coat on my truck. A lot of work but awesome to see the final result. Lots of videos out there and tutorials. Full wash with clean slate shampoo to remove any residue. Iron X decontamination. Then clayed the whole vehicle. Then did paint correction over entire vehicle- shocking how bad paint was for new vehicle I got last week.... Then paint prepped with car pro eraser to remove all polish residue. Then went with Wolfgang ProFi ceramic coating this time. Have used others in the past. I wouldn't recommend this one... I used Blackfire Pro Black edition last vehicle and it was more user friendly and great results.
 

Oldfart

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Do yourself with a clay bar first and turtle wax spray, save the pesos and get a clear bra after. I tried Adams on the interior and not bad on the pleather. No oil residue, not shiny sheen.
To a few that have said basically what you said, to do a clay bar and a spray coating and it's pretty much the same, I'm assuming you have never seen the before and after when a quality shop does a paint correction. To compare the two is like saying a Honda Ridgeline is the same as a Raptor. There is an astounding improvement, even with the brand-new OEM paint I had, when a good shop does a full correction.

It looked like I had taken my truck to a high-end custom paint shop and had it repainted. The shop that did my Ceramic Pro and Expel, Shine Techs in Easton PA, has me take it in once a year for a check, they charge $100. For that fee they go over it and clean up any imperfections. I needed to replace my right front fender flare (dealer damaged it by accident) and they also put the ceramic on that for no extra charge. I don't think that's bad at all. I would do the correction, ceramic, and PPF IN A SECOND on any nice vehicle I get in the future. I'm not a guy who doesn't care about money, I think this is a reasonable value if you are an*l with your vehicles like I am.
 
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