Anyone pony up for ceramic coating after purchase?

CEPA_Si · Oct 15, 2018

Wow this thread will make your head spin with a lot of misinformation. First coatings do not need to be sanded off, and any polishing of any sort will greatly diminish the coatings performance if not fully remove it. As for the coatings needing a booster every 6 months, it is not needed but it is recommended. When it comes to coatings do not buy something based off a warranty, a lifetime warranty is pretty much a joke on a vehicle. As you said yourself you are REQUIRED to take the vehicle back to them yearly so they can put more product on it. The point of the coating is to make the vehicle easy for you to take care of for several years.

I don't have time to type a really long response right now, but as an actual professional that has been using coatings for several years I am quite knowledgeable about the topic. I do not take good care of my vehicle and rarely wash it, however in most cases it looks cleaner then most other cars on the road. A simple wash and its back to looking like the day I finished it.

VooDuuChild · Oct 15, 2018

Pittwm said:
I'm doing it myself with Cquartz UK. The car is a month old, washed twice. I imagine it will be pretty straight path after I clay the surface. Whatever you do, don't wait a long time to do it, the prep is what cost you a lot the longer ou wait.

I wish I could do it myself....but I have a possible full shoulder replacement looming...so I am lucky to even be able to drive a stick. I am limited to pretty much just the use of my right arm currently. The place I am looking to have it done, does a checkup on it once a year for $140 to make sure it's all good. Lifetime warranty that way. Cheaper than detailing it once a year (of course not counting the initial sack kick haha)

Captaindicki · Oct 15, 2018

Just a visual checkup costs $140? Extra if maintenance is required? Here in Canada ceramic pro doesn't require annual inspections of its product, not sure about USA

VooDuuChild · Oct 15, 2018

Captaindicki said:
Just a visual checkup costs $140? Extra if maintenance is required? Here in Canada ceramic pro doesn't require annual inspections of its product, not sure about USA

It is for the lifetime warranty. Five year warranty requires no checkups. During the checkup, they recoat any small areas that may need to have fixed for the $140.

Captaindicki · Oct 16, 2018

Ahh got it ok. Didn’t know the inspection was only for the lifetime warranty. Mines a 5 year(silver)warranty. I didn’t go for the lifetime because after a few years the surface on either would probably get some scratches and the entire car would need a lite polishing out and possibly a sport or bronze level reapplication. But the way I’m maintaining the car, by being garaged, washed biweekly and no winters, the coating will probably last the cars life

Spike Spiegel · Oct 16, 2018

VooDuuChild said:
I take delivery in a couple weeks and am seriously considering having a shop do a ceramic coating on it as an extra layer of protection. Has anyone had this done? I'm not interested in doing it myself, for many reasons, but the biggest is I have zero time and also a broken arm and doing everything one handed sucks. For those that have it done, what do you think?

I ended up getting this done about a week after I bought my Si coupe. Cost $1490 for the "lifetime" warranty. For that price I got:

4 layers of Ceramic Pro 9H Glass Shield on all painted exterior surfaces
1 layer of Ceramic Pro Light on all painted exterior surfaces
1 layer of Ceramic Pro Wheel and Caliper on Wheel Faces
2 layer of Ceramic Pro Rain on Windshield

It's only been 12 days so it's too early to tell. I did think the paint would be so smooth that i'd be able to drive through a tornado without any debris sticking to the car. That hasn't been the case... it rained last night and the car is pretty dirty.

I also have to take it back in for paint correction and re-application once a year. Cost is pretty reasonable about $125-150 for this service. My warranty goes out the window if I don't get the yearly maintenance.

I'm sure it will be much easier to clean and will look shiny and new for years to come, but there's definitely gonna be some upkeep involved. I'll update after the first wash.

Captaindicki · Oct 16, 2018

Nice! Your gonna love the paint going forward. Just be careful when washing the car and use QUALITY microfiber towels when drying and buffing the surface and never use those leather shammies. If your not using a leaf blower to dry, then try out THE ABSORBER, its a miracle drying towel. i've done it this way for months on my Ceramic Pro and not one scratch yet and the car looks brand new. And yeah rain will dirty up the car, there's just no way any coating will stop that

peterdawolf · Oct 20, 2018

I ended up going for cquartz (2 coats) on my car for $950. In retrospect, I should have bought it and applied it myself. Live and learn. The only nice part is the dude also dropped off a care package of soap, some microfiber towels, and the recharge product cquartz sells. Picked up a foam cannon so I can wash it a little easier / better. It's rarely not sunny here, but at least it's chilling down this time of year

Peter

bri · Oct 30, 2018

It doesn't really work on an uncoated car, but on a coated car a leaf blower will whisk the water right off. As noted in the Ceramic Pro pamphlet posted above, drying with a dry cloth is one of the most risky/abrasive steps.

87elco · Nov 10, 2018

Mckees or armor shield ix google, YouTube, do it yourself

87elco · Nov 10, 2018

Try diy...you might like it. I do it for a hobby/stress reliever detailing my cars. Plus you have more money to waste on others you care about or yourself hahaha

Spike Spiegel · Dec 4, 2018

Spike Spiegel said:
I'll update after the first wash.

So it's been about 68 days and I still haven't done a proper 2 bucket wash. I've done the touchless do-it-yourself wash a few times but I haven't been able to bring myself to actually touch the paint yet for fear of scratches.

I'm still not sure the Ceramic coat was worth the cost. I was under the impression that the paint would be so smooth and slippery that almost nothing would stick to it. That is not the case! I can see a layer of grime on the car and gently touching the paint with the back of my fingers feels a bit gritty... not teflon smooth like I had imagined.

I may have had unreasonable expectations of the ceramic coat. I imagined that i'd never have to do a bucket wash again... just spray it down with soap and use a high pressure nozzle to wash. I figured that should get off all the grime and grit.... I was wrong.

I did get a leaf blower and i'm about to order a foam cannon. If I get another semi-warm day before winter really sets in i'll do a 2 bucket wash. Otherwise i'll bucket wash as soon as it warms up in March and see how the paint looks.

PS. Either way i'm going to continue to hit the wash rack every couple/few weeks to get the heavy stuff off the paint.

PPS. I can't keep the wheels clean no matter how often I clean them. What a PIA! I wonder if it's worth the $400 to get those fully ceramic coated?

SCOPESYS · Dec 4, 2018

If you really want to determine how SMOOTH your paint surface is, try putting your hand in a new, clean Zip-Lock Plastic bag, and the gently run your hand over the paint surface.
You will feel how rough it really is... then try on clean Glass for comparison.

CEPA_Si · Dec 6, 2018

Spike Spiegel said:
So it's been about 68 days and I still haven't done a proper 2 bucket wash. I've done the touchless do-it-yourself wash a few times but I haven't been able to bring myself to actually touch the paint yet for fear of scratches.

I'm still not sure the Ceramic coat was worth the cost. I was under the impression that the paint would be so smooth and slippery that almost nothing would stick to it. That is not the case! I can see a layer of grime on the car and gently touching the paint with the back of my fingers feels a bit gritty... not teflon smooth like I had imagined.

I may have had unreasonable expectations of the ceramic coat. I imagined that i'd never have to do a bucket wash again... just spray it down with soap and use a high pressure nozzle to wash. I figured that should get off all the grime and grit.... I was wrong.

I did get a leaf blower and i'm about to order a foam cannon. If I get another semi-warm day before winter really sets in i'll do a 2 bucket wash. Otherwise i'll bucket wash as soon as it warms up in March and see how the paint looks.

PS. Either way i'm going to continue to hit the wash rack every couple/few weeks to get the heavy stuff off the paint.

PPS. I can't keep the wheels clean no matter how often I clean them. What a PIA! I wonder if it's worth the $400 to get those fully ceramic coated?

Unfortunately the only way to fully clean the car is to actually wash it. Many people are under the impression that they will never need to wash it anymore, which simply is not going to be the case. Not sure what coating you have on your car, did your installer not go over maintenance with you after it was finished? Coatings are for easy maintenance, but many people seem to think that means they don't need to do anything to keep it clean. You said it yourself, your going on over 2 months without really washing the car so I don't know what you really expect out of it.

Spike Spiegel · Dec 6, 2018

CEPA_Si said:
Unfortunately the only way to fully clean the car is to actually wash it. Many people are under the impression that they will never need to wash it anymore, which simply is not going to be the case. Not sure what coating you have on your car, did your installer not go over maintenance with you after it was finished? Coatings are for easy maintenance, but many people seem to think that means they don't need to do anything to keep it clean. You said it yourself, your going on over 2 months without really washing the car so I don't know what you really expect out of it.

Well clearly I expected more than I should have. That's not really a slight against coatings. Ultimately you're right... the car definitely still needs to be hand washed. Ceramic pro 9H gold package (4 coats ceramic).

In my defense (and a lot of others)- there is a TON of anecdotal testimony out there that suggests the car becomes so intensely hydrophobic after a ceramic coating that any contaminants will slide right off the paint in a rain storm or under a hose. I've come to discover that's not reality.

Anyone pony up for ceramic coating after purchase?

CEPA_Si

Detailing Guru

VooDuuChild

Senior Member

Captaindicki

Senior Member

VooDuuChild

Senior Member

Captaindicki

Senior Member

Spike Spiegel

Senior Member

Captaindicki

Senior Member

peterdawolf

Member

bri

Senior Member

87elco

Senior Member

87elco

Senior Member

Spike Spiegel

Senior Member

SCOPESYS

Senior Member

CEPA_Si

Detailing Guru

Spike Spiegel

Senior Member

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