Paint Ceramic Coatings

[fr]

Anyone have experience with ceramic coatings? I've been waxing my cars a few times a year with Meguiar's Ultimate and the wax seems to last about 2-3 months.

What's a good ceramic coating? The CQuartz I see in videos costs 8x the price for a coat, but it's supposed to last 8x as long.

 

[repoman0]

I have no direct experience but apparently it's mostly in the prep (wash, polish, paint correction, etc). Find a reputable detailer and go with what they know and recommend.

 

[NutBucket]

Opti-coat has been around for decades. I had it applied on one of my vehicles a few years ago but have honestly not maintained it as I should have. That said, it still "feels" pretty slick so I don't doubt it's still on there.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i have the front of my car wrapped in Xpel Ultimate, and my entire car coated with Opti Coat ceramic coating. the opti coat was $1000 itself and included a full detail before they put on the coating.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

i have the front of my car wrapped in Xpel Ultimate, and my entire car coated with Opti Coat ceramic coating. the opti coat was $1000 itself and included a full detail before they put on the coating.

I think this is the way to do it. You spend a lot on paint correction and coating, but you'll still get hammered with rock chips.

I was not too impressed with CQuartz's durability. Right now I have a midgrade CSII on the car because that's what my detailer is using and frankly I'll respray in ~3 years. He's reasonably priced for the work he does but his coating prices are kind of insane, maybe it's just a CSII thing. I think Opticoat is probably the best bet for price/durability.

 

[Elganja]

Both of our cars are ceramic coated and we swear by it... if you regularly wax your car though, then it won't be much of a difference (like wax once a week)

The best thing about ceramic coat is that it lasts for a very very long time. Think about how your car is when you first wax it, the ceramic coat is like that ALL the time. With that said, there is minor maintenance-- you have to get what they call a "booster" every 6 months or so.

With both the viper and r8, we use Modesta Coatings (car, wheels, carbon fiber, everything)

 

[evident]

Used opticoat on my wife's car. makes it so easy to clean. saves so much time in the long run with not having to wax to get a good shine.

 

[razel]

Don't bother with them. The good ones that actually are worth it require a perfectly prepped surface. I would rather use the newer REDICULOUSLY easy to apply sealants like Meg's Fast Finish. You don't need to let it haze, just wipe off. Years ago Armor All released their Extreme Shield Wax. Very similar thing except that lasted 1 year. They no longer make it. With Fast Finish it'll take only 15 mins your 1st application, you can get it down to 10 min. Seriously.

If you want it make wax last a long time, there's no getting around a prepped clean surface with a clay bar. It's not rocket science. Get rid of the old competing wax and continue to use the same one on your car until that bottle is gone. Luckily these days, when you dry your car you can use spray wax as a drying aid. Then you'll always have areas with compromised wax, covered.

But if you must do ceramic and cannot shake off the 'permanent' coat buzzword marketing, then hire someone to do it. I wouldn't do ceramic. Modern synthetic coatings available to the consumer these days are amazing.

 

[fr]

Thanks. I am going to wash, wax, and apply Fast Finish this weekend.

 

[aigomorla]

I am getting my car done in xpel next weekend with cquarts stage 3.
The 9H one.

Ive seen what it cermaic coats do, and its quite amazing.
It makes your car hydrophobic, so water literally bleeds off, hence why it makes cleaning it rediculously easy.

It wont protect your car from rock chips and heavier scratch, but that's what the xpel is for.

I heard you need to do maintenance on it tho, like apply a silicon spray and wipe it down every couple of months to extend life on it.

But i was mostly sold when i saw the detailer show me a panel with and without and how water ran over it.
He even allowed me to spray the 2 sections.

 

[nosirrahx]

I have full xpel and ceramic on both of my rides. It makes keeping them looking new a snap.

I do the silicon spray a few times a year but live in the northeast so for a decent chunk of they are both garaged.

 

[sontakke]

what kind of costs are we talking here? one of the youtuber mentioned $5K for full wrap; that seems to be crazy amount to pay for paint protection unless the car is worth half a million dollar.

 

[nosirrahx]

what kind of costs are we talking here? one of the youtuber mentioned $5K for full wrap; that seems to be crazy amount to pay for paint protection unless the car is worth half a million dollar.

The two cars I have with full Xpel and ceramic are a Gen 2 NSX and an RS7. The NSX has brushed aluminum HRE P201s, also ceramic protected.

I get all of my work done @ Unique Car Care in Andover MA. Most of our group uses the same place.

Its expensive but I do a lot of supercar cruises and you need protection. They take good care of us. My last ceramic retouch was free and I got a big discount on my NSX because it was the first one Xpel wrapped, they had to fly a guy in to do the 3D scan.

 

[aigomorla]

what kind of costs are we talking here? one of the youtuber mentioned $5K for full wrap; that seems to be crazy amount to pay for paint protection unless the car is worth half a million dollar.

If you lease your car or you dont hold onto them for a while, then yeah PPF is a bit excessive.

If your car has some value in it, and you tend to keep your cars for a while, then PPF is actually a worthwhile investment.

It will protect it from basic things like someone brushing up on it with a metal object on accident, or a dog's paw scratching the door.
It will also protect you from bird dung discoloration, and on some occasions rock chips on highways.

It wont protect you from body damage tho, like door dings, or someone impacting your side.

Its like how people put those screen protectors on cell phones, except its all over your exposed paint on car.

A good installer + good brand of paint protection film will make your car look new for many years to come, and will help against UV and fading. For me personally its for those idiots that tend to park really close to you at a public parking lot, and end up brushing a zipper from a coat, or a metal object of some sort on your car and leaving those scratches.

 

[sontakke]

Given that neither of you commented on the price, I take it that going price is indeed closer to $5K; too rich for my blood.

 

[aigomorla]

Given that neither of you commented on the price, I take it that going price is indeed closer to $5K; too rich for my blood.

depends on what you get, and what film you get.

ive gotten some really intense insane quote with nanofusion SR @ $8300 for full body.
Ive also gotten 7200 for suntek.

The last one i got was indeed 5.000 for Xpel Ultimate, though a authorized Xpel installer, which is what i went with.

But these are full body.
Most of the time you dont need a full body, and most people just get front coverage, which means everything from bumper to front doors.
That usually runs 2-3k.

 

[nosirrahx]

Given that neither of you commented on the price, I take it that going price is indeed closer to $5K; too rich for my blood.

Limited protection will save you a bundle. Any reputable shop will quote you for the minimum they would recommend.