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Ceramic Pro Coating on a Prius w/ Pics + Recommended SoCal Detailer

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Violet, May 11, 2014.

  1. Violet

    Violet New Member

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    Hey Guys,

    So after perusing the forum for a while, I was trying to find the best way to car for my recently purchased Prius's paint. I knew I wouldn't have the time or space(I live in an apartment complex) to wax a car every xx months but being a DIY kind of girl, also didn't want to take it to be washed at an automated car wash or every the hand wash place down the street...So I decided, after some research, that a coating was a good option since it wouldn't require me to wax or seal the car routinely and I'd just have to worry about keeping it clean.

    I took my car to Envious Detailing after finding out about the shop on detailedimage.com. The owner of the shop writes for the website and so I trusted him to take care of my car. It was a good decision. My prius was pampered (washed, clay'd, polished, had her deep scratches/chips touched up, and then coated with ceramic pro.) The owner did an excellent job, went over my hood twice instead of once even though I paid for a one-step process (it had a lot more swirls than any other part of the car for some reason.), taught me a lot about car maintenance, and was very transparent and honest with me. He gave me a lot of personal attention and really cares about what he does. I'd trust my car with him again and recommend him. If you're in the SoCal area, here's his site -->enviousautodetailing.com

    The color of the paint was just so much richer and deeper after everything. It'd hard to describe, but the red just looks MORE red. I'm pretty happy with my decision to go with a coating vs wax/sealant given my lifestyle. It costs more upfront, but I figured since it'll last a few year and keep the paint looking good, it's worth it to me.

    Anyway, I'll let you guys know how the coating holds up. I'm waiting for some cleaning products to come in before I wash the car. He provided me with product recommendations and I'm excited. I'm going to maintain the car with Optimum No-Rinse since I do not have access to a hose.
     

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  2. Grren4ever

    Grren4ever Active Member

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    that red paint is glowing! Looks good :)

    I wax my silver prius once a season. The car barring is the hardest part but the new waxes these days are quite simple to use. I have never heard of a ceramic coat but i'm curious about iit since I worked as a detailer for Lexus in my college years. How much was it for the coating?

    Good luck.
     
  3. Violet

    Violet New Member

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    Thanks :D

    I really like the idea of spending the quality time with my car and waxing her regularly. If I had a garage I'd definitely do it, but I think it'll have to wait till I'm a homeowner to think about that =\

    It was $500 for everything, and the coating is expected to last 24-36 months.
     
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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    That's a very nice thing you did for your "new" car. But that red color is really easy to care for, just wash it when it gets dirty and you'll get that same shiny beautiful look again. I also haven't heard of a ceramic coating, but whatever it is, it sure makes the car look "new"
     
  5. dj2big

    dj2big Junior Member

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    Who beautiful looking car wish there was a place out here in Chicago like that


    iPhone ?
     
  6. Bingee

    Bingee Member

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    Beautiful results
     
  7. SAronian

    SAronian Active Member

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    They did a beautiful job, your car looks better than new. I have been reading about ceramic paint coatings and have been tempted to give one a try. Thanks for sharing I look forward to your future updates.
     
  8. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Ceramic Pro? I cannot say that I've been the biggest fan of their business practices.

    It's good to see that your detailer did a good job of explaining the prep process. Personally I would've gone with Opti-Coat Pro or CQuartz Finest, but both of those options would've been substantially more.
     
  9. Beachnut

    Beachnut Member

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    Very interesting. Great looking car! Love the RED! Do please update the forum with how it holds up! You will know if it is not doing its job if the water is not sheeting off, or beading up, i would think.

    I would suggest you find a "Touch-less" automated car wash to go through also. The one's with spinning brushes will scratch, where as the water jet, touch less system, is much better. For me, living where millions of people drive their vehicles on Pismo Beach and up into the sand dunes every year, those brush car washes are full of sand!!! They rarely ever change out the brushes, so the brush less wash is the only way to go around here! For around here, even the "hand wash" places use a brush automated system first, then "by hand with rags" workers to finish it off. It is STILL putting something ON the paint, (old rags, brushes, etc.), and seems to put those spider thread like swirl marks everywhere in the paint. The less you touch your paint, the better it will look, and last!

    Personally, I used the two bucket wash system, then used a leaf blower to "blow dry the car", then clay bared with Meguiars Quick detailer as a wetting agent, and used Meguiars Ultimate liquid wax to finish it off. Ultimate wax (which is not really a wax at all, but a synthetic sealer), is amazing stuff that does not put white wax residue on things you do not want it on. Then i just get "the works" touchless wash every so often, and the "wax" seems to last near a year! (At least it did on the Dodge Dart).
     
  10. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Opticoat 2.0 that I've been recommending for a while now and apply myself to all my new cars is a ceramic coating as well. I enjoy detailing and have been doing it since I was around 13-14 so being able to apply this one myself is a win/win.

    Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 Permanent Paint Coating
     
  11. My590L

    My590L Junior Member

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    I just found out about Opti Coat yesterday. It looks fairly easy to apply once you've prepped your paint. Is a clay bar enough to prep the paint in addition to the IPA wipe down?
     
  12. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Opti-Coat 2.0 has been discontinued in-favor of Optimum's new Glass-Coat. I have two tubes on order and have a car scheduled for this coating in a few weeks.

    If you are interested in doing it yourself, be advised that it is suggested that you remove the paint defects before applying a coating. This is because most paint coatings will not have a "filling" effect like most paint sealants and waxes do, so any pre-existing defects (i.e. swirls, marring) will still be visible after the coating has been installed.

    Most of the consumer-market coatings todays will be marketed for a two year lifespan. Examples of this include Optimum's new Glass-Coat, CarPro's CQuartz UK and C.A.R. Products' BulletProof.

    I've used all of those products except for Gloss-Coat, and the Bulletproof has the easiest application. My own 2011 has CQuartz UK on it, and I've been very happy with the dirt-shedding properties in comparison to 2.0. If you're looking for a easy-to-use product, I would use C.A.R. Bulletproof.

    If you plan to do this yourself and are OK with the paint defects that are already there, I would advise claying the car, followed by using Duragloss Squeaky Clean. This is a paint cleaner that will remove embedded dirt and any paint sealants or waxes that may be on the surface. A prep product by itself, such as IPA or CarPro Eraser, may not be adequate to remove strong sealants or oils from the surface. After Squeaky Clean, you can proceed with a 50% Isopropyl Alcohol solution to do a final wipedown, and then you can apply the coating.

    My applicator of choice is the CarPro Block with their suede applicator; I find this method to be much easier than the traditional yellow foam applicators.

    If you have any questions, please feel free to ask -- I've corrected and coated many cars.
     
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  13. Oskar

    Oskar Member

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    Never been a fan of red cars (or red guitars, for that matter), but have to say your car certainly has a wonderful deep tone to it. I'm sure the treatment helped immensely.

    I'd call it spiffy!!!
     
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  14. My590L

    My590L Junior Member

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    I ended up applying Optimum's Gloss Coat about three weeks ago. Washed the car for the first time last week since applying the GC. Water rolled off pretty good! After drying, I went over the front bumper and hood with some Opti-Seal. Will have to see what the water does over those two areas compared to the rest of the car when I wash next time. I want to see if this Opti-Seal acts as a booster. The nice thing about the Opti-Seal is that it doesn't have the flash issues and build-up you need to knock down like GC. The only down side is that its not suppose to last as long.

    The other part that I also spent some time on last week were the wheels. I ended up ordering a EZ Detail brush and some P21S gel wheel cleaner. I applied the wheel cleaner as directed and used the EZ detail brush inside the wheels and got the inside barrels to look squeaky clean! I highly recommend this combo for wheel cleaning.