Ceramic Coatings

[David Pratt]

I finally bit the bullet and decided to have the Ceramic Coating done on our FORETRAVEL ih-45. Dazzling Details of Florida did the job. They service many states all over the east to the Mississippi River. I have used Dazzling Details for washing, waxing and detailing my coaches for over the last 15 years. They are also listed in our vendors section.

They completed applying the Ceramic Paint Protection on our ih-45 Sunday. It took 6 eight hour days. Properly done the process is a 7 step process and very labor intensive.

The paint on the coach has no more orange peel or iffy spots and is like looking in a mirror. The final outcome is amazing and I am very pleased. Money well spent.

I will elaborate more if anyone is interested.

  The process is done in seven stages; 1st they wash and dry the coach, 2nd they remove all the old wax from the paint, 3rd they wet/dry sanded the entire coach, 4th they then buffed the whole coach removing any orange peel, scratches or imperfections from the paint, 5th they then put a glaze on the entire coach removing all the swirl marks and the glaze brings the paint to a mirror finish and is the base for the Ceramic Coating, 6th the coach is completely washed and dried again and any paint correction is completed and the 7th step they apply the Ceramic Coating. The first five days all the work was done with a four man crew working 7 to 8 hours each day. The Ceramic Application is done by a two man crew and took about 9 hours. All the work done included the entire coach, wheels, Roof and windows. 

The final outcome is that the coach looks AWSOME. When you look at the Coach you are looking into a mirror. The Ceramic Coating is Warrantied for five years and I do not have to wax it again other than a maintenance check on the Ceramic Coating in three to five years.

[Joelsheriff]

Ok David, that sounds wonderful and we'll worth the investment.  But the devil is in the detail lol,  is it cheaper than a paint job?  $$? 

[JDCrow]

I’m having palpitations as I know how much it costs to do a pickup.

 

[Tom Wallis]

I would love to see some pictures. Before and after would be really nice,

[cbr046]

Just a side comment . . . . I've read where Zep Wet Look Floor Polish is the hot ticket to make the finish look showroom new, but if you read the comments (Amazon) the Zep retail technical support rep says it will "whiten, peel, yellow and deteriorate. The Wet-look Floor Polish is not UV resistant and will require stripping to remove".   So maybe not the hot ticket after all.  Kudos to Zep for giving us the straight scoop at the expense of a few sales. 

Nice job having your coach professionally done.  Yes, we all want to know the cost (even if ballpark).

Best,

- bob

Edited April 27, 2021 by cbr046

[Scotty Hutto]

17 minutes ago, Tom Wallis said:

I would love to see some pictures. Before and after would be really nice,

I second that motion.  All in favor?

[David Pratt]

Yes it is a lot cheaper than a paint job, in fact It looks better than the new Factory Paint when I purchased the coach. The cost to do any coach will vary depending on length and how much paint correction has to be done. Also wet/dry sanding the coach is not normally included in the cost that other companies quote to do the process. Most just buff, glaze and Ceramic Coat.

The cost to do our coach was $8500.00.

I have a couple of pictures to attach. The first picture shows the coach after it has been wet/dry sanded and they have started buffing. The top half of the coach is still sanded and the bottom the have started to buff. The second picture is just a close up. I will post pictures of the coach done in a day or two.

[Terry T]

Nice....

[JDCrow]

Lotta work to wet sand. Your coach is beautiful, very worth it.

Edited April 28, 2021 by JDCrow

[David Pratt]

The finished product. I took the pictures with the coach still in the Barn. I thought it was sort of neat the way everything is reflecting off the coach. The coach will be a Rolling Mirror going done the road. Picture 6 is me standing at the rear of the coach against the back roll up door. you can see me taking the picture,

When I pull the coach out of the barn I will take some full shots.

[Scotty Hutto]

That’s simply gorgeous!

[StephenW]

WOW! Beautiful Coach!

[Pduggs]

Very nice. 

Does anyone know how to determine if your coach has had ceramic coatings applied?  I’ve owned my coach three years and I bought it from the original owner. He didn’t tell me it was coated, but my coach still shines nice when clean. 

How long does a ceramic coating last? 
 

[David Pratt]

How long the Ceramic Coating lasts depends on whether the coach is outside in the environment or inside a covered storage when not in use and also the care of the coach. It also depends on the process used to apply the Ceramic Coating and who Applied it. You should quiz the original owner to find out as there is no way to tell for sure. Three years ago Ceramic Coatings were just starting to catch on. Maybe someone who is doing the service might be able to tell you.

Dazzling Details performed the service on our ih-45 and the coating is warranted for five years. There is a maintenance process to the coating that is done at that time to rejuvenate the coating.

[Ray Davis]

David,   The detailing on your coach is spectacular,  I have never seen anything like it.   How can you bring yourself to drive and get it dirty?

Paul,  ( Pduggs ) your coach looks fantastic too.   Wish I had yours and you had David's.   😲

[David Pratt]

That is exactly what Sandy said after it was all done.

My answer to that is that is what a hose, soap and water is for

[throgmartin]

Dave and I discussed ceramic coating on the phone the other day. Owners should know that the only true ceramic coating is the process Dave had done on his bus.

Do not be fooled by bottles of ceramic coating you can buy and apply yourself. The typical lay person cannot buy true ceramic coatings, only a dealer can. Unless you are going to go through the process Dave had done on his coach then you are better off applying Mcquires Ultimate wax rather then the cheap ceramic coatings being sold on the internet. My son was able to get a hold of the true ceramic coating through a business contact and it took him 2 weeks to apply it to his 45 ft Mountain air. He had to clay bar the entire coach first before applying it. He did the work off and on according to his schedule. He also did his pick up truck and despite being 5 years old it looks brand new after the ceramic coating.

It is a big job which is why these companies charge so much. I could probably get my hands on the high grade ceramic coating but I am not going to spend a few weeks clay barring my coach and applying it. I just apply Mcquires Ultimate twice a year. I can do that in a day. 🙂

[JDCrow]

Indeed. The good stuff takes training. In order to offer a “warranty” they have to ensure it was applied properly. 
 

My F250 took 3 days alone. Had multiple coats of a certain product line and it has to cure between coats. It’s on thick, in fact it’s very smooth that little to no orange peel is present.

On all our rigs coated, no soap with wax, or quick wax can be used. It clogs the coating. 
 

 

[tomevansfl]

On 4/29/2021 at 8:16 AM, Pduggs said:

Very nice. 

Does anyone know how to determine if your coach has had ceramic coatings applied?  I’ve owned my coach three years and I bought it from the original owner. He didn’t tell me it was coated, but my coach still shines nice when clean. 

How long does a ceramic coating last? 
 

Paul, did you install the headlights or the previous owner. If you did, what brand are they. I’d like to update mine.

Thanks,

Tom

[Pduggs]

8 hours ago, tomevansfl said:

Paul, did you install the headlights or the previous owner. If you did, what brand are they. I’d like to update mine.

Thanks,

Tom

Hi Tom, my headlight is a knockoff of the 2005 Ford F450. I bought them from the link below and they were very easy to install since they are an exact fit for my coach. I would advise you to shop around to find a good price, as I suspect I paid too much. I did take the coach to an automotive electrical shop to have them properly wired. They do give the coach a more up-to-date look and are a great improvement in lighting. 
https://xtralights.com/

Edited November 1, 2021 by Pduggs

[03Dynasty]

Bottle ceramic, It's a no brainer if the paint is already looking good.  Get it clean to start, no oxidation, follow directions, apply using good microfiber cloths and towels once or twice a year.  It's Not better or equal to the professional application but the shine and beading is just as good. After the first application it goes on easy in sections. I used it on every vehicle I own and it gets a 5 star rating.  Just a matter of cost and choice of upkeep.  Two days for the first coat on the RV, after that 6 mo. or 1 yr, 2-3 hours.  30 minutes for each (4) cars and Dually twice a year not counting the wash.  I use a brand off the internet that had good and bad reviews, bad ones because the directions weren't followed. You only want to use a little product when applying. I also had to buy a better spray container because the ones they sent were not very good.