Ceramic coatings, diy or pro?

[MDMetal]

So I'm picking up a new to me car which has pretty flawless paintwork, I'm admittedly terrible for washing my car regularly and it usually ends up being once every 3 months. Give this is my first properly nice car I'd like to keep it as pristine as possible whilst still using it.

So ceramics are the way to go? But is it better to DIY or go pro?

I'm happy to do it myself however I'm aware that some ceramic coatings can dry very hard and if you mess them up... so maybe getting it done properly is a sensible choice?

[CharlesElliott]

The ceramic coating will lock in the state of the paintwork underneath so it really needs machine polishing first. Get a pro to do it.

[daydotz]

They would give it a single stage to cleanse regardless it needs a clean surface to bond to

[CharlesElliott]

He may be right, depends on his definition. A brand new car almost always has quite a few paintwork flaws (swirls, holograms) so I doubt a second hand car has flawless paintwork unless it has just been polished.

[MDMetal]

it's new to me and doesn't have any obviously flaws but yes it should be cleaned properly first I have a rotary polisher but still tempted by the pro route I guess (and lazy)

[CharlesElliott]

Some of the better / more expensive / longer guarantee coatings are pro only. Most also do DIY versions as well, but don't offer quite the same protection level.

I have GTechniq Crystal Serum on my car which was pro only, but they also do Crystal Serum light.

[scratcher_]

The application is key with ceramics.
The surface needs to be as defect free as possible - it's likely that a car you've just taken ownership of was treated with a filler polish to mask a lot of imperfections.
The environment needs to be right too - warm, dry, we'll lit, and the car needs to stay inside for a number of hours afterwards too.

For pro application, look up Ceramic Pro coatings. There's some good write up using it on Detailing World.
Look up the test videos on YouTube as well

[xjay1337]

Fine to do at home.
Covered area helps.

No point if you have not corrected the paint first.
New cars often need polishing.

[Dolf Stoppard]

No reason not to do it yourself. It’s not witchcraft / rocket science. But as above, prep is key. You don’t want to be applying the sealant until you can look at the paint and be entirely happy with it how it looks. Once the sealant goes on, there’s no easy way to remove any defects, because you’ve just covered them in a ceramic coating!