Ceramic coating for paint
- Thread starter Darren
- Start date
I love the looks of mine. (2017 Grand Sport WGG)
Anything that gets on your paint can be easily wiped off. Dust, finger prints, bugs, sap, etc...
After hand washing my Grand Sport, a blower will push all the water off, no towel drying required.
Car looks awesome, not sure if its just awesome new car and paint and all or the ceramic coating enhancing the look.
I detail my own cars (Dove soap wash and dry, clay bar, wash again, polish, 1 coat synthetic wax, 2 coats carnuba) and it takes some time.
For approx. $1,600 (what I paid), I will not have to detail the car, for I hope a long time.
I also have S5, A3, CX-3, and MDX in the stable and not enough time to properly care for them all. Kids don't help
There are cheaper options to ceramic coat your car out there but I plan on being buried with this car.
Anything that gets on your paint can be easily wiped off. Dust, finger prints, bugs, sap, etc...
After hand washing my Grand Sport, a blower will push all the water off, no towel drying required.
Car looks awesome, not sure if its just awesome new car and paint and all or the ceramic coating enhancing the look.
I detail my own cars (Dove soap wash and dry, clay bar, wash again, polish, 1 coat synthetic wax, 2 coats carnuba) and it takes some time.
For approx. $1,600 (what I paid), I will not have to detail the car, for I hope a long time.
I also have S5, A3, CX-3, and MDX in the stable and not enough time to properly care for them all. Kids don't help
There are cheaper options to ceramic coat your car out there but I plan on being buried with this car.
ddgermann
Power User
Good plan on a new car. How about the back quarters in front of the wheels. Are you getting any hits there or does the ceramic protect that?
Derek.
ddgermann
Power User
This is far more predominant on the Z06 due to the wider fenders. Not sure if the GS has that liability or not. Hope you find nothing.
D
D
Check out some of the posts from Toxic, he is a detailing expert, and his work speaks for itself. I believe he is very familiar with the coating available today, and would likely know which is the best for your needs.
I wasn't aware of Ceramic Coating, sounds like very good protection for exterior of car. I will definitely look into it before I make the big plunge for a 2018 C7. Thanks for the info.
ddgermann
Power User
I never got it on the new one, as I got a bit annoyed during the 2nd round of upsales when I bought the car. Just wanted to pay and go but had to sit there and listen to the BS. Sorry... I digress... The point being, I'm considering it now but glad I didn't get it at the dealer as the price was insane which at the time I didn't realize. I turned it down on principle. Glad I did as I'm sure you can get a likely much better product for way less in a detail shop. Something to remember when you are in that chair buying yours. A few calls and a read of Toxic's threads will sort that out pretty quick.
I vote yes on ceramic coats... especially on a black car.
D
I never got it on the new one, as I got a bit annoyed during the 2nd round of upsales when I bought the car. Just wanted to pay and go but had to sit there and listen to the BS. Sorry... I digress... The point being, I'm considering it now but glad I didn't get it at the dealer as the price was insane which at the time I didn't realize. I turned it down on principle. Glad I did as I'm sure you can get a likely much better product for way less in a detail shop. Something to remember when you are in that chair buying yours. A few calls and a read of Toxic's threads will sort that out pretty quick.
I vote yes on ceramic coats... especially on a black car.
D
if you do decide ... talk to Nathan at Detail Solutions - He does this Ceramic Pro coating and his cars he does look great. he is trying to talk me into it. I like doing it myself.
B
ddgermann
Power User
I never got it on the new one, as I got a bit annoyed during the 2nd round of upsales when I bought the car. Just wanted to pay and go but had to sit there and listen to the BS. Sorry... I digress... The point being, I'm considering it now but glad I didn't get it at the dealer as the price was insane which at the time I didn't realize. I turned it down on principle. Glad I did as I'm sure you can get a likely much better product for way less in a detail shop. Something to remember when you are in that chair buying yours. A few calls and a read of Toxic's threads will sort that out pretty quick.
I vote yes on ceramic coats... especially on a black car.
D
When I ordered my 2018 Corvette they also tried to upsell me on the paint protection package and they told me it was a ceramic coating but I didn't believe it so I researched further on Diamond Kote and it really just seems like a regular sealant you could buy for $20, but they want $699 to do it. They say it comes with a 10 year warranty and will be re applied after 5 years but I still doubt it's anywhere as good as a true ceramic coating would be.
ddgermann
Power User
Yes I tend to agree Pat. I shake my head thinking "why didn't I spend time looking around the forums before I go to the dealership for a new car". Duh..
I did that with the H1 and went into that purchase pretty much knowing what to look for and what to ask. That went good although a slightly different dance than buying a new car from a pro...
I turned the "paint Protection" down because of a few YouTube videos about it being $60 worth of products and a hour to put it on for $700, but mostly because I was annoyed. Haha
I'm going to look at it again in the spring and see how I feel then.
I had a very long response typed out for this thread specifically.
Only to have my PC crash.....working on it again guys. Sorry!
Only to have my PC crash.....working on it again guys. Sorry!
I'll chime in on this as I've been installing coatings for quite sometime now.
There are number of different brands of coatings out there available to the public and available to certified + trained installers.
Some examples of what you could order online:
Optimum OptiGloss
Optimum OptiCoat 2.0 (If you can find out)
CarPro Cquartz
CarPro Cquartz UK
The coatings listed above are OK at best and are more directed towards the entry level crowd.
One thing I want to put out there right from the get-go is that there are only about 5 coating manufacturers in the world. Meanwhile there are 30+ different brands of coatings.
Please consider this when looking at things like CeramicPro who, at the end of the day is a marketing company.
Companies that make, engineer and blend their own coatings: Optimum, CarPro (just started), IGL Coatings and Feynlabs.
Also, don't buy into the hype of it being extremely scratch resistant; Coatings will still scratch, but thankfully its the coating thats scratching and not the factory clearcoat.
@C7GSZ07: What level of CQuartz did you get? At that price it should have been Cquartz Reserve, Cquartz Finest?
@Darren: Looks like you're listing Feynlabs level of coatings with Ceramic Light, Ceramic, Ceramic Plus, Self Heal Plus. It would not be Self Heal Plus for sure as our contract states that we can't install plus for less than $2500.
@ddgermann: I completely hear you on the upsell part. Whatever you do, never get a coating done at the dealer as they contract out to smaller guys (like myself) and only have them put on cheap paint sealants while offering minimum pay. Turning it down on principle was the best thing to do.
I've had CeramicPro reach out to me and try and sell + install their product. Due to popularity, I was all for it until I read through their warranty agreement that was supposed to be issued to the customer. The number of 'Warranty void if ...' claims listed on it was unacceptable.
I couldn't deal with it and I couldn't imagine being on the customer end. Being told that their warranty is void because they washed their car due to improper wash methods. This is true to a sense but its not fair to the client.
@Patman: Good research on Diamond Kote. It won't be as good as a Ceramic Coating and they know many clients don't hang on to their cars for 5-10+ years..
This is an amazing thread, keep the questions comings please. The more educated you are the better equipped you can go in.
There are number of different brands of coatings out there available to the public and available to certified + trained installers.
Some examples of what you could order online:
Optimum OptiGloss
Optimum OptiCoat 2.0 (If you can find out)
CarPro Cquartz
CarPro Cquartz UK
The coatings listed above are OK at best and are more directed towards the entry level crowd.
One thing I want to put out there right from the get-go is that there are only about 5 coating manufacturers in the world. Meanwhile there are 30+ different brands of coatings.
Please consider this when looking at things like CeramicPro who, at the end of the day is a marketing company.
Companies that make, engineer and blend their own coatings: Optimum, CarPro (just started), IGL Coatings and Feynlabs.
Also, don't buy into the hype of it being extremely scratch resistant; Coatings will still scratch, but thankfully its the coating thats scratching and not the factory clearcoat.
@C7GSZ07: What level of CQuartz did you get? At that price it should have been Cquartz Reserve, Cquartz Finest?
@Darren: Looks like you're listing Feynlabs level of coatings with Ceramic Light, Ceramic, Ceramic Plus, Self Heal Plus. It would not be Self Heal Plus for sure as our contract states that we can't install plus for less than $2500.
@ddgermann: I completely hear you on the upsell part. Whatever you do, never get a coating done at the dealer as they contract out to smaller guys (like myself) and only have them put on cheap paint sealants while offering minimum pay. Turning it down on principle was the best thing to do.
I've had CeramicPro reach out to me and try and sell + install their product. Due to popularity, I was all for it until I read through their warranty agreement that was supposed to be issued to the customer. The number of 'Warranty void if ...' claims listed on it was unacceptable.
I couldn't deal with it and I couldn't imagine being on the customer end. Being told that their warranty is void because they washed their car due to improper wash methods. This is true to a sense but its not fair to the client.
@Patman: Good research on Diamond Kote. It won't be as good as a Ceramic Coating and they know many clients don't hang on to their cars for 5-10+ years..
This is an amazing thread, keep the questions comings please. The more educated you are the better equipped you can go in.
ddgermann
Power User
@Toxix It is great to have your professional take on this. One of the members mentioned a detail shop here in Edmonton and they are looking for $2500 ish for the premier coating application. That’s more what I was expecting to see for a quality product done by a proper business that lives and thrives off reputation. They have cheaper packages but by the advertising alone it’s clear they are not into cheap and quick. I appreciate what you say about the dealerships. I will never cease to be amazed at how they can be so stupid to mess with customers like that. To be honest it was almost a deal breaker for me. I was so annoyed. Just put 130k on the table and I get the sleazy upsale. The chick didn’t even flinch. Again my wife came to the rescue and reeled me in. Lol
Thanks for the great info
Thanks for the great info
- Thread starter
- #18
Thanks for so much info. The person that quoted the 2500 is a person that trains the dealers and a company rep. He offered this only to our club. With full warranty on the self heal. But from what you state their warranty is not great.
Here is the list of exclusions that will void your warranty.....I've bolded and underlined the non-sense ones...
Exclusions –
1. Where the owner has deemed to have been careless, negligent or fails to maintain the exterior painted surface in the correct manner.
2. Pre-existing damage to the painted surface.
3. Damage to the coated surface by incorrect manual wash techniques, automatic car washes, brushes or contaminated wash tools that may cause abrasion, or damage caused by a third party not authorised by XXXXXXXX.
4. Swirl marks, marring, scratches, scuffs, scrapes, chips.
5. Waterspots – Waterspots are caused by hard water (mineral deposits) which are left to dry on the paint and leave a stain.
6. Failed Clear Coat – Peeling, Hazing and Fading.
7. Damage caused by collision, accidental damage, vandalism, malicious damage, fire, hail, flood, stones, collision, surface rust, rail dust, physical damage, paint over spray, waterspots or vehicle manufacturer’ defects, or defects which may be covered under a manufacturers or dealerships protection plan.
8. Area’s that have not been retreated after a paint repair.
9. Any loss of time or use of the vehicle while it undergoes inspections or treatments.
Exclusions –
1. Where the owner has deemed to have been careless, negligent or fails to maintain the exterior painted surface in the correct manner.
2. Pre-existing damage to the painted surface.
3. Damage to the coated surface by incorrect manual wash techniques, automatic car washes, brushes or contaminated wash tools that may cause abrasion, or damage caused by a third party not authorised by XXXXXXXX.
4. Swirl marks, marring, scratches, scuffs, scrapes, chips.
5. Waterspots – Waterspots are caused by hard water (mineral deposits) which are left to dry on the paint and leave a stain.
6. Failed Clear Coat – Peeling, Hazing and Fading.
7. Damage caused by collision, accidental damage, vandalism, malicious damage, fire, hail, flood, stones, collision, surface rust, rail dust, physical damage, paint over spray, waterspots or vehicle manufacturer’ defects, or defects which may be covered under a manufacturers or dealerships protection plan.
8. Area’s that have not been retreated after a paint repair.
9. Any loss of time or use of the vehicle while it undergoes inspections or treatments.