Dropped $160 on a ceramic coat kit that flaked off in 3 months

Bought one of those DIY ceramic coating kits from AutoZone back in June, followed the prep steps to the letter, and by September the hood looked like a dried lakebed with white specks everywhere. I even used the included spray activator, which I guess was the gimmick, because the real stuff needs a UV lamp and a heated garage. Took it to a shop in Tacoma and the guy said the silicone base was too weak for Pacific Northwest weather, plain and simple. Anyone else get burned by these overhyped home kits, or did I just pick the wrong brand off the shelf?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

matthewg631mo ago

That "dried lakebed" description hits home for me. I went through two of those kits on my old Civic before I figured out the problem was me expecting too much from a spray can job. The prep steps they list are never enough for real Pacific Northwest moisture, you gotta do a full strip wash and then hit the panel with a dedicated panel prep wipe right before application, not just whatever alcohol blend they sell you. What finally worked was skipping the fancy activator bottle and just using the base coat alone, then letting it cure for 48 hours in my garage with a space heater running low, no driving, no water touching it. That combo got me almost a year of decent beading before it started fading. Sounds like you did everything right on your end, but those silicone blends just aren't built for our constant drizzle and temp swings, I'd rather spend the money on a good sealant and reapply every few months than chase that ceramic look again. Did you manage to get a partial refund from AutoZone or did they give you the runaround?

5