Thoughts on Cerakote and other paint-sealants?

My Corolla looks pretty good after 16 years (engine issues, not body damage made me move to truck). But there is a product called "cerakote" that has TV ads, claiming to not damage but protect the paint.

I am not jumping to buy. But I do wonder, given Toyota warnings about care and feeding of these beasts, if any of you have tried such products and found benefit.

 

Im no pro. But I think the Cerakote most often refer to is a paint they produce that you apply and bake it to cure. Good for durability and medium heat applications.

They also sell a polymer spray stuff that is like rainx for your car. There are a million products out there for cleaning and keeping your car shiny. I havent heard this one being especially amazing. But in the 12 dollar a bottle range there are a lot of sales and dollars to be made, just need an infomercial and screaming guy to push it.

Try it out and let us know. A new truck looks pretty shiny on its own though if you just clean it every so often.

 

I have used their
Cerakote Ceramic Trim Coat Plastic Trim Restorer
I was extremely happy with it, I used it on half my truck and my wife’s car as a test, the other restorer (bla————) looked great but faded while Cerakote remains looking good after a year. I plan using their other products going forward for paint protection after I do a paint correction.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Greg-tacoma. With the cost of the truck I did not want to use (if I do use it) something that was reported as "catastrophic".

PS ... forgot/never-learned the other branch of forums. Otherwise I would have posted there.

 

I've always been a Zaino guy. On all my vehicles. VERY easy to apply, with or without sun.
Standard first process (I just did last weekend)
Wash with Dawn dishwashing soap, JUST THIS TIME.
Blow dry
Apply Z2 sealant, thinner is better. Like just a haze when you are done. No where near what one would see with a wax application.
Did the tires with 303 (different product) and windows with RainX.
Wipe down the paint with a soft cloth.
Stand back and see the shine.
This all took less than 2 hours.

Z2 gets better with layers. This weekend the plan is to wash (now with Zaino shampoo) and then apply another Z2. Wipe down, and finish with the Z8 gloss enhancer. Moving forward, after wash I spray/wipe with Z8 for 6-9 months, before applying Z2 again.

 

Thanks for the Zaino advice. I would ask if AZ-class sun is particularly destructive to it, but I am sure that at some time in the distant past spent more than 5 hours in the AZ summer sum.

 

I'm impressed with the Cerakote headlight restore kit. So I'm getting ready to try the Trim kit. Hoping it works as well and lasts as long as the GTechnique C4 I've been using with success, because it's much lower cost.

On the recommendation of @Too Stroked here, I've been using Jescar Power Lock +

It has held up really well, and is easy to apply/remove. Like any other wax or sealant the paint needs to be nice and clean before applying for best results. You don't want to seal in dirt.

I use Nanoskin autoscrub fine sponge instead of clay to do the basic cleaning, polish if needed, then the Jescar.

Just did a friends brand new Corolla. We did do the Nanoskin sponge, but went straight to the Jescar after that. Great results.

I'm also a fan of Klasse AIO. Works good everywhere, but I really like it for the door jambs, and other hidden places that need a bit of cleaning along with protection. And since those spots aren't too weather exposed it lasts a long time, making it easy to wipe the jambs clean.

I gave up on using 303 on anything. It's popular but I find it lacking in many ways. Tires I now just keep clean with soap and water. No treatment. Interior bits get Klasse vinyl/rubber/leather protectant. Vinyl tonneau gets Ragtop cleaner and protectant (little too much square footage there for Klasse for my budget)

 

Done application of ceracote on my Tacosha 2 years ago(!). Still nice BLACK shiny finish (at least 90 car washes). So happy, plan to coat plastics on wife's Mazda CX3.
Can recommend, for sure!

 

That's great stuff. Easy to apply, and lasts a REALLY long time. It's an actual coating, not a dressing, so it doesn't wash off.