Ceramic Coating My Paint

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Finally finished the little trailer so I got to the rear wheels with the Mothers Aluminum Polish. They don't look like chrome, but, if they stayed the way they look, I'd be thrilled ...

So here's the question, kind of directed at Kevin, but anyone that knows feel free to chime in.

Do I use the same ceramic stuff on the aluminum wheels? If not, can you point me in the right direction?

[Fearless]

They make a wheel coating kit must me different from the paint kit. I am looking also. If you use mother's be sure you wax the wheels they will dull fast if you don't I have been there a long time ago. Travel safe Fred

[FuzzyWuzHe]

They make a wheel coating kit must me different from the paint kit. I am looking also. If you use mother's be sure you wax the wheels they will dull fast if you don't I have been there a long time ago. Travel safe Fred

Thanks Fred ... Ordered the wheel coating.

[DK Custom Products]

They make a wheel coating kit must me different from the paint kit. I am looking also. If you use mother's be sure you wax the wheels they will dull fast if you don't I have been there a long time ago. Travel safe Fred

Thanks Fred ... Ordered the wheel coating.

Thanks Fred, that's what I used and so far, after 4k+ hard miles it is holding up well.

Check out around the 1:50 mark in this video-



Kevin

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Thanks Kevin & Fred ... got the wheel stuff ordered ... Should be here Tuesday ... I'll do the back wheels again with the Mothers and then the front wheels with the mothers before I put the wheel coating on ...

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks Kevin & Fred ... got the wheel stuff ordered ... Should be here Tuesday ... I'll do the back wheels again with the Mothers and then the front wheels with the mothers before I put the wheel coating on ...

Make sure to prep it first, got to get all that Mothers polish off before the ceramic coat.

Kevin

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Make sure to prep it first, got to get all that Mothers polish off before the ceramic coat.

Kevin

Will Do ... ordered the 7 piece kit

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Okay, so with this stuff it is not hard to put on ... it's the prep. Which is exactly why Kevin did it as soon as he could after purchasing his 19 Tri.

But what about a 5 year old work truck ... is it worth the work???

Well ... Yesterday I washed the truck using the zep first to get tree sap, bug guts, etc off. Next I rubbed it pretty good with alcohol. Pretty sure not much wax on it ... LOL ... I've had it over a year and it hasn't had a wax yet ... LOL. I did try the F11 ... and it looked good ... but the first good rain it was gone and water wasn't beading anymore.

Next was to apply the ceramic. Wanted to do some before and after stuff that might show why my lazy b$tt is willing to do this ...

Left Quarter Before:



Left Quarter After:



Rear Bumper Half Done:



Rear All Done:



Mirror Before:



Mirror After:



Whole Truck:



Okay ... so the stuff was applied, wiped off excess ... I'm in the 12 hour waiting stage ... tomorrow I will wipe it down really well and be done.

Summary:

Does it fill in scratches ... nope. Does it fix dents ... nope, does it fill in the "swirls" ... yes ... does it rejuvenate the plastic ... yes. Unlike the other plastic stuff, Ultimate Black etc, I know the ceramic is pretty durable. I did just the right front fender flare about 5 months ago when I did the 06 Wing, and I almost didn't do it again, it looked so good. This stuff excels at sealing and rejuvenating the "plastic" stuff on my work truck.

Like I said before, if it doesn't last two years, but only one ... I'm happy.

PS ... Just noticed I need to do the bottom of the flares ... and I probably need to do some tire black ... LOL.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Thursday we had rain ... the truck did well ...

[ultrafxr]

The ceramic coating is the bomb. Best thing I've ever used . . . and I've used quite a few, lol.

[DK Custom Products]

Alan, your truck looks amazing with the ceramic coat!

It's been over a year since we did Mary's truck. Just washed it yesterday, the ceramic is still holding up well.

Kevin

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Alan, your truck looks amazing with the ceramic coat!

It's been over a year since we did Mary's truck. Just washed it yesterday, the ceramic is still holding up well.

Kevin

If I get a year out of it, I'll be thrilled ...

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Interesting Story about the Ceramic Sealer.

Yesterday I took the trash trailer to the dump to unload the latest offerings from the magic garage. Mostly cardboard and some other stuff that I knew I wouldn't use. Anyway ... it was pretty windy, not the best day to go to the dump. The dump workers where in full coverage, coveralls and head masks that protected them from blowing dump debris and dust.

As you can imagine, the black truck was now a tan. I unloaded the trailer when I got home and took the truck to hose off the dust at the local "Wand Wash" ... it's designed for big rigs, but, it's reasonable and I just wanted to get the dump dust off it. This particular place always has oil rig "mud" on the ground as the rigs have contracts with him to clean their trucks. Didn't figure the place would mind my dump dirt ... LOL.

I ran high pressure soap all over the truck and finished with the spot free rinse. Total cost $2.74 ... I just love that my debit card can do that ... used to be I'd be wasting money trying to use up my $3-$4 that I shoved into the machine ... but I digress.

I had just hit the stop button and was hanging up the hose when the owner of the truck wash came over. I thought he was gonna tell me I shouldn't use his facility as it was for big rigs. Nope ... he simply asked, "Do you wax that thing all the time? Look how the water beads."

I explained that I had never "waxed" the truck in over a year that I owned it, I did use the F11 on it once, but, first good rain it was gone (to be fair, I've been told that after you build it up that doesn't happen).

So the guy tells me he's never seen clear coat bead like that. I explained that I had coated the paint with a ceramic sealer. Went through the whole speal about it and showed him the before and after pics of the truck and he was impressed. He wrote down the info about the stuff and seemed very impressed.

Personally, I love this stuff ... LOL.

[bikerbillone]

Allan, you sir are the story.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I'm not a big user of U tube ... LOL ... mainly cause I don't have a clue how it works ... but ... I was watching the install video on the new vent window shades for my new to me jeep ... and this video popped up ... so since it mentioned ceramic coating and I don't really understand all I know about them ... LOL ... I decided that maybe I'd watch.

Really glad I did ... the guy is probably over the top for most of us. By that I mean he goes all out to do it right and most of us don't take that kind of time. You'll see what I mean as the video progresses. But, the video has a lot of kewl tricks for washing, cleaning, etc. of vehicles that probably apply to our trikes. I especially like the two bucket method for the actual washing.

The guy has lots of info about the ceramic stuff that he keeps to a layman's level of discussion. I learned a lot of stuff about it that I wish I'd of known before I did that Tacoma ... LOL ... Specifically ... don't let the stuff dry too much before you wipe off the excess ... I had to compound off a few spots that actually hardened before I removed the excess ... pain in the b$tt.

Anyway ... lots of washing tips, info about the ceramic stuff and overall general knowledge about these type products. He used a product that neither Kevin or I used (I used the one Kevin did McKey's 37 ... figured no need to be the guinee pig here ... let Kevin do that LOL). The guy making the video basically says all the products are similar in application and results. He goes into some discussion of the different "levels" of protection and their life. The video is pretty well made and although maybe a little "over acted" has some of the better info from a U tube video that I've seen.

Without further adieu, here it is:

[DK Custom Products]

It has been 9-10 months since ceramic coating the the two bikes and the Tri Glide. The ceramic on the paint is amazing, holding up well..today is just as nice as the day it was applied.

​​​​​​​However, the coating on the aluminum wheels is NOT doing a great job. It is better than nothing, but is is NOT holding up as good as previous wheels that were treated with a rattle can clear coat. Oh well, lesson learned.

Kevin

[FuzzyWuzHe]

It has been 9-10 months since ceramic coating the the two bikes and the Tri Glide. The ceramic on the paint is amazing, holding up well..today is just as nice as the day it was applied.

​​​​​​​However, the coating on the aluminum wheels is NOT doing a great job. It is better than nothing, but is is NOT holding up as good as previous wheels that were treated with a rattle can clear coat. Oh well, lesson learned.

Kevin

I'm seeing the same results, after the clean and cool install last week, I took the trike to a wand wash, still good water beading, even on the wheels. I've notice the wheels take a little wiping to get them clean now. Probably will reseal them when it gets nicer ... still raining here ... pretty wet for a desert ...

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Been 13 months since I did the tri ... washed it today, just wand wash, no rubbing no brushes ... just spray and ride

[DK Custom Products]

Been 13 months since I did the tri ... washed it today, just wand wash, no rubbing no brushes ... just spray and ride

Yeah, I'm seeing the same thing. The ceramic is doing an amazing job!



Kevin