Community Forums

Kountryguy · 11-30-2022, 08:29 PM

I have a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer. I am considering having a ceramic coating put on. I would be curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, what was the approximate cost? Are you happy with the finished product?

BayRunner · 11-30-2022, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kountryguy

I have a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer. I am considering having a ceramic coating put on. I would be curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, what was the approximate cost? Are you happy with the finished product?

It all depends on the type of coating and who puts it on. There’s basically the spray on coating that is only good for about 6 to 9 months of protection and the applied coating which is applied by hand.

When I purchased my 43’. MH, the dealer (one of the big ones) wanted to charge me close to $4k for a spray on coating that takes them less than an hour to do. I declined. I hired a local shop that specializes in Ceramic Pro coatings which they are used to doing on high end sports cars.

The started with 3 guys preparing it by making paint corrections and removing tons of buffing compound residue that the manufacture left on. The 3 spent about 1.5 days prepping it. They they Spent 2.5 days hand applying 2 coats of Ceramic Pro that is guaranteed by the shop and Ceramic Pro for 5 years. It was also recorded on CarFax. So a total of 3 guys working for 4 days cost me $3k. The result was a perfect mirror finish.

The key is to make sure the surface is properly prepped. If not new, it needs to be clay bar’s throughly and cleaned well before applying. Personally I would not waste any money on a spray on ceramic coating.

**hamm2018** · 12-01-2022, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kountryguy

I have a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer. I am considering having a ceramic coating put on. I would be curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, what was the approximate cost? Are you happy with the finished product?

I know a couple who had it done in Phoenix on their 45-foot toy hauler, it was around 5K for the cost.

MtCamper · 12-01-2022, 08:52 AM

I just spent several days polishing the chalk off the front cap of my fifth wheel. Then I washed it with Dawn, dried and did a second wipe down with denatured alcohol. Then I went over it with a coating from Lithium auto care. I've been really happy with the job it did on my Jeep fenders so I thought I'd give the graphene a try. I had some streaking when I finished, but that buffed out easily. Only time will tell how long it lasts. Nothing else I've tried worked more than a couple of months. I figured I had nothing to loose because I was about ready to paint the damn thing. $100 vs a couple grand made trying the ceramic coating a no brainer.

2Curtass · 12-01-2022, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayRunner

It all depends on the type of coating and who puts it on. There’s basically the spray on coating that is only good for about 6 to 9 months of protection and the applied coating which is applied by hand.

When I purchased my 43’. MH, the dealer (one of the big ones) wanted to charge me close to $4k for a spray on coating that takes them less than an hour to do. I declined. I hired a local shop that specializes in Ceramic Pro coatings which they are used to doing on high end sports cars.

The started with 3 guys preparing it by making paint corrections and removing tons of buffing compound residue that the manufacture left on. The 3 spent about 1.5 days prepping it. They they Spent 2.5 days hand applying 2 coats of Ceramic Pro that is guaranteed by the shop and Ceramic Pro for 5 years. It was also recorded on CarFax. So a total of 3 guys working for 4 days cost me $3k. The result was a perfect mirror finish.

The key is to make sure the surface is properly prepped. If not new, it needs to be clay bar’s throughly and cleaned well before applying. Personally I would not waste any money on a spray on ceramic coating.

I agree with BayRunner. I have put it on my truck, and just like painting, it's all about the prepwork. When I applied it on my truck it took me 12hrs. from start to finish. I will be doing it to my camper this winter. If you use quality stuff, once it is on correctly it is amazing and will last several years.

Camp CA · 12-01-2022, 09:46 AM

I had my new 41 ft Montana fifth wheel trailer ceramic coated by a local shop for ~$3000 in January 2020. Only way to sure what the real cost today and in your location is is to get a quote. I am reasonably happy with it...........but I still get it washed and waxed annually for $10/ft in Paso Robles, California.

Gary RVRoamer · 12-03-2022, 09:57 AM

Any "ceramic coating" that you can wipe on from a can or spray bottle isn't worth any more than some other good quality synthetic "wax". If you want something that will last years and give a great shine, see Bayrunner's reply. Otherwise, save your money.

Mark Moniuszko · 12-03-2022, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kountryguy

I have a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer. I am considering having a ceramic coating put on. I would be curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, what was the approximate cost? Are you happy with the finished product?

BayRunner is spot on. With Ceramic Coatings, you get what you pay for and when done correctly with good materials, you will protect your investment! At NIRVC we use a high-grade product that when cured is the hardest material you can apply before using clarity of the paint job. This is done by staff that are trained and certified by the manufacturer of the product in a controlled envirornment. This is only done after extensive paint correction, which is absolutely necessary, is completed. I believe that this is not an undertaking by anyone that doesn't understand what they are doing, and certainly not a "Saturday afternoon in the driveway" project. If you have any questions about specifics, please send me a PM and I can try to answer them! Have a wonderful day!