Is DIY ceramic coating worth it?
Almost certainly not, there are just far too many risks involved.
Please don't have a DIY ceramic coating before taking a little time to research what happens should it go wrong.
The largest proportion of the cost of a ceramic coating is the preparation. You are paying for the paintwork to be polished and prepared. This needs to be done properly if you are to get the results you want. But assuming you are skilled enough to do this, you next need to acquire the ceramic coating product. None of the reputable companies will sell you their product, which means buying one from AliExpress or some similar Chinese retail service.
You have no idea what you are getting or if the product is what it claims to be. But assuming it is a semi-permanent ceramic coating, there are risks involved in the application. If it isn't done properly, it can end up with uneven paint finish, streaks, smears or worse. The cost of putting this right could easily be quadruple what it would cost to have a professional apply the ceramic coating in the first place.
As this article says, there is no margin for error with ceramic coatings. They are all slightly different, even the good ones don't all behave the same. This is why manufacturers insist professionals go on training courses to learn how to apply their product. You are probably not going to get all the information you need to guarantee prefect results, by reading the instructions on the side of the bottle.
If you want to ceramic coat a car yourself, we suggest sticking to retail products from reputable brands. These will only last 9–12 months, and don't have the toughness of professional coatings, but will provide shine, hydrophobicity and are much safer.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 20/02/2023 14:32