At home ceramic coat

[bfk4lyfe]

Does any one have experience with different brands of diy/at home ceramic coats? All the youtube and google results just end up at the same place, with each guy just recommending his own like its some reinvention of the wheel.

I'm sure realistically they're all the same with a different label, or produce the same results, but looking for any insight possible.

[WytLytnyn]

I did decon wash and just applied 303 Graphene Coating in the garage with those cheap blue applicators. Got the cheapest microfiber towels to knock it down and then tossed them.

[spazzz]

I like CarPro CQuartz UK3 because I don't have to freak out racing to get it off. I stick SIC on top of 2 coats of UK.

Gyeon Mohs Evo goes on thick and gets the droplet look when flashing. Not a fan. It took a whole 50ml bottle practically to do a 2013 640i

Optimum Gloss coat was my first coating which is good and super easy to work with. I don't like the syringe content approach.

I have tried ArtDeShine Graphene on my sons car and it takes a good beating. Super easy to work with.

It really is all about the prep.(polishing)..Getting the road film off the paint is very important.
If the car isn't squeaky clean before you coat it, you will have a tough time applying and removing.

So yeah, I am a CarPro fanboy. Functional coating, easy to use and plenty of products that don't break the bank to support the maintenance.

[John in VA]

The Adams Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced kit was easy to use.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by bfk4lyfe

Does any one have experience with different brands of diy/at home ceramic coats?

Yes.
I've been paint-correcting and ceramic/graphene coating all of my cars for the last 5+ years. Usually, 3-4 cars in the home fleet at a time. Here are my observations based on personal experience with all of the products listed below over the past 2-3 years:
• Adams Ceramic original formula. Was a PITA to level, but had been going strong for ~1.5 years. This summer I could no longer "rejuvenate it", so I "topped" it with Adams Graphene Boost spray product.
• Adams Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced. Was easier to apply, but did not last as long. 1 year later, it was dead.
• Gyeon's Mohs Evo. Easiest to apply, still going 1 year later.
• McKees 37 Graphene Max. Easy to apply, and it sheets water off more than it beads -> WAY fewer water spots!

With all of the above, cars looked fantastic after application.
Water spotting has been an annoyance with all of the above, but less so with McKees 37, unless you run out to blow the water off the surfaces with a leaf blower after each and every rain event.

Every Ceramic SPRAY product I've tried is (obviously) way easier to apply, but lasted at most 2-6 months. For me, Ceramic Spraying == carnuba waxing, in terms of longevity.

Originally Posted by bfk4lyfe

All the youtube and google results just end up at the same place, with each guy just recommending his own like its some reinvention of the wheel.

This is true - very few social media reviewers disclose what they are getting in return for pushing a particular product. In the car care world, I can't think of any. Mostly - the reviews are infomercials!

Originally Posted by bfk4lyfe

I'm sure realistically they're all the same with a different label, or produce the same results, but looking for any insight possible.

You are not wrong, but there are a few total busts and a few "above average" products.
NONE of them live up to the manufacturers claims of 3+, 5+, or 8+ years of protection and longevity. But a few last longer than the others.
For me, 1.5-2 years has been the max on the cars that are driven year around.

HTH,
a

P.S.: The above applies to paint ceramic coating only. Glass is another subject altogether, and I am yet to find anything that lasts longer than 6 months in real world!
P.P.S.: Here is way more info on way more products, but beware that the author running the "study" take money from the product manufacturers used in the experiment:

[sprmario]

I just did a Clean by Pan 8 year coating application at home this weekend on my M3. It was a very easy install. Very forgiving and had no issues with high spots or difficulty leveling the coating.

The only issue was that the liquid is somewhat thick and is a little difficult to get out of the bottle and onto the applicator pad. Attached are a couple of pics post coating. Oh and it is pricey. Got it for $120 with 20% off which is still expensive, but considering the price of the vehicle it is fine.

My car sits in the driveway and I liked the fact that it has a quick curing period. It isn’t expected to rain here in Miami all week.

I based my decision largely on the review by Dimitri which has it rated as his best coating. His reviews are quite detailed and he uses objective testing vs subjective ratings.

https://dmitrysgarage.com/best-ceramic-coatings-2025

[AnotherBrokeCFI]

It's very DIY-able. The process looks kind of daunting at first, I'm sure you've seen some youtube videos, but it's really not all that bad if you enjoy working on your car. I did both my current G42 M240 and my previous F30 340 by myself. Both turned out phenomenal. My buddy really liked the coating on my car and how hydrophbic and easy to dry it was when we washed our cars together, so I helped coat his GR86 as well. Sorry for the bad pictures, I do suck at taking them.

I used the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL), they have a Ultra version of it called Crystal Serum Ultra, but you can't buy that directly as they only sell it to qualified detailers. The CSL is the DIY version, and Gtechniq claims it achieves 90% of the protection that the CSU does, but it's way easier to apply and designed for DIYers. Gtechniq claims it can last up to 5 years, which is true if the car is garage kept; outdoors though, I would expect 3 years, which is typical for a DIY ceramic coating.

https://gtechniq.com/shop/auto/ceram...l-serum-light/

3 biggest things I've noticed:
1. It definitely make my car "glow" a little bit more and the paint is very, very slick to the touch.
2. Car stays cleaner for longer, beads rain very well.
3. Washing my car takes way less time, as the drying processes is significantly sped up with how easy the water beads off the paint as I'm blowing it with my leaf-blower.

Keep in mind it's not a magical serum, it's not going to make your car scratch proof, it does little to nothing to prevent scratches. It's more for water beading, UV protection, ease of washing, and an extra glow.

I would stay away from the spray-on "ceramic coatings" as a standalone coating. Those aren't truly a coating nor do they last longer than a week maximum. For example there's the Adam's "graphene" spray, not to dog on the product but it's hot garbage as a standalone coating, but instead - it's a very nice quick detailer to give your car a temporary gloss for a few days. I like to use it as a drying aid sometimes. Here's a pretty good YouTube video that Project Farm did on these - He does also include a few traditional wipe-on ceramic coatings as well:

(Spoilers, the GTechniq blows everything out of the water I found the GTechniq CSL product myself a couple of years ago before this video, but I'm glad Project Farm reinforced my choice, haha.)

Find a day where you can spend ~6-8 hours in the garage. Completely wash your car, dry it off and make sure it's crisp clean. Buff out any imperfections/scratches/swirls (Highly recommend a DA polisher for this, will make your life much easier - Griot's sells a very good one for DIYers.). Then apply your coating. Here's a pretty in-depth video on the whole thing

[Pathy01]

I’m a big fan of Gyeon for DIY. I’ve put MOHS EVO on 2 cars and the application was super easy along with excellent gloss and is very hydrophobic. It gave all the benefits others have mentioned and durability seems very good. It definitely is hard to gauge by many YouTubers who seem to have a gentlemen’s agreement to help promote each others products. That being said there are some that do seem truly unbiased and the Clean by Pan 8 year has been pretty universally praised that it’s what I would currently purchase next. The fact that it’s one product for all surfaces and application is super simple makes it very appealing. Durability tests I’ve seen so far also look great so I’m confident it’s a quality product.

It’s also true here as with so many things, the prep you do is the biggest contrite end results. Doing a thorough wash, decontamination and polish to get your paint super clean and smooth will improve the results more than any of the quality products over another one. Apply the coating is very fast and easy, it’s the prep that will be several hours and that’s what you’re mainly paying for with a professional application.

[bfk4lyfe]

Thanks for the info everyone.

The youtube shills and black friday sales got me, I'm going to try this Clean 8 year. While I don't expect it to last 8 years, I'm sure it'll do pretty well since I plan to maintain it properly, at least better than what I'm used to.

I took an over 10 yr break from the car scene/detailing when I bought my truck and had kids. I didn't even know what ceramic was and had to relearn all this "new" stuff. When I hit pause, you still had to wax your car every month and that's just the way it was.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by AnotherBrokeCFI

I would stay away from the spray-on "ceramic coatings" as a standalone coating. Those aren't truly a coating nor do they last longer than a week maximum. For example there's the Adam's "graphene" spray, not to dog on the product but it's hot garbage as a standalone coating, but instead - it's a very nice quick detailer to give your car a temporary gloss for a few days. I like to use it as a drying aid sometimes.

Agreed, basically. The one you mentioned is indeed just a detail spray. Their other sprays with an actual decent % of the magic stuff are much better. Their "Advanced" spray however has been on my wife's car for 7-8 months and it still beads water. But it's just a diluted version of what come sin the small bottles, doesn't last as long but is easier to apply. There's a real correlation there of course.

Not really disagreeing with you, just saying not all sprays are created equal. Effectiveness = percentage of what's in it.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Agreed, basically. The one you mentioned is indeed just a detail spray. Their other sprays with an actual decent % of the magic stuff are much better. Their "Advanced" spray however has been on my wife's car for 7-8 months and it still beads water. But it's just a diluted version of what come sin the small bottles, doesn't last as long but is easier to apply. There's a real correlation there of course.

Not really disagreeing with you, just saying not all sprays are created equal. Effectiveness = percentage of what's in it.

It's a lot more complicated than that.
First of all, spray coatings are designed for mist->wipe application process. Therefore, they are all water-based. With zero to minimal prep of the paint surface, this thin layer of silica-based polysiloxanes adheres to whatever oils and residue was left on car's paint. Regardless of what % of chemical content is in water-based spray product, it rarely gets to bond to clean paint layer. It still looks good when applied, just doesn't have a chance of lasting longer than wax (same general limitations).

Wipe-on ceramic coatings carry not only more concentrated chemicals, but also come diluted in solvents that evaporate to leave a layer of liquid polymer with silicon dioxide (and other additives, resins, etc) on paint's surface. Which is why it needs to be leveled with a 2nd pass after the solvents evaporate. When applied, it forms a hard 1-2 mil thick protective layer that chemically bonds to the vehicle's paint.

Two totally different chemical delivery processes.

What you are also paying for (in $$$$ or hours of DIY) with ceramic coating application is the paint prep so that the chemicals soak into the clearcoat for maximum adhesion, durability, and glossiness.

The major downsides to proper ceramic coatings in-a-bottle are higher costs, more investment into prep, and limited lifespan once you crank bottle open. Air gets in and the mixture starts to cure within 1-6 months of opening (depending on formulation).


HTH,
a

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Therefore, they are all water-based.

I don't think we're talking the same subject. The Adam's "Advanced" graphene spray coating I am referring to is not water based. It's like a diluted version of the small bottles which you referred to as a wipe-on.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...f?v=1638302806

It's been on my wife's car all spring, summer and fall and the last I washed it 2 weekends ago it beaded like crazy. I planned to put on a 2nd layer before winter but am going to instead see just how long it really lasts.

You're talking different products. I agree there are many water based products that aren't very effective.

[tcphoto]

I had paint work done nearly two years ago and I wanted to protect it, I got into detailing my car over the pandemic and knew what it involved. It's all about preparation, wash, clay bar, compound, polish and ceramic coat. I bought new wheels and used Cerakote products before so I used their product on the wheels and paint. I posted a picture after coating and then more than a year later after a rain, the beading looked good to me. Next time, I'll probably try a Gyeon product.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

It's all about preparation, wash, clay bar, compound, polish and ceramic coat.

Right and with no experience in machine polishing, I'd rather pay an experienced shop to paint correct my car, after which point I might as well let them apply the ceramic coat. But paying $1600 ($1800 for 2 step) for paint correction and 5 year coating seems excessive (to me) especially for a not-so special car (2025 G26).

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Right and with no experience in machine polishing, I'd rather pay an experienced shop to paint correct my car, after which point I might as well let them apply the ceramic coat. But paying $1600 ($1800 for 2 step) for paint correction and 5 year coating seems excessive (to me) especially for a not-so special car (2025 G26).

I totally get it. but if you're curious to try it, it's not so bad. A polisher doesn't have to be expensive for a DIY-er, and you can get compounds that are such they'd be difficult to damage the car with. Of course anything can be botched but you can make some improvements without being too nervous about it. A couple hours total and it won't be perfect but it'll be better than 95% of the cars out there.

For the coatings the spray that I mentioned has been on one of our cars for more than half a year and is going strong. It's easy enough to put on that doing it once or twice a year isn't a tough job. It is an actual coating, and needs care to apply, but it's quite doable. It sprays on an applicator, gets wiped over an area, you delay about 30 - 60 seconds and then you start wiping it off being sure to keep using new sections of multiple microfiber towels.

If you want a showroom shine, yeah, do the whole thing and do it right. But, if (as in the case of my 10 year old X3) you want it to look good from say 5' away and be much easier to wash, then you can totally DIY it.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Right and with no experience in machine polishing, I'd rather pay an experienced shop to paint correct my car, after which point I might as well let them apply the ceramic coat.

This is an age-old DIY question - pay someone to do something on your car, or learn how to do it yourself. Each person comes up with their own unique answer to this dilemma.
For what it's worth: most labor-centric maintenance projects on our cars (oil / spark plug / air filter / brake pad changes) and paint care activities have a fairly easy learning curve. It all comes down to the question of whether or not a person enjoys performing those activities, or not.

Polishing paint and applying ceramic coats are brain-dead simple activities.
Which can be a lot of fun, if you are into it. Or a PITA, if you are not!

Originally Posted by jkoral

But paying $1600 ($1800 for 2 step) for paint correction and 5 year coating seems excessive (to me) especially for a not-so special car (2025 G26).

Agree on the conclusion.
In the end - it is all about sprucing up car's appearance. Many folks never bother, and take their bimmers through automated car washes. No big deal. To each his own.

Paying someone to apply "5-year" coating that will only last 1-2 years at most, unless you spend another $1K in "topping" and "maintaining", can be rough.
Same conclusion applies to PPF-ing your car, especially considering the much higher $8-10K cost of full PFF.

Objectively - no bimmer is worth $1.6K-$10K to spruce up the appearance.
Subjectively - do what makes you happy!


IMHO,
a

[tcphoto]

I enjoy DIY projects and love saving money, the VCG saved me about $1K and simply required a little patience to complete. The basic detailing kit cost me about $250 and it's saved me about $2500 including maybe two or three detailings and ceramic coating. For me, it's been worth learning and enhances the pride I take in my car. As they say, to each his own.

[TboneS54]

+1 for Gyeon. I use Pure Evo.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I totally get it. but if you're curious to try it, it's not so bad. A polisher doesn't have to be expensive for a DIY-er, and you can get compounds that are such they'd be difficult to damage the car with.

Originally Posted by afadeev

This is an age-old DIY question - pay someone to do something on your car, or learn how to do it yourself.
Polishing paint and applying ceramic coats are brain-dead simple activities.
Which can be a lot of fun, if you are into it.

Sorry for threadjack, but just ordered a Griots G8 and G9 orbital, as well as other requisite materials to do it myself.

Long time weekend detailer, OCD/anal, idea of spending 5-8 hours on the car is pleasure time. Slow to change products -- used to be Zymol for 20 years, then switched to nextzett, but always by hand and never bothered to machine polish or try ceramic coatings.

[bfk4lyfe]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Sorry for threadjack, but just ordered a Griots G8 and G9 orbital, as well as other requisite materials to do it myself.

Long time weekend detailer, OCD/anal, idea of spending 5-8 hours on the car is pleasure time. Slow to change products -- used to be Zymol for 20 years, then switched to nextzett, but always by hand and never bothered to machine polish or try ceramic coatings.

Polishing by hand takes some dedication.

[spazzz]

The only coating I have not been able to use(so far) until the bottle was empty is CQuartz Lite original. It turned to jelly after 6 or 8 months.

I have had bottles for 2+ years. They may have crystals under the cap but I just wipe those away. I usually end up using the older stuff on wheels.

[Dagstar]

I used Gtechniq CSL over my wrap. It was easy to apply. Now the car stays cleaner longer, is easier to clean, and the black specks I sometimes get on the back that used to be a pain to wipe off come off no problem. I have about 1/3 of the 30mL bottle left which I'll probably use on my summer wheels while they're hibernating.