Thinking of getting Ceramic done, skip glass?

[mswlogo]

Jealous of some of ceramic coating posts. I think I want get my MSM 2019 X LR with 10K miles done.

It's still looks pretty damn good, but I wouldn't mind if it had a little more gleam and maybe stayed a little cleaner over winter.

I bought a Ceramic Carpro kit, but I'm too busy and I'm too impatient to do it right.

Prices seem awful high though, like around $1600.00

But that includes all glass and wheels. Should I skip the glass. Little concerned about them messing with glass on FWD etc. And I've been polishing and sealing the windshield myself with great results. Meaning to do the whole top one of these days as I get better at it.

So have you skipped the glass? Does it save money? With so much glass skipped there is a lot less painted surface so I think they should adjust the price some. I would skip any interior or tires as well. Mostly just painted surfaces and maybe the wheels.

Any recommendations around the intersection of Rt 495 and RT 90 in MA (35 miles west of Boston).

Does $1600 sound right? Some will lifetime guarantee it for that price.

Oh, my impression is it takes days to do it right (curing between coats?), should I be suspicious if they say they can do it all in one day?

 

[Akikiki]

I didn't skip glass on my first S. My guy said it would help keep the glass clean. I think it did. Rain rans off much better with.

Then on my next, I applied a Ceramic product myself. Got it from ForMyTesla.com Nanoglass. $50 bottle applied two coats three years apart. Loved that stuff. "The Wet Look". Took about 2+ hours to prep car. Good wash, then clay it. Good rise and wipe then dry it. Applied to paint, plastic and glass. I let it cure for about 36 hours before I moved it. Saved a few bucks difference between $1100 and $50. Well worth it. Enjoyed doing it myself. Was not brain surgery. Do a good job of cleaning your glass. That's where you will see it.

 

[mswlogo]

Oh that’s another good question. Should all the Model X plastic be coated? Around Wheel wells etc.

 

[mswlogo]

I didn't skip glass on my first S. My guy said it would help keep the glass clean. I think it did. Rain rans off much better with.

Then on my next, I applied a Ceramic product myself. Got it from ForMyTesla.com Nanoglass. $50 bottle applied two coats three years apart. Loved that stuff. "The Wet Look". Took about 2+ hours to prep car. Good wash, then clay it. Good rise and wipe then dry it. Applied to paint, plastic and glass. I let it cure for about 36 hours before I moved it. Saved a few bucks difference between $1100 and $50. Well worth it. Enjoyed doing it myself. Was not brain surgery. Do a good job of cleaning your glass. That's where you will see it.

I called around and they said they needed to keep the car 3-4 days. Would not give price without inspecting it.
I think it's good that they take that much time, but I sometimes think it's a bit overkill over priced.

After reading your post I decided to just do it.

I got most of the prep done today. Took all of 2 hr's. It was already clean, but I cleaned it again.
De-bugged and De-sapped it.
Then claybarred it. Easy peasy, first time.
It looks great.

I'm gonna skip the glass and wheels for now and just do painted surfaces.
All I need to do is wipe down with alcohol and put the ceramic coats on.
I'll wipe it down just before I put ceramic on tomorrow.

Still not sure if I should coat the plastic around the wheel wells and under the doors or not.

I don't like tires to shine (Armorall) or plastic to look wet (looks cheesy).
But I don't want the plastic to look dull a couple years down the road either.

Edit ————-

Done.

Took about 2.5 hrs for alcohol wipe and 2 coats. I did way more than 2x2. I did one door, then the next, then go back to first door and buff out and then buff out the next. It was 70F out. I think this temp gave a lot of leeway. I was waiting too long and wasting too much time while could be doing the section. Took like 1 hr 10 min to do first coat. Would have gone quicker if I “pipelined” it from the start.

The supplied lint free cloth was nice. Used it for the whole first coat. It was getting a smudgey towards the end. 2nd coat I used cheap micro fibers (not lint free) and they were fine.

Used less than half a bottle.

Not sure if I’ll do Reload.

I did see a few tar spots or bug smudges I missed. No biggy.

I considered taping off but that could take hours along. So I skipped it. No regrets. If I saw some on plastic, I wiped it off with alcohol.

Total job about 4.5hrs. No polishing.

 

[mbp11]

I am having my 2018 Model X done in ceramic here in the SF Bay Area right now, OmegaWerks in Pleasanton. It will take about 5 days and I think they are doing the windows and the wheels/rims too. I do not remember the brand that they are using, this is the higher priced treatment that has 5 applications and has a lifetime warranty. I will report back at the end of the week to tell you how it went.
Mike P

 

[Akikiki]

@mswlogo, sounds like an excellent effort and big on satisfaction. How much out of pocket cost - less labor? And how much less/difference than someone was going to charge you to do a coating?

 

[mswlogo]

@mswlogo, sounds like an excellent effort and big on satisfaction. How much out of pocket cost - less labor? And how much less/difference than someone was going to charge you to do a coating?

1/2 a Clay kit. $7

1/2 a CarPro UK 3.0 kit $43

I’m sure it’s not as good as a pro job or will last as long. But I’m glad I did it. Not much harder than a good waxing, maybe even easier.

A couple times I saw drips on the plastic trim and thought I must be putting way to much. Then I realized it was my sweat.

I think I could have done it outside without issue. Perfect day for it.

 

[P85_DA]

1/2 a Clay kit. $7

1/2 a CarPro UK 3.0 kit $43

Wow ...it’s amazing that most ceramic jobs cost ~$900-1500 ...I paid $1000 for ceramic over my ppf few years back...post pics if u get a chance

 

[mswlogo]

Wow ...it’s amazing that most ceramic jobs cost ~$900-1500 ...I paid $1000 for ceramic over my ppf few years back...post pics if u get a chance

Keep in mind that ceramic coat is to preserve a clean car. It really didn't change what it looked like between after prep and after ceramic coat. The question will be what does it look like after a casual wash 2 years from now. Will water keep beading off.

What looks like scuffs in the photos below are reflections or a moth checking it out.

BTW that is PPF on the wheels. The cheap made in china mud-flaps are holding up good and doing their job.

I've read CarPro UK 3.0 is supposed to be very forgiving (great for beginners) and Midnight Silver Metalic is also forgiving.

 

[P85_DA]

Looks great ! My ceramic pro is still holding well at 2years and I never did a maintenance coat ...I always thought there was special skill to apply this as the way my installer explained the “complexity” etc ..but if I do get a newer Tesla will attempt myself

 

[mswlogo]

Looks great ! My ceramic pro is still holding well at 2years and I never did a maintenance coat ...I always thought there was special skill to apply this as the way my installer explained the “complexity” etc ..but if I do get a newer Tesla will attempt myself

Keep in mind Ceramic Pro is probably commercial grade and will probably last longer and might be trickier to install.

But if I had to do this every 2 years, it really wouldn't be that bad.

You can't buy the commercial stuff without training / certificate or something. Showing you know how to handle the stuff.

 

[jeffbco]

What does "lifetime" warranty mean...and if it truly is lifetime why do you have to repeat every two years. I'd just find the best detail shop, inquire abut the ceramic product they use and then get it done. Ceramic coating looks great.

 

[mswlogo]

What does "lifetime" warranty mean...and if it truly is lifetime why do you have to repeat every two years. I'd just find the best detail shop, inquire abut the ceramic product they use and then get it done. Ceramic coating looks great.

Consumer grade CarPro is 2 years ($86 DIY kit for 2 cars). Professional Detailer using commercial grade, and includes more "Paint Correction" (basically polishing) and some will warranty for lifetime for like $1600.00. But I bet you're required to get a boost every couple years to get that lifetime warranty and I bet a boost (by the Pro that charged $1600) isn't cheap. I don't know of ceramic products that claim more than 5 or 7 years). It's the shop offering lifetime (I think). They are probably betting you'll probably trade it less than 5 years. You will still build up crude on any finish, ceramic just slows it down and makes it easier to come off and restore.

 

[CuriousM3]

I did mine as well with Getechniq Crystal Serum Light. I did polish/paint correct since the Model X is pretty easy to do since we dont need to touch the roof , and on my X the front end has xpel.

After CSL I added a topper EXO V4. All in was $200 for the ceramic coat and topper. The polisher and compound and iron X i alreafy had

Now i can blowdry most of the car then blot dry where needed reducing the need to touch the paint and add swirls

 

[P85_DA]

you're required to get a boost every couple years to

That is why I didn’t do my maintenance coat on ceramic pro they charge like $250 a year for IMO wasn’t worth it

 

[mbp11]

Just had my 2018 Model X done with Ceramic Pro at OmegaWerks in Pleasanton (SF Bay Area). It took me a long time to decide what to have done. They to ceramic and PPF treatments. Their options have a variety of thickness of ceramic treatments that have different lengths of warranties, I chose the 5 layer lifetime warranty option, and that includes all around glass and wheel treatments too. It took 5 days and the results are outstanding- smooth as glass, and they even fixed a few small dents and paint chips so now all is like brand new. I am quite happy. I have to bring the car back in 2-3 weeks for a recheck and then an annual inspection and pretreatment if needed. The lifetime warranty option is expensive, though.

OmegaWerks, Vincent Tran, 3723 Old Santa Rita Road #16, Pleasanton, CA.