Ceramic coating discussion and B.S

I used some Color N Drive Ceramic coating on my baby girl. It looks great but man did I need to be ready with the damp cloth/ microfibre towel afterwards. Will see how it hold up over the years but right now she beads up real well. I also applied to all windows and moon roof. This is VERY daunting task between decontaminating wash, clay bar, polish and application of the ceramic coating. In any case, I LOVE the look and shine of her now!

 

Looks great!

I'm thinking of doing the same thing to my bumper after I get a winch mount bumper.

 

lol, now ya all made me look at urban dictionary. It would save on KY

 

I have full paint correction and ceramic coat plus fully Suntex wrapped my 19 Z06 when I bought it. I plan on having the front of my 17 Pro wrapped down the road. I don’t have many miles on it and I don’t drive it a lot so I have time to have it done. I think it is a good idea to have just the front of the 4Runner done since the paint chips easy.

 

Agreed. I am a very light driver with my T4R and had several rock chips on the hood. Really annoying.

 

Yeah,
It sucks how easy the paint chips. But I can live with it.

 

The AVS bug deflector II is great for protecting the hood.

 

The bug deflector II is priced fairly. I think they're like $40-60. I don't like the low profile ones that make contact with the hood (or have rubber spacer "bumpers").

The Bug Deflector II is still really low profile. From the driver's seat I can barely see it on the L and R sides and I think it's not even visible across most of the center two thirds of the hood width.

It's just high enough to protect the entire hood. I can check again tomorrow. There's just enough room under it to get one finger in there with a drying towel when you wash. No contact with paint. I think it attaches with 4 or 6 screws into factory holes on the underside of the hood. Screws come with the deflector.

 

How does it handle in a car wash? Dealer tossed in the Toyota bug guard and I took it off, it's flimsy as heck .I thought they did not tighten the brackets but they were fine, they just swivel back and forth rubbing into the hood. The mylar will only last so long

 

The AVS Bug Deflector II is great. And it's like $60 if I recall correctly.

 

How does it hold up in a car wash. I've searched for days now and can't find an answer.

 

I had one on a Tacoma for 10 years and now on my 4runner for a year and no problems at all with touchless car washes. I've probably been through 100+ washes over the years. It attaches to the Tacoma and T4R exactly the same way.

It's very solidly attached to the T4R. The "wash" cycle is totally 100% fine. No need to worry there.

And going through the dryer... to be honest you could probably sit right under it for 5 minutes and be just fine. It'll jiggle, but it's not gonna harm the deflector.

Those fans do blow hard, so when I start to see the bug deflector jiggle a little I just give it a little gas to go a little faster through that 6" to get past the deflector. Just to play it safe.

Honestly, not much to worry about. I even think it would go through a soft touch car wash just fine.

 

I'll add this-- my buddy has the OEM Toyota one and the AVS one is far superior. The OEM one is flimsy and floppy. The AVS is not.

 

Thanks, I picked up weathertech today as it's by the house. I've got a 20 buck a month unlimited washes. Drove it thru today with no issue. Like the AVS, much stronger than oem.

 

Yeah I bet the weathertech would be just fine too. Crazy to me that the OEM one is as inferior as it is.

 

Okay,
Had first test of the properties of the film & coating combo.
My wife left Tennessee @ 8AM to drive through some of the most flooded areas of the year. She said when she got home that she couldn't see out the windshield and she was afraid of it just smearing.
All I used was a "bullseye" nozzle attached to the silcock in the garage.
No pressure washer.
Watered it down, then went corner to corner.
1000% increase with a hose.
For the record I found one tear in the Xpel and it appears a rock struck the front lower valance. No paint damage, only a tear in wrap.
Pics were taken Wednesday night upon her return. I didn't let them dry! Lol
Sorry for the quality.
After a good wash tomorrow, I will show tear.
Final is clearly after... mobile!
Final is after only a rinse.

P.S. We will have to take the truck back to get some wrap fixed.
He did say it was only his 2nd 5th gen T4R.
Nothing horrible, but for the price I cannot settle!
I need to start a build thread & the truck needs a name. Any suggestions? TIA

 

Finally found the box! Planning on doing the roof soon in anticipation of installing the LFD rack.

 

Nice! I'm thinking of using a DIY product as well, since I can't justify spending a ton and then wrecking it with trail rash.

I might even just do the roof, as I tend to neglect it.

The rest of the truck might just get waxed regularly. And, by regularly, I mean every few months. I used some turtle wax ice in May and it still beads up nicely.

 

I got this done the same day I drove it off the lot . it took the company 3 days to do and cost me $800.00 and you know what "ITS A RIPOFF" cars is suppose to have a 6 year no questions asked on the coating and the company that applied it is already out of business after 1 year. I took it to another guy who does it and he tested they work and said it looked like they only put 1 coat on when there should have been 3. it does keep things from sticking to the paint and washing is easier. the company that manufactures the product they used wont return calls either

 

Thanks for your review.
Did you get a clear wrap or just ceramic coating? Not that one is superior...
What brand did you get?
We paid $800 for full front clip done in Xpel. Just for reference...
Thanks again!

 

Real world examples of ceramic coating, granted not my 4runner yet. Prep is key. These take about 20 hours to do right. I'll post the runner when it's done.

 

Those are some beautiful cars!

 

Thanks! They certainly don't have the reliability and off-road chops of my TR4, but they'll do.

I have actually taken the Porsche field camping and driven down a few gravel roads in a spritely manner... the coatings help.

 

I have a question for you guys:
Options A: Shop does everything listed below starting at $525
Full 5 Step Paint Care Service:

1. Solvent cleaner to remove: tar and grime from lower body.
2. Clay bar to remove: road grime and tar from all body panel areas.
3. Menzerna Line compounding paint correction system to remove: light scratches, scuff marks and light oxidation.
4. Menzerma Line super finish polish high gloss swirl remover for gloss and depth, and nourishes your paint for a show car shine.
5. Ceramic PRO sport paint protection: hydrophobic effect, avoid water spots, high gloss and durability for 6-12 months. Comes with a 6 month warranty

Option B: Shops does everything below then I take truck home and put the ceramic coating on myself, $250 from shop plus $60 for 9H Ceramic Coating
Exterior:

• Complete wash and hand dry
• 3 step paint care: claying, buffing, polishing
• All trim, tires and rims are thoroughly cleaned and dressed
• Window cleaning

Its about 25 miles from the shop to my house

 

Let’s see some more freshness!

 

Installed a clear bra a few days ago on my new OR and a couple of layers of Mothers CMX my clear bra installer recommended. Fully covered the front end, headlights, fog lights, back past the sweep of the front end. Hood to start of scoop and the hood scoop itself. Also painted upper of mirrors. Have had clear bras and film on my van and cars, motos for 20 years. Made sure to schedule it on day 1. This vehicle has a pretty busy front end but luckily my installer has been doing them for 20 years.

 

Cquartz UK 3.0 3 coatings myself.

 

Looks really good!

 

Looks good!! I’m having the same guy that did my 19 Z06 do my 2020 AG in May. Paint correction and ceramic coat.