sjwhiteley
Full Access Members
Black is particularly difficult to keep looking good. While I’m not a fan of ceramic coating (nothing wrong with it, in fact, it’s excellent) if I went with a black car, I think ceramic is a must.
2018+ Post Pictures Thread!- Lets see those shiny new trucks!
- Thread starter gtnator
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
bushpilot
Full Access Members
curious about your comments regarding ceramic coatings?
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Think of it this way, you spend $3500 on a ceramic coating. Car looks perfect, now you’ve got to hope the shop or person that did it for you offers monthly maintenance on the coating. If they don’t, now you have to maintain it with ceramic coating specific products, which aren’t cheap. Then you have to worry about people denting your vehicle. Ceramic coating doesn’t prevent that from happening. Or worse, you get in a vehicle accident and have to have several panels replaced or repainted. Now your having to pay for more coating. While ceramic coatings look nice, without the proper maintenance or if it’s damaged you’re just throwing your money down the drain. A good clay bar, compound, polish, glaze, wax is easier for some ppl
bushpilot
Full Access Members
I get it....BUT....you're doing the paint/maint either way....and im trying to cut down on the time it takes to clean these things (id rather drive 'em)....Ive been using DI water to rinse (our water is over 450ppm TDS).
Prices have come down a lot - I didn't pay your quoted price for full paint correction, 3 M clear bra (the entire front clip/full fenders & hood) AND tinting ALL windows....her Miata was slightly more than a good detail - and that car needed some paint correction (its 11 yrs old).
I'll also same the same thing happens w/ a dent or a crash...you have to paint the car (or maybe some dont).
Last edited:
sjwhiteley
Full Access Members
Obviously, everyone wants their car looking nice and pristine, as close or better than new car as long as possible. Black is a very difficult color to keep looking good - or rather, closer to that new car shine. Ceramic coatings help keep it that way a lot longer.
Its hard to stave off the inevitable, though, if you drive your car on a more daily basis. Dings, scrapes, chips. Regular, proper, washing and it still looks good. Even with ceramic coating, while it’ll look even better after a wash if the coating is taken care of, it still needs washing.
Its hard to stave off the inevitable, though, if you drive your car on a more daily basis. Dings, scrapes, chips. Regular, proper, washing and it still looks good. Even with ceramic coating, while it’ll look even better after a wash if the coating is taken care of, it still needs washing.
bushpilot
Full Access Members
I dont think anyone is suggesting that ceramic eliminates washing.
On our '17 Platinum F350 triple white - the pain was so thin on the front bumper that in less than 12k miles it was full of chips (and I dont drive on dirt roads)...the ceramic coating would have protected that paint (at least some)...I should have used ceramic AND 3M clear bra on that truck....the at 25k miles bumper looked like some jr high school teenager
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Probably would’ve chipped off when they bake it under UV lighting to cure it. And again, if it did chip with the ceramic coating on it you’d be back in the shop paying for another bumper to be ceramic coated after having it repainted...
Eddie1965
Active Member
Just got mine a couple of weeks ago. Limited FX4 Max
carymccarr
Full Access Members
Oh Plati16...here we go again.
$3500 for a coating?! LOL
I get my entire massive SUV’s heavily wrapped (entire hood, fenders, all bumpers and bottom half of doors), cleaned, detailed, coated and tinted for $3500.
Ceramic QD’s, ceramic safe washes and maintainers can be had for as low as $20/bottle that will last you a year.
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Before jumping to conclusions and assumptions, that $3500 is for a paint decon, wash, multi stage paint correction, 3M or Suntek PPF, two layers of cquartz ceramic coating on all vehicle surfaces, wheels off undercarriage decon and coating, cquartz ceramic on wheels AND comes with bi annual coating maintenance built in for 7 years. But I digress, Cary
carymccarr
Full Access Members
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Yeah you don’t just roll your truck up to a shop and they lay the coating down. I mean, you might, but normally there’s a ton of work required to prep for ceramic coating
carymccarr
Full Access Members
That work doesn’t need to include, taking the wheels off, ‘correcting’ the paint, tinting the windows and wrapping the car.
A reputable shop can do a ceramic for $1000 on an SUV.
Last edited:
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Thts all part of the package. You get what you pay for so instead of some random “certified” shmuckatelli with a orbital polisher and meguiars products followed up by a single layer of c quartz probably not even cured for $1000. I’ve seen both first hand and you can tell the $1000 job from the $3500 job.
Only a fool would ceramic coat without performing a paint correction. Even on a brand new car the factory paint has issues. Same goes for the wheels, why coat the vehicle and skip the wheels. The wheels on my Navigator are the most difficult part of cleaning the vehicle, the ceramic coating makes that job amazingly easy. $3500 is what I paid as well and that was the going rate based on the quotes I was getting. I did not opt for the ‘new delivery service’ where the detailer trailers your newly delivered vehicle, which is still covered in the plastic from the factory, to his shop for the work. I wish I had, though.
carymccarr
Full Access Members
Sounds like you and Plati16 got suckered by the same place. Forcing you to tint your windows and wrap you car LOL. Lemme guess, they made you pre pay for a maintenance plan too?
carymccarr
Full Access Members
If you paid $3500 for a just a correction and a ceramic application (including wheels), I think you got taken. :-(
I paid $3500 for correction, ceramic, wheels, tinting and wrapping 50% of my suv from one of the best shops in my state.
Last edited:
carymccarr
Full Access Members
Gladly. I get a little discount since I’ve been going for years. I was off by $300 but I forgot I also got some interior pieces covered with Xpel. My bad.
3tonsoffun
Full Access Members
Every place has different packages. Like I said the $3500 package I was quoted included
Decon wash
Shampoo
Orange peel paint correction (multi stage)
PPF application (3M or Suntek)
2 layers C quartz UV cured
Wheels off coating (wheels removed, decon’d, polished, 2 layers ceramic coating UV cured, steam clean wheel wells, undercarriage/suspension coating)
3-5 day job depending on severity of paint. To me, worth it? Maybe for a show car. A daily driver I’ll do the old fashioned DA polisher method by myself.
Similar threads
