Ceramic Paint Coatings ??

[azhodge]

are they worth $1800 on a new paint job. am I stuck once I have it put on??

[Duc Hunter]

I love mine. Have them on all my cars. Amazing product, and works as advertised.

I paid no here near $1,800 though. Maybe if you car needs a complete polish & paint correction in addition to a ceramic coat......maybe.

On a new paint job with clear coat, that is not in need of a polish etc......I would think my guy could do it for something like $550, that includes a bases single stage polish and ceramic. It goes up from there. A compound,/polish, ceramic is like $750. That is also his doing the wheels, glass and paint in ceramic. He uses the CQuartz product, which he thinks is one of the best out there.

[wareaglescott]

How do you drive the car?
I have them on my 2018 911 and my Cobra I built. After doing so I have mixed emotions. The Cobra only comes out in the dry and never really gets much dirt. As a fair weather only garage queen I sort of feel like I wasted money getting it ceramic coated. The car never really gets dirty in the first place. In 7000 miles I have never even needed to wash it with water. Just clean it up with spray detailer and waterless wash.
The 911 doesn't come out in extreme weather but sees its fair share of rain and dirty conditions. I am glad I have it on there. Seems to clean up much easier.
When I finish my 79 SC build I probably will not do the ceramic coating because I dont really anticipate driving it around it crappy weather. If you have a nice weather only garage queen I would advise against. It is overkill on a car that doesn't really get dirty/wet in my opinion. Not saying you think this but a common misconception is ceramic coating helps with rock/chipped paint protection. It does nothing for you in those situations. Clear film for that. Also have that on my 2018.

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Ceramic coating definitely makes car washing pretty effortless. I think it lasts up to three years before you have to reapply, depending on the brand you use. When you bring a car in to a detailer, the bulk of the cost that you spend goes towards the time the detailer spends on paint correction. Ceramic coatings itself do not cost that much, and it's relatively easy to apply it yourself.

I opted not to ceramic coat my cars, instead using a sprayable sealant by Carpro named Hydro2. Just spray the stuff on each panel and use high pressure water to rinse it off... and you've got a hydrophobic coating that's similar to ceramic coatings, but lasts only 3-6 months at max. For convenience and somewhat similar protection, I'm completely happy. It's pretty cheap too, and they have other variants which last longer.

If you're looking for more protection on your vehicle, personally, I'd much rather invest in wrapping the entire car with a clear bra.

[AG81]

When I restored my car the Grand Prix white paint was tan.... ceramic coating saved me having to paint the entire car..... I am a huge fan now.

BEFORE.......




AFTER.......

[Jonny042]

The prep required to apply the ceramic is where the dollars are, and where the dramatic results come from. IMO for a garage queen you are better off using a standard sealer and wax, and allowing yourself the pleasure of applying it occasionally.

I have ceramic on my daily drivers and the jury is out. I applied it in the fall and the jury will remain out till spring.

[Ctopher]

As others mentioned $1800 is way over priced, I paid $600 less than that for a full car paint correction, wheels off detail outside and inside, wheels coated along with 2 applications of CQuartz UK + 1 coating of Gliss.

Regarding worth it that is up to you and how the car will be used and the environment it lives in. The coatings make it so easy to clean and keep clean. I have not needed to hand wash my car for the last 6 months. Most of the time I foam it with Reset twice, rinse and blow dry it. After a 1600mile trip which included the last day driving in the rain all I did was a waterless wash in the garage because of the cold. Super easy to maintain, in my mind is worth it....plus it always looks clean. And using sealants like Reload every couple of months should keep the coating on the car good for 2yrs+.

And your question about having it removed, it can be removed with a polish.

[Reiver]

Is this simply a 'polish' or does it protect from rock chips.....my 911 will get painted shortly and rock chips are a huge issue in AZ...and I drive it regularly.
I am not concerned about 'clean' simply protection.....so this or a clear mask up front.

[dwelle]

in my experience, it may help with chips, but doesn't eliminate them by any stretch. i finished my green car in spring, and i've picked up a few chips in the 5K driven since, one fairly significant one on the bumper.

if that's your concern, i'd clear mask up front...

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

If you're looking for rock chip protection, paint protection film (clear bra) is the way to go.

[stephers]

Maybe I am too old but i always thought that paint should be allowed to " breathe " so if a coating goes on top of the paint as a sealer, does it still allow the paint to breathe?

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by stephers

Maybe I am too old but i always thought that paint should be allowed to " breathe " so if a coating goes on top of the paint as a sealer, does it still allow the paint to breathe?

When I brought my car to get a panel repainted, I was told to wait 30-90 days before waxing/sealing, to allow for the paint to fully cure. If you're not dealing with a newly painted vehicle though, you'll have no issues!



Check out this excerpt from Meguiars that should help put your worries to rest:

Depending on how literal you want to read into it, when someone states "Paint needs to breathe", what they probably mean is that fresh paint needs to outgas, they probably just don't know, or understand the term outgas, and/or they are confused like many people who have gone before them and are operating under the wrong idea innocently.

A different, but related version of the above would be someone that applies the same idea that paint needs to breathe to the paint on a brand new car which is also false unless the new car has been painted within the last 30 to 90 days. Sometimes during shipping from the assembly plant to the dealership show room floor, new vehicles are damaged and need repair including repainting. If all the paint on the car is the factory original paint, then it was baked on at the factory as it traveled down the assembly line and was completely cured before it left the assembly plant and it is perfectly safe to apply a coating of wax or a paint sealant of some type. If the car has been repainted due to damage during transit, then the areas with fresh paint should not be sealed with wax until the recommended waiting period has passed.

https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?3704-Paint-Needs-to-Breathe

[Ctopher]

Originally Posted by Reiver

Is this simply a 'polish' or does it protect from rock chips.....my 911 will get painted shortly and rock chips are a huge issue in AZ...and I drive it regularly.
I am not concerned about 'clean' simply protection.....so this or a clear mask up front.

It’s not a polish as a polish can be an abrasive, it’s a coating to bonds to the paint, filling in the minor imperfections on top of the paint. It might provide some very minor impact protection, it is more for helping with the light scratches and keeping the car clean because of the slickness it adds to the paints top coating.

If you are looking for rock protection then you need to go the paint protection film (PPF) route. I did both on my car, film and then the multiple coatings on top of the film. I no longer worry about rock chips, and the few that hit hard enough to make me flinch from the sound only ripped the film leaving the paint below intact. I was in a rallye where we drove through miles of gravel road debris. The amount of broken headlights, fogs and windshield cracks was crazy, but the paint damage was massive to lots of cars. After a quick wash and inspection I had only 3 visable impacts to the film while others had full blasted bumpers & hoods.

It’s expensive but if you want to maintain original or a newly painted car then it’s something to consider.

Ctopher

[Reiver]

Ok, thanks.....some finish products tell you they assist with rock chips but I kinda doubted that....I will get film once the paint cures....

[ADDvanced]

No.

Ceramic coating is BULL****. It's just a sealant. Go buy a $20 bottle of Klasse and go nuts. Not one person has been able to scientifically tell me how a 'ceramic coating' is different than 'sealant'.

Paint correction is awesome, and if you are unwilling to learn, yes that is worth it, but paying $1500 for $20 of sealant is not.

[mray2686]

I have it on my daily driver, a truck that is parked outdoors. Bought new, it needed minor paint correction to remove any issues from factory and the coating was applied. I have had it on for a year now, and it does “look” cleaner than my wife’s car that’s also of same age and parked outside.

It makes washing daily painless, you can get by with a touch-less car wash and the dirt comes off with ease.

You aren’t supposed to really ‘detail’ a car once it’s been coated. Soap and water and it’ll bead off. This is also the reason why I elected not to put it on the 911. I enjoy the time spent washing, waxing, etc. on cars, so not being able to have the ability to do it on my car would be a bummer.

So in my opinion, great on a big truck or daily driver where you want it to look presentable. No good on the sports car you want to enjoy detailing.

[MARISOL78sc]

I had my Cayman Paint Corrected & Coated, Paint,Wheels, Calipers and it shines like new and dirt hardly sticks. Washing is a breeze and no need to wax, I use HYDRO-SILEX after washing. This Spring will be doing the SC.

[juan ruiz]

Good Subject with many points of view and plenty of room for debate, depending on the brand, life will be a LOT easier, cleaning is a breeze, removal of bird droppings is an easy task but my favorite is the calipers and wheels, cleaning and maintaining the wheels has never been so easy.

The real work is in the "Prep Work" however there's plenty Do it yourself Ceramic Coatings available that will fulfill the void between a Professional and a Weekend Warrior.

Few photos for reference all of them ceramic coated.

[tdw28210]

Here's a Q5 that was recently "corrected and coated". The back door panel is uncorrected and the front one is just about done. The elimination of swirl marks is the correction step. That is the step that takes the time. The coating step is much quicker. If the correction outfit you're considering does not use lights, tape, multiple buffers and pads you'll want to pass on them. Paint correction requires all those tools to be done correctly.

I had my '87 911 corrected few years ago. Make sure you work with an outfit that knows how to deal with the compound curves of a 911. They require more attention than most cars as it is easy to have the edge of the rotating buffer pad damage an adjacent surface/panel. I'll try to find some pictures of that process too.

[ADDvanced]

Except it isn't ceramic. It's a sealant that's been rebranded by some marketing douchebags and they're overcharging you for it.