DEEP CRYSTAL - ULTRA PAINT COATING (M688)

[Andreas M]

Dear all,

does someone has experience with DEEP CRYSTAL - ULTRA PAINT COATING (M688)? I bought a black Tesla 3 performance and was wondering if ceramic coating makes sense or is it just nice to have? Any opinion is more than welcome .

Thanks!!

 

[kindofblue]

I just had Ceramic Pro put on both the paint as well as the ppf I'd had installed a couple weeks earlier. I'm really impressed with the shine/gloss it gives and it's supposed to be permanent. The photos really don't do it justice.

 

[Andreas M]

I just had Ceramic Pro put on both the paint as well as the ppf I'd had installed a couple weeks earlier. I'm really impressed with the shine/gloss it gives and it's supposed to be permanent. The photos really don't do it justice.

Great! Thanks for the tip. Ceramic Pro seems to be the way to go

 

[joebruin77]

I'm not sure if your question was whether or not a ceramic coating in general is worth getting or if the Meguiar's M688 in particular is a good coating.

Black paint in general is the most difficult paint to keep clean and scratch/swirl free. It shows everything. So you definitely want to protect it. Some people like to keep paint protection simple and low cost, in which case you can apply traditional waxes and/or sealants. Ceramic coatings, like the Meguiar's coating you referenced, can be thought of as a semi-permanent, more durable layer of protection. They definitely offer more protection than waxes and sealants. Some people like to DIY and others prefer to have a professional install the coating. Either way, preparation is key. You need to make sure your paint is polished/corrected before applying a coating, or else any imperfections will be "sealed in" by the coating. Ceramic coatings will make it easier to wash your car and protect your paint from contaminants, but it will not protect your paint from rock chips and only minimal protection from scratches. Paint Protection Film (or PPF) does offer significant protection from rock chips and scratches as it has self healing properties, but it is expensive. If you want ultimate protection, you can first have PPF applied and then a ceramic coating on top of the PPF. But that is very expensive. Here in Los Angeles, that would run $6,500 to $7,500.

I have not heard of the Meguiar's coating, so I can't give an opinion either way about it. I regularly read car detaling forums and CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 is often mentioned as one of the best coatings on the market

Here are some helpful videos and links:

Best Ceramic Coating for Black Cars, DIY Guide

Ceramic coatings are the answer to black car owners prayers. And the best one is easy to apply by anybody.

blackcarshine.com

 

[kindofblue]

I'm not sure if your question was whether or not a ceramic coating in general is worth getting or if the Meguiar's M688 in particular is a good coating.

Black paint in general is the most difficult paint to keep clean and scratch/swirl free. It shows everything. So you definitely want to protect it. Some people like to keep paint protection simple and low cost, in which case you can apply traditional waxes and/or sealants. Ceramic coatings, like the Meguiar's coating you referenced, can be thought of as a semi-permanent, more durable layer of protection. They definitely offer more protection than waxes and sealants. Some people like to DIY and others prefer to have a professional install the coating. Either way, preparation is key. You need to make sure your paint is polished/corrected before applying a coating, or else any imperfections will be "sealed in" by the coating. Ceramic coatings will make it easier to wash your car and protect your paint from contaminants, but it will not protect your paint from rock chips and only minimal protection from scratches. Paint Protection Film (or PPF) does offer significant protection from rock chips and scratches as it has self healing properties, but it is expensive. If you want ultimate protection, you can first have PPF applied and then a ceramic coating on top of the PPF. But that is very expensive. Here in Los Angeles, that would run $6,500 to $7,500.

I have not heard of the Meguiar's coating, so I can't give an opinion either way about it. I regularly read car detaling forums and CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 is often mentioned as one of the best coatings on the market

Here are some helpful videos and links:

Best Ceramic Coating for Black Cars, DIY Guide

Ceramic coatings are the answer to black car owners prayers. And the best one is easy to apply by anybody.

blackcarshine.com

Well said Joe. Prices apparently do vary quite a bit though. Here on the central coast (Pismo Beach CA), a frontal surfaces ppf and Ceramic Pro coating was $1650 (with no paint correction needed on our new Y).

 

[joebruin77]

Well said Joe. Prices apparently do vary quite a bit though. Here on the central coast (Pismo Beach CA), a frontal surfaces ppf and Ceramic Pro coating was $1650 (with no paint correction needed on our new Y).

Good to know. The price quote I gave was for a whole-car PPF, not just a partial PPF. A partial PPF on just the front areas plus ceramic coating would probably be $2K.

 

[Braumin]

I don't have black, but here's my red car after ceramic coating and paint protection film, plus paint correction. I think it is worth it. Looks amazing and is super deep gloss.

 

[kindofblue]

Good to know. The price quote I gave was for a whole-car PPF, not just a partial PPF. A partial PPF on just the front areas plus ceramic coating would probably be $2K.

Ah, I'd wondered about that.

 

[kindofblue]

Dear all,

does someone has experience with DEEP CRYSTAL - ULTRA PAINT COATING (M688)? I bought a black Tesla 3 performance and was wondering if ceramic coating makes sense or is it just nice to have? Any opinion is more than welcome .

Thanks!!

Just an aside. Getting ppf on the front of the rear wheel wells will be $$ well spent. Apparently the front tires can spray small rocks/gravel to that area because it sticks out a bit (for aerodynamic reasons I'd imagine).

 

[Candleflame]

Dear all,

does someone has experience with DEEP CRYSTAL - ULTRA PAINT COATING (M688)? I bought a black Tesla 3 performance and was wondering if ceramic coating makes sense or is it just nice to have? Any opinion is more than welcome .

Thanks!!

Welcome to the black Tesla owner club. If you live anywhere with significant sunshine your car will look *sugar* whenever its sunny.

DIY/quick ceramic coatings are basically just like semi-permanent sealants. Some ceramic coatings can actually be slightly less durable/chemically resistant than good quality sealants which is ironic. Anyway, they essentially means you dont have to apply sealant every 2-3 months but instead you can just wait for 1-4 years for the ceramic coating to wear off. One issue is that the front of the car will wear off quicker than the rest. The other issue is that if you want to give the car a quick superficial polish (to strip a sealant or to remove waterspots) you will usually take this ceramic coating off too.

Professional multilayer ceramic coatings essentially add to your clearcoat and last 5-10 years. The issue here in my opinion is that people put this on with the idea that it prevents scratches. While it is true that it does prevent the clearcoat from getting scratched you now have those scratches in the ceramic coating which looks just as bad and needs to be polished out. Given that modern clearcoats tolerate light polishing 250-1000x or heavy compounding 50-75x I personally see no reason to get them for that purpose. Keep in mind if you live somewhere sunny then a clearcoat only lasts 25-35 years or so anyway and you need to respray your car after that. And if you live somewhere with little sunlight (europe, canada) then you dont need to compound as often as even black paint looks good most of the time when you dont see it in sunlight all the time. One other issue is that if you get a few rock chips and scratches you have to keep applying sealants over those areas anyway as they are exposed otherwise...

I have written my thoughts on ceramic coating before and if you enjoy trying a few different waxes, sealants, coatings etc then I wouldnt get ceramic coating as its expensive and doesnt add much. If you personally dont like this sort of stuff I would get a reasonably cheap ceramic coating and just get it reapplied every 2 years or so. The principal reason here is that it saves you some $$$ as car care products (sealants, waxes, water spot removers arent cheap either. Bareing in mind you can get waterspots on top of your ceramic coating too)

The answer you look for regarding clear coat protection is really paint protection film but thats expensive and with a cheapish smaller car like a model 3 not really justified given how cheap resprays these days are. However, some members here have said that getting just the hood and front bumper and sideskirts wrapped has actually been quite reasonable. In my experience (i drive a lot rurally) 99% of all rockchips happen to the hood, front bumper, lights and lower rocker skirts. I have one unlucky chip on the right door.

 

[Candleflame]

Just an aside. Getting ppf on the front of the rear wheel wells will be $$ well spent. Apparently the front tires can spray small rocks/gravel to that area because it sticks out a bit (for aerodynamic reasons I'd imagine).

I would just get the chinese mudflaps. They look really, really good (unlike the OEM ones) and make the front rocker skirt the cleanest part of the car.

From far away they almost make the car look lowered, as per pic.

 

[Andreas M]

I'm not sure if your question was whether or not a ceramic coating in general is worth getting or if the Meguiar's M688 in particular is a good coating.

Black paint in general is the most difficult paint to keep clean and scratch/swirl free. It shows everything. So you definitely want to protect it. Some people like to keep paint protection simple and low cost, in which case you can apply traditional waxes and/or sealants. Ceramic coatings, like the Meguiar's coating you referenced, can be thought of as a semi-permanent, more durable layer of protection. They definitely offer more protection than waxes and sealants. Some people like to DIY and others prefer to have a professional install the coating. Either way, preparation is key. You need to make sure your paint is polished/corrected before applying a coating, or else any imperfections will be "sealed in" by the coating. Ceramic coatings will make it easier to wash your car and protect your paint from contaminants, but it will not protect your paint from rock chips and only minimal protection from scratches. Paint Protection Film (or PPF) does offer significant protection from rock chips and scratches as it has self healing properties, but it is expensive. If you want ultimate protection, you can first have PPF applied and then a ceramic coating on top of the PPF. But that is very expensive. Here in Los Angeles, that would run $6,500 to $7,500.

I have not heard of the Meguiar's coating, so I can't give an opinion either way about it. I regularly read car detaling forums and CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 is often mentioned as one of the best coatings on the market

Here are some helpful videos and links:

Best Ceramic Coating for Black Cars, DIY Guide

Ceramic coatings are the answer to black car owners prayers. And the best one is easy to apply by anybody.

blackcarshine.com

Thanks a lot. It is very useful information . Much appreciated.

 

[Andreas M]

Welcome to the black Tesla owner club. If you live anywhere with significant sunshine your car will look *sugar* whenever its sunny.

DIY/quick ceramic coatings are basically just like semi-permanent sealants. Some ceramic coatings can actually be slightly less durable/chemically resistant than good quality sealants which is ironic. Anyway, they essentially means you dont have to apply sealant every 2-3 months but instead you can just wait for 1-4 years for the ceramic coating to wear off. One issue is that the front of the car will wear off quicker than the rest. The other issue is that if you want to give the car a quick superficial polish (to strip a sealant or to remove waterspots) you will usually take this ceramic coating off too.

Professional multilayer ceramic coatings essentially add to your clearcoat and last 5-10 years. The issue here in my opinion is that people put this on with the idea that it prevents scratches. While it is true that it does prevent the clearcoat from getting scratched you now have those scratches in the ceramic coating which looks just as bad and needs to be polished out. Given that modern clearcoats tolerate light polishing 250-1000x or heavy compounding 50-75x I personally see no reason to get them for that purpose. Keep in mind if you live somewhere sunny then a clearcoat only lasts 25-35 years or so anyway and you need to respray your car after that. And if you live somewhere with little sunlight (europe, canada) then you dont need to compound as often as even black paint looks good most of the time when you dont see it in sunlight all the time. One other issue is that if you get a few rock chips and scratches you have to keep applying sealants over those areas anyway as they are exposed otherwise...

I have written my thoughts on ceramic coating before and if you enjoy trying a few different waxes, sealants, coatings etc then I wouldnt get ceramic coating as its expensive and doesnt add much. If you personally dont like this sort of stuff I would get a reasonably cheap ceramic coating and just get it reapplied every 2 years or so. The principal reason here is that it saves you some $$$ as car care products (sealants, waxes, water spot removers arent cheap either. Bareing in mind you can get waterspots on top of your ceramic coating too)

The answer you look for regarding clear coat protection is really paint protection film but thats expensive and with a cheapish smaller car like a model 3 not really justified given how cheap resprays these days are. However, some members here have said that getting just the hood and front bumper and sideskirts wrapped has actually been quite reasonable. In my experience (i drive a lot rurally) 99% of all rockchips happen to the hood, front bumper, lights and lower rocker skirts. I have one unlucky chip on the right door.

Thanks. Happy to be part of the black Tesla owner club .

 

[Andreas M]

I don't have black, but here's my red car after ceramic coating and paint protection film, plus paint correction. I think it is worth it. Looks amazing and is super deep gloss.View attachment 658697

Beautiful car. Love it!!