Ceramic Coating...do it?

[trophies]

All,

I'm looking to Ceramic coat my car. I was looking at the benefits and CeramicPro has several dealers/installers near me. Has anyone here done any coating? I don't live in too harsh of climate, California. I mainly want the protection and shine and the ease it has with washing and the occasional rain makes it a huge plus for me. What's the average cost for having this done?

[rexus300]

I havent seen any proof its that great.... I just do front clear Xpel film and wash my car nicely with details 1-2x a year and its still great. Dont waste your money on something that will blend off in a year or so and you have to do it again. its not permanent like your paint. Its a marketing things...

[Drew'sZ]

I have Ceramic Pro Gold on my car and I can definitely tell a difference. It's easier to clean and seems to be shiny even when dirty. That's just my opinion. I paid $1700, with paint correction.

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[Dirt]

Definitely worth it. My S6 was the first vehicle I ever had ceramic coated and it’s worth every penny to me.

[daytona rs7]

i have Cquartz uk 3.0 on my car, self applied. i can definitely tell a difference and its been on the car for 6 months.

Its cold here now and im only washing my car every month and a half. the dirt is washing off with ease. not much pressure needed even with months of dirt on it. and water still beads like the day it was applied.

Would i pay the $1500 cost for a shop to do it? probably not. But i have the time and detail knowledge to do it myself and it was well with the $80 cost.

[15 Phantom S6]

C7/C7.5's are big and alot of work to wax properly on a regular basis... I love to detail my rides regularly and I do spend a fair amount of time doing it, but the S6 for me is too big to be up-keeping to my standards along with my other cars, I just simply don't have the time..

I decided to get my S6 ceramic coated with Opti-Coat Pro and its real nice to be able to just wash the car and have it come out like it was waxed.. If I throw some quick detailer on it, the paint really pops nice..

Ceramic coatings are worth it if you take care of it, but if you don't take care, the coating can get swirl marks just like your clearcoat can. If you're just gonna go through the rape wash (touch car-wash) all the time, then it's probably not worth forking out all the $$ for a ceramic coating and better to go with a paint protection film like Xpel....

[jsilas]

I think ceramic coatings are a must-have. They make washing such an easy and pleasant experience, and keep your car looking great while protecting the paint. My car is coated with Optimum Polymer Technologies' Opti-Coat Pro Plus. This car is a 40k+ mile car, daily-driven in the Pacific Northwest, and it still looks like this after a wash:

[subterFUSE]

I have XPel Ultimate on the front end of both my cars, and then whole car coated in Modesta. I love the combination.


Just remember..... paint coatings need to be cared for properly. Hand wash only. Don't go through an automatic wash with those brushes or soft neoprene strips.

If you scratch a paint coating, it is more difficult to fix than with typical paint + wax.

[trophies]

Can someone give me a TLDR for washing technique besides the two bucket + mitt method? Cleaners used, etc. I ALWAYS hand wash my vehicle. Debating if I should save myself the money having a shop do it.

ALSO, what if I decide to actually wrap the car down the road, thinking a Porsche chalk grey. If I did a clear bra PPF now or even just a Ceramic Pro application (my car is Ibis White) then that would be pointless right? Maybe even hold off on ceramic coating if the probability of wrapping my car a new color is even in sight?

again, I want that shine, ease for washing, and some protection against the occasional hand wash swirl or anything like that. luckily, my car is already white so I'm a little ahead of the curve as opposed to the darker exterior colors.

thanks!

[LVBrokrS7]

I think ceramic coatings are a must-have. They make washing such an easy and pleasant experience, and keep your car looking great while protecting the paint. My car is coated with Optimum Polymer Technologies' Opti-Coat Pro Plus. This car is a 40k+ mile car, daily-driven in the Pacific Northwest, and it still looks like this after a wash:

What kind of bikes you have up front? I ride a ‘12 BMW S1000RR.


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[MN_AudiA4]

I would highly recommend it. Please make sure a paint correction is done beforehand before the coating is sealed on there. I have had c quartz UK edition on my previous A4 and just had Nano Ceramic put on my A7. It makes the car easy to wash and contains a nice shine! I live in MN where conditions are harsh and it helps protect the paint against salt/dirt/dust. Hand washes are preferred as some touch less car washes have strong chemicals in the soap that can breakdown the coating!

[VR4-S4]

Just to reinforce what has already been said. It's a noticeable difference but you do need to get the paint corrected before you get it done. To a lesser extend, using a ceramic wax instead of a traditional wax also makes a difference. Be sure to remove the old wax and clay bar before apply the ceramic wax.

[trophies]

I am going to hunt some threads but since we are on the topic, anyone want to recommend some cleaning/wax/clay products?

Copy that VR4. Paint Correct and then ceramic IF I'm not going to wrap the car...If I do decide to go to a Porsche Chalk Grey Wrap, then NO on the paint correct (a waste) and just ceramic coat the wrap?

[infinitereality]

Just curious, but anyone know how long after a paint job is done to ceramic coat it? I'll be doing it myself when the SLC is finished and would be awesome to do it before it sees any real road time.

[subterFUSE]

Just curious, but anyone know how long after a paint job is done to ceramic coat it? I'll be doing it myself when the SLC is finished and would be awesome to do it before it sees any real road time.

New paint?


You need to wait at least a month, maybe 2 months. Fresh paint will outgas and you don't want a new coating on top of that.

[infinitereality]

New paint?


You need to wait at least a month, maybe 2 months. Fresh paint will outgas and you don't want a new coating on top of that.

Yep fresh paint. I assume have to wait for it to gas out like you'd have to before wax?

[subterFUSE]

Yep fresh paint. I assume have to wait for it to gas out like you'd have to before wax?

Definitely.

Got to give it many weeks.

[infinitereality]

Definitely.

Got to give it many weeks.

Thanks for the info, will do. It'll probably constantly rain when it is on the road anyways and won't want to drive it, lol

[jsilas]

what kind of bikes you have up front? I ride a ‘12 bmw s1000rr.


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2004 r1
2016 r1m

[digdah]

2004 r1
2016 r1m

I hate your life LOL. You just can't go anywhere slowly can you sheesh!

[p3u]

I just had my car ceramic coated and it is worth every penny IMHO. I drove through the rain yesterday and while normally my car would be filthy after a down pour it was almost clean still. Almost nothing sticks.

[Kevin1]

I did XPEL Ultimate and a ceramic coating. I have put 86k miles on the car since they were installed and the car still looks new. I am a big fan.

[MadAboutCars]

Had my new RS6 ceramic coated and interior protected. First car I've ever agreed to have it done. So far it seems very good. Beautiful shine. Very easy to clean. 2 year warranty on the finish and hopefully the white stitching on the seats will stay white.

[dragrace8]

As for cleaning/washing/detailing products, this guy https://nickscarblog.com/category/detailing has a really nice blog. I bought a bunch of my cleaning and detailing products based on his reviews/write ups. Hell, he's probably a member of this forum. He has a write up about DIY ceramic coating from December 2017.

[OmaHahn]

Ceramic coating is a must have! The rain and when you wash your car, the water beads and just rolls off! It's literally just like those ceramic cooking pans where no matter what food you cook, it slips right off.

[OmaHahn]

I think ceramic coatings are a must-have. They make washing such an easy and pleasant experience, and keep your car looking great while protecting the paint. My car is coated with Optimum Polymer Technologies' Opti-Coat Pro Plus. This car is a 40k+ mile car, daily-driven in the Pacific Northwest, and it still looks like this after a wash:

THIS car is frikin gorgeous!!!!! Glad to see you finally "wet," the tires in the last couple of pics - perfect!

[arrivalanche]

The shine is much deeper when clean and cleaning it is much easier. I was just advised to use detail spray with ceramic in it rather than weekly washes to make it last longer. I guess unfiltered water eats away at it faster. Im an anal weekly washer so its hard to get used to it at first.

[trophies]

Let's say I'm going to have my car for another 2 years, is the PPF even worth it? 7-9,000mi a year.

I'm thinking I'd have to do a paint correction before ceramic coating (as mentioned), then apply PPF where I want, and then do the car in ceramic coating..is this correct? Seems like quite the ordeal. Should I just skip the paint correction? Need help justifying..

Also, I was told Ceramic Pro is old news and I should look at Gyeon Quartz Syncro or gtechniq CSL with a top coat of EXO IV. Any confirmation on this?

[jsilas]

THIS car is frikin gorgeous!!!!! Glad to see you finally "wet," the tires in the last couple of pics - perfect!

Thank you! I've been going with the dry tire look recently, but I go back and forth for a bit of variety. Thanks for the comment!

[OlyS6]

I think ceramic coatings are a must-have. They make washing such an easy and pleasant experience, and keep your car looking great while protecting the paint. My car is coated with Optimum Polymer Technologies' Opti-Coat Pro Plus. This car is a 40k+ mile car, daily-driven in the Pacific Northwest, and it still looks like this after a wash:

Looking awesome Josh- I may need to hire you to help with the finish on mine!

[Sinister6]

I too am a huge fan of Ceramic Coating. I've had three of my previous cars done and it's worth every penny.

The S6 goes in for paint correction, Xpel clear wrap, tint and CeramicPro in a week or so.

[trophies]

The shop I'm looking at having it done, is a dealer for Ceramic Pro. Would I be happy with that product? Each additional layer of 9H would be $250 on my vehicle. They do paint correction prior to applying the coating. I've just heard there are newer products out there other than Ceramic Pro, wanted to see if a majority still use it and are happy with it

[Sinister6]

CeramicPro is top tier...Go with the gold package. Yes, you’ll be happy with it.

[trophies]

Shop quoted me $1390 including paint correction and 1 layer of 9H, 1 layer of Light, coat glass, coat wheel faces
- 5 Year Warranty -

$1790 for the Gold package..

If I want to add clear bra XPEL to the from bumper, mirrors, hood, etc. is that a bit excessive after having the coating done?

[jsilas]

Looking awesome Josh- I may need to hire you to help with the finish on mine!

It’d be an honor to work on your beautiful car, Andre!!

[DownhillA4]

Cerami Coat is great!

[ryanlada]

Shop quoted me $1390 including paint correction and 1 layer of 9H, 1 layer of Light, coat glass, coat wheel faces
- 5 Year Warranty -

$1790 for the Gold package..

If I want to add clear bra XPEL to the from bumper, mirrors, hood, etc. is that a bit excessive after having the coating done?

Film goes under the ceramic coating so i would decide up front. Ceramic helps with protecting the paint from impact damage but not as well as film. I would film the rock chip prone areas and then ceramic everything to seal it up.

[MaverickRS7]

Self paint corrected and CQuartz the car and have Xpel front clip wrap. Without a doubt keeps the car looking cleaner between washes and easier to clean and has a really deep shine. Just did the 997 this past weekend...well worth the time or money if you have it done.

[oshay]

Had mine done with GTechniq. I would recommend as well. Paint correction and warranty will be likely $1500 to $2000 depending if you do rims, etc. This is my first car being coated and it is much easier to wash and keep clean. I would recommend as well.

[audi021]

Paint correction - even if new.
Ppf entire front of car. Hood. Rocker panels. Rear bumper. Side mirrors. Wrap the majority of the edges.
Modesta BC-04 ceramic.
Modesta BC-08 on wheels - wheel off service.
Don’t pay more than $2200 for everything.

Ceramic is good, but it’s honestly more about the prep work.