Lexus IS500 ceramic coated
09-10-23, 08:31 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Lexus IS500 ceramic coated
I have a Lexus IS500 and ceramic coated it by myself and wanted to share my experience. Thought it might be helpful for those who are interested or thinking about getting it ceramic coated.
I’m not a detailing expert, so take my experience with a grain of salt. This is my first time doing ceramic coat.
I’ve spent countless hours to research online how to do it and when to do it. How I did it was no where close to perfection but just wanted to help save some of your time. The protection is definitely worth it.
First off dealership was trying to sell me a coating for $1000+. Good for 10 years. First coat on the new car and then 5 years later do another coat. Read online and everyone says try to avoid it.
Wanted to get it done professionally but their yelp review suck so didn’t want to take the baby at risk. So let’s just DIY.
For not a new car, one would typically wash, iron remover, clay bar, polish, wipe out for prep and then ceramic coat.
For a new car it’s easier because there’s no swirl mark so paint correction is not needed. I didn’t opt for clay bar because per Esoteric video they said if you clay bar you have to polish because it will scratch the surface. So the process is really similar to wash and wax but majority of the work is prep so doing it on a new car is a lot easier than on an older car.
Here’s what I did.
Result was good. The paint surface is super slick. Car washing is a lot easier. The water beading is impressive. The dirt and grime doesn’t really stick on the car as easy. My paint is white so it drives me crazy once it gets a bit dirty. I would like to keep it like new.
After the ceramic coat, I have much less of an anxiety attack when birds poop on it. I can sleep a bit better. I still get nervous with bird poop but I can wash it off with a spray bottle once I noticed one. I don’t get nervous with bird poop on my older car to be clear but the is500 is brand new so my heart breaks when there’s bird poop on my new baby.
The gyeon coat is supposedly good for 3 years. My car is now 1 month old. I used to wax my other car and I know for sure wax doesn’t stay on for 3 months not to mention 3 years. So I view the whole process as painful for one time but save me a lot of time and hassle for the next 3 years at least what I hope.
Overall, the ceramic coat material cost was roughly $200 with coat, applicators, low pile and high pile towels, iron remover, surface prep, and sacrificial coat. It can be done cheaper but I used more than 1 30ml bottle, and I was 90% done and ran out of coating in the bottle. 🤣 I made the newbie move of needing to order another small bottle in hindsight and paid shipping twice. 50ml bottle should be enough for one Lexus IS500 though. Time wise I used roughly 7 hours, including wash, prep, coat, etc. It can be done quicker but it’s my first time and I wanted to do it right and I wasn’t efficient.
Hope this helps for those IS500 fellows who are thinking about getting it ceramic coated. I think it’s 100% worth it. If you can wax your car, you can ceramic coat it by yourself.
I’m not a detailing expert, so take my experience with a grain of salt. This is my first time doing ceramic coat.
I’ve spent countless hours to research online how to do it and when to do it. How I did it was no where close to perfection but just wanted to help save some of your time. The protection is definitely worth it.
First off dealership was trying to sell me a coating for $1000+. Good for 10 years. First coat on the new car and then 5 years later do another coat. Read online and everyone says try to avoid it.
Wanted to get it done professionally but their yelp review suck so didn’t want to take the baby at risk. So let’s just DIY.
For not a new car, one would typically wash, iron remover, clay bar, polish, wipe out for prep and then ceramic coat.
For a new car it’s easier because there’s no swirl mark so paint correction is not needed. I didn’t opt for clay bar because per Esoteric video they said if you clay bar you have to polish because it will scratch the surface. So the process is really similar to wash and wax but majority of the work is prep so doing it on a new car is a lot easier than on an older car.
Here’s what I did.
- 2 bucket Hand wash
- Iron remover meguiar and gyeon (yes surprisingly there’s brake dust on the car mostly behind the rear wheels in 2 weeks)
- surface prep with chemical guys wiped out prep
- Used gyeon ceramic coat
- Then used gyeon Cure (sacrificial ceramic coat to elongate the life span of the ceramic coat)
Result was good. The paint surface is super slick. Car washing is a lot easier. The water beading is impressive. The dirt and grime doesn’t really stick on the car as easy. My paint is white so it drives me crazy once it gets a bit dirty. I would like to keep it like new.
After the ceramic coat, I have much less of an anxiety attack when birds poop on it. I can sleep a bit better. I still get nervous with bird poop but I can wash it off with a spray bottle once I noticed one. I don’t get nervous with bird poop on my older car to be clear but the is500 is brand new so my heart breaks when there’s bird poop on my new baby.
The gyeon coat is supposedly good for 3 years. My car is now 1 month old. I used to wax my other car and I know for sure wax doesn’t stay on for 3 months not to mention 3 years. So I view the whole process as painful for one time but save me a lot of time and hassle for the next 3 years at least what I hope.
Overall, the ceramic coat material cost was roughly $200 with coat, applicators, low pile and high pile towels, iron remover, surface prep, and sacrificial coat. It can be done cheaper but I used more than 1 30ml bottle, and I was 90% done and ran out of coating in the bottle. 🤣 I made the newbie move of needing to order another small bottle in hindsight and paid shipping twice. 50ml bottle should be enough for one Lexus IS500 though. Time wise I used roughly 7 hours, including wash, prep, coat, etc. It can be done quicker but it’s my first time and I wanted to do it right and I wasn’t efficient.
Hope this helps for those IS500 fellows who are thinking about getting it ceramic coated. I think it’s 100% worth it. If you can wax your car, you can ceramic coat it by yourself.
Last edited by iVtecV8; 09-10-23 at 08:37 AM.
09-10-23, 08:56 AM
#2
Just FYI, the real hardcore detailers will still tell you to do a paint correction as new cars can collect minor flaws after production, during transit, etc. But I don’t think it’s strictly necessary unless you have a magnifying glass to look at your car and it’s a ton more work.
09-10-23, 09:16 AM
#3
Pole Position
Can you post a link to all the products you mentioned using? This is really helpful!
09-10-23, 11:48 AM
#4
Driver
Thread Starter
I didn’t order from Amazon coz I am not sure if the seller would sell me fake stuff or not.
Obsessed garage recommends other brands for ceramic coating. Pan the organizer recommends Gyeon for the crazy hydrophobic properties and Cure for candy gloss.
Adam’s graphene boasts 7 years of durability but being my first time I chose a coating that’s good for 3 years in case I messed up.
I also ordered some detailed factory wheel brush, ultra wash mitt and iK foam sprayer from the ray company. Depending on which brand of coating you want to buy, it’s worth checking which company you want to buy from to save shipping and get discount and stuff. The rag company also sells GS snow foam and other ceramic coating brand.
https://gyeonusa.com/collections/pai...cts/q-mohs-evo
09-10-23, 12:55 PM
#5
Nice!
I went with P&S Legends 5 year ceramic coat on my IS last week, it's still sitting in the garage curing.
Ceramic Coating is a must on any vehicle with nice paint.
I went with P&S Legends 5 year ceramic coat on my IS last week, it's still sitting in the garage curing.
Ceramic Coating is a must on any vehicle with nice paint.
The following users liked this post:
iVtecV8 (09-10-23)
09-10-23, 01:20 PM
#6
I have a Lexus IS500 and ceramic coated it by myself and wanted to share my experience. Thought it might be helpful for those who are interested or thinking about getting it ceramic coated.
I’m not a detailing expert, so take my experience with a grain of salt. This is my first time doing ceramic coat.
I’ve spent countless hours to research online how to do it and when to do it. How I did it was no where close to perfection but just wanted to help save some of your time. The protection is definitely worth it.
First off dealership was trying to sell me a coating for $1000+. Good for 10 years. First coat on the new car and then 5 years later do another coat. Read online and everyone says try to avoid it.
Wanted to get it done professionally but their yelp review suck so didn’t want to take the baby at risk. So let’s just DIY.
For not a new car, one would typically wash, iron remover, clay bar, polish, wipe out for prep and then ceramic coat.
For a new car it’s easier because there’s no swirl mark so paint correction is not needed. I didn’t opt for clay bar because per Esoteric video they said if you clay bar you have to polish because it will scratch the surface. So the process is really similar to wash and wax but majority of the work is prep so doing it on a new car is a lot easier than on an older car.
Here’s what I did.
Result was good. The paint surface is super slick. Car washing is a lot easier. The water beading is impressive. The dirt and grime doesn’t really stick on the car as easy. My paint is white so it drives me crazy once it gets a bit dirty. I would like to keep it like new.
After the ceramic coat, I have much less of an anxiety attack when birds poop on it. I can sleep a bit better. I still get nervous with bird poop but I can wash it off with a spray bottle once I noticed one. I don’t get nervous with bird poop on my older car to be clear but the is500 is brand new so my heart breaks when there’s bird poop on my new baby.
The gyeon coat is supposedly good for 3 years. My car is now 1 month old. I used to wax my other car and I know for sure wax doesn’t stay on for 3 months not to mention 3 years. So I view the whole process as painful for one time but save me a lot of time and hassle for the next 3 years at least what I hope.
Overall, the ceramic coat material cost was roughly $200 with coat, applicators, low pile and high pile towels, iron remover, surface prep, and sacrificial coat. It can be done cheaper but I used more than 1 30ml bottle, and I was 90% done and ran out of coating in the bottle. 🤣 I made the newbie move of needing to order another small bottle in hindsight and paid shipping twice. 50ml bottle should be enough for one Lexus IS500 though. Time wise I used roughly 7 hours, including wash, prep, coat, etc. It can be done quicker but it’s my first time and I wanted to do it right and I wasn’t efficient.
Hope this helps for those IS500 fellows who are thinking about getting it ceramic coated. I think it’s 100% worth it. If you can wax your car, you can ceramic coat it by yourself.
I’m not a detailing expert, so take my experience with a grain of salt. This is my first time doing ceramic coat.
I’ve spent countless hours to research online how to do it and when to do it. How I did it was no where close to perfection but just wanted to help save some of your time. The protection is definitely worth it.
First off dealership was trying to sell me a coating for $1000+. Good for 10 years. First coat on the new car and then 5 years later do another coat. Read online and everyone says try to avoid it.
Wanted to get it done professionally but their yelp review suck so didn’t want to take the baby at risk. So let’s just DIY.
For not a new car, one would typically wash, iron remover, clay bar, polish, wipe out for prep and then ceramic coat.
For a new car it’s easier because there’s no swirl mark so paint correction is not needed. I didn’t opt for clay bar because per Esoteric video they said if you clay bar you have to polish because it will scratch the surface. So the process is really similar to wash and wax but majority of the work is prep so doing it on a new car is a lot easier than on an older car.
Here’s what I did.
- 2 bucket Hand wash
- Iron remover meguiar and gyeon (yes surprisingly there’s brake dust on the car mostly behind the rear wheels in 2 weeks)
- surface prep with chemical guys wiped out prep
- Used gyeon ceramic coat
- Then used gyeon Cure (sacrificial ceramic coat to elongate the life span of the ceramic coat)
Result was good. The paint surface is super slick. Car washing is a lot easier. The water beading is impressive. The dirt and grime doesn’t really stick on the car as easy. My paint is white so it drives me crazy once it gets a bit dirty. I would like to keep it like new.
After the ceramic coat, I have much less of an anxiety attack when birds poop on it. I can sleep a bit better. I still get nervous with bird poop but I can wash it off with a spray bottle once I noticed one. I don’t get nervous with bird poop on my older car to be clear but the is500 is brand new so my heart breaks when there’s bird poop on my new baby.
The gyeon coat is supposedly good for 3 years. My car is now 1 month old. I used to wax my other car and I know for sure wax doesn’t stay on for 3 months not to mention 3 years. So I view the whole process as painful for one time but save me a lot of time and hassle for the next 3 years at least what I hope.
Overall, the ceramic coat material cost was roughly $200 with coat, applicators, low pile and high pile towels, iron remover, surface prep, and sacrificial coat. It can be done cheaper but I used more than 1 30ml bottle, and I was 90% done and ran out of coating in the bottle. 🤣 I made the newbie move of needing to order another small bottle in hindsight and paid shipping twice. 50ml bottle should be enough for one Lexus IS500 though. Time wise I used roughly 7 hours, including wash, prep, coat, etc. It can be done quicker but it’s my first time and I wanted to do it right and I wasn’t efficient.
Hope this helps for those IS500 fellows who are thinking about getting it ceramic coated. I think it’s 100% worth it. If you can wax your car, you can ceramic coat it by yourself.
09-10-23, 03:39 PM
#7
Driver
Thread Starter
That’s a great question and I had the same question. I don’t know what’s a good way to coat that complicated front grill so I haven’t coated the spindle grill. For the front grill, I only coated the perimeter and bottom part of the front grill that’s part of the front lip and the inlet to the brake duct.
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09-10-23, 03:43 PM
#8
Driver
Thread Starter
09-10-23, 03:44 PM
#9
That’s a great question and I had the same question. I don’t know what’s a good way to coat that complicated front grill so I haven’t coated the spindle grill. For the front grill, I only coated the perimeter and bottom part of the front grill that’s part of the front lip and the inlet to the brake duct.
You could do the Lexus Emblem, ive seen those faded before.
09-10-23, 03:45 PM
#10
Very. I had my supercharged RC350 coated 3 years ago, and it was still super hydrophobic the day I sold it. Monthly maintenance washes, that was it. It's the most durable ceramic I've had. Some others might be slightly more hydrophobic but don’t last.
09-10-23, 03:46 PM
#11
Driver
Thread Starter
A smaller applicator would work fine, as well as a lot of patience, but I don’t see the advantage of ceramic coating the grille beyond what you've done. It's not a painted surface, nor is water beading important. UV protection might be an arguable point, but I've never seen one faded.
You could do the Lexus Emblem, ive seen those faded before.
You could do the Lexus Emblem, ive seen those faded before.
09-10-23, 03:49 PM
#12
Not sure if you did, but you can also coat your windows, wheels, and brakes. Thats what I did. no chance of any dust sticking to them.
If you do coat your wheels and brakes, it's crucial the car isn't moved for 2 weeks. You don’t want any brake dust settling in the ceramic. initial cure is usually 48 hours, so you technically should be okay, but full hardness cure time is 2 weeks.
09-10-23, 04:19 PM
#13
Driver
Thread Starter
Yeah, you could coat the emblem, the lower valence, the rear diffuser, mainly the large flat areas. I don’t see a point in coating the actual grille itself.
Not sure if you did, but you can also coat your windows, wheels, and brakes. Thats what I did. no chance of any dust sticking to them.
If you do coat your wheels and brakes, it's crucial the car isn't moved for 2 weeks. You don’t want any brake dust settling in the ceramic. initial cure is usually 48 hours, so you technically should be okay, but full hardness cure time is 2 weeks.
Not sure if you did, but you can also coat your windows, wheels, and brakes. Thats what I did. no chance of any dust sticking to them.
If you do coat your wheels and brakes, it's crucial the car isn't moved for 2 weeks. You don’t want any brake dust settling in the ceramic. initial cure is usually 48 hours, so you technically should be okay, but full hardness cure time is 2 weeks.
09-10-23, 04:34 PM
#14
It’s ceramic, so it’ll be fine, no temperature concerns. I used P&S products for Everything
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iVtecV8 (09-10-23)
09-11-23, 07:15 PM
#15
I also self-applied a ceramic coat on my cloudburst grey upon receipt:
1) Washed
2) Clayed
3) 1-pass polish with Menzerna Super Finish
4) Gyeon Prep wipedown
5) Gyeon Pure Evo (1-layer)
I bought a 50ml bottle and used less than half of it (applied to all painted surfaces *except* the spindle grill and the BBS wheels).
For the spindle grill and BBS wheels, I use Gyeon Wet Coat. Ridiculously easy to apply, durability to last multiple washes, and does not affect the matte black BBS look.
1) Washed
2) Clayed
3) 1-pass polish with Menzerna Super Finish
4) Gyeon Prep wipedown
5) Gyeon Pure Evo (1-layer)
I bought a 50ml bottle and used less than half of it (applied to all painted surfaces *except* the spindle grill and the BBS wheels).
For the spindle grill and BBS wheels, I use Gyeon Wet Coat. Ridiculously easy to apply, durability to last multiple washes, and does not affect the matte black BBS look.
The following users liked this post:
iVtecV8 (09-11-23)