mdfud

Anyone have their car treated with 'Diamond Ceramic Coating'? A friend just got his 2012 458 coated and it looks brand new. Just wondering how it works on P cars. TIA.

Mortgageguy

Literally just picked mine up today after multi stage correction and ceramic coating...blown away by results!

Kuhl997.2!

Spectacular

Ripking

Wow! Spectacular! How did they address any rock chips? Thinking of having mine (also black) done or doing it myself with all of the downtime I’m about to have.

Mortgageguy

They didn’t, no real way to do so unless you respray hood/front clip then correct, coat, and even clear bra if you prefer. Mine is a 50k mile car not a garage queen so I wasn’t to concerned.

Climarepair.com

Multi stage correction and ceramic coating on a used car is one of the best things you can do to your car!

Ripking

figured as much. Are those BBS 18s on your car?

Mortgageguy

no 19’s

AMF997S

Your car's condition sounds like mine - 40K weekly user - and similar color (dark blue). I'm down the road from you in Winchester - may I ask how much to the total process cost (correction and ceramic coating)? Sounds like you would recommend your detailer.
Thanks

roman944

coating depends on place and what they use, on average $1k, but its VERY well worth it

paint correction … depends

THE REFINERY

Paint correction is the key to this process more than the coating type or brand.

Ceramic coating doesn't hide or fix any surface damage or marring. If you want to dramatically improve the gloss and clarity of reflection of your aging or damaged paint, find a skilled detailer to perform paint correction. Then once the paint surface has been perfected, lock it in with ceramic coating to provide long lasting protection from oxidation, UV, water, dirt, bird droppings, tree sap etc.

Here's a blog article we wrote to help explain what ceramic coating is - and what it is not. Hope this helps!

And if you want to learn more about paint correction, check out our videos to see how dramatic the turn around can be - at a fraction of the cost of repainting, and allows you to preserve your original paint. There are 5 parts to this video series - but here's the one focused on paint correction:

Ironman88

Truth spoken here ^^^^^. Ceramic coating applied over damaged paint will just seal off the imperfections.

If you have the disposable cash to hire a detailer, fine. I would suggest however that one do some basic research; identify the specific tools and products needed (there are not many needed) and take on the paint correction process yourself. A good D/A polisher is not tricky or difficult to work with and unless you deliberately attempt to damage your paint, it's safe to use. If I can do it, I think virtually anyone can do it - and achieve excellent results.

As far as the Ceramic coating is concerned - there is quite a bit of hype and fear-mongering generated to scare the do-it-yourselfer away from taking the project on. The prices that some detailers charge for Ceramic coatings are just plain ridiculous. Again, if I can do it, I think virtually anyone can do it. (I've posted these photos before - so apologies in advance to anyone that is tired of seeing them - but they do illustrate the point that good results are achievable by virtually anyone...)



Paint finish after correction.

Trim areas taped off. Simplifies clean up.

Paint and plastics all polished. Ceramic applied on all.


Porter Cable DA Polisher on left. Rupes DA Polisher on right.

Menzerna FG400 - I've tried many light compounds / polishes. This one is the best. Made in Germany.

Menzerna SF 3500. Best polish I have ever used. Will produce an exceptional finish.

Microfiber cutting pad. Used with the FG400.

Foam type pad - best used for applying polishes.

CarPro C Quartz 3.0 UK Ceramic Coating. Excellent product.

Ceramic coating and application stuff.

Time to celebrate the results and all of the money saved.

Michaelc

I've been considering getting this done to my boat. Becoming popular in the marine industry. Looks great on our 997's!

L8 APXR

May be a silly question but is it worthwhile attempting this process on a car that has clear film on the hood and front bumper?

THE REFINERY

Paint correction can bring back a bit of gloss to PPF, but if it's looking stained or has any small rips or tears - it's much better to remove and reapply the PPF. That's the big benefit of PPF - you can let it get beat up from driving, then remove it to expose pristine paint beneath without having to repaint. Reinstall new PPF and apply your fav sealant/coating on top. It will look like new.