Anyone pony up for ceramic coating after purchase?

[VooDuuChild]

I take delivery in a couple weeks and am seriously considering having a shop do a ceramic coating on it as an extra layer of protection. Has anyone had this done? I'm not interested in doing it myself, for many reasons, but the biggest is I have zero time and also a broken arm and doing everything one handed sucks. For those that have it done, what do you think?

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[BoxsterSteve]

My driving buddy had his 2014 Jag F Type convertible done recently.
It cost him just over$1k... and it needed $1k in paint correction before getting coated.
Yep. $2000.
Looks amazing and beads water like nothing I’ve ever seen, but I still pucker when I remember him telling me what it cost.

 

[VooDuuChild]

My driving buddy had his 2014 Jag F Type convertible done recently.
It cost him just over$1k... and it needed $1k in paint correction before getting coated.
Yep. $2000.
Looks amazing and beads water like nothing I’ve ever seen, but I still pucker when I remember him telling me what it cost.

Yeah, I'm looking into the Lifetime Warranty setup that is about $1600, but also requires yearly inspections and possible upkeep. It's a lot, but I'd like to keep it nice. I'm wondering if it will help with the chipping in the long term. The place I'm looking to do this, does four coats of the Ceramic Pro, I forget which formula. I love the Modern Steel Metallic, but with such thin paint, it's making me think of just wrapping the car right after delivery and just having it redone every five years or so haha. So I've been toying with the Ceramic Pro setup. These guys get phenomenal reviews.
https://www.apcautospa.com/ceramic-pro

 

[TimberWolf]

Did it myself. Fairly straightforward if you have car detailing in the past.

 

[360glitch]

I’ll be coating my Si myself when it cools down a bit outside. I’ve done a couple of previous cars before with great results. I understand why you are not doing yours yourself, but I can’t justify paying someone else that much money.

 

[SCOPESYS]

I’ll be coating my Si myself when it cools down a bit outside. I’ve done a couple of previous cars before with great results. I understand why you are not doing yours yourself, but I can’t justify paying someone else that much money.

For anyone thinking of doing it themselves, it has similarities to painting the car :

It's
95% Preparation
5% Application

 

[VooDuuChild]

Did it myself. Fairly straightforward if you have car detailing in the past.

I have no doubt I could do it, but I'm also healing from an offroad rollover accident, broken arm, shredded rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, three broken ribs, nerve damage...well, I'm just kinda gimpy right now HAHAHA.

 

[VooDuuChild]

I just spoke with the company and, while expensive, their lifetime gold package seems like a hit in my book. They do a total of five layers initially (after decontamination and then they go through and fix any swirls or imperfections like that in the paint). They even do a layer on the glass and the wheels. What I really like is that in order to keep the lifetime warranty deal, I bring it in every 12 months, they do another decontamination wash, remove any particulate if any and then do another layer over the entire car, and that is only $150. While the initial cost may hurt, I think in the long run, that doesn't seem like a bad deal. Plus, they're willing to wait on the wheel coating until I can get my Enkei Racing on there. I guess it's time to work a weekend for some OT lolol.

 

[CobraCommand]

I briefly debated it, but then remembered I bought a lower trim civic for a reason.

 

[mis3]

Instead of ceramic coating, I opted for XPEL protection film.
Ceramic coating would cost me $1500 CAN. I decided against it because the Civic is an inexpensive car.

 

[TimberWolf]

For a daily driver, I don't think it is worth it. While it does provide some protection, you can still scratch the coating, and it does nothing to protect against rock chips or other debris. You still have to periodically "renew" the coating with a product like Reload or Cure, and the slickness isn't THAT much better than what you get with a good quality sealant.

Maybe for a show car, but not a daily driver.

 

[Lola]

I love my car and do what I can to keep it looking good, but I’m in the “it’s a Honda Civic, not a Ferrari Testarossa” camp.
I can only imagine how pisstoff I’d be to put out $1500 on a ceramic job, only to come out one day to discover a paint chip or door ding or some such.....It could still quite easily happen.

 

[mis3]

I love my car and do what I can to keep it looking good, but I’m in the “it’s a Honda Civic, not a Ferrari Testarossa” camp.
I can only imagine how pisstoff I’d be to put out $1500 on a ceramic job, only to come out one day to discover a paint chip or door ding or some such.....It could still quite easily happen.

Exactly. With ceramic coating, minor repairs will be twice expensive.

 

[VooDuuChild]

Yeah, I'll probably skip it. I've just never seen the protective film that looks good after a while. It's just a trade off...icky film on the front of the car or chips.

 

[parshisa]

The biggest thing with the coating is maintaining it - you won't able to take the car to any carwash anymore, otherwise it will be ruined the minute brushes touch the paint. Ceramic coating is a commitment. I've installed it myself and now I am committed to wash it once in 2 weeks with specific products using certain technique. Think twice before you opt for it lol

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