Ceramic coating - Applying ourselves Vs. Professionally??

[SeanM]

Hello,

Am planning to ceramic coat the paint on my Model-3.

So, should I apply it myself OR go the professional route and spend a lot of money??
I was speaking with one local shop & they mentioned once they apply the ceramic coat, the whole car's paint surface is 'baked' to harden and mature the ceramic coat, which isn't possible by if done by me.

So, is the 'baking' process really necessary, what happens if it's not done?

Am planning to purchase the CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0_50ml Kit on Amazon.
Also, seems the CarPro Reload Spray Sealant needs to be applied over to 'seal' in the ceramic coat, any suggestions?

If anyone have done this process themselves, what are your experiences?
Have installed a clear bra on front bumper, frunk.. is it ok to ceramic coat it?

Appreciate your suggestions/experience/comments... thanks.

 

[tyfosho]

1) Yes, it’s okay to ceramic coat over PPF

2) A lot of the work with ceramic coating is getting the paint in a condition to coat it. It’s quite a long process and I know I’m not patient enough to do it right, so I paid to have it done.

If you’re patient and willing to work quite a few hours without cutting corners, you can probably do it yourself. If not, I’d pay someone.

If you do decide to do it yourself, I think Kenriko has a video about when they did it. It was very detailed

 

[Glamisduner]

DIY if you like polishing up your car. If your a car wash junkie then i don't know. Maybe still diy once a year, but it seems counter productive to washing it yourself.

 

[P85_DA]

So, is the 'baking' process really necessary, what happens if it's not done?

It’s just heat lamps ..to make cure faster u can DIY and let cure over a few days just don’t wash for week ..most of work is the prep actual application is easy

 

[Tex EV]

Did mine myself recently with Feynlab products. Applying the ceramic coat was the EASY part of the process. At least 8 hours of prep went in before the bottle of coating was even touched. Proper wash, clay bar, 2-step paint correction, and so on. I had a very competitive quote from a well-regarded detailer to do the work, but did it myself anyway just because. I've always enjoyed working on my cars and it was worth it to me.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Did mine myself recently with Feynlab products. Applying the ceramic coat was the EASY part of the process. At least 8 hours of prep went in before the bottle of coating was even touched. Proper wash, clay bar, 2-step paint correction, and so on. I had a very competitive quote from a well-regarded detailer to do the work, but did it myself anyway just because. I've always enjoyed working on my cars and it was worth it to me.

What should one expect to spend for the prep and coating of a new M3?

 

[P85_DA]

What should one expect to spend for the prep and coating of a new M3?

~1k -1300

 

[SeanM]

What should one expect to spend for the prep and coating of a new M3?

~1k -1300

I received similar around 1300 - 1500.

 

[SeanM]

Did mine myself recently with Feynlab products. Applying the ceramic coat was the EASY part of the process. At least 8 hours of prep went in before the bottle of coating was even touched. Proper wash, clay bar, 2-step paint correction, and so on. I had a very competitive quote from a well-regarded detailer to do the work, but did it myself anyway just because. I've always enjoyed working on my cars and it was worth it to me.

What is it and why does one need to do 2-step paint correction?? As my car is new (bought last month), I don't visibly notice any paint flaws or chips to it.
So, should a thorough wash, clay bar & drying be sufficient?

 

[adhoc]

for the uninformed, what is "2 step paint correction?"

 

[P85_DA]

for the uninformed, what is "2 step paint correction?"

Hitting the car twice with paint correction polish ..with a clay bar in between

 

[Chak]

I recently applied ceramic coat myself. In fact, my friend and I did both the cars together. We ended up spending around $400 for materials for both the cars and around 12 hours of labor. It was not bad. There are a lot of good videos, tips in this forum. I am very happy with the results. Good luck.

I already had xpel ppf applied to the full front already by a certified installer.

 

[Dan Detweiler]

What should one expect to spend for the prep and coating of a new M3?

I am taking mine in this afternoon for a full paint correction, full car PPF, center console wrap, and ceramic coating. The ceramic coat is $1300. Worst part...I WON'T HAVE MY CAR FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK!!!

Dan

 

[JPUConn]

Hitting the car twice with paint correction polish ..with a clay bar in between

I’ve never clayed between steps, clay removes surface contamination before you start the two step process.

Wash
Clay
Step 1: Compound (more abrasive/aggressive)
Step 2: Polish
Insert finishing choice: seal, wax, ceramic, etc.

For my 3 I’ll be skipping step 1 for this year to avoid going super abrasive on the fresh paint and using chemical guys jetseal and wax.

 

[dsvick]

What should one expect to spend for the prep and coating of a new M3?

In NE Ohio I got a quote for $1,500 for the Ceramic Pro Silver (5yr warranty), and $599 for their Sport Pkg (6 month warranty), with the Sport pkg though it also includes a round of paint correction. I'll probably do the Sport to get me through the winter then the Silver in the spring with part of the tax credit.

 

[OptAdam]

There are a couple of things to consider here.

1) Most of the cost of having a shop do the install is in the prep. Wash, paint decon, clay, polish, alchohol wipe and then coating. Can you do these things yourself? Yes. You just now have to buy hundreds of dollars in supplies for something you might use only a couple of times a year or possibly for a couple of years in regards to the polishers, pads and polishes.

2) You are paying for knowledge on what chemicals do what, can safely be used on what surfaces etc...

3) You as a consumer won't have access to the Pro lines of some companies. These ceramic coatings are sold to Pro's only for a reason. They are the top of the line and have much better chemical resistance than the consumer grade.

4) Think about the amount of time you will spend researching on how to do everything properly, buy everything and then do the job. Whats it worth to you? There is ALOT of misinformation out there about how to even do the detailing. Let alone the right chemicals, polishes and ceramic coating to use.

 

[SeanM]

I’ve never clayed between steps, clay removes surface contamination before you start the two step process.

Wash
Clay
Step 1: Compound (more abrasive/aggressive)
Step 2: Polish
Insert finishing choice: seal, wax, ceramic, etc.

For my 3 I’ll be skipping step 1 for this year to avoid going super abrasive on the fresh paint and using chemical guys jetseal and wax.

"Step 1: Compound (more abrasive/aggressive)" - All cars have a protective clear coat to 'seal' in the paint. By this step won't it strip away that coat off? Won't that be counter-productive to remove this coat and then redo it by ourselves?

Because, the clear coat that comes with the car is factory applied, which in my opinion should be best compared to what we (or paint shops) will apply. Remember.. we are paying for this factory clear coat when we purchase the car.

 

[tomas]

Get more quotes, that’s high. Better to do once, because effort to buff off the 6 month layer will cost. I’ve gotten 5 year ceramic on both S and 3 including paint correction for ~1,000

 

[tomas]

"Step 1: Compound (more abrasive/aggressive)" - All cars have a protective clear coat to 'seal' in the paint. By this step won't it strip away that coat off? Won't that be counter-productive to remove this coat and then redo it by ourselves?

Because, the clear coat that comes with the car is factory applied, which in my opinion should be best compared to what we (or paint shops) will apply. Remember.. we are paying for this factory clear coat when we purchase the car.

Sean, talk to any good detailer. Factory paint jobs usually have many flaws. For all cars. Get the paint correction by a pro. If you DIY or skip correction, you are putting a coating over all of the flaws.

At around $1k for 5+ years, this is far cheaper than semi annual polish.

 

[JPUConn]

"Step 1: Compound (more abrasive/aggressive)" - All cars have a protective clear coat to 'seal' in the paint. By this step won't it strip away that coat off? Won't that be counter-productive to remove this coat and then redo it by ourselves?

Because, the clear coat that comes with the car is factory applied, which in my opinion should be best compared to what we (or paint shops) will apply. Remember.. we are paying for this factory clear coat when we purchase the car.

If you strip the factory clear coat you've done it very wrong.

the swirls and light blemishes in even our new car finishes are remedied by hitting the clear coat with something from super agressive wet sand, to compound, to polish, to wax.

for a 2 stage paint correction on my model S I used the following. You'll note the lower the # for chemical guys V line the more agressive/abrasive. I used the 34 compound for correction followed by 38 for polish then seal and wax. on the model 3 I will start with 38 and if any of the swirls are stubborn will work my way down on a panel by panel basis to get a perfect finish.
Chemical Guys - V Line Polish & Compound Kit (16 oz) V32, V34, V36, V38