Dennis C

My 991 TTS cabriolet is going in to my detailer on Monday for a proper detailing and paint correction. I'm having a few minor chips repaired, a clear bra installed and a ceramic coating treatment. My understanding is that the clear bra will not stick to the ceramic coating very well, so the areas under the bra will not be coated.

Have any of you tried ceramic coatings? How's it holding up? My detailer offers a 5-year coating and a lifetime coating. I'm leaning towards the lifetime coating. He claims that I'll never have to wax the car again, which is hard for me to imagine. I think it will be great, it's just so different than the traditional way of maintaining automotive finishes.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

JD911

I have paint protection film and CeramicPro. It has been great so far, but only on since June. My understanding is there are annual maintenance applications required (at least for the product I have.) They also treated the wheels.

The ceramic coating makes washing the car a breeze. So far, I am pleased.

rk-d

If you are getting ceramic coating + film, I'd have it installed over the film.

Dennis C

Good idea. I'll ask my installer about it. I believe the order is: paint correction, polishing, clear bra installation (going with XPEL), ceramic coating. I'll ask him about putting the coating on the clear bra. I don't know how it would affect the self-healing properties of the XPEL product.

JD911

I have Xpel and they put the CeramicPro right over the film. No issues.

rk-d

No effect

stealthpilot

I've spent thousands on these coatings, and I've learned my lesson. So here's what I have learned:

1) Yes these coatings will last for years. However that just means the coating is still there and is still beading water and protecting the paint underneath. It doesn't it will look good for 5 years or remain flawless.

2) Ceramic coatings is harder than cheaper paint finishes (not Mercedes Ceramic Paint) but the ceramic coating can be scratched. I wash my cars very carefully with quality soaps, quality microfibers, I air dry the car to minimize use of microfiber on the paint. I typically find the ceramic coating will have micro-scratches or marring within a year. Not a lot but enough for an OCD person to notice. Within 2 years you will want to redo it again if this sort of thing bothers you.

3) Now in the application of these coatings, you can have two options:
i) Go for an 80:20 approach where you polish the car once and apply the coating with 1 or 2 layers (which will last 2-3 years). This typically costs $350-500.
ii) Go for a flawless finish (3 stage paint correction) and multiple layers of the ceramic coating to ensure the coating lasts for 5 years+. This will cost upward of $1500.

4) My takeaway is that it is better to do option (i) and redo it every 18 months. The reason is that on average your car will look better that way, because with option (ii) Your finish will develop flaws within a year.

The coating I use these days is Optimum Gloss Coat. It looks terrific and it's inexpensive. My detailer charged $450 for one stage correction and coating.

Dennis C

Good info. Thanks. I believe that my detailer uses the one stage approach for what he calls the 5-year coating. He did mention that it can scratch. The multi-layer approach is what he calls the lifetime coating. We also discussed having the wheels coated, but I haven't decided on that yet. I may do it when I buy new wheels this spring.

JFA65

I picked up my new '15 GT3 from the dealer, November '14, untouched, unprepped, unwashed. Did not want dealer induced spider webbing/swirls. Paint correction, claybar, the works including Opti. Then had it wrapped, then coating over the wrap. Worked great especially summer bug removal. Highly recommend the coating on the wrap as w/o bugs tend to be difficult.

Randyc151

I have had ceramic coating several times, and won't be doing it any more. It does last longer than a wax job, but not much more. I personally think it's being sold as snake oil. It "might" have some "ceramic" in it, but it's just a wax job and does nothing to protect the car significantly better than way. Detailers love it because it costs about $40 more than wax, but they can charge $500 to put it on your car.

Think about it...it's not like your car goes into a kiln and they melt ceramic coating over it or anything. It's not a miracle.

Xpel, on the other hand...it's a miracle.

rk-d

Anyone tried silica sealant? Seems like an easy option.

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-H2O-Gua...+sealant+adams

Dennis C

Interesting comments. One of the main selling points of the ceramic coatings is the "wet look" that they give the car. Have those of you with experience with ceramic coatings found this to be true? Do they achieve this look and keep it for any length of time?

stealthpilot

I do think it gives you a wet look, but so does Carnuba wax and many other products. The issue is sustainability.

The issue is the wet look is a result of having a perfectly smooth finish to your paint. The moment something touches it, then it isn't perfect and it is ergo less shiny.

So as posted above, my experience is that the more you spend the better it will look on Day 1. However within a year or two it will look normal regarding of which coating you bought or how much they prepped it.

My take is that you're better off with a coating instead of wax because it lasts longer. However don't buy into the 5 year bull**** because while the coating will last 5 years, the pristine appearance will not last 5 years.

The sensible move is to get something that is cost effective and that lasts 1-2 years and redo it every 1-2 years. I pay $350 a year to reapply the Optimum Gloss Coat. That is a far better approach then spending $1500 up front and then watching the shine go downhill as the car is exposed the harshness of the real world and high speed driving.

Randyc151

My ceramic coating stuff from the dealer was $1500 up front and $350 per year. It was fantastic for 3-4 months, much like a good wax job, and then I saw no benefits after that. I wax it myself now, and just can't recommend the ceramic coatings. Again, I see it as snake oil

stealthpilot

You overpaid which is why you resent it now. But if it cost $350 and lasted 24 months (like mine) would you feel the same way?