Ceramic Coating

[youngbuck]

I'm picking up my Honda civic in about 2 weeks and they offered me ceramic coating. the colour i got is steel metallic. I want to have the color stay as shiny as possible without fading. just wondering if the ceramic coating Honda offering if worth to get it?

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[nizarz]

How much are they charging and what product do they use? I did mine myself using CQuartz 3.0 and it was very simple to do. Cost me $80CAD

 

[Conor]

Like nizarz said, how much are they charging you? With the soft paint on the Civic I think it's a good idea, just depends on cost and/or are you willing to take the time to do it yourself?

I'm going to be doing my own with Armor Shield IX in a couple of weeks. The most time consuming thing will be preparing the car for the coating (wash, claybar, polish, and IPA wipedown). I'm planning on an entire day to properly prep the car (any imperfections after the prep stage will be sealed in with the coating), then another day for applying two coats of the ceramic.

I would rather spend a bit of time and elbow grease and save some $$$

It's also very helpful to have a garage to do the work in, and also to provide a dry place for it to cure.

 

[Fit2Hatch]

I used Kamikaze. Purchased thru Esoteric. Complete process took four days on each car, first three days on body and trim and the last day on wheels, on my two cars. I am super picky. This August will be two years of trouble free enjoyment. Coincidently, today, I am coating a set of brand new Rays wheels for the Hatch.

I met the owner of a local vendor who cater to ceramic coat local dealer on a Jury selection, claims he applied 5 coat of his "Bullet Proof" coating, after, will resist key scratch!! Where I live, most dealer farmed out stuffs are expensive, since dealer has to take their cut and just not reliable!

Be careful and good luck!!

 

[youngbuck]

They're charging $600. I got no experience and Not a DIY type of person. They said it lasts up to 10 years and won't have to reapply it every year like the other coating they used to use. Since it's a brand new car I just want to keep it shinny and protected for a long time. That's why I just want to get them to do to get over with it plus if any damage they cause Honda would liable for it. Thanks

 

[Conor]

They're charging $600. I got no experience and Not a DIY type of person. They said it lasts up to 10 years and won't have to reapply it every year like the other coating they used to use. Since it's a brand new car I just want to keep it shinny and protected for a long time. That's why I just want to get them to do to get over with it plus if any damage they cause Honda would liable for it. Thanks

$600 is a good price if they are going to polish it first. Since it is brand new, however, they might skip the polishing. Just make sure at a minimum they are going to wash it, clay bar it, and do an IPA wipedown.

I would not expect it to last 10 years for $600, as they are probably just going to do one coat of the ceramic. 2-5 years is more likely. Also, the ceramic warranties are so full of holes it is unrealistic to expect to win a warranty claim.

With all that said, $600 still seems like a good price, and it will help to keep it looking bling!

 

[Suma Performance]

Does that $600 include coating maintenance? Typically to live up to the warranty (e.g. 2 years, 5 years, etc.), they require your to bring in the car for yearly coating maintenance, which can be an extra charge. Or using maintenance spray periodically. Make sure you ask for the potential hidden fees.

 

[Phy]

Does that $600 include coating maintenance? Typically to live up to the warranty (e.g. 2 years, 5 years, etc.), they require your to bring in the car for yearly coating maintenance, which can be an extra charge. Or using maintenance spray periodically. Make sure you ask for the potential hidden fees.

This^. The biggest issue I see is that it's a dealership, which means they don't know how to clean a car without scratching it to shit (or don't care). Hopefully they'll do better on a brand new car, but still.

 

[Suma Performance]

This^. The biggest issue I see is that it's a dealership, which means they don't know how to clean a car without scratching it to shit (or don't care). Hopefully they'll do better on a brand new car, but still.

good point.

 

[louielouie]

If a dealership washed your car, you're going to need paint correction before coating is applied otherwise the hairline scratches will be embedded underneath the coating. If that's not a huge deal to you, there's plenty of consumer grade coatings for $50-$100 that you could apply yourself. The main reason why I'd pay someone is to get the paint properly corrected before application which could take several hours or sometimes days depending on paint condition. The actual application of coating shouldn't take too long or be that difficult.

I'm an advocate for ceramic coating as an LSP, but never get it from a dealer. They don't wash cars properly - I have high doubts they'll coat one properly.

 

[youngbuck]

If a dealership washed your car, you're going to need paint correction before coating is applied otherwise the hairline scratches will be embedded underneath the coating. If that's not a huge deal to you, there's plenty of consumer grade coatings for $50-$100 that you could apply yourself. The main reason why I'd pay someone is to get the paint properly corrected before application which could take several hours or sometimes days depending on paint condition. The actual application of coating shouldn't take too long or be that difficult.

I'm an advocate for ceramic coating as an LSP, but never get it from a dealer. They don't wash cars properly - I have high doubts they'll coat one properly.

hmmm. hope since it's brand new they wo'nt have any swirl marks. let's say if it does and the hairline gets embedded underneath the coating. I can still fix it right? just need to take it to a professional detailing shop for them to remove the coating and reapplying on it. I won't be getting my car until next week, hope all it's well then tnx

 

[louielouie]

hmmm. hope since it's brand new they wo'nt have any swirl marks. let's say if it does and the hairline gets embedded underneath the coating. I can still fix it right? just need to take it to a professional detailing shop for them to remove the coating and reapplying on it. I won't be getting my car until next week, hope all it's well then tnx

Yes, the coating would need to be removed, the paint corrected then the coating reapplied.

1 bad wash would ruin immaculate paint, but even a fresh car with plastic still on it, at the least, needs to be decontaminated. Chances are it would also need a finishing polish, if not more. This is all relative to how detailed you want to be with your car.

If you're not prerinsing, 2 bucket method, bunch of fresh/thoroughly washed towels, etc at the minimu, it may not even be worth the time for you to worry about maintaining, "perfect" paint.

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