What's the deal with ceramic coating?

[Kirby64]

A pro coating would not be that much. Even the absolute top end stuff is only about $2,000 with many pro coatings running more in the $1000-$1500 range.

I'm doing my own using a product called Kamikaze Miyami. The car just had PPF put on the front and the shop that did it detailed it pretty well. I am borrowing a friend's long throw random orbital buffer and doing a very light polish on the paint and then doing the coating. I would say materials are more than $50. The Miyami coating is about $120 and other materials I will use are probably another $150. It's still a lot cheaper than paying $1350 I was quoted for a pro coating.

When you seal the car with ceramic coating you are putting something similar but higher tech to pottery glaze on it. Whatever the paint looks like when you seal it is what you are going to have until the coating wears off or you sand it off.

For the majority of consumers it's "more trouble than it's worth".... but if you are the kind of person who washes your cars by hand and would wax them anyway then it keeps the paint looking much better with less maintenance.

If you are the kind of person who runs your car through the filthy $10 auto car wash at the gas station every month and doesn't give a crap about swirls and scratches than ceramic is not for you.

"not worth it" is relative. Some people want their car to look sharp and are willing to spend more to get there and other people just don't really care as long as the car is clean.

I never knew what PPF was or cared about it until I moved to a state where they use sand and gravel in addition to magnesium chloride to handle road ice. Cars here get, quite literally, sand-blasted from this crap and I've seen 2-3 year old cars where the front end is chewed to hell from just doing highway commutes.

Totally agree that ceramic coating can be worthwhile if you do the DIY stuff. Only problem with it is that it requires a pretty pristine area to do prep work and curing. Unfortunately I don't have a dedicated garage, so that's a nonstarter for me.

Realistically though, the actual cost of DIY coating is going to be closer to $250-350, since most folks don't already own an orbital polisher. I guess you could take a swing at it without doing any paint correction and just claybarring/IPA, but that just seems like asking for trouble to me.

 

[3Mfilms]

Can the film be applied to the glass roof?

Yes a glass roof could be covered with 3M PPF. We do not recommend it being applied to the front or rear screen. There are exterior glass protective films on the market. 3M does not manufacture or sell this kind of product.

 

[coleAK]

Yes a glass roof could be covered with 3M PPF. We do not recommend it being applied to the front or rear screen. There are exterior glass protective films on the market. 3M does not manufacture or sell this kind of product.

Thank you. I’m concerned about the possibility of rock chips on the roof. I ended up doing the 3M on the front and then full ceramic pro.

 

[EVDRVN]

I riveted ceramic insulators on the hood, bumper and roof. This works just as well and costs $20 max. I'll post a video soon.

 

[Zoglog]

Remember with both PPF and Ceramic coating what you're paying mostly is for the labor. The quality of the installer is the most important thing, everything is secondary. Doesn't matter what brand

 

[Capitol Shine]

Check out this blog post we just created that discusses the benefits of combining film and ceramic coatings.

Xpel Paint Protection Film + Ceramic Pro = The Best Combo - Capitol Shine Blog

 

[3Mfilms]

Zoglog, you are correct. The quality of the installer is so important as well as the buying experience they provide to their customers. PPF + ceramics coatings have a place in the market for sure. 3M Pro Paint Protection Film is a hydrophobic, glossy, clear-coated self-healing film with 10 year film warranty and a 5 year warranty on the paint. Creating value for customers is paramount to 3M. We have certified installers well placed in the VA/MD market that can satisfy customers needs.

 

[Krypto Kat]

Here is a data point from a shop in Raleigh.
My budget is around $1500, so trying to determine what I should get done. Thanks in advance!

Having done both the PPF and the ceramic coat, here's my 2 cents....... Save the Money and get a wax for $100, twice a year. For the same money your car will look a lot better in 7.5 years.

 

[coleAK]

^^^ I think it depends on your situation if it’s worth it. I’ve had ceramic pro on my LX570 for just over 2 years. For me in Alaska I’ll put this or something similar on every one of my cars.

Why you ask?

#1 there is really only a ~4-5 month window where I can comfortably do a complete wash/wax on my car outside. Durring those months I’d rather spend 3-4 hours: biking, hiking, fishing, hunting,... with ceramic pro the dirt sticks much less, I do a wash in ~15 min mostly with a pressure washer. Soak with the soap tip then blast with pressure, done. The remainder of the year I do the same process in my garage. #2 it’s amazingly scratch resistant. I off road my LX hard, blast through alder patches, cross rivers, beaches/saltwater and I have very few scratches. #3 see #1 I can do this process and use a deck brush on stubborn spots, no swirl marks. #4 there are times I go 3-4 months without washing my car, when I do wash it looks great.

Now we won’t be off roading the 3 but given the entire front is paint and it is lower to the ground it will get pelted with rocks/sand/gravel. This is due to the fact salt is banned on the roads in Alaska (terrable for the environment).

The day we took delivery of the 3 I drove it to the detail shop to get ceramic pro and in addition did 3M on the front. It spent 4 days there before we took it home.

If you live in an area where you want to take the time to regularly wash and wax, your car will look as good or better without it. Heck in the BK period (Before Kids) and definitely when I was single I wouldn’t have done it. But now my time is worth so much more.

I’ll also add automated touch free car washes up here are a racket. They charge $20-$25 car wash and no one does the monthly passes like places in the lower 48. So you can spend $1200-$1800 On carwashes in one year easy.

 

[Trevor B]

Thanks, for the response. $3k to $5k is not even in the conversation for me; I would just take my chances. Since my post, I checked online and there's a place near me that does ceramic coating starting at $250. Is that one of those things where the price is suspiciously low (i.e., so low that you have to question the quality of the work)?

$250???

 

[ddm3]

Realistically though, the actual cost of DIY coating is going to be closer to $250-350, since most folks don't already own an orbital polisher. I guess you could take a swing at it without doing any paint correction and just claybarring/IPA, but that just seems like asking for trouble to me.

I bought a cheap polisher at Harbor Freight. $39-20% coupon. It was good enough. CQuartz UK is around $44. Clay bar kit $15. Polish + pad $25. You could do it for $150.

 

[Kirby64]

I bought a cheap polisher at Harbor Freight. $39-20% coupon. It was good enough. CQuartz UK is around $44. Clay bar kit $15. Polish + pad $25. You could do it for $150.

Where are you seeing CQuartz UK for only $44? Everywhere I've looked it's >$50 and probably tacks on some shipping. Plus, HF orbital probably isn't ideal for best results... car pro guys would sneer. Can't say I have experience with them, but when I did research it seemed the cheapest orbital that provided good results was ~$100. Add in other gear assuming you don't have any cleaning stuff and you're north of $200 I'd say.

 

[paulvinh]

Maybe it's a Texas thing, but those prices are a lot higher than what we pay in So. Cal. I got mine for $1,200, but the majority of that cost was for the color correction (black MS w/lots of swirls from the factory). It's good for 3-years and cost and told the cost to reapply will be ~$350.

I've had the coating for 18-months and it still beads & shines like new despite driving 80-miles each day on the freeway and parking the car in the sun/sand-blasted Riverside County hell-hole everyday (hint: there's no river). Makes washing much, much easier - foam gun, rinse, leaf blower .

Think of it as heavy duty synthetic wax you only need to reapply every 2-3 years. I got it because I can't keep up with regular waxings.

Did you get PPF too?

 

[RayW]

Did you get PPF too?

No, just CQuartz

 

[paulvinh]

No, just CQuartz

How is it holding up in socal? I am skipping ppf and diying ceramic coat as well.

 

[Olds442]

I have CQuartz on the MS and love it. will get the m3 done as well. PPF on the forward facing surfaces.

 

[paulvinh]

No, just CQuartz

How is it holding up in socal? I am skipping ppf and diying ceramic coat

 

[RayW]

How is it holding up in socal? I am skipping ppf and diying ceramic coat

It was great for about 14 months, but the water is not beading off as well when I wash it now. I dry it off with a cheap leaf blower and it would not leave water spots when new. The past weeks I've had to wipe it down with Reload to remove all those water spots.

I think you realistically need to plan on reapplying about every 18-months... easier and about the same cost as keeping it waxed.