Ceramic Coating my 2103 SHO

[SM105K]

If you are on the fence about ceramic coating your SHO, get off the fence. Spend the money, or if you are stupid like me....do it yourself.

I bought my SHO in May. Probably the second week I owned it, I completely paint corrected it by hand. It took me 16 hours. Complete wash, clay bar, compound, polish, and wax.

Over the past couple of months I have been buying power tools (polisher, buffer, ect) and dabbling more and more with detailing ect. Yesterday I decided to completely strip my SHO and ceramic coat her.

I will go through the steps and place the pictures in chronological order in the attachments.

First is how I learned how to do it......

I watched numerous videos...but I really like Pan the Organizer's videos series. NYC AMMO does a great job as well.

I used the products from CarPro. I used the QU.UK 3.0 for coating, CarPro Iron X to decon, CarPro Eraser for the surface, and then CarPro Reload to "top off" the ceramic coating. In this video he talks about the product. When I wash the car going foward I will wash it with CarPro Reset, then use the CarPro Reload everytime to top off the ceramic coating.

So..........here is how it went.

I washed it first with Meguiars Gold. After I dried it, I used the Car Pro Iron X. Just spray it on the car, let it dwell for 3 to 5 mins. This decontaminates the car and removes the iron and other crap. It turns maroon and you rinse it off.

Next was the clay bar. I actually used both bars. I couldn't believe how *****'d my paint was just in 5 months. I wash it pretty much every weekend. Also, use a clay bar on all of your glass too.

Another wash and dry, and then inspection. After my inspection, I decided to completely compound and polish the SHO again. That took the bulk of my time, and the most important step. Paint correction is paramount, because the ceramic coating will seal any defects in the paint. Do your best to fix it.

After compound and polish, I used Car Pro Eraser to prep the surface. This removes all of the residue from the compound and polish.

Then the ceramic coating went on. Pretty tedious but it is what it is. It wasn't hard. However, get all of the product off. If you get streaks, I just added another layer, and made sure you feathered it in. I would use a low count mirco fiber towel like Pan said. Ceramic Coating is safe on all the plastics, headlights, fog lights, and tail lights.

Next up, was the Reload for the final spray sealant, like I said it tops off the coat. Think a sacrificial coat for the main coat.

All in all it took me 10 hours, and even with power tools I am worn out. However, I think she looks great and I may put on a second coat. So, good luck. Let me know what you think.

 

[johnnyrauder]

ok so i was under the impresson you had to strip all the polish and wax off frist then apply
the coating and only the coating, my car was just claybared poished and waxed does that mean i can go ahead and apply the ceramic coating?

 

[SHOdded]

The wax has to be stripped completely before a coating can be applied. Dawn + Zep Orange 50/50 will do the trick, but you can ask your wax mfr if in doubt. Then IPA the panels before coating them, or use Eraser or some such product meant to prep surfaces for coating.

 

[johnnyrauder]

so theres no wax or polish on the car before the coating goes on?

 

[SM105K]

so theres no wax or polish on the car before the coating goes on?

No wax or polish. I used the Eraser to completely we remove a contaminates off the car's clear coat. It is still sitting in the garage because the CC takes 24 hours to cure. I also have a AJPTurbo "Race" E30 tune I am going to throw in her too....So ALL SHO, ALL GO?

 

[JohnBlueGT]

Lookin great. All that hard work and elbow grease will pay off come winter!

 

[SM105K]

Lookin great. All that hard work and elbow grease will pay off come winter!

Thank God we have mild winters here. After seeing yours I was pretty much sold.

 

[zuk1200]

If you are on the fence about ceramic coating your SHO, get off the fence. Spend the money, or if you are stupid like me....do it yourself.

SM105K I see that its almost been a year since you did your Ceramic Coating. Hows it holding up? Do you still feel as if its worth the money?

Having mine done this week. I think the price is awful high. But every thing I read about it seems to be positive. My SHO is also black. was there really a night and day difference when you were done or just maybe looking like a good wax job. Has it become easier to wash and maintain?

 

[SM105K]

It didnt hold up. About a month after I did it, it was wasted in a sandstorm driving to CA. Got home tried my best to fix it, and a month later it happened again. It did its job.

So when I got my trim pieces paint matched, I did another correction and stripped the ceramic coating completely off.

Now I use a product called The Last Coat and it does an amazing job as well. I only drive the car 10% of what I used to, so the paint protection is holdling very well.

I am not opposed to another another ceramic coating again, just next time I will have a professional prep and spray the car.

 

[Tim Teague]

I'm a big fan of the Optimum car care line. After I bought my MKS Ecoboost in June I did a complete detail with their products finishing with the Gloss Coat topped with Opti-Seal which is a maintenance sealant I use every wash. GC is super easy to apply and should last 2-3 years. I did the same thing to my 06 GTO that I lost in May to flood damage over a year before it was gone and the coating still looked/performed like day 1. Very impressed with the Optimum line, here are a few pics of the MKS.

 

[zuk1200]

It didnt hold up. About a month after I did it, it was wasted in a sandstorm driving to CA. Got home tried my best to fix it, and a month later it happened again. It did its job.

So when I got my trim pieces paint matched, I did another correction and stripped the ceramic coating completely off.

Now I use a product called The Last Coat and it does an amazing job as well. I only drive the car 10% of what I used to, so the paint protection is holdling very well.

I am not opposed to another another ceramic coating again, just next time I will have a professional prep and spray the car.

Thanks for your input SM105K mines in the shop now getting the lifetime treatment. They say about 3 to 4 days. I will post some before and after pics when I get her back.

I gathered a lot of info about ceramic coating off of a Corvette forum. ( dont have one or want one I like the sedans). But those guys are pretty meticulous about there looks and care. So they shared a lot of info.

 

[SM105K]

Thanks for your input SM105K mines in the shop now getting the lifetime treatment. They say about 3 to 4 days. I will post some before and after pics when I get her back.

I gathered a lot of info about ceramic coating off of a Corvette forum. ( dont have one or want one I like the sedans). But those guys are pretty meticulous about there looks and care. So they shared a lot of info.

I am very meticulous about my SHO, however I cannot justify spending the amount of money for a professional ceramic coating since the car only is only driven 4 to 5 thousand miles a year right now. I really don't need the ceramic protection like it did when she was on daily duty.

I am extremely happy with The Last Coat. So yeah.

 

[Sophie Taylor]

Wow, thank you for sharing. Very inspiring though, I don't paint my car by myself . I rather go to detailing shop to avoid some mistake in applying the products but now i think i should learn how to DIY it with my own hand .

 

[Tim Teague]

With ceramic coatings getting cheaper and easier to apply it makes sense to use one now. The protection they provide and the gorgeous look are well with the cost and effort. Plus they last a lot longer than traditional waxes and polishes so win win.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

 

[SM105K]

With ceramic coatings getting cheaper and easier to apply it makes sense to use one now. The protection they provide and the gorgeous look are well with the cost and effort. Plus they last a lot longer than traditional waxes and polishes so win win.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

100%. I learned a lot when I did it the first time. I will use that knowledge to really make it look amazing next time. I will strip my SHO down again and use Avalon King Ceramic Coating this next time. I have couple of things I need to take care of first...like adding the chin spoiler and @802SHO 's splitter.

 

[SM105K]

Pertaining to "The Last Coat". It is a great detailing product. However it does not protect against scratches like a Ceramic Coating does.