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Just received a quote for XPEL & Ceramic Coatings. Is this a good deal? What did you pay?

Patriotmobiledetail said:
I will give you all my 2 cents..for what it is worth.

Ceramic coatings/nano coatings/titanium coatings..have all taken off as of recently.

The premise being the hard coating protection that these coatings give to the exterior of your vehicle. Several things that must be noted.

The PREP work for layering a ceramic clear (regardless of nano technology) is where the labor lies. Much like a paint job the blocking sanding primer body work, welding (if appropriate) and /or rust removal is KEY to a proper paint job not just the paint quality or the paint craftsmanship.

Im a detailer and I think nano coatings and ceramic coatings are the most OVERPRICED out there. There are astronomical claims that these coatings are scratch proof, wont degrade (as in lifetime) or anything like that.
Some are clearly better than others, yes...however, I say the method in which you maintain your car over the months of inclement weather, how you wash it, and how you dry it (this is an overlooked premise, Colorado where I live has some of the most mineralized HARD water ever, if you even as much as let it air dry for a bit, you WILL get hard water spots)...one way to alleviate this is spending on a true water softening system to remove these impurities however that will run you 4500 plus for a good one....is WAY more important than trying to ceramic coat or nano coat any paint.

Think of it that every single little wash and things you do or do not do (use brushes, use crappy soap, use beach towels to dry..etc) is way more important as the damage ADDS up quickly...for the record ceramic clears are scratch RESISTANT ( a lot of them) but definitely NOT scratch proof.

Anyway I digress, where I am going with this is really ascertain WHAT you want to accomplish with the layering and protection to your clear coat. I opt to use Adams Polishes Ceramic coatings, they are affordable, great quality, easy to apply and very DIY friendly. I do professional detailing and DO offer some Modesta or ceramic pro but only because of client preference.

I personally think paying over 700 for any coating is just astronomical.....even the bc titanium coating.....it is superior but just not worth it.

I am a firm believer in every year, stripping, claying and repolishing and reapplying ANY layering and protection, be it ceramic, traditional carnuba, or any other sealer.

I have had great experience with a product called Collinite 845 it is an insulation wax with a touch of carnuba. Easy to apply, it provides great protection on the paint for mag or salt or any other contaminant pretty much. It is an insulation wax that was formulated for high temp protection of painted surfaces around electrical or heat producting sources....and adapted to an automotive and marine application.


If you guys have any questions feel free to hit me up.

Im just saying remember there is HYPE and then there is actual PRACTICALLY to each application....again don't forget that prep (polishing swirl removal and clay constitutes 95% of the whole process to ceramic coating...) it is imperative that the paint be as clean and defect free as possible so you can ensure the best possible

OPTICAL CLARITY!



I am in Colorado, but do mobile work in Texas and New Mexico also.


Take care all!
Happy ceramic coating to all hahahaha
Click to expand...
I’d be interested to know when you’ll be working in the DFW area ;)
 
Just got a quote for my Rebel for PPF-hood, fenders, bumper(chipmunk cheeks....lol), A-pillars, roof....$485 installed....now I just need my truck;)
 
2019REBEL said:
Just got a quote for my Rebel for PPF-hood, fenders, bumper(chipmunk cheeks....lol), A-pillars, roof....$485 installed....now I just need my truck;)
Click to expand...
Wow that's more than half of what I was quoted. What PPF is it?
 
surfingcrna said:
Wow that's more than half of what I was quoted. What PPF is it?
Click to expand...

The Suntek PPF C but I am also in Canada so it makes it a bit more expensive. The girl also did my 2014 Outdoorsman so I am going back to her to get my Rebel done when it gets here.
 
Ah, makes more sense. My pricing for for the Ultra. Thanks.

Still need to decide what to wrap, coat, seal etc Too many choices for my small mind lol
 
JonnyQuest said:
I have no real,experience with these new coatings. I have a 2019 Laramie Black Appearance package, so I asked him to quote XPEL in the front and ceramic all over.

Here’s what he said:
===========================

Attached is the plot patterns for your truck to help you understand the Xpel options. Included is also what Ceramic Pro packages include. Also, you can combine an Xpel Package to a Ceramic Pro Package or IGL and we will do a 10% Discount on all of it.
There are so much that we include in the services below as well. Of course we Wash vehicle in & out, decontaminate and also polish the area where we install Xpel. If a coating is being done as well, we polish the entire vehicle before we install the coating and Xpel.
For security reasons, your truck will be kept inside our shop at night and on camera 24/7. All of our installers are certified for Xpel, Ceramic Pro and IGL Kenzo. We take pride in making sure your vehicle is taken care of. As for how long the process will take, Xpel can be installed in 1 day and picked up the following day. If you add Ceramic Coating, 1 extra day for Bronze and Silver and IGL, and 2 days extra minimum for Gold for a total of between 2 days and 4 days to complete depending on packages.
We can also customize any of the packages to fit your wants.

XPEL
Xpel Package #1 – Bikini - $950– 10 year warranty
Bumper, Bikini Hood, Bikini Fenders, and Mirrors along with front grill.

Xpel Package #2 – PARTIAL - $990 – 10 year warranty
Same as package 1 but hood and fenders extended up towards the windshield.

Xpel Package # 3 – FULL FRONT - $1,990 – 10 year warranty
FULL HOOD , FENDERS, BUMPER AND GRILL + Mirrors – Edge extensions included

NOTE: We can extend the edges and wrap them where we are able to for a small fee. These prices are for pattern install only.

CERAMIC PRO
Bronze – 2 year coating with warranty – Entire Exterior of Truck $890
Silver – 5 Year Coating with warranty – Entire Exterior of Truck $1190
Gold – Lifetime Coating with warranty – Entire Exterior of Truck $2,290

IGL Coatings

4 YEAR Kenzo Coating with warranty – Entire Exterior of Truck - $890


Hope that this provides the information that helps you make an informative decision. Anything Else I can do, please let me know.
If you would like to schedule your truck, email me as well.

Thank you for your interest in Xpel and Ceramic Pro
View attachment 8051View attachment 8052
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Nearly identical to the pricing quoted to me here in PA. I may suck it up and put the truck in the garage and do the paint perfecting and ceramic myself, but it'll take me 2 weeks as life gets in the way! Did it for my '37 Chevy and it took me 3 weeks this past summer.
 
Did polishing myself, 2 coats of cquartz and a coat of cquartz gliss, turned out awesome....less than 300 in materials and about 12 hours
 

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$1200 for Tint, 3m on bumper, hood, and fenders 100%, and Ceramic Coat across whole truck, including 3m. Third car he had done for me so cut me a deal.
 
Patriotmobiledetail said:
I will give you all my 2 cents..for what it is worth.

Ceramic coatings/nano coatings/titanium coatings..have all taken off as of recently.

The premise being the hard coating protection that these coatings give to the exterior of your vehicle. Several things that must be noted.

The PREP work for layering a ceramic clear (regardless of nano technology) is where the labor lies. Much like a paint job the blocking sanding primer body work, welding (if appropriate) and /or rust removal is KEY to a proper paint job not just the paint quality or the paint craftsmanship.

Im a detailer and I think nano coatings and ceramic coatings are the most OVERPRICED out there. There are astronomical claims that these coatings are scratch proof, wont degrade (as in lifetime) or anything like that.
Some are clearly better than others, yes...however, I say the method in which you maintain your car over the months of inclement weather, how you wash it, and how you dry it (this is an overlooked premise, Colorado where I live has some of the most mineralized HARD water ever, if you even as much as let it air dry for a bit, you WILL get hard water spots)...one way to alleviate this is spending on a true water softening system to remove these impurities however that will run you 4500 plus for a good one....is WAY more important than trying to ceramic coat or nano coat any paint.

Think of it that every single little wash and things you do or do not do (use brushes, use crappy soap, use beach towels to dry..etc) is way more important as the damage ADDS up quickly...for the record ceramic clears are scratch RESISTANT ( a lot of them) but definitely NOT scratch proof.

Anyway I digress, where I am going with this is really ascertain WHAT you want to accomplish with the layering and protection to your clear coat. I opt to use Adams Polishes Ceramic coatings, they are affordable, great quality, easy to apply and very DIY friendly. I do professional detailing and DO offer some Modesta or ceramic pro but only because of client preference.

I personally think paying over 700 for any coating is just astronomical.....even the bc titanium coating.....it is superior but just not worth it.

I am a firm believer in every year, stripping, claying and repolishing and reapplying ANY layering and protection, be it ceramic, traditional carnuba, or any other sealer.

I have had great experience with a product called Collinite 845 it is an insulation wax with a touch of carnuba. Easy to apply, it provides great protection on the paint for mag or salt or any other contaminant pretty much. It is an insulation wax that was formulated for high temp protection of painted surfaces around electrical or heat producting sources....and adapted to an automotive and marine application.


If you guys have any questions feel free to hit me up.

Im just saying remember there is HYPE and then there is actual PRACTICALLY to each application....again don't forget that prep (polishing swirl removal and clay constitutes 95% of the whole process to ceramic coating...) it is imperative that the paint be as clean and defect free as possible so you can ensure the best possible

OPTICAL CLARITY!



I am in Colorado, but do mobile work in Texas and New Mexico also.


Take care all!
Happy ceramic coating to all hahahaha
Click to expand...


Some good points, and a few misses (my .02).

I'm also a detailer as well as being in the Military. I've owned my detail business for many years now and I started doing my homework on Ceramic Coatings about 5 years ago. When they first hit the market they were so expensive that it was limited to the super elite and was something only the extremely wealthy could afford and was pretty much exclusive to super cars. Thanks to the advent of competition the prices came down and companies came out of the wood work, which is good and bad.

Not all Ceramic Coatings are the same. I've dealt with several different brands/companies that offer Ceramic Coatings and some do have some ridiculous claims. "Scratch proof coatings," yeah that's a scam. Scratch resistant however is an accurate claim. The biggest thing to remember with Ceramic Coatings is that it becomes the "sacrificial layer" instead of your paint (which is much cheaper to repair than repainting your car) it's not bullet proof but it adds a layer of protection that no other wax on the market can compete with (even Collinite 845 which I love and use).

I've seen first hand what happens when a bunch of birds decided to take a crap on several cars waiting to be picked up from my shop. One was a freshly waxed car and one was a Ceramic Coated car, both were parked next to each other at my shop. Difference between the 2? The "waxed" car had to be buffed/wet sanded to get the acid etching out of the paint, the Ceramic Coated car just needed quick detailer and a drop of compound (Sonax 04-06) on a MF rag to get a small pea size amount of surface etching off of it. That's real world experience, not some gimmicky photo shopped video.

Another reason why Ceramic Coatings offer much better protection over periodic waxing is ease of maintenance. Ceramic Coatings are hydrophobic which means that nothing sticks to them, think of It like Teflon coating for your car. Because of its hydrophobic characteristics water spots won't etch into your paint, washing takes 1/2 the time and you won't need to do it as frequently as bugs/grime wipe off easily. Also another big positive is that it adds a significant amount of gloss to the paint that waxes just can't compete with. Durability? Wax can be stripped with an all purpose cleaner or even dawn dish soap. Some ceramic coatings (like Gtechniq CSU) have to be wet sanded off with 1500 grit sandpaper to remove it, it's that durable which is why they guarantee it for 9 years.

Lifetime warranty's on ceramic (i.e. Ceramic Pro), in my opinion, are a complete waste and B.S. Why? Because read the fine print you have to bring it to them annually and have to pay them to do touch ups/top coats/re-applications, that's not lifetime, that's a lifetime subscription with annual dues. Also if you use a automatic car wash or plan to continue to use them, Ceramic Coatings aren't for you, they void your warranty immediately because so many carwashes are poorly maintained and cause an extreme amount of damage to vehicle surfaces.

As you mentioned though prep is key. Anyone (and I do mean anyone on here) can apply Ceramic Coatings, it's not difficult, just very time consuming. The key is the prep, whatever you "leave" or don't correct on your paint is going to be sealed in for many years, a lot of the cost is the labor/paint correction. For instance my cost for Gtechniq's Crystal Serum Ultra (9 Year) and EXO V4 is around $300, but most shops charge north of $1500-2500 to do it, a lot of it is because if you have an issue in that 9 years the shop has to fix it for free, there's no cost to the customer. However the downside is you can't buy a lot of the Pro-Grade Ceramic's without specialized training and/or a business license/account so you're forced to go to an accredited installer/shop. On a positive note there are several ceramic coatings out there that are Pro-Consumer grade that you can do in your garage and get up to 5 years of protection out of them.

Are they worth it? Absolutely. But only if you get someone who knows what they are doing and has a passion for doing it. I've seen "professional" well established shops butcher jobs that a novice detailer with a harbor freight buffer in his mom and dads garage could perfect, and I've seen back yard detailers that think they know what they are doing destroy a vehicle. Moral of the story is do your homework on the detailer as much as you do on the coating you want to get. I have customers whose cars have been coated for going on 4 years now and they are still in immaculate shape and perform the same they did the day I coated them. I've also seen other brands of coatings come in that have completely failed within a year when their original claim was 3 years or better.

At the end of the day it's like buying life insurance. It's optional, provides great protection if you need it (and you hope you don't), but the end results depend on how good of a company you go with and your rates will depend on your overall health (paint quality/condition). When you spend close to $70k on a truck these days what's a few hundred extra to help protect it?

(FYI, PPF - Paint Protection Film, is still the ultimate protection out there as it provides a physical layer of protection but it doesn't cover the entire vehicle and is extremely expensive)
 
Last edited:
1997pgt said:
Some good points, and a few misses (my .02).

I'm also a detailer as well as being in the Military. I've owned my detail business for many years now and I started doing my homework on Ceramic Coatings about 5 years ago. When they first hit the market they were so expensive that it was limited to the super elite and was something only the extremely wealthy could afford and was pretty much exclusive to super cars. Thanks to the advent of competition the prices came down and companies came out of the wood work, which is good and bad.

Not all Ceramic Coatings are the same. I've dealt with several different brands/companies that offer Ceramic Coatings and some do have some ridiculous claims. "Scratch proof coatings," yeah that's a scam. Scratch resistant however is an accurate claim. The biggest thing to remember with Ceramic Coatings is that it becomes the "sacrificial layer" instead of your paint (which is much cheaper to repair than repainting your car) it's not bullet proof but it adds a layer of protection that no other wax on the market can compete with (even Collinite 845 which I love and use).

I've seen first hand what happens when a bunch of birds decided to take a crap on several cars waiting to be picked up from my shop. One was a freshly waxed car and one was a Ceramic Coated car, both were parked next to each other at my shop. Difference between the 2? The "waxed" car had to be buffed/wet sanded to get the acid etching out of the paint, the Ceramic Coated car just needed quick detailer and a drop of compound (Sonax 04-06) on a MF rag to get a small pea size amount of surface etching off of it. That's real world experience, not some gimmicky photo shopped video.

Another reason why Ceramic Coatings offer much better protection over periodic waxing is ease of maintenance. Ceramic Coatings are hydrophobic which means that nothing sticks to them, think of It like Teflon coating for your car. Because of its hydrophobic characteristics water spots won't etch into your paint, washing takes 1/2 the time and you won't need to do it as frequently as bugs/grime wipe off easily. Also another big positive is that it adds a significant amount of gloss to the paint that waxes just can't compete with. Durability? Wax can be stripped with an all purpose cleaner or even dawn dish soap. Some ceramic coatings (like Gtechniq CSU) have to be wet sanded off with 1500 grit sandpaper to remove it, it's that durable which is why they guarantee it for 9 years.

Lifetime warranty's on ceramic (i.e. Ceramic Pro), in my opinion, are a complete waste and B.S. Why? Because read the fine print you have to bring it to them annually and have to pay them to do touch ups/top coats/re-applications, that's not lifetime, that's a lifetime subscription with annual dues. Also if you use a automatic car wash or plan to continue to use them, Ceramic Coatings aren't for you, they void your warranty immediately because so many carwashes are poorly maintained and cause an extreme amount of damage to vehicle surfaces.

As you mentioned though prep is key. Anyone (and I do mean anyone on here) can apply Ceramic Coatings, it's not difficult, just very time consuming. The key is the prep, whatever you "leave" or don't correct on your paint is going to be sealed in for many years, a lot of the cost is the labor/paint correction. For instance my cost for Gtechniq's Crystal Serum Ultra (9 Year) and EXO V4 is around $300, but most shops charge north of $1500-2500 to do it, a lot of it is because if you have an issue in that 9 years the shop has to fix it for free, there's no cost to the customer. However the downside is you can't buy a lot of the Pro-Grade Ceramic's without specialized training and/or a business license/account so you're forced to go to an accredited installer/shop. On a positive note there are several ceramic coatings out there that are Pro-Consumer grade that you can do in your garage and get up to 5 years of protection out of them.

Are they worth it? Absolutely. But only if you get someone who knows what they are doing and has a passion for doing it. I've seen "professional" well established shops butcher jobs that a novice detailer with a harbor freight buffer in his mom and dads garage could perfect, and I've seen back yard detailers that think they know what they are doing destroy a vehicle. Moral of the story is do your homework on the detailer as much as you do on the coating you want to get. I have customers whose cars have been coated for going on 4 years now and they are still in immaculate shape and perform the same they did the day I coated them. I've also seen other brands of coatings come in that have completely failed within a year when their original claim was 3 years or better.

At the end of the day it's like buying life insurance. It's optional, provides great protection if you need it (and you hope you don't), but the end results depend on how good of a company you go with and your rates will depend on your overall health (paint quality/condition). When you spend close to $70k on a truck these days what's a few hundred extra to help protect it?

(FYI, PPF - Paint Protection Film, is still the ultimate protection out there as it provides a physical layer of protection but it doesn't cover the entire vehicle and is extremely expensive)
Click to expand...

Great insight, really appreciate it. Now if only I could find a trustworthy installer in the Norfolk, VA Beach VA area.
 
JonnyQuest said:
Great insight, really appreciate it. Now if only I could find a trustworthy installer in the Norfolk, VA Beach VA area.
Click to expand...

There is A LOT of good shops in the VA Beach area, a good way to narrow some down is do a Facebook search for detailers in the area and read through the reviews from people, check out the pictures of their work and look for somewhere that's clean and reputable. There's a lot of good coatings out there, I won't speak of the ones that I've used and had issues with because the companies might have improved/fixed their flaws but I do highly recommend Gtechniq's line of coatings, they are registered/guarantee'd for the 5 or 9 years (depending on which one you go with) and their accredited installers have to actually fly down to Georgia for the training/certification which isn't cheap so it weeds out a lot of inexperience vs a lot of other companies who will send you their top of the line "pro" coating with just a phone call, just my opinion. Cquartz is another good brand, they have their Pro level coatings as well which i believe is their "Cquartz Professional" line. Good luck though, let us know what you end up going with.
 
1997pgt said:
There is A LOT of good shops in the VA Beach area, a good way to narrow some down is do a Facebook search for detailers in the area and read through the reviews from people, check out the pictures of their work and look for somewhere that's clean and reputable. There's a lot of good coatings out there, I won't speak of the ones that I've used and had issues with because the companies might have improved/fixed their flaws but I do highly recommend Gtechniq's line of coatings, they are registered/guarantee'd for the 5 or 9 years (depending on which one you go with) and their accredited installers have to actually fly down to Georgia for the training/certification which isn't cheap so it weeds out a lot of inexperience vs a lot of other companies who will send you their top of the line "pro" coating with just a phone call, just my opinion. Cquartz is another good brand, they have their Pro level coatings as well which i believe is their "Cquartz Professional" line. Good luck though, let us know what you end up going with.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

Found one called Spitshine Details, I have asked for a quote. https://spitshinedetails.com/services/
 
i finally made a decision. I put a $100 deposit to schedule a ceramic coating to be done starting Saturday. Went with a company in Chesapeake Va, Diamond Auto Detail, that is going to install GTechnique Crystal Serum Ultra, with a 9 year warranty, including the Glassparency windshield protection with 3 year warranty. Total $2k. Crazy, but I want to see how well they work, I’ve never had either on any vehicle.

I went with Diamond Auto detail because of their stellar online reviews, and they’re a bit closer to me than the other I mentioned above.
 
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