Anyone pony up for ceramic coating after purchase?

[mis3]

The biggest thing with the coating is maintaining it - you won't able to take the car to any carwash anymore, otherwise it will be ruined the minute brushes touch the paint. Ceramic coating is a commitment. I've installed it myself and now I am committed to wash it once in 2 weeks with specific products using certain technique. Think twice before you opt for it lol

Really? I did not know about this. I thought with ceramic coat, I can wash the car less. At least, the dirt would roll off the surface just by rinsing.

BTW. Do you still wax the car?

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[parshisa]

Really? I did not know about this. I thought with ceramic coat, I can wash the car less. At least, the dirt would roll off the surface just by rinsing.

BTW. Do you still wax the car?

Unfortunately, scratch proof ceramic coating are a myth. It scratches as easy as factory clearcoat. So, taking car through the automated car wash will ruin the finish.

No, I don't wax it. Any wax on top of the coating will replace its hydrophobic properties and won't do any good.

 

[ZephyrFlash]

Unfortunately, scratch proof ceramic coating are a myth. It scratches as easy as factory clearcoat. So, taking car through the automated car wash will ruin the finish.

No, I don't wax it. Any wax on top of the coating will replace its hydrophobic properties and won't do any good.

Touchless car washes are a thing and should be the ONLY automated car wash you ever go through. Also waxing does not ruin the top coat of a ceramic coating.

I got my car coated in Opti-Coat Pro-Plus and it was well worth the money IMO.

 

[parshisa]

Touchless car washes are a thing and should be the ONLY automated car wash you ever go through. Also waxing does not ruin the top coat of a ceramic coating.

I got my car coated in Opti-Coat Pro-Plus and it was well worth the money IMO.

Wax doesn’t ruin it, but it doesn’t allow the coating to work as intended. Touchless carwashes are using agressive non PH neutral soaps that is not good for any type of paint protection (wax, selalant, coating)

 

[Schmullis]

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 recommend clear plastic sheet. I put this on the front bumper, hood and front fenders. Works well, likely cheaper than ceramic and "self heals" small holes in the sun.

 

[CLNFAZ002]

The biggest thing with the coating is maintaining it - you won't able to take the car to any carwash anymore, otherwise it will be ruined the minute brushes touch the paint. Ceramic coating is a commitment. I've installed it myself and now I am committed to wash it once in 2 weeks with specific products using certain technique. Think twice before you opt for it lol

Or you could just let them know you want them to retract all brushes and they won’t engage in your wash. I’ve done the coating on my car and take it though my car wash all the time. You just have to keep some type of good polymers or waxes on the paint to protect it. And you’ll be fine.

 

[parshisa]

Or you could just let them know you want them to retract all brushes and they won’t engage in your wash. I’ve done the coating on my car and take it though my car wash all the time. You just have to keep some type of good polymers or waxes on the paint to protect it. And you’ll be fine.

Wax over the ceramic coating will defeat the purpose of the coating in a first place. Water beading properties will be substituted with wax's properties which are far inferior. Plus, like I mentioned before, car washed are not using ph-neutral soaps with significantly decreased coating effective life.

 

[boosted180sx]

Wax over the ceramic coating will defeat the purpose of the coating in a first place.

this x100. you shouldn't use any wax or sealants on top of a coating. If you want to use something over a coating, use a dedicated coating topper such as car pro reload instead.

 

[Lola]

So - you have to be very careful not to harm the ceramic coating??? Almost seems a bit pointless, doesn’t it? (just asking)

 

[parshisa]

So - you have to be very careful not to harm the ceramic coating??? Almost seems a bit pointless, doesn’t it? (just asking)

You are missing out on the main goal of the ceramic. It is no different from carnauba wax - increase surface tension which will effectively improve paint water repellent properties. Which will consequently decrease the amount of dirt that stick to the surface as well as ease of removing it. IT DOES NOT prevent scratches and marring. Please, look up Forensics Detailing channel on youtube, he’a got a great video about ceramic coatings which you can learn a lot from

 

[neteng101]

If you are going to spend money get a clear bra. The paint is paper thin and WILL chip all over especially in the hood, front fenders, and bumper. Heck - I've even gotten 2-3 chips on the ROOF, which is really something I've not noticed in the past with other cars.

 

[Captaindicki]

I got both clear bra on the hood and Ceramic Pro silver package. It’s amazing! The best investment I’ve made to the car, and the ceramic coating makes the car pop with color. Think of the ceramic coating as a permanent wax for the body and rims. It protects the paint from fading and makes the car easier to wash, plus it keeps the paint glossy. There is no comparison to the ceramic coated paint to the oem paint. But ceramic coating does not really help against scratching. The coating will scratch, but it will still protect the oem clear coat and paint beneath. The ceramic is a sacrificial layer. I say do it, but don’t go for the gold package because over time any package will get scratches and in the future you’ll have to take it in for a polishing.

 

[Ninebreaker8]

If you have the money to spare, I say to opt for the paint correction and ceramic coat even if it’s brand new.

It is definitely a hefty investment, but if you’re like me and enjoy rinsing off the car once every two weeks without having to religiously dry your car, it’s convenient.

 

[_HawK_]

While I can appreciate wanting to buy the best. I personally enjoy knowing that I have something of quality in everything that I buy.
Buying such an expensive coating for such a dramatically depreciating asset like a 20K plus car seems like a really really bad idea from a financial perspective let alone the other ways of looking at it. All kinds of things can happen to hurt the paint like a wreck or other multitudinous and sundry scenarios.

I think I would spend my money on upgraded wheels and tires or something else way way before I would spend the money on something like this. Just seems like a waste especially when you could basically repaint the whole car with a factory quality finish for maybe only twice as much.

 

[Captaindicki]

Having to never wax the car and having sticky road debris just gently wipe off, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Best $1,000 I ever spent. Ceramic is just a added cost when buying a nice car.

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