Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now.

KingOfBrussels

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I decided to have my car super duper shined up by a pro detailer. I'm like selectively OCD where I love the results of detailing but I personally don't have the skills or inclination to do it myself. So I'll pay somebody who does! This was the detailer's "level 1" paint correction and an entry-level GTechniq ceramic coating intended to last for 2 years. I wasn't sure what to expect but holy hell does the Aegean Blue pop now. I think the pics speak for themselves. If anybody's looking for a great detailer in the DC area, big ups to Maryland Auto Spa in Silver Spring. Before considering having this level of detailing done to your car, just know you have to commit to the upkeep (including staying the hell out of automatic car washes, especially those with brushes) otherwise it won't last.

Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622582076633-oi000058-01


Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622582108870-oi000041-01


Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622582131448-oi000045-01


Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622582181096-oi000043-01


Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622582179718-oi000040-01


Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. 1622651807917-img_20210602_103710-01
 

NHCivicGuy

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Congrats! I love my Sonic Gray CTR, but man do I miss my 2020 Si in that Aegean Blue.
 
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KingOfBrussels

KingOfBrussels

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Yes, but what did it cost?
Well, I didn't want to just come right out like "look at all this money I spent," ya know? That would be tacky.

I had a couple other things done by the detailer and the receipt wasn't itemized but it was about $900 for the paint correction & coating. I know that ain't cheap but it was an all day job doing all that polishing and smoothing out the paint then applying the coating and curing it.

This is on the low end of things for these services at this place and other professional detailers. Since it's an almost new car they only did their "level 1" paint correction, and there are other ceramic coatings that are more expensive that can last 5+ years. Depending on who you go to and what level of service you get, I've seen paint correction + coating jobs go up to like $3500.

I think of detailing like this as almost like, an artistic talent. I certainly can't do it myself and I have mad respect for people who are legit good at it.
 


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Well, I didn't want to just come right out like "look at all this money I spent," ya know? That would be tacky.

I had a couple other things done by the detailer and the receipt wasn't itemized but it was about $900 for the paint correction & coating. I know that ain't cheap but it was an all day job doing all that polishing and smoothing out the paint then applying the coating and curing it.

This is on the low end of things for these services at this place and other professional detailers. Since it's an almost new car they only did their "level 1" paint correction, and there are other ceramic coatings that are more expensive that can last 5+ years. Depending on who you go to and what level of service you get, I've seen paint correction + coating jobs go up to like $3500.

I think of detailing like this as almost like, an artistic talent. I certainly can't do it myself and I have mad respect for people who are legit good at it.
900$ ain’t bad. It may be worth it if you keep the car for a long time. It’s hard to justify a 3500$ job for a civic.

The paint is thin and definitely shouldn’t be corrected many times or clear coat might start to disappear.
 
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KingOfBrussels

KingOfBrussels

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@SDAlexander8 Totally agree with you. I do plan to keep the car a long time and don't want to over-polish it. To me this is a nice fresh crispy starting point, but when the detailer asked me about higher end coatings, even more levels of polishing etc, my response was, "It's a nice car, but it's not a super high end car where I want to go overboard with it."

I'm totally happy with how this turned out, and I'm willing and able to properly hand wash it at home. I actually have a car blow dryer lol. Also going to do periodic refreshing of the coating with GTechniq Easy Coat. Winter here is pretty mild, but during the time of year where I'd rather not hook up a hose in the driveway and go to town, there's a big car wash near me with self service pressure wash bays.
 

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Price to pay for convenience is often inflated, along with haphazard workmanship and end results.

Having said that, also being anal, I often opted to do most thing myself, in this case, prep and ceramic coating two car.

First time I did coating was in '09 on my C6 Corvette. Using a PC orbital, it did the job but PC was tiring to use.

When I picked up the HB in '18, knowing the benefit of coating, decided to coat the Civic as well as re-coat the C6. Since two cars this time, I bought the Flex 3901 to make the job less tiring. Coating product was from Kamakazi, coating include for paint, plastic/rubber, glass & rim thru Esoteric. Material and Flex orbital ordered thru Amazon was under 1K.

Took four days on each car. Complete pressure wash/no touch blow dry following each process, such as IronX, clay bar, orbital polish and etc..... to lessen cross contamination, swirl and such. Highly repetitive process but end result is proportion as to attention to detail. My cars, so there was no cutting corners.

Three years this September, along with periodic pressure wash/no touch blow dry, both cars are garage kept, C6 is for fair weather and Civic is DD, both exterior are pristine.
 

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I decided to have my car super duper shined up by a pro detailer. I'm like selectively OCD where I love the results of detailing but I personally don't have the skills or inclination to do it myself. So I'll pay somebody who does! This was the detailer's "level 1" paint correction and an entry-level GTechniq ceramic coating intended to last for 2 years. I wasn't sure what to expect but holy hell does the Aegean Blue pop now. I think the pics speak for themselves. If anybody's looking for a great detailer in the DC area, big ups to Maryland Auto Spa in Silver Spring. Before considering having this level of detailing done to your car, just know you have to commit to the upkeep (including staying the hell out of automatic car washes, especially those with brushes) otherwise it won't last.

1622582076633-oi000058-01.jpg


1622582108870-oi000041-01.jpg


1622582131448-oi000045-01.jpg


1622582181096-oi000043-01.jpg


1622582179718-oi000040-01.jpg


1622651807917-img_20210602_103710-01.jpg
Niccceeee!!

Get you some Adam’s Polishes CS3 to help with the maintenance. ?

I also recommend their Rinse+Coat to help maintain the wheels (Its literally spray on, blast with water and they’re coated for a few months)

Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. B690EC76-A13B-4DFB-975F-C54D8CB53D35
 
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Manatee Bob

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Just after I bought my 2020 Platinum White Pearl Si, I had a local detailer do a minor paint correction and apply system X ceramic coating with a 6 year warranty. The ceramic coating really brought out the pearlescent undertones of the paint. I use a foam gun with commercial soap that the detailer uses and a mitt and use a blow dryer to remove the water.

This picture below shows off the pearl color in subdued sunlight of this afternoon.
Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. system X ceramic coatin
 
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Manatee Bob

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Here is a picture of the entire car. The detail shop updates the ceramic coating annually and I apply system X RENEW ceramic coating detailer which takes about 10-15 minutes after I wash and dry the car. People had complained about the relatively poor clear coat that Honda of Canada was putting on the cars so I felt that a tough ceramic coating would ameliorate any factory paint limitations. BTW, the OP's Aegean Blue Si really pops with that ceramic coating and you will find that washing your car is less of a chore going forward.
Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. system X ceramic coating on Platinum White Pearl
 
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Manatee Bob

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Below is the entire car in about 60% sun with some puffy clouds around here in Florida. You can more clearly see how the pearl pops on the car after the ceramic coating treatment. The installer was even amazed that it brought out so much of the undertones. BTW, the reason that the windshield and all windows are super shiny is that I also apply system X Renew ceramic detailer to the windows to increase the hydrophobic qualities of the glass as well.

Honda Civic 10th gen Had my Si paint corrected & ceramic coated. It's way shiny now. Si with system X ceramic coating in full sunlight
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