Ceramic Coating and CXP Tint Pictures/Video

y4ngel said:

How much would a car have to be worth in order for you to think it's justified for other people to spend their money protecting it?

The amount of times people here try to belittle other people's decision on where and how they spend their money is astounding.

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He wasn't belittling. He was just stating an opinion. Text doesn't translate body language or real life conversations, hence, emoticons.

Forums are here for conversation. If you got mad from reading a post, then you took it the wrong way which is ok. Try not to get worked up about other opinions, such is life.

Boba Debt said:

Anything you do to a car has to be proportional to it's true value, even if you filthy rich it is wasteful to not make good use of your money.

Between the ADM and expensive after market paint protection services some of you will be $20k under water in less then a year.

God help you if this car starts to have a track record for mechanical issues, then it will be really bad.

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I paid MSRP, there is warranty on the car, paying a little money for piece of mind is worth it for me.

tuxmonkey said:

If I were filthy rich I wouldn't consider spending money on paint protection wasteful considering it extends the life of the paint. If I were filthy rich I definitely wouldn't care what you thought about how I spend my money; perks of being filthy rich.

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I know 2 types of rich people

Farmers and commercial fisherman that drive old trucks and have millions in the bank to take care of their families and showboats that have to drive the expensive cars to work and the buy the big house on the beach

The former don't give a fluck what you think about then and the latter are obsessed with what people think about them.

Film and ceramic coating.

tuxmonkey said:

I think a warp is a bit excessive and from what I understand may or may not look great in a few years. Ceramic coating sounds pretty great and I enough tech to help keep that paint shiny and slick, but takes a skilled hand to apply it properly and a lot more prep. Good ol' fashion wax is pretty much idiot proof as long as you don't swirl the paint. I, personally, will look into that Soft99 Fusso Coat because it's inexpensive for bi-annual or annual application and appears to do an amazing job. I might grab some ceramic for the wheels and brakes, but that's it. In my experience with Honda wheels brake dust comes off very easy.

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Heard that Fusso is not sold in the US and you have to get it on eBay. But let me know if you struggle getting it, I might ship a box from Norway.
But it would end up in something like 30$ + shipping.

Good thing about Fusso is that you only need like 3-4 gram per car. So basically you have one box for the rest of your life.
http://www.detailparadise.com.au/showthread.php?12762-Soft99-Fusso-Dark

HondaFan2017 said:

Ceramic coat vs wax - nice explanation

Ceramic coat vs wax. I guess I'll do wheels only. For me going with ceramic coat is too risky/ requires much maintenance . Plus you can't tell how that ceramic coating will age.

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Funny stuff coming from the CEO of a WAX Company; gee, wonder if there is any bias there. That said, a week after picking up a lowly 2016 Civic LX-Coupe, I decon'd/polished the paint, dropped ceramic on the rims, tire clearcoat on the tires and 3 layers of ceramic coating on the paint and trim...likely around $400 worth of product and 25 hrs of my time. Why, you ask (or even if you don't)? SO the car stays/looks clean with little to maint from myself. Water sheets off the paint, acid rain/bird shit/contaminants wont stick/stain/etc the paint.

Basically, because while I enjoy clean cars, I don't really enjoy cleaning them. The self cleaning abilities of the right ceramic/quartz/glass coating on paint are simply undeniable. Yep, a rock on the freeway gonna chip no matter what I put on it but that's gonna happen to any car that is actually, you know, driven to any extent. The coatings do, however, provide some extra resistance to light marring, say that induced by using Aunt Ruth's crusty old bath towel to dry you car.



Car stays cleaner, longer with the coatings and when I do wash it, all I'm left with afterward is a pretty clean wash mitt and two drying towels. No quick detailers needed, no wheel cleaning chemicals needed, no nasty 'wheels only' towels...one and done in about 15 minutes. Choose the right coating and you can have either the typical 'hard candy' look or a warmer, deeper Carnauba-type glow.

For me, coatings are about dealing with my own laziness as far as keeping cars clean go. If you enjoy/get therapy from washing/waxing your cars then coatings are not for you although there are plenty of coating-friendly 'boosters' you can use to enhance/change the looks of a coating while still maintaining protection.

Look hard enough and you'll even find 'self-healing' coatings now.

Is this Accumulator from Autopia?

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  Budgetplan1 said:

  Funny stuff coming from the CEO of a WAX Company; gee, wonder if there is any bias there. That said, a week after picking up a lowly 2016 Civic LX-Coupe, I decon'd/polished the paint, dropped ceramic on the rims, tire clearcoat on the tires and 3 layers of ceramic coating on the paint and trim...likely around $400 worth of product and 25 hrs of my time. Why, you ask (or even if you don't)? SO the car stays/looks clean with little to maint from myself. Water sheets off the paint, acid rain/bird shit/contaminants wont stick/stain/etc the paint.
  
  Basically, because while I enjoy clean cars, I don't really enjoy cleaning them. The self cleaning abilities of the right ceramic/quartz/glass coating on paint are simply undeniable. Yep, a rock on the freeway gonna chip no matter what I put on it but that's gonna happen to any car that is actually, you know, driven to any extent. The coatings do, however, provide some extra resistance to light marring, say that induced by using Aunt Ruth's crusty old bath towel to dry you car.
  
  
  
  Car stays cleaner, longer with the coatings and when I do wash it, all I'm left with afterward is a pretty clean wash mitt and two drying towels. No quick detailers needed, no wheel cleaning chemicals needed, no nasty 'wheels only' towels...one and done in about 15 minutes. Choose the right coating and you can have either the typical 'hard candy' look or a warmer, deeper Carnauba-type glow.
  
  For me, coatings are about dealing with my own laziness as far as keeping cars clean go. If you enjoy/get therapy from washing/waxing your cars then coatings are not for you although there are plenty of coating-friendly 'boosters' you can use to enhance/change the looks of a coating while still maintaining protection.
  
  Look hard enough and you'll even find 'self-healing' coatings now.

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Thanks for this insight on clear coat. Really useful practical info to get a more accurate picture.
It's one of my defects - being doubtful. Comes from figuring out often that things should not be taken absolutely but thought from different perspectives. So I like to ask myself questions...
My posts were just a heads-up about clear coat. Aspects that are less mentioned. So that others not knowing them make an informed choice. Not to be understood that one's good and the other bad.
For instance, I find easier to wax/condition the car more often than engaging in more technical/risky operations. Besides I like admiring up close the car body lines, like an art masterpiece

Katastrophe said:

+1 to PPF.

+1 to XPEL Ultimate. I've heard good things about 3M Scotchguard Pro, but know XPEL has a better warranty and more installers prefer it. Bottom line, use either one and which every your installer recommends. For what it's worth, I've done XPEL personally on my bike and car and it turned out great.

I would also tend to avoid using clay on new paint. It's a mild abrasive and it's not really needed as the paint doesn't have years of gunk on it. New clear coat is crap and I never use it unless absolutely necessary.

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Why XPEL and Nano Fusion has a lifetime warranty?

Would the ceramic coating be an issue for body shops should they need to paint a panel? I guess they should be made aware of the existing ceramic coating as I imagine paint shouldn't be applied on top of it?

This is a common philosophical question that seems to apply to most things. Most people either buy something new, use it until it breaks and then buy a new one OR buy something new, spend $ on protecting/maintaining it and keep it for an indefinite period. My Dad was a use it till it breaks guy and my mom was a protect & maintain lady. Both are fine and it likely has a lot to do with personality type as to which you lean towards, but for me, the protecting/maintaining method is preferred. Things stay nicer longer and you protect your investments. It is cathartic to keep the things you care about (figuratively and literally) maintained/protected. It also likely depends on how much you care about the "thing" in the first place.

I personally am going with the PPF & Ceramic coating option. Yes, it is expensive, but this is my 3rd black car and I am tired of trying to keep it looking nice all the time (and I have a garage.) I do not plan on selling this car, so the long term investment is worth it to me, regardless of how much I spent on it or the proportion of the cost of the protection to the cost of the car.

Every decision you make is a calculated risk. I've tried the wash & wax routine for 20 years and it works okay, but it is a lot of work on a black car. Time to try some new technology and see how it works. Anything that helps to reduce the time to wash & dry this car, I'm all for.

On a side note, going the more routine wash & wax is not exactly cheap either. If you do it right, all that stuff adds up quick (wash buckets with grit guards, wool mits, edgeless micro-fiber towels, clay bar, compound, orbital polisher, polish, sealant, wheel cleaner, wheel brushes, detailer, etc., etc., etc.) Not to mention the physical time investment; how much is that worth?

I don't think anyone can argue that TypeCrane's red CTR is absolutely stunning. The key is whichever route you go, the product needs to be good and the installation/labor better be legit.

s2kdriver80 said:

Would the ceramic coating be an issue for body shops should they need to paint a panel? I guess they should be made aware of the existing ceramic coating as I imagine paint shouldn't be applied on top of it?

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Yep

Had mine Nano Ceramic tinted today, 15% all around and 50% on the front windshield. They had to remove the rear lower wing. $400.00 for everything, saved me $300.00. I just replaced a CVT tranny in the owners 17' WRX with 6k. Became good friends after the repair

For those that's experienced or has had ceramic or nano coats in the past, what happens to the paint coating after it wears off? Wouldn't your clean paint be more susceptible to damage now that it's bare after the coating wears off. Is it obvious to see when it wears off? One section is uber shiny compared to the section that's wearing off? Or a water test?

y4ngel said:

For those interested or planning on getting their car tinted or ceramic coated, the shop I took mine to have uploaded some pictures and videos on IG of the process. I drove straight from the dealer to the shop on Tuesday, and will be picking up the car this Saturday.

Things that are getting done:

40% CarbonXP Tint (Did not have to remove either rear spoiler)

Super foam prep-wash
Clay bar
Nano polish (primer)
Paint correction
3 layers of 9H Ceramic Pro
1 extra layer on exposed areas
1 layer 9H on plastic and rims
1 layer of Light as top coat
1 layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows
Ceramic Pro wheel and caliber package

https://www.instagram.com/southend_graphics/

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This shop is in my neck of the woods! I'd like to see your CTR in person. Hard to see the paint detail in a picture.