Ceramic coating - Oahu

[fseir]

Edit: mods, feel free to delete this post. I searched for Oahu ceramic coating, and didn’t get a hit, but later came across another related thread...

Considering ceramic coating for my M3, but torn between spending $1399+ for Auto Concierge Hawaii (outside Neiman Marcus), who I think (based on reviews and email exchanges with Sergio, the owner) will probably do the best paint prep, and $750 for Premier Island Auto Detail, who might not spend as much time, nor have as much experience/skill as Auto Concierge, but still gets solid 5 star reviews on Yelp.

While the Premier Island quote is tempting, because I really have a hard time swallowing the cost of paint protection (I already added full front ppf), I’m hesitant for a few reasons. Greg, the owner of Premier, offers a “lifetime warranty” for his System X coating, which sounds great, but most serious detailers will tell you that warranties are a gimmick, and you should run away from vendors that offer them. Also, to maintain the warranty, you have to take your car back for annual “service”, which costs $200. If this includes detailing and a top coat, it might be worth it, but otherwise, I would probably just forego the service and sacrifice the lifetime warranty. If it lasts 4 or 5 years, for $750, I might be satisfied.

Auto Concierge offers no warranties, and uses Max Protect UNC-R, which I’ve never heard of. They are offering a new car special for $1399, although I may not qualify for it, as the car is supposed to be brand new. Otherwise, it will probably be $1599 or more, depending on how much coverage I want (the new car special includes the body and glass).

Anyone have experience with these vendors, or recommend others? I know ceramic coatings can also be self-applied, but I don’t want to invest time or money in the equipment that would be needed to properly prep the paint. Thanks!

 

[nanimac]

I’ve used Auto Concierge for my S and X and am very happy with the results. Sergio and crew are great and even pointed out and tried to fix an imperfection on my window I never noticed. They also take time to show you how to clean your car. I haven’t heard of the other vendor but maybe ask if they’ve done Teslas before?

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I've heard the best things about Shea's Luxury Detail in Honolulu. They're IDA Certified too, always a good sign.

 

[nanimac]

I've heard the best things about Shea's Luxury Detail in Honolulu. They're IDA Certified too, always a good sign.

I've used them in the past too. I used Auto Concierge this time around since their location is more convenient.

 

[fseir]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Auto Concierge gets fantastic reviews on Yelp, and from messaging with Sergio, I can tell he’s a detailer’s detailer.

Premier Island also gets 5 star reviews, and has more power (more ratings), but his reviews hint at a somewhat less OCD clientele, and a less thorough prep.

Both have reviews by Tesla owners.

I also got a quote from Auto Emporium for $1200. I’ll look into Shea’s.

Finally, @Akikiki gave me some good advice on a DYI option. Although I hate the idea of spending an entire day prepping my car, the big advantage is that I can do all 3 of my cars for less than the cost of one professional installation. Nice to have options.

 

[Akikiki]

 

[odub]

@Akikiki, care to share your advice for the DYI option?

 

[Akikiki]

Aloha, yes I can.

A couple of years ago, Robert Mayo of Auto Emporium to installed CQuartz on my '13 S. He did a good job and I liked the product. It keep the car a lot cleaner than I expected. I've seen friends with S's that had 22ple on their Tesla. Their's looked shinier, but both had black and mine is red, so it might be the color.

In Mar '17 I had a new S. I wanted a paint sealant on this one too. I posted in the Hawaii section that I used the 1st generation of Nanoglass and bought it from ForMyTesla.com. I don't see the thread that I wrote about it. I did it myself. At the time it was $50. I liked it. Easy to install, good washing, clay the car including plastic and glass. Rinse and wipe it down and apply the product. Easy to wipe on with microfiber, and light buffing with another microfiber. Total prep time was about equal to two back-to-back washings. Actual application too about 30 minutes. I could not tell the difference between it and CQuartz where I spent nearly $1000. Nice afternoon's light work.

The new product is NanoGlassHT Ceramic Coating DIY Detailing Kit #007 from from ForMyTesla.com #1010HT Nanoglass Ceramic Coating 3+ Years Durability | ForMyTesla.com Kit: NanoGlassHT Ceramic Coating DIY Detailing Kit #007 Provides High Gloss & 3+ Years Durability | ForMyTesla.com

I am considering putting a booster coat on mine soon. The new product is a little higher cost but I think its still a bargain. The difference in price $100 and professional installed by someone else will pay for a couple of new dash cams for my Tesla. If you like washing your own Tesla, I recommend giving this a try. It is not more effort than washing your car - just takes a little longer of total time. Not nearly the effort of waxing. And I applied it to glass and plastic lens including the headlights.

Yesterday, I came across a thread talking about DIY CQuartz while reading TMC. Here's where the OP of that thread said he was getting it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4MMP2...olid=2XGTVHS2HJRAB&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[odub]

Thanks!

 

[fseir]

I did a bonehead thing today, and ran over the rubber base of one of those orange plastic poles you see in parking lots. It flexed the pole into my rear fender, leaving about 4 marks (1 tiny scratch and 3 superficial marrings). Tried to claybar them, but couldn’t remove them. Photos make them look much worse than they do in real life, but this ended up being the deciding factor: I’ve decided to seek professional help (not psychiatric, although that might be a cheaper way to deal with my OCD!) .

After much research, I’ve decided to go with Automotive Emporium Hawaii. I’ve been really impressed with the owner, Robert’s, communication, and after seeing photos of my fender, he thinks he might be able to buff out the marred areas, and minimize the appearance of the scratch. I also feel very confident that he will do a thorough paint prep, prior to ceramic coating (wash, mechanical and chemical decon, and polishing with however many stages are necessary). He’s going to use Gtechniq CSL on my car, and cure it in his shop.

I’m having him do the paint and glass, and then I’m going to do the wheels myself, and use the leftover product on my other cars.

Anyway, I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m scheduled for next week.

 

[Akikiki]

Its not OCD, its OCB Not disorder, but behavior. Its an asset not liability. Not a negative or bad thing but a positive thing that helps you navigate the little things.

 

[miyasat]

I know this may be off thread but I’d like to get Xpel or another ppf installed before getting ceramic coating done. I’m thinking mainly of rowing the front area only. So it seems best to get a good paint correction first before ceramic application. Are there any recommendations and price estimations for a new car?

 

[gmtom1]

I know this may be off thread but I’d like to get Xpel or another ppf installed before getting ceramic coating done. I’m thinking mainly of rowing the front area only. So it seems best to get a good paint correction first before ceramic application. Are there any recommendations and price estimations for a new car?

I had Xpel ultimate on the front (hood, front bumper, no fenders or mirror) of my X, which was installed by Jun's in 2016 for ~$1100, IIRC. When I got my 3, I took it to automotive emporium and got Clearguard nano on the front hood, bumper, fenders and mirror for ~$1200. Overall, I was more satisfied with Jun's work, but he's super busy and hard to get an appointment with.

 

[miyasat]

Thanks, I will give Jun's a call. I have contacted some of the above recommendations and they all recommend PPF before Ceramic coating. I guess I thought getting paint correction first would be more important. My S has some Orange peal so I thought fixing that before applying PPF would be more important.

I also discussed with Shea's and he made a case for ceramic carbide which he feels is more durable then SiO2 which is the component of most other ceramic treatments.

Anyway I ended up use Carpro's CQuartz 1.0. I'm told CQuartz UK 3.0 is much more easier to apply for DIY. You can check YouTube for how to apply and thoughts of where these ceramics place with each other.

Robert from Automotive Emporium who used to do Carpro's CQuartz Pro (which is suppose to be much better than CQuartz Pro) is now using GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Ultra.

My overall thinking is to not consider ceramic SiO2 as permanent and should consider reapplication again in 2-3 years.

 

[fseir]

Sorry for the delay, but wanted to post my experience with Automotive Emporium Hawaii.

Not sure if my expectations were unrealistic, but I still see some fine swirl marks and clear coat scratches under the ceramic, which I expected would have been easily polished out. Kind of makes me wonder how much paint prep was actually done. He did get out most of the fender marring damage that I posted about earlier, and made the tiny vertical scratch much less noticeable, but the rest of the car... I’m not so sure.

Looks good in bright daylight, but under garage lighting, the fine scratches are still visible.

I paid $1,130 (plus an awkward $50 tip — I posted about in another thread), so maybe I am being unrealistic to have expected all of the clearcoat scratches to have been polished out. For this price, he coated all of the glass and sheet metal. I held off on the wheels because I figured that would be easy for me to do myself (although I’ve since found that amazon won’t ship cquartz to Hawaii).

As far as the Gtechniq coating, I don’t notice any improvement in the gloss or depth compared with the wax (Car Guys) I was previously using. Hydrophobicity seems similar, too, but the car does seem to stay a little cleaner between washings.

Knowing what I know now, if I had to do it again, I’d probably just have the visible damage polished out, and coat the car myself. Alternatively, I might try to not cheap out and go with Auto Concierge.

Good luck!

 

[fseir]

I can also speak to Jun’s as Peter did my PPF and tinting. I requested Suntek Ultra, because I heard it had better hydrophobicity than Xpel. I don’t have any problem with Peter’s work; I have nothing to compare with, but the PPF looks fine, other than one small mark on my driver’s side mirror, which I think is a lift line.

Peter’s a nice guy, and does good work, but communication after the sale was very flaky. He didn’t have the suntek warranty (didn’t come with the kit for some reason), and it took almost 6 months of contacting him and reminding him, to finally get him to deliver the paperwork to me. At one point, he told me he had delivered it to me already, and I had to remind him that what he had delivered to me previously was the tint warranty, not the ppf warranty. Anyway, I finally got it, but it took months.

I had planned on hiring him to tint one of my other cars, but because it was so frustrating communicating with him, I gave up.

 

[fseir]

Robert from Automotive Emporium who used to do Carpro's CQuartz Pro (which is suppose to be much better than CQuartz Pro) is now using GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Ultra.

I think Gtechniq CS Ultra is rated for 10 years, but it costs a LOT more. I didn’t get Ultra. I think he used CS Lite on my car, but I don’t have anything to prove that.