Ceramic Coating Value

[RamLarryme]

Lots of information on Ceramic Coating. Is it really worth it, and what is a reasonable price for our vehicles?
Love the look of my Patriot Blue Laramie Sports Appearance, want it to last. should I get it done now?
Your experience with pics will help my decision.

 

[DonsRam19]

Following.

 

[mhb1638]

Hello. Guess I'll chime in. I've used wax/sealants/products for years like many here have. I was very skeptical about CC. Very. But, I figured the money I paid for this truck, it deserves the best. I paid $1500 for a total application-exterior and interior. I read all the reviews, all the different companies, etc. Made a Facebook market post and went from there.
Pro's: This **** is ridiculous. Super slick. Great reflective shine (for white). And when it rains, the rain beads are no ore than 1/4" in diameter (tiny!). Driving...its hilarious to watch the rain struggle to stick to anything. Bugs wipe off with ease including those you hit doing 80 lol.
Cons: When i find one I'll let you know.
Maintenance...now I may be cheating some on this, but I use a product called Produxa to clean, detail, and update. Is it necessary? Not at all, just me being anal. Other times I use Meguiars professional series quick detailer (because it's water based).
The cost: It costs so much because of all the labor involved. If done professionally and right, expect 2-3 days for this. The first several days is all prepping. Paint correction. Even a 2019 truck, the paint is ****. After it's prepped, the paint is smooth, flawless, and super slick. The CC application is usually half a day to a day. Then it needs time to cure. All in all I would do it again 10x over. Expensive, maybe. What you're getting though is insane protection. Plus (least for me) it's registered on site and supposedly added to the vehicles history meaning if a carfax was ran, it "should" show this was applied.

I'll attach some pictures. My truck is Ivory White and the mixture in this paint produces some amazing color results in different lighting.

 

[Neurobit]

Like everything else in life, it depends...

I have been detailing my own vehicles for years, and wash them once a week. I use hybrid ceramic SIO2 spray about once a month or so, which keeps the paint super slick. you can google these products. While not a ceramic coat, it gets me 90% there which is good enough for me.

Ceramic coatings are amazing, but no silver bullet.

Some marketing claims tell you of up to 9H hardness, etc. and that is totally bunk.
The beauty of these products is the hydrophobic properties and increased gloss. There is no verifiable scratch resistance like a lot of products say. You still have to use safe washing methods and products to ensure you don’t scratch the paint, as they will scratch as easily as untreated clear coat.

For increased glosss and ease of maintenance, yes, it‘s very good. Can you duplicate this with std wax? Absolutely, just more elbow grease, since you have to reapply more often (every 3-4 months for a good synthetic sealant, and every 2-3 weeks for a good Carnauba wax).

Also, keep in mind that there are a lot of companies that claim 5, 7, or even 10 years life on coatings, but the effective life of a coating (where it is maintains gloss and slickness) is usually 2 to 3 years. After that yeah, you have a coating, but w/o the cool properties we are all looking for).

Would I do this? Only if I apply it myself, which anyone can do if you are detail-oriented. Would I spend thousands on it? Never.

So, as the proverbial saying goes, YMMV...



Cheers,

 

[Gozar]

Prior to my 1500 I had a 2019:Genesis G80 Sport. I had it ceramic coated at Tint World in San Antonio TX for about $750. It looked and worked incredibly well, easy to wash, water beaded up and dirt and bugs came off easily - right up until I get broadsided by an underinsured driver who totaled my car. Thankfully no one was hurt.
i am going to have my truck coated by a local detailer in the Boise ID area, where I just moved to, who has great reviews, did a top notch detail on my Genesis right before it was hit, and only charges $375 for exterior ceramic coat. At that price it it worth it to me not to have to do it myself. I will be using the SI02 “recharge” spray ceramic TintWorld gave me to quick detail. I will post some pics when done next week.

 

[Neurobit]

Prior to my 1500 I had a 2019:Genesis G80 Sport. I had it ceramic coated at Tint World in San Antonio TX for about $750. It looked and worked incredibly well, easy to wash, water beaded up and dirt and bugs came off easily - right up until I get broadsided by an underinsured driver who totaled my car. Thankfully no one was hurt.
i am going to have my truck coated by a local detailer in the Boise ID area, where I just moved to, who has great reviews, did a top notch detail on my Genesis right before it was hit, and only charges $375 for exterior ceramic coat. At that price it it worth it to me not to have to do it myself. I will be using the SI02 “recharge” spray ceramic TintWorld gave me to quick detail. I will post some pics when done next week.

That’s a great price. No brainer to do that.

 

[RamLarryme]

Hello. Guess I'll chime in. I've used wax/sealants/products for years like many here have. I was very skeptical about CC. Very. But, I figured the money I paid for this truck, it deserves the best. I paid $1500 for a total application-exterior and interior. I read all the reviews, all the different companies, etc. Made a Facebook market post and went from there.
Pro's: This **** is ridiculous. Super slick. Great reflective shine (for white). And when it rains, the rain beads are no ore than 1/4" in diameter (tiny!). Driving...its hilarious to watch the rain struggle to stick to anything. Bugs wipe off with ease including those you hit doing 80 lol.
Cons: When i find one I'll let you know.
Maintenance...now I may be cheating some on this, but I use a product called Produxa to clean, detail, and update. Is it necessary? Not at all, just me being anal. Other times I use Meguiars professional series quick detailer (because it's water based).
The cost: It costs so much because of all the labor involved. If done professionally and right, expect 2-3 days for this. The first several days is all prepping. Paint correction. Even a 2019 truck, the paint is ****. After it's prepped, the paint is smooth, flawless, and super slick. The CC application is usually half a day to a day. Then it needs time to cure. All in all I would do it again 10x over. Expensive, maybe. What you're getting though is insane protection. Plus (least for me) it's registered on site and supposedly added to the vehicles history meaning if a carfax was ran, it "should" show this was applied.

I'll attach some pictures. My truck is Ivory White and the mixture in this paint produces some amazing color results in different lighting.

Thanks for the information and pics. I think the darker colors might show a difference. Does paint correction get hard water spots out?

 

[RamLarryme]

Like everything else in life, it depends...

I have been detailing my own vehicles for years, and wash them once a week. I use hybrid ceramic SIO2 spray about once a month or so, which keeps the paint super slick. you can google these products. While not a ceramic coat, it gets me 90% there which is good enough for me.

Ceramic coatings are amazing, but no silver bullet.

Some marketing claims tell you of up to 9H hardness, etc. and that is totally bunk.
The beauty of these products is the hydrophobic properties and increased gloss. There is no verifiable scratch resistance like a lot of products say. You still have to use safe washing methods and products to ensure you don’t scratch the paint, as they will scratch as easily as untreated clear coat.

For increased glosss and ease of maintenance, yes, it‘s very good. Can you duplicate this with std wax? Absolutely, just more elbow grease, since you have to reapply more often (every 3-4 months for a good synthetic sealant, and every 2-3 weeks for a good Carnauba wax).

Also, keep in mind that there are a lot of companies that claim 5, 7, or even 10 years life on coatings, but the effective life of a coating (where it is maintains gloss and slickness) is usually 2 to 3 years. After that yeah, you have a coating, but w/o the cool properties we are all looking for).

Would I do this? Only if I apply it myself, which anyone can do if you are detail-oriented. Would I spend thousands on it? Never.

So, as the proverbial saying goes, YMMV...



Cheers,

I've been quoted a 2yr, 5yr, and Lifetime warranty, but $1800 sounds like a lot when I still have to maintain and service it annually.

 

[RamLarryme]

Prior to my 1500 I had a 2019:Genesis G80 Sport. I had it ceramic coated at Tint World in San Antonio TX for about $750. It looked and worked incredibly well, easy to wash, water beaded up and dirt and bugs came off easily - right up until I get broadsided by an underinsured driver who totaled my car. Thankfully no one was hurt.
i am going to have my truck coated by a local detailer in the Boise ID area, where I just moved to, who has great reviews, did a top notch detail on my Genesis right before it was hit, and only charges $375 for exterior ceramic coat. At that price it it worth it to me not to have to do it myself. I will be using the SI02 “recharge” spray ceramic TintWorld gave me to quick detail. I will post some pics when done next week.

Look forward to the pics. The price range sounds great, if I can find that out here in Tacoma Wa.

 

[klail]

Definitely recommend. I paid $800 in Idaho which included a good polish as well. The dealer left some swirls so I wanted to get rid of those prior to coating it. I will probably do it again in the next 2 years.

 

[Gozar]

Definitely recommend. I paid $800 in Idaho which included a good polish as well. The dealer left some swirls so I wanted to get rid of those prior to coating it. I will probably do it again in the next 2 years.

If you don’t mind, who did you use in Meridian? I am getting mine done in Meridian.

 

[troutspinner]

Paid $950 in PA. My truck is black and I wash this vehicle less than any vehicle I've ever owned. It always looks clean....and yes, it's black, they never look clean. I think it's worth it though, makes washing it easier and time between washes longer.

 

[SpeedyV]

Results are pretty clean...

 

[klail]

Muriel at In Depth Auto Detail.
208-514-7077
E 5th St
Meridian ID 83642

She is amazing and takes pride in each job.

 

[TurkeyHunter22]

Ceramic coating from hours and hours of research is the BEST protection you can apply. I chose CQuartz 3.0 by CarPro.
I have a 2019 Black crystal metallic Longhorn 4x4 and it had so many swirls in the clear it was pathetic. Dealers do **** wash jobs and scratch everything.
I spent 6+ hours polishing with Maguers polish 102? Anyway, their lightest compound and buffed out 95% of the micro swirls and scratches. WOW. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

I Purchased CQuartz 3.0 from CarPro as well as Gliss, Reload, and Reset shampoo.
Next I washed as recommended and then used Mineral spirits to remove all residues.
Spent 5 hours applying 2 full coats of CQuartz 3.0 today.
And I can tell you my paint looks AMAZING!!!!
SLICK AS SNOT ON A DOOR KNOB
SAVED $1700
I spent about $300 on ALL supplies and have enough CQuartz left to apply 2 more coats.
This wasn’t difficult, just time consuming and took some elbow grease.
Gliss Topcoat application tomorrow

 

[Gozar]

Ceramic coating from hours and hours of research is the BEST protection you can apply. I chose CQuartz 3.0 by CarPro.
I have a 2019 Black crystal metallic Longhorn 4x4 and it had so many swirls in the clear it was pathetic. Dealers do **** wash jobs and scratch everything.
I spent 6+ hours polishing with Maguers polish 102? Anyway, their lightest compound and buffed out 95% of the micro swirls and scratches. WOW. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

I Purchased CQuartz 3.0 from CarPro as well as Gliss, Reload, and Reset shampoo.
Next I washed as recommended and then used Mineral spirits to remove all residues.
Spent 5 hours applying 2 full coats of CQuartz 3.0 today.
And I can tell you my paint looks AMAZING!!!!
SLICK AS SNOT ON A DOOR KNOB
SAVED $1700
I spent about $300 on ALL supplies and have enough CQuartz left to apply 2 more coats.
This wasn’t difficult, just time consuming and took some elbow grease.
Gliss Topcoat application tomorrow

Pictures or it didn’t happen...

 

[mhb1638]

Thanks for the information and pics. I think the darker colors might show a difference. Does paint correction get hard water spots out?

It gets everything out of the paint that's possible, including water spots. My detailer spent two days some buffing and cutting to get the paint as perfect as possible