Ceramic Coating (detail)?

[tkelley86]

Apologies in advance if I am in the wrong section or missed a post. Looking for feedback from anyone who has paid for a ceramic detail job. One that would last a few years (2-4ish). I did a lot of reading and it seems like a reasonable investment. Has anyone tested out the longevity or effectiveness of this option? Convincing video below (not the only source I researched):

http://ceramicpro.com/ceramic-coatin...s-ceramic-pro/

[CeeTeeX5]

I had Opti Coat Pro applied a couple weeks ago so no long term review at this point. It has a 5 year warranty on it and includes a warranty card and # you can look up on their website.

So far in the short time I've had it on the car I've been very impressed with it's water beading and ability to prevent dirt accumulation. I also had a bird drop a bomb on my hood the day after the coating was applied and was told not to wash the car or expose to chemicals for the first week. I was worried the bird bomb would cause etching or damage the coating...Well, it rained a day after and the rain managed to wash the bird bomb off by the time I drove from home to work! I've never had that happen with regular sealants and waxes.

I plan to use their 2 yr self-install product Optimum Gloss Coat on my wheels at some point. There are great reviews for that product as well.

[tkelley86]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

I had Opti Coat Pro applied a couple weeks ago so no long term review at this point. It has a 5 year warranty on it and includes a warranty card and # you can look up on their website.

So far in the short time I've had it on the car I've been very impressed with it's water beading and ability to prevent dirt accumulation. I also had a bird drop a bomb on my hood the day after the coating was applied and was told not to wash the car or expose to chemicals for the first week. I was worried the bird bomb would cause etching or damage the coating...Well, it rained a day after and the rain managed to wash the bird bomb off by the time I drove from home to work! I've never had that happen with regular sealants and waxes.

I plan to use their 2 yr self-install product Optimum Gloss Coat on my wheels at some point. There are great reviews for that product as well.

Whoa... that's what I'm looking for. Do you mind if I ask what you paid? How long was the process? And finally, did you explore other products or is Opti Coat Pro considered to be one of the better/best options?

[Chigger]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

I plan to use their 2 yr self-install product Optimum Gloss Coat on my wheels at some point. There are great reviews for that product as well.

I just applied the Optimum Gloss Coat on my new wheels last night. I am not going to put my wheels on until all the snow has been melted/roads are clean.

[rhite95]

I had my Roush done about 2 1/2 years ago a is holding up great, but I don't drive the car a lot. It is super easy to clean all you need to do is just hose it off and take it for a spin and it looks like you just spent 2 hours cleaning it. CQuartz Finest is what I had done. I paid about 1200, but my paint was in bad shape. It took about 3 days.

[Silververtu]

I had CQuartz Pro on my Porsche and it lasts 3-4 years. It was my daily driver, including winter. The ceramic coating on the front bumper and hood went out the earliest. The rest seems to stay onto the car. I do CQuartz Reload every 6 months to keep the coating there.

It's a good investment if you ask me as you don't need to do annual car detailing.

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by tkelley86

Whoa... that's what I'm looking for. Do you mind if I ask what you paid? How long was the process? And finally, did you explore other products or is Opti Coat Pro considered to be one of the better/best options?

What I paid:
I paid $800 because I was misquoted but the normal cost for Opti Coat Pro is ~$1000 depending on current paint condition. If it just requires a 1 step polish then you'll be right around $1000. If there is more paint correction needed, price will go up. There is also an Opti Coat Pro+ that has a 7yr warranty. that goes for about ~$1400.

Length of process:
It took two full days. I dropped the car off on a Thursday morning and picked up on Friday at 6pm. The coating needs I believe 24 hrs of cure time in a controlled environment before being exposed to the elements.

Other products:
I did look in to other products, primarily Ceramic Pro 9H as it seems to be the other product with lots of reviews and feedback. It's more expensive (~$1400 5yr warranty) and supposedly better for black or bright colored cars. Having a white car I wasn't too concerned with this. There are other newer products, Cquartz Finest, Modesta, GTechnic but I didn't look too much in to those as I couldn't find an installer I trust that applies these coatings.

Decision:
I went with Opti Coat Pro as it was recommended by a couple installers I trust (it's cheaper than Ceramic Pro so you'd think they'd push Ceramic Pro, but that was not the case). Optimum also seems to have a stringent process to qualify an installer. The warranty seems solid and I've seen the Optimum guys on their forum do a fantastic job supporting folks who have any issues with their install. I also have used other Optimum products and have been extremely happy with them. I think your installer is the most important criteria as none of the coatings are any good if the paint correction and install isn't done properly.

Here's a few pics

at pick up:




Hood after 2 weeks rain. Previously there would be a clearly visible layer of built up grime after 2 weeks.

[JsingX5]

I second a lot of the comments Ceetee made...

I paid a little under 2k for Crystal Serum Ultra, supposed to be a 10 year coat. I researched the various installers in Denver and the guy I liked those most used that product so I went with it, I feel like they're all pretty similar. Most shops have Instagram pages, take a look at there work, talk to the techs and decided from there.

Price def dependent on the paint correction required, I picked up my X5 after it was a dealer demo for a year so it needed a little love, hence my higher price tag.

Worth every penny, the gloss on the vehicle is amazing, paint correction removed most of the paint blemishes and the vehicle is much easier to clean.

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by Chigger

I just applied the Optimum Gloss Coat on my new wheels last night. I am not going to put my wheels on until all the snow has been melted/roads are clean.

Nice! did it go on pretty easily? How much of the 10cc did you end up using? I plan to do my summer wheels this weekend and when I take off the winter wheels, I'll clean and coat those as well.

[Chigger]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

Nice! did it go on pretty easily? How much of the 10cc did you end up using? I plan to do my summer wheels this weekend and when I take off the winter wheels, I'll clean and coat those as well.

Yes, it was fairly easy. I ended up using half of the 10cc because the blue needle/dispenser part of the syringe leaked when I pressed too hard. I also applied it to the inside of the rim, back of the spokes to eliminate/cut down on brake dust (I heard it works?!)

I got the idea after reading the wheels corroding/center-cap thread and also suggested by turboawd on his 469m Reps.

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by Chigger

Yes, it was fairly easy. I ended up using half of the 10cc because the blue needle/dispenser part of the syringe leaked when I pressed too hard. I also applied it to the inside of the rim, back of the spokes to eliminate/cut down on brake dust (I heard it works?!)

I got the idea after reading the wheels corroding/center-cap thread and also suggested by turboawd on his 469m Reps.

Good to hear on the easy application. I plan to do the barrels and the back of spokes as well for the same reason. You might want to get in contact with Optimum and let them know of the leaking syringe. They might send you some more. They seem pretty solid on customer service.

[menelaos]

Do you know whether these applications work with rock salt and dirt sticking on the vehicle?
My question includes the wheels.

[JsingX5]

Originally Posted by menelaos

Do you know whether these applications work with rock salt and dirt sticking on the vehicle?
My question includes the wheels.

I would say you won't get as much salt/dirt sticking on the paint/wheels but it still happens. The coating lessens the likelihood of paint damage and makes the salt/dirt easier to wash off.

[tkelley86]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

What I paid:
I paid $800 because I was misquoted but the normal cost for Opti Coat Pro is ~$1000 depending on current paint condition. If it just requires a 1 step polish then you'll be right around $1000. If there is more paint correction needed, price will go up. There is also an Opti Coat Pro+ that has a 7yr warranty. that goes for about ~$1400.

Length of process:
It took two full days. I dropped the car off on a Thursday morning and picked up on Friday at 6pm. The coating needs I believe 24 hrs of cure time in a controlled environment before being exposed to the elements.

Other products:
I did look in to other products, primarily Ceramic Pro 9H as it seems to be the other product with lots of reviews and feedback. It's more expensive (~$1400 5yr warranty) and supposedly better for black or bright colored cars. Having a white car I wasn't too concerned with this. There are other newer products, Cquartz Finest, Modesta, GTechnic but I didn't look too much in to those as I couldn't find an installer I trust that applies these coatings.

Decision:
I went with Opti Coat Pro as it was recommended by a couple installers I trust (it's cheaper than Ceramic Pro so you'd think they'd push Ceramic Pro, but that was not the case). Optimum also seems to have a stringent process to qualify an installer. The warranty seems solid and I've seen the Optimum guys on their forum do a fantastic job supporting folks who have any issues with their install. I also have used other Optimum products and have been extremely happy with them. I think your installer is the most important criteria as none of the coatings are any good if the paint correction and install isn't done properly.

Here's a few pics

at pick up:




Hood after 2 weeks rain. Previously there would be a clearly visible layer of built up grime after 2 weeks.

Thanks man, very helpful feedback. I'm definitely moving forward with this! They quoted me $1500 for the 7 year plus a nice 10% military discount They are one of the "certified" installers versus just a vendor that carries the product. Looking forward to an easier car washing experience!

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by tkelley86

Thanks man, very helpful feedback. I'm definitely moving forward with this! They quoted me $1500 for the 7 year plus a nice 10% military discount They are one of the "certified" installers versus just a vendor that carries the product. Looking forward to an easier car washing experience!

great price with the discount! You won't be disappointed. Are you going to get Xpel on the front as well? Might be a good idea to add some protection from rock chips on that shiny new front end.

I am planning to use their waterless wash stuff during the summer as it'll be mostly dust/sap/pollen that settles on the car.

[Dogzyboy]

I’ve just had mine done with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped with Exo. It’s meant to be good for 5 years but I’ll have to see how it goes.

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by Dogzyboy

I’ve just had mine done with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped with Exo. It’s meant to be good for 5 years but I’ll have to see how it goes.

Do the installers provide a warranty or anything for Gtechniq? I'm just curious how other products warranty their coating.

[Dogzyboy]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

Do the installers provide a warranty or anything for Gtechniq? I'm just curious how other products warranty their coating.

Yes, they (Gtehniq I believe) warranty the work provided you go for a check-up each year.

[RichM50d]

Originally Posted by Dogzyboy

I’ve just had mine done with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light topped with Exo. It’s meant to be good for 5 years but I’ll have to see how it goes.

Mines getting the Gtechniq treatment in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait!

[Dogzyboy]

Originally Posted by RichM50d

Mines getting the Gtechniq treatment in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait!

Nice one. The results are awesome. I’m washing mine for the first time today as you have to wait a week after application, then the snow last weekend ruined any washing plans! I’ll let you know how that goes, but I’m hoping it will be nice and easy!

[RichM50d]

Originally Posted by Dogzyboy

Nice one. The results are awesome. I’m washing mine for the first time today as you have to wait a week after application, then the snow last weekend ruined any washing plans! I’ll let you know how that goes, but I’m hoping it will be nice and easy!

I’m looking forward to the update. Anyone that I’ve told how much this costs thinks I’m completely insane!

[cruzzinlow]

Definitely worth it.. I had mine done at Detailing Dynamics on Long Island, 2 year protection, they have there own brand DD Shield. Dropped off the X5 an hour after I picked it up so it didn’t have a chance to get messed up.. they had it 3 days so it can cure 24 hours between applications. Price was around $600 with the winter special they were having.