First taco, first ceramic coating, so far so good.

Picked up my first Tacoma a couple weeks back. Immediately did a light polish to remove the dealership swirls and used the Crystal Serum Light ceramic coating from gtechniq. I had never used ceramic before and it was easy as could be. I kept it in the garage for 36 hours (12 was recommended) for curing. I also used their wheel armour coating which was equally easy to use. Truck saw some rain a few days later. I'll keep report back down the road to let you guys know how this one is holding up.

 

After the rain:

 

Nice...

 

What was the application like?

 

This video shows how to apply. 95% of the work is in the prep. Wash, clay, polish, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dZX4Ujdr8

 

Yep, have ceramic coated my Tacoma's since my 15. Worth it.

 

Any tips that I should know?

 

Just make sure you are avoiding automated car washes including the touchless as the soap will degrade the coating. I also keep a bottle of quick detailer around for bird poop, etc. other than that in the AZ sun, its done great. I've used Ceramic Pro 9H followed up with Light which has held up well a year or two in with the annual check-up and application of their Sport product. I two bucket wash with PH neutral soap, etc. Heard great things about Gtechniq as well. Good choice!

 

Reload is another good product to use after applying the ceramic coating.

 

Find a good PH balanced soap for home use. Plenty of choices out there.
I like to use a good hydrophobic high gloss detail spray after every hand wash at at home also.
Pressure washer and foam cannon for in between deep cleans.

 

Nice bead

 

I was actually thinking of getting this done on my 2019 O/R. Would you recommend getting it done professionally or doing it myself? I called around a few places and they charge upwards of $1,000 to apply and require yearly check-ups etc. I'm local to SD too

 

If you wash and wax your truck yourself all the time you may as well just go for a DIY coating and do it once a year.

 

Don't forget about the up keeping costs, (which depending on where you're at) can be costly. If you have a $1000 burning a hole in your pocket, then invest in to a full front clear bra and polish the rest of the truck once a year with

$22 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845 and call it a day, IMO.

 

Unfortunately can't wash my truck at the apartment complex I live at. So any washing/waxing needs to be done elsewhere. I usually take it once or twice a month to a hand carwash.

Yea, they told me that once a year they recommend doing a clay-bar on the truck to keep the ceramic lasting longer. I'm just wondering if I should look into applying it myself and maybe just taking it once a year to get clay-barred. The clear-bra sounds nice too, for the whole frontside of the vehicle they're charging $1680. I would have to still worry about the rest of the vehicle's paint though.

 

That's probably the worst advise they could've given you. You definitely don't want to clay bar ceramic coating. The ceramic coating doesn't really protect the paint against deep scratches, stone chips, swirls, etc... The only major benefit is not cleaning your vehicle often. These coats do scratch and wear out and need to be corrected and/or reapplied on annual or by-annual basis (depending how harsh your winters are). To me this is more of a"feel good" product and more trouble to keep it up rather than just wax and seal it once or twice a year.
Good read here: https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/maintain-your-coated-car-like-a-pro/

 

Yea that's how I've been feeling about it lately, not entirely sure if it's worth it to have it done. We don't really have "winter" here in San Diego, so I'm not really worried about it. I was thinking of possibly doing the clear bra (to protect from chips/scratches to the hood/bumper) and wax/seal it yearly. What I am worried about is ocean air affecting my paint since I live about a mile from the beach.

 

$22 Collinite 845 Insulator Wax-Easy to Use Carnauba+Polymer Wax Sealant-High Gloss Shine+Durable Hydrophobic Beading & Long Lasting Paint Protection for Cars/Boats/Trucks/RVs & Motorcycles (16 fl oz)

Collinite 845 doesn’t even begin to compare to a coating. Don’t get me wrong I like Collinite but you are going to need more than a once a year application.

 

Right, apples to oranges, but I'd rather be able to apply it myself than take it to a professional for correction/reapplication every time I get a swirls or a scratches ($$$). BTW; I do Collinite once a year and a spray on wax every wash. My paints are as smooth as a baby's butt

 

But Collonite 845 is just a wax and thus has no correction ability. I too love (or maybe used to love) the look it provides, but only as an LSP after proper cleaning and correction. That said, it doesn't last very long at all. I think your "spray on wax after every wash" is what's giving you the impression that the 845 lasts so long.