Ceramic Coating - Worth it or not ??

[boba fett]

Guys - I hear mixed feelings about a professional ceramic coat, and just want your thoughts on whether you think its worth it not ? I am really looking for views on people that have had it done and the results / their findings.

Thanks in advance.

 

[benno_s550]

Have had my last 6 years worth of cars professionally Detailed and ceramic coated. And I don’t regret any of the cost. When I look at the before and after shots/video, it really is quite astounding. There’s also the benefit of easy cleaning and easy returning it to gleaming shine.
I would say that I‘ve kept all mine topped up with regular applications of top-up sprays, so suspect that that really helps too.

Benno

 

[Derekh929]

I have been ceramic coating all our cars for many years, I got some done at detailing meets I used to arrange, I never use wax know, Carpro I used, did a few myself as well, the machine polish prep is the most important and time to cleanse and leave time to bond coating or dried with infrared heaters.

it depends on how long you plan to keep car and the cost to correct the paint back to near perfect is tha balance that needs thinking about, lots of info on Detailing World, one of my hobbies used to be detailing testing products and having companies doing demos at my meets I arrange, I was friends with Craig that used to run carpro Uk , he used to come up to most meets I had, great experience and knowledg.
This is wet look, not photo edit that is just as pic taken on all pics



top pic carpro ceramic with topper , belies newly coated carpro ceramic for wet look I love

 

[moonstone]

Correction and prep is the most expensive part of having a car ceramic coated. Ive had last three of mine done by the same guy. When I took the F83 to him in the summer the paint wasn’t great. He took a full week to correct it and when we got on to coatings we had a very honest conversation about whether it was worth it.

He’s gotten to know me a bit over the last few years and and he said that really, for me, it was a waste of time. In his words, if time is tight at the weekend and you want maximum results from a quick clean then get it done. On the other hand, if you enjoy pampering your car and spending a few hours on it most weekends and enjoy doing so, don’t bother.

There are loads of folk who harp on about it and show pics of nice shiny cars online but the truth is, if you put two cars side-by-side that have been thoroughly detailed well, you wouldn’t be able to tell which one had ceramic coating and which one was wearing a sealant or wax. It’s a final stage protection product and there are lots of those to choose from. It’s strength lies in its durability and longevity.

However don’t be fooled by these stupid videos on Instagram and Facebook showing people scratching up cars with keys and knives. It does not protect against these at all and swirls absolutely still happen through time.

The main issue against for me, is that if you want to correct something yourself, you need to get it re-coated again instead of just being able to wax or seal it yourself afterwards.

 

[MrMcG]

I had mine done once

was nice, seemed to last well but I couldn’t tell you if it made a difference or not.

 

[moonstone]

I have been ceramic coating all our cars for many years, I got some done at detailing meets I used to arrange, I never use wax know, Carpro I used, did a few myself as well, the machine polish prep is the most important and time to cleanse and leave time to bond coating or dried with infrared heaters.

it depends on how long you plan to keep car and the cost to correct the paint back to near perfect is tha balance that needs thinking about, lots of info on Detailing World, one of my hobbies used to be detailing testing products and having companies doing demos at my meets I arrange, I was friends with Craig that used to run carpro Uk , he used to come up to most meets I had, great experience and knowledg.
This is wet look, not photo edit that is just as pic taken on all pics



top pic carpro ceramic with topper , belies newly coated carpro ceramic for wet look I love

I think Craig used to work with Gordon at Defined Details where I get my stuff done. He seems to have binned the detailed game entirely now from what I heard?

 

[Che]

I had my Black E93 corrected and ceramic coated with Gtecnic from new. The result was superb but as moostone said I think that was largely due to the new car paint correction package.
It looked great for 12 months but then I did feel there was a drop in the finish which meant I'd need to have it done again to return to the full gloss effect.
Sadly the car got rear ended and that was that but it would put me off having it again, certainly on a black car.
If you are happy to pay £400+ each 12-18 months then its fine but personally I enjoy detailing my car so bought myself a DA and the products to clean and wax properly myself.

 

[Derekh929]

I think Craig used to work with Gordon at Defined Details where I get my stuff done. He seems to have binned the detailed game entirely now from what I heard?

Gordon is up there with the best he is usually always booked up, Yes Craig did , he also worked near London with Gtecnic as well, a very knowledgable young guy, I usually always give him a shout when I’m in Edinburgh to meet up.
He sold up completely just before pandemic he built up Carpro uk very well over a few years.
He got himself a. Ice classic mustang he is working on and I think he was over with Gordon as well know and the very helpful guys I learned loads from over years with applying coatings etc
They were honest guys without all the detailing gear smoke and mirrors

 

[moonstone]

Gordon is up there with the best he is usually always booked up, Yes Craig did , he also worked near London with Gtecnic as well, a very knowledgable young guy, I usually always give him a shout when I’m in Edinburgh to meet up.
He sold up completely just before pandemic he built up Carpro uk very well over a few years.
He got himself a. Ice classic mustang he is working on and I think he was over with Gordon as well know and the very helpful guys I learned loads from over years with applying coatings etc
They were honest guys without all the detailing gear smoke and mirrors

Aye, he's very good is Gordon. I live local to him. I used to live about 20 minutes drive away but I'm now about a ten minute walk! I've used him and the guys at Pro Bodyshop across from him for years. Last I heard Slims was now the official Carpro distributor for the UK. It was actually Gordon who told me not to bother with ceramic this time round based on how much time I spend on the car. I am toying with getting the Rangey done as it won't get as thoroughly looked after as my car.

Did Craig not get into window tinting or something like that? I don't know him personally have just heard of him through chatting with Gordy.

 

[moonstone]

I had my Black E93 corrected and ceramic coated with Gtecnic from new. The result was superb but as moostone said I think that was largely due to the new car paint correction package.
It looked great for 12 months but then I did feel there was a drop in the finish which meant I'd need to have it done again to return to the full gloss effect.
Sadly the car got rear ended and that was that but it would put me off having it again, certainly on a black car.
If you are happy to pay £400+ each 12-18 months then its fine but personally I enjoy detailing my car so bought myself a DA and the products to clean and wax properly myself.
View attachment 462View attachment 463View attachment 464View attachment 465

I'm in the exact same boat as you @Che I had to get the RS5 done again about a year after the first time as I had a bit of swirling on the back quarter. Then later on I had the same on the bonnet so I corrected it myself with my DA and then just re-coated it myself with DIY version of Cquartz. I don't have an indoor space to work on my car unfortunately but I still would like to correct any defects that crop up myself and then just use a good wax or sealant instead of having to shell out 600 quid everytime I need it brought back up to scratch. And you're right about how long it lasts, I read a lot of stuff online about coatings that are meant to last anything between 12 months to 5 years. In my experience 18 months is what you'll get if you're lucky.

 

[Parsley]

I like waxing my car every week. I love the cleaning and application of different types of wax so ceramic coatings are pointless. I did buy an Auto Finesse ceramic kit but to be honest though it was a bit wank.

They say don't put wax/polish on ceramic coating?????? Well.....the ceramic coating isn't up to much if waxing the car can remove/damage it. So much for hard coating. I think it's a gimmick.

 

[Senna11]

I applied Gtechniq crystal serum light myself and I would say you would get max 2 years protection. Easy to maintain but I should have machine polished the paint. Prep is critical and I still think it is hard to beat a wax finish. Next car I had PPF to bumpers, bonnet and sills with Gyeon ceramic coating applied.

Next time I would do the prep myself as I have a Rupes DA polisher and get someone to do the PPF.

 

[Senna11]

I like waxing my car every week. I love the cleaning and application of different types of wax so ceramic coatings are pointless. I did buy an Auto Finesse ceramic kit but to be honest though it was a bit wank.

They say don't put wax/polish on ceramic coating?????? Well.....the ceramic coating isn't up to much if waxing the car can remove/damage it. So much for hard coating. I think it's a gimmick.

You can apply wax and it won’t damage the ceramic coating but I understand it alters the way the ceramic coating reacts - that said I never noticed any difference in beading etc.

 

[Derekh929]

Aye, he's very good is Gordon. I live local to him. I used to live about 20 minutes drive away but I'm now about a ten minute walk! I've used him and the guys at Pro Bodyshop across from him for years. Last I heard Slims was now the official Carpro distributor for the UK. It was actually Gordon who told me not to bother with ceramic this time round based on how much time I spend on the car. I am toying with getting the Rangey done as it won't get as thoroughly looked after as my car.

Did Craig not get into window tinting or something like that? I don't know him personally have just heard of him through chatting with Gordy.

Yes sold out to Slims, Avi that own carpro brand did not want him to go, but het wanted a break as was endless late nights on social media answering queries, also building brand with detailed to stock and apply, he timed the sale perfectl.
I will message him on whatsapp I was not aware he was doing tinting, a guy that Craig was friendly with Alan in Lossiemouth does tinting, Anchery Automotive.
I agree if you like plying about with different stuff no point in ceramics as you said earlier it’s not giving scratch resistant but help with wash marring a bit, I like the spray sealants know so easy to use I tried Graphene hybrid stuff from artdeshine but was very fussy to apply and difficult to buff off high spots and avoid hazing, but wow what a finish, I had that on top of ceramic coating.

 

[moonstone]

Yes sold out to Slims, Avi that own carpro brand did not want him to go, but het wanted a break as was endless late nights on social media answering queries, also building brand with detailed to stock and apply, he timed the sale perfectl.
I will message him on whatsapp I was not aware he was doing tinting, a guy that Craig was friendly with Alan in Lossiemouth does tinting, Anchery Automotive.
I agree if you like plying about with different stuff no point in ceramics as you said earlier it’s not giving scratch resistant but help with wash marring a bit, I like the spray sealants know so easy to use I tried Graphene hybrid stuff from artdeshine but was very fussy to apply and difficult to buff off high spots and avoid hazing, but wow what a finish, I had that on top of ceramic coating.

I'm not sure if he is, just something I heard something about in passing. Graphene definitely does seem like the next big thing.

 

[Schmeel]

I'm not sure if he is, just something I heard something about in passing. Graphene definitely does seem like the next big thing.

I would have to agree.



This guys testing procedures are pretty comprehensive.

 

[Schmeel]

Another great vid.

 

[Burnsey]

I do love a ceramic coat and was interested in Graphene, but as said above, difficult to apply and probably still a little early in use to call it, but I really wanted to test it, so had the bike covered in Graphene. Went the whole hog with plastics, metals, glass etc. The finish is amazing (I wish I took a before photo) and 2,000 miles later it's still as good with no top up.

 

[Schmeel]

I do love a ceramic coat and was interested in Graphene, but as said above, difficult to apply and probably still a little early in use to call it, but I really wanted to test it, so had the bike covered in Graphene. Went the whole hog with plastics, metals, glass etc. The finish is amazing (I wish I took a before photo) and 2,000 miles later it's still as good with no top up.

View attachment 677

Which graphene coating was this?

I am about to pull the trigger on G Techniq serum light. Look super easy to apply.

Debating whether or not the apply additional layers of Exo.

Any thoughts?

 

[Burnsey]

Which graphene coating was this?

I am about to pull the trigger on G Techniq serum light. Look super easy to apply.

Debating whether or not the apply additional layers of Exo.

Any thoughts?

My car uses the GT serum light and it has been flawless.

Not sure on the Graphene, as I didn't apply.