Ceramic Coating Advice

[Jason71]

Only had my M3 for a week but already filthy due to the time of year. I hate cleaning cars and am distrustful of all car washes automatic and manual. So what to do? One option to minimise the need to clean and protect the paint is of course ceramic coating. I know its not a magic bullet and you still have to clean it but it must help. I initially had no intention of doing anything like that but I plan to keep the car a good while so started thinking maybe it would be a worthwhile .
I have started to investigate but its very confusing.
All of the detailers seem to use a different product each of which seems to be best one there is due to the unique award winning <insert techno babble here> technology it uses. Meaning it will last 2/3/4/5 (delete as applicable) years. Application seems to take anywhere from 1 -5 days.
Prices are not very upfront. you seem to need to get an individual quote from each company and where indicative prices are to be found on the website the actual quote always seems higher. the M3 is not a huge car so not sure what the indicative prices are based on. A Sinclair C5 I think.

So I was wondering how many people have had it done. What they think so far and any recommendations for someone to do it (South wales or Shropshire ideally) I know there are DIY options but having looked at some videos of how to do it properly I think I will pass on that option.
Also interested to know what others have been quoted. So far I am in the £500-600 range though I am sure I have seen others on here mention prices near £400.

Any advice much appreciated.

 

[vitesse]

I've read several 'regret' posts about ceramic coating. Don't take my word for it but from what I have read it sounds like a rather expensive longer-lasting wax (I know it's not wax) treatment. It doesn't protect from stone ships, which (more expensive) paint protection film (PPF) does.

I use an £8 spray bottle of Car Plan No.1 Super Gloss and it's dead easy and quick to apply, no white residues and it definitely lasts a lot longer than conventional car wax. The bottle may last you a couple of years.

 

[Jason71]

I've read several 'regret' posts about ceramic coating. Don't take my word for it but from what I have read it sounds like a rather expensive longer-lasting wax (I know it's not wax) treatment. It doesn't protect from stone ships, which (more expensive) paint protection film (PPF) does.

I use an £8 spray bottle of Car Plan No.1 Super Gloss and it's dead easy and quick to apply, no white residues and it definitely lasts a lot longer than conventional car wax. The bottle may last you a couple of years.

I definitely haven't made up my mind yet. And something like that is definitely an option. though I am cynical of the "lasts 12 months" claim on that as well. I have already ordered bottle of something similar to have a go with and see how I get on.

 

[Adopado]

I would guess that most people who are keen enough on having a super-clean shiny car not only get a ceramic coating but also spend a fair bit of time looking after the car afterwards with regular multi-bucket washes! Unless you are prepared to do that I suspect the benefit will be lost. Agree that auto washes are a disaster area. The advantage of hand washing, in addition to the care you will take, is that you notice any paint issues quickly. Just my opinion of course ...

 

[vitesse]

I definitely haven't made up my mind yet. And something like that is definitely an option. though I am cynical of the "lasts 12 months" claim on that as well. I have already ordered bottle of something similar to have a go with and see how I get on.

The Car Plan stuff is still good after 5 months but I re-did the application for the winter anyway. I'm not sure ceramic coating means you never have to wash the car again; just that you don't need to 'wax' every month or two. A gentle wash to get residual dirt off leaves a hard wearing shine and effective beading.

 

[MrBadger]

We got ceramic coat - your car still gets dirty below the waistline. Either that, or they forgot to do that bit. We also have PPF below the lower bend in the door and sill - not ceramic coated.

It only takes one drive at this time of year.

 

[DanTW_GB]

We got ceramic coat - your car still gets dirty below the waistline. Either that, or they forgot to do that bit. We also have PPF below the lower bend in the door and sill - not ceramic coated.

It only takes one drive at this time of year.

View attachment 481987

wondering... do you think mudflaps would stop most of this debris from reaching that part of the car?

 

[vitesse]

We got ceramic coat - your car still gets dirty below the waistline. Either that, or they forgot to do that bit. We also have PPF below the lower bend in the door and sill - not ceramic coated.

It only takes one drive at this time of year.

View attachment 481987

I concur - no matter what you treat the paint with, dirt will still accumulate. These treatments assist in returning the car to its shiny clean state with the least amount of elbow-grease (wax polishing!).

 

[vitesse]

wondering... do you think mudflaps would stop most of this debris from reaching that part of the car?

Isn't there talk of a free mudflap kit from Tesla to mitigate paint wear because of the car's aerodynamics in that area?

 

[MrBadger]

wondering... do you think mudflaps would stop most of this debris from reaching that part of the car?

I've temporarily (until I track down a more flexible set) fitted a set only yesterday - too early to say. This weather and tree debris is pretty unforgiving and after one trip all I can say is, it doesn't totally stop the debris. But how much of an improvement, no idea yet.

 

[Jason71]

The Car Plan stuff is still good after 5 months but I re-did the application for the winter anyway. I'm not sure ceramic coating means you never have to wash the car again; just that you don't need to 'wax' every month or two. A gentle wash to get residual dirt off leaves a hard wearing shine and effective beading.

I googled it after you mentioned it. 89% 5 star on Amazon. Pretty impressive. Might give it a go.

 

[Roy W.]

Only had my M3 for a week but already filthy due to the time of year. I hate cleaning cars and am distrustful of all car washes automatic and manual. So what to do? One option to minimise the need to clean and protect the paint is of course ceramic coating. I know its not a magic bullet and you still have to clean it but it must help. I initially had no intention of doing anything like that but I plan to keep the car a good while so started thinking maybe it would be a worthwhile .
I have started to investigate but its very confusing.
All of the detailers seem to use a different product each of which seems to be best one there is due to the unique award winning <insert techno babble here> technology it uses. Meaning it will last 2/3/4/5 (delete as applicable) years. Application seems to take anywhere from 1 -5 days.
Prices are not very upfront. you seem to need to get an individual quote from each company and where indicative prices are to be found on the website the actual quote always seems higher. the M3 is not a huge car so not sure what the indicative prices are based on. A Sinclair C5 I think.

So I was wondering how many people have had it done. What they think so far and any recommendations for someone to do it (South wales or Shropshire ideally) I know there are DIY options but having looked at some videos of how to do it properly I think I will pass on that option.
Also interested to know what others have been quoted. So far I am in the £500-600 range though I am sure I have seen others on here mention prices near £400.

Any advice much appreciated.

You can afford a lot of elbow grease for the £500 or so that ceramic coating will cost you.

I’ve just done mine the old-fashioned way, and it’s so shiny I’m absolutely convinced that no dirt will stick to it throughout the whole of the winter

 

[Jason71]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate nothing will keep a car clean this time of year. I was more thinking ceramic might make cleaning it less of a ball ache. probably going to try with one of these easy spray on treatments like vitesse was suggesting and see how I get on. Last time I cleaned a car myself properly it was all wax on wax off. These spray on liquids look a lot easier.

 

[asherwood]

Isn't there talk of a free mudflap kit from Tesla to mitigate paint wear because of the car's aerodynamics in that area?

If you live in Canada, yes

 

[asherwood]

I've had a ceramic coating on my past two cars and from what I understand it simply adds more protection but certainly doesn't protect from stone chips.

I'd have it done again on my next car, just because its 1/3rd if the price of ppf.

I've used gyeonquartz.com who have products / sprays which you can use yourself too.

 

[Jason71]

You can afford a lot of elbow grease for the £500 or so that ceramic coating will cost you.

I’ve just done mine the old-fashioned way, and it’s so shiny I’m absolutely convinced that no dirt will stick to it throughout the whole of the winter

Yeah but only about a quarter of what you paid for your actual paint but I guess all those octopus referrals have probably covered that by now
Looks amazing though BTW

 

[pdk42]

I've come to the conclusion that ceramic coating is mostly snake oil. Nearly all the products are sold via a closed detailer network and it's virtually impossible to find any information about what's in the products, how they work, and whether there's any verifiable proof that they work at all.

Based on my own research it seems that most/all of them are polysiloxane-based coatings, which in itself is good news. However, I'm not at all convinced that there is special sauce in particular brands that would distinguish them over the others, or that justify the prices being asked.

I personally think that the main benefit of a "ceramic coat" is the time and effort spent preparing the paintwork beforehand rather than the coating. That's what really adds the shine!

I've been using Klasse for some time now and it's cheap, easy to apply, and works really well. It's an acrylic sealing compound which generally, after a couple of coats, lasts several months before needing reapplying. I'd suggest you give the car a good polish (hand or DA polisher) and apply Klasse before splashing out on fancy ceramic treatments of questionable value.

 

[Avendit]

Interested in that car plan stuff, thanks for the suggestion! There is a youtub channel that gets linked from the US sections of this site sometimes that is following a guy with patches of lots of different ceramic coatings on his bonnet. Each month he takes his bonnet off and films himself evaluating to see how they are doing. Last one I saw only 1 super cheap option (carplan like I guess) and the most expensive ones were still holding out.

Found it:

The cheap one was NuFinish, which only seems to be available for £25 on ebay.

At least you can see the effects from this!

 

[interbear]

My view - if you intend to keep the car any length of time and want to keep it looking great with minimal manual intervention, ceramic coating is well worth the investment. It makes cleaning the car so easy. I just had my Model 3 ceramic coated via a local pro detailer in South Wales, Chepstow to be precise. Company is called Ti22. James did my previous car (Disco), I was delighted with it so returned with my Tesla. He's done a few Model 3's already so knows them. I'd heartily recommend his work. You can see some good examples on the FB page, including my shiny red Model 3 - Ti22 Vehicle Services

Pricing wise, as with everything, there are many options but give him a call and he will chat you through it all. I had the entire car ceramic coated and also had PPF applied to the front bumper area as it's prone to stone chips, plus some form of hydrophobic coating for the glass, which works wonders in the rain. A few days work involved in all. But well worth it in my view as I bought the car myself not via a lease and intend to keep it for a good few years. If you are looking at ceramic coating for the whole car, I reckon it's £600-800 depending on the products used. PPF is scary expensive hence why I only had the front bumper done.

 

[Avendit]

I personally think that the main benefit of a "ceramic coat" is the time and effort spent preparing the paintwork beforehand rather than the coating. That's what really adds the shine!

and the cost, and the difference between DIY and not. As I understand it, its the prep time to make sure your paint is worth putting £60-£200 of chemical on that costs. a decent stab at this could be done with a rotary buffer and some eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0073CNFCS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I did some bits of my old car prior to sale, but that was VAG with reliable hard paint. Not sure I'm brave enough to try on the Tesla paint.