my first ceramic coating job..

[koatic]

I purchased the Adams Ceramic Advanced kit, Adams Iron remover, Adams fine clay bar and Adams detail spray, Armour-All foam cannon and Polishing compound. Spent about 250 on all the supplies and product with about 10 hours labor VS paying 1499 at the shop.
this is the process I used on my ITS with 1200 miles on it.
1st day - 6 hours
I began a foam cannon wash (after using it I do NOT recommend the $50 Armour-all foam cannon) and then straight on to the iron decon.. There was very little iron fallout. Another good pressure wash rinse.
Then proceeded to use the clay bar with detail spray as lube. Again, very little contaminates as I refold it every 2x2.
I figured the dealership had probably done a wash/wax before I took delivery, so I went ahead and did a complete random orbital machine polish to strip any remaining wax off.
2nd day - 4 hours
Used Adams surface prep on the entire vehicle and then began the Ceramic coating process working in small sections.
I ended up using only about half a 60mil bottle. The oil slick look to determine flashing time was near impossible to see on ABP color but was able to see tiny bubbling and determined flashing time indoors at 68 degrees was about 5 minutes. Alot of the time taken to do the ceramic coating was waiting for it to flash as I did not want to get ahead of myself and not get the leveling done at the correct time. Waiting on each section I prevented high spots which would have taken long to fix.
I did not do the windows as the Adams glass ceramic I ordered had not arrived so I will do the windows when it arrives.
Despite it being labor intensive, I think it turned out well, and glad I was able to save about 1200 bucks.. (of course I already spent more than the 1200 on the TSP downpipe and PRL front pipe.)

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[Fanatic]

Thank you for sharing.

 

[creaturemachine]

Wow you went all in.

More people should try a DIY ceramic especially on new paint. No more difficult than waxing, just takes longer.

 

[lauren01]

Hat tip to you for doing a great job.

I did a similar “purification ritual” and ceramic coating application when I got my 6MT. Used Armor Shield IX. Just did one coat and it is still holding up everywhere except the roof. I did my ceramic job in July 2022, right after I got my car. Just waiting for the right weekend to takeoff the old and then put on a fresh double coat this time. It’s a shit ton of backbreaking work, but so satisfying. My sore back heals faster than my wallet would have.

The other thing I did when I got my car was put on Colour Lock Alcantara protection on the seats. Two weeks ago, a tiny Chihuahua whose owner was chasing it jumped into my car with its muddy little feet and walked across my white seat! It was the driver seat, the armrest, and the passenger seat and front only. The dirty prints were black and brown sand and dirt. I grabbed a clean microfiber rag that I had in my drivers door and dusted off the stuff pretty easily. Then I got another clean rag, dampened it and re-wiped the rest of the dirty stuff off. The seats and armrest were A-OK. Can’t tell the dog was invading my car. I will schedule myself to do another cleaning with the Colour Lock brush and cleaning solution, then apply the protectant in the near future. I got my kit on Amazon. The Armor Shield came directly from them.

 

[koatic]

Hat tip to you for doing a great job.

I did a similar “purification ritual” and ceramic coating application when I got my 6MT. Used Armor Shield IX. Just did one coat and it is still holding up everywhere except the roof. I did my ceramic job in July 2022, right after I got my car. Just waiting for the right weekend to takeoff the old and then put on a fresh double coat this time. It’s a shit ton of backbreaking work, but so satisfying. My sore back heals faster than my wallet would have.

The other thing I did when I got my car was put on Colour Lock Alcantara protection on the seats. Two weeks ago, a tiny Chihuahua whose owner was chasing it jumped into my car with its muddy little feet and walked across my white seat! It was the driver seat, the armrest, and the passenger seat and front only. The dirty prints were black and brown sand and dirt. I grabbed a clean microfiber rag that I had in my drivers door and dusted off the stuff pretty easily. Then I got another clean rag, dampened it and re-wiped the rest of the dirty stuff off. The seats and armrest were A-OK. Can’t tell the dog was invading my car. I will schedule myself to do another cleaning with the Colour Lock brush and cleaning solution, then apply the protectant in the near future. I got my kit on Amazon. The Armor Shield came directly from them.

From what I understand (I am NOT a professional detailer) is that if you are re-adding product that has same base you can put it directly over the old coating. No need to try and remove old coating first unless you are using a different product with different base. Might lessen your load on the re-coat.

I did all my interior orchid white leather with Adams leather ceramic coating, and it has already paid off with an accident my daughter had. simple wipe up in the back seat. I do NOT have any protectant on the Alcantara yet so thanks for the heads up on that.

 

[JC-RH]

Hat tip to you for doing a great job.

I did a similar “purification ritual” and ceramic coating application when I got my 6MT. Used Armor Shield IX. Just did one coat and it is still holding up everywhere except the roof. I did my ceramic job in July 2022, right after I got my car. Just waiting for the right weekend to takeoff the old and then put on a fresh double coat this time. It’s a shit ton of backbreaking work, but so satisfying. My sore back heals faster than my wallet would have.

The other thing I did when I got my car was put on Colour Lock Alcantara protection on the seats. Two weeks ago, a tiny Chihuahua whose owner was chasing it jumped into my car with its muddy little feet and walked across my white seat! It was the driver seat, the armrest, and the passenger seat and front only. The dirty prints were black and brown sand and dirt. I grabbed a clean microfiber rag that I had in my drivers door and dusted off the stuff pretty easily. Then I got another clean rag, dampened it and re-wiped the rest of the dirty stuff off. The seats and armrest were A-OK. Can’t tell the dog was invading my car. I will schedule myself to do another cleaning with the Colour Lock brush and cleaning solution, then apply the protectant in the near future. I got my kit on Amazon. The Armor Shield came directly from them.

Here’s a little feedback since I was in a somewhat situation. I applied Armor Shield X to my car in July 2022. It’s garage kept, and I had about 7k miles on it when I replaced it last month with Adam’s Graphene Ceramic Coating. There really weren’t any failure/clogged points, but I had half a bottle of Adam’s that I needed to use sooner than later. They claim it’s good for 2yrs, so I just went for it a little prematurely.

I went through the whole prep process all over again, and laid down the new stuff. If you thought Armor Shield was good, you’ll love Adam’s. The beading and slickness is phenomenal. Stuff just flies off as you’re driving or using a blower to dry after a wash.

They make the standard graphene shield that’s good for 7 years, or the Advanced stuff that’s good for 9 years. I went with the 7 years bc it’s a bit cheaper and easier to apply, and I figured I’d consider selling the car before another application is needed. I’m also going to start using their Graphene Shampoo.

Be on the lookout for any Black Friday specials.

 

[koatic]

Be on the lookout for any Black Friday specials.

I wish I thought of that before I ordered all the products. lol didn’t even realize until this weekend how close it is. I will have a good laugh if Adams has a great deal.

 

[lauren01]

Awesome. Only reason I picked Armor Shield IX is because it was pretty cheap. I figured once I use it up, I’ll buy the expensive stuff.

 

[lauren01]

From what I understand (I am NOT a professional detailer) is that if you are re-adding product that has same base you can put it directly over the old coating. No need to try and remove old coating first unless you are using a different product with different base. Might lessen your load on the re-coat.

I did all my interior orchid white leather with Adams leather ceramic coating, and it has already paid off with an accident my daughter had. simple wipe up in the back seat. I do NOT have any protectant on the Alcantara yet so thanks for the heads up on that.

All of the material in the Integra is Alcantara. There is the smooth part and the fuzzy microfiber part. None of it is leather. The color Glock is good to use on all of the Alcantara, smooth and fuzzy alike.

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