Is ceramic coating worth it? Fk8

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Ajk42189

Ajk42189

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Sorry, it was not my intention to accuse you of being a spendthrift - I'm just amazed that some people actually pay that exorbitant price for ceramic.
You are right though, it’s crazy expensive. Might just save up a little more and get the ppf.
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WindJunkie

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I just completed a DIY ceramic coat project on my LE. I documented the whole process and am publishing a YouTube video right now. I’ll share the link to the video on this thread once it’s live.

look-wise, stunning, but the true value I believe is the long term easy washing and protection from things like irrigation systems spraying your paint or bird dung. I’ve only had the ceramic coat for two weeks so can’t speak to protection or longevity yet but CQuartz advertises 2 years (I used CQuartz).

I got my front bumper, grill and mirror caps PPF’d with XPel for $1300 when I got my LE brand new, that is more important than ceramic coating IMO. My first CTR had about a dozen rock chips after 18k miles.
 

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applying the coating itself is easy.
its the steps before that which takes a lot of labor.
Absolutely right. If you do proper prep and do not cut corners, the results after coating are spectacular. I think it is absolutely worth it, but I coat my cars myself. For me, I just never have faith that anyone will take as much time and care as I do, so I keep the work in house :)

I will also say that if you are putting a good amount of miles on the car, I would spend that money on PPF instead. From a strictly durability standpoint, you’re better off. While coatings after proper prep look amazing, they won’t provide the protection that a top shelf film will. Additionally, you could always coat the car yourself after having the PPF installed, and enjoy the best of both worlds (easier maintenance washes, chemical resistance, more UV protection, etc).

Good luck!
 

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I had ceramic tints, full front PPF and a two year ceramic coating all done for $3,300. It was the best price that I could find up in NYC. I would still do it again tbh. Maybe I would try to do the coating myself. But I feel both the coating and PPF are worth it.
 


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if you are in south Florida I know a guy that works out of his garage that did it for $750.
but as to the question if its worth it? absolutely, try & get PPF on the front also. if you daily & see the highway alot get ppf please, youll remember this post when you get little rock chips. I regret not doing ppf also.
 

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1300 seems a bit high. I had front bumper+hood PPF done for ~1200 and full body ceramic coat for ~850. And that included the prep of washing, stripping, detailing, and everything else before installing the PPF and ceramic. I'd shop around, cuz 1300 for just ceramic seems high.
 

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IMO, use that money for PPF instead. $1300 gets you full front end PPF and will offer significantly more protection. You can do your own ceramic sprays monthly with minimum time and get similar results to a full professional ceramic coat.
This! Think PPF first then coating. You will be glad a couple years from now.
 

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I think this thread might be helpful for you:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/ceramic-coating-quote.64023/

The short answer is don't pay someone to apply it (unless you just don't want to do it yourself) because over-the-counter products have improved so dramatically over the last few years. If you are prepared to spend big money on a coating, spend it on PPF instead.

With regards to a coating, most of what you pay for is the prep, which is really easy to do yourself, you just need a bit of time and effort. These $1000-3000 coatings are absolutely not worth it unless you have money to burn.
 


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I think this thread might be helpful for you:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/ceramic-coating-quote.64023/

The short answer is don't pay someone to apply it (unless you just don't want to do it yourself) because over-the-counter products have improved so dramatically over the last few years. If you are prepared to spend big money on a coating, spend it on PPF instead.

With regards to a coating, most of what you pay for is the prep, which is really easy to do yourself, you just need a bit of time and effort. These $1000-3000 coatings are absolutely not worth it unless you have money to burn.
Thank you!!!
 
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1300 seems a bit high. I had front bumper+hood PPF done for ~1200 and full body ceramic coat for ~850. And that included the prep of washing, stripping, detailing, and everything else before installing the PPF and ceramic. I'd shop around, cuz 1300 for just ceramic seems high.
After all the feedback I think I’m going to go for the ppf instead. I was quoted 1600 from a place that does good work, but I’ll definitely shop around!
 
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Absolutely right. If you do proper prep and do not cut corners, the results after coating are spectacular. I think it is absolutely worth it, but I coat my cars myself. For me, I just never have faith that anyone will take as much time and care as I do, so I keep the work in house :)

I will also say that if you are putting a good amount of miles on the car, I would spend that money on PPF instead. From a strictly durability standpoint, you’re better off. While coatings after proper prep look amazing, they won’t provide the protection that a top shelf film will. Additionally, you could always coat the car yourself after having the PPF installed, and enjoy the best of both worlds (easier maintenance washes, chemical resistance, more UV protection, etc).

Good luck!
Thank you!!!
 

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I opt for XPEL PPF myself. Full front (full hood, grille, bumper, fenders, mirror caps, headlights, fogs) and also added in rockers, door cups and rear bumper/luggage area. Was $2,700 and then I got Llumar FormulaOne ceramic tint for $400. I’ll end up sticking with my Jescar Power Lock Plus sealant for now every 4-6 months. May polish and ceramic coat myself down the line.
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