Ceramic coating- worth it?

[xjoshuax89]

Thanks for the reply. Is it best to do indoors? Also, I'm pretty inexperienced, sort of afraid of screwing something up...but the more and more and look into DIY kits, I'm thinking its a viable option

Applying it? Preferable but not required. If you are worried about screwing up paint correction get a pro shop to do it then do the final step yourself. Either way with whatever path you go, proper paint correction helps if you go wax, sealant or ceramic.

No wax or sealant will beat a properly done ceramic coat. Wax lasts maybe 6months tops and thats if its barely exposed to the elements and sealant up to one year. For an average car thats exposed to elements and driven the avg 12k miles a year, wax wont last more than 3 months and maybe 5 washes.

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[Jimmyjambo_fk8]

So I'm really torn about whether or not to get a ceramic coating done. The car is about a month off the lot and brand new, so I figured if I'm going to do it, I should do it while the paint is still in near factory condition. My question is whether or not spending $500 on the low end to $3,000-5,000 is really worth it or if I should just use wax or some sort of sealant (or a combo of the two?). I can't really justify spending that much on something that- sure, lasts for years- but ultimately is not permanent and will fade. Right now I have some Griot's poly wax- haven't used it yet because I'm trying to figure out if I should get some sort of sealant first and apply it before waxing.

Sorry for the long post- in short: is ceramic coating really worth the $$$?

Do the job yourself. I highly recommend Adams Products. They have everything you need. Have you worked with a polisher before? if you watch any YouTube videos, a paint correction is recommend.

good Luck!

 

[fenix-silver]

Personally, I'd do PPF before ceramic coating if you are primarily looking for long-term protection.

 

[car3nX]

Try out Shine Armor Fortify Quick Coat. It's legit. Stuff just glides off and super easy to use. Available on Amazon too....I personally use this and Meguiars Ceramic Detailer. I initially put a coat of Meguiars NXT wax after claying the car the day after I brought it home from the dealer to make sure I got some protection on there. I also use Griots Garage speed shine to do the daily or every other day wipe downs. Seriously though the Shine Armor is the best product for the money if you are considering SiO2 products.

 

[kimtyson]

There are many options, as already mentioned, including spray on and more prosumer versions.
I've been doing my own personal detailing, and learning, for a couple of years. I watch a lot of videos and try different products. Here is what I'm going to do on my brand new Si.
1) Foam Wash
2) Decontaminate\IronX
3) Clay
4) Polish
5) IPA wipe down
6) Carpro Quartz UK (you can use their lite version. It's easier to apply and still a great lasting ceramic)

Learn how to do it. It's not magic. Good luck.

 

[civicmanic]

Up to $5000 to protect paint on a Civic? That's insane!

 

[nizarz]

So I'm really torn about whether or not to get a ceramic coating done. The car is about a month off the lot and brand new, so I figured if I'm going to do it, I should do it while the paint is still in near factory condition. My question is whether or not spending $500 on the low end to $3,000-5,000 is really worth it or if I should just use wax or some sort of sealant (or a combo of the two?). I can't really justify spending that much on something that- sure, lasts for years- but ultimately is not permanent and will fade. Right now I have some Griot's poly wax- haven't used it yet because I'm trying to figure out if I should get some sort of sealant first and apply it before waxing.

Sorry for the long post- in short: is ceramic coating really worth the $$$?

Did it myself with CQuartz 3.0, its very easy to do. Cost me $80.

 

[BriteBlue]

The spray on hybrid ceramic wax may not last as long as a the real labor intensive ceramic coating process. But even if you apply the spray at every car wash it appears to take only a few extra minutes.

Just depends on the level of perfection that one wants.

 

[mis3]

When I bought my 2018 Si coupe, I did go 2 local ceramic coating places for pricing. I was quoted $1,500 CAN with lifetime warranty. I felt it was too expensive; I was expecting $800-1,000. I ended up with PPF.

 

[civicmanic]

My aunt never washed her car for 10 years. I washed, clay bar, touched up paint chips with a pen, polished and waxed the car and it looks fantastic. She did nothing to protect it over the years. No need.

I can't imagine spending money on paint protection. What a waste. If you sell the car or it gets wrote off in an accident, that's money you'll never get back! And most people do not keep a car for more than 6 years...

 

[silverrascal]

I see a couple people like the Turtle Wax hybrid ceramic wax. Has anyone tried the Maguire's hybrid ceramic wax?

I've watched a few videos comparing them & they both seemed pretty good. IIRC one was easier to apply & the other lasted longer.

Tried both and I prefer the Meguiar's just because. The Turtle is very good though.

 

[parshisa]

So I'm really torn about whether or not to get a ceramic coating done. The car is about a month off the lot and brand new, so I figured if I'm going to do it, I should do it while the paint is still in near factory condition. My question is whether or not spending $500 on the low end to $3,000-5,000 is really worth it or if I should just use wax or some sort of sealant (or a combo of the two?). I can't really justify spending that much on something that- sure, lasts for years- but ultimately is not permanent and will fade. Right now I have some Griot's poly wax- haven't used it yet because I'm trying to figure out if I should get some sort of sealant first and apply it before waxing.

Sorry for the long post- in short: is ceramic coating really worth the $$$?

it is worth it if done yourself. spending over 1k on it just doesn't make sense. if you're not comfortable DIYing just get yourself some Turtlewas ceramic spray or griots ceramic, 20$ and you're golden

 

[Zodd]

yes ceramic coating is worth it if you want to keep your paint in good condition and reduce wash times. where i live roads are filled with crap from farmers, mud on roads when it rains beacuse on each side of the road are fields and famers dont give a shit, in the winter salt and sand is poured on the asphalt... it is hard to keep cars clean for more than 2-3 days...
so for me ceramic coating was good investment i got proffesional do it, it costed me around 900$ with rims also, ceramic is from gyeon and it should last from 3-4years...
the black plastic trims on this cars are nightmare even with ceramic i cannot hand wash car faster than in 1hour. in about 4 years i will take the car back to professional to re-do it

 

[ShuJam]

I got Opticoat Pro professionally applied on my car, and don't regret it. I live in a condo, so I don't get to really wash my car by hand unless I go to my parents' house. Although I have used ONR in the parking garage in my condo. I just found waxing is labour intensive, and I'm no spring chicken anymore. With the Opticoat Pro, I just need to wash, dry and just use a quick detailer, and the paint looks great, almost as if I did do a full wax, even after 3 years. Plus living in Canada, winters can be killer on paint finish.

 

[kevoco333]

My department at work bought a new 2019 GMC Siera HD 2500 crew cab long bed pickup last year and we paid over $1000 for ceramic coating before we took delivery. I like keeping cars clean so I volunteered to hand wash the truck instead of taking it to the car wash. I was washing it under a mahogany tree for shade and as I was washing it a leaf would fall onto the roof and hood and actually stain the paint. Dirt seems to stick to the paint also. It doesn't just rinse off like it does on my car. This truck cost over $55k and I think $1k is too much. I can't see why anybody would pay up to $3k to ceramic coat a civic.

I had thought about ceramic coating my Civic but decided against it after seeing this. I was glad I didn't waste my money. I now use 303 Si02 touchless sealant and couldn't be happier. It takes about 5 minutes to apply and lasts for months. You just spray it on a panel and rinse right away. It's as simple as that.

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