Ceramic coating

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by Duke I

And I envy your mods!!

hah thanks man. Mod bug bit me. I think i'm done with mods for now though.

[CeeTeeX5]

Originally Posted by Silververtu

CQuartz requires at least 2 "reload" annually in order to keep the warranty going. My detailer charged me about $85 each time.

That defeats the purpose for me. I would not want to have to take it in twice a year and pay for a "reload". Sounds like over the period of 4-5 years, you might as well go for a longer lasting coating that might be a bit pricier but doesn't requiring annual maintenance of the coating. You'd be at about the same price but will have saved time taking the car in twice a year.

[menelaos]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

That defeats the purpose for me. I would not want to have to take it in twice a year and pay for a "reload". Sounds like over the period of 4-5 years, you might as well go for a longer lasting coating that might be a bit pricier but doesn't requiring annual maintenance of the coating. You'd be at about the same price but will have saved time taking the car in twice a year.

This is a good point, my local guy told me the same, i.e. reload.
I guess the lower price "reflects".

[Silververtu]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

That defeats the purpose for me. I would not want to have to take it in twice a year and pay for a "reload". Sounds like over the period of 4-5 years, you might as well go for a longer lasting coating that might be a bit pricier but doesn't requiring annual maintenance of the coating. You'd be at about the same price but will have saved time taking the car in twice a year.

Yea, my detailer switched to a different brand (can't remember the name) from CQuartz 2 years ago. He said CQuartz isn't as strong as he thought it would be, which my Cayman reflects what he said. The coating effect seems to diminish after 3 years.

[menelaos]

Just found somebody online in the Detroit area, $899, 2 year warranty. Brand is "Ceramic Pro". It is registered with Carfax, once applied.

[Stun74]

Originally Posted by X5M50D

Once you have the coating applied it should last 3-5 years so not sure whether the coating is ceramic? This does sound cheap, however is he providing a full paint correction service within this price?
I paid last year around £700 which included leather and alloy wheel protection and took in total two full days to do.

Yes, to include full paint correction and will take 2 days

[D_MCO]

I had a quote for Ceramic Pro in FL - Gold package lifetime warranty $2000
Tech said 5-year warranty (silver pkg) is $1600

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by D_MCO

I had a quote for Ceramic Pro in FL - Gold package lifetime warranty $2000
Tech said 5-year warranty (silver pkg) is $1600

I always wonder if there's a catch with "lifetime" warranties? Like the famous lifetime brake pads that charge for replacement enough to cover cheapest pads and then still leave a lot of margin for profit. "Reloads" or some other fine print catch 22 lol. I'm so tired of that crap that I am no longer even looking at anything lifetime lol. Doesn't mean some companies aren't crooks, it's just "lifetime" has a lot of bad (scam like) associations.

[menelaos]

Originally Posted by D_MCO

I had a quote for Ceramic Pro in FL - Gold package lifetime warranty $2000
Tech said 5-year warranty (silver pkg) is $1600

Here in MI, I was quoted $1399 for silver, $899 for bronze....don't recall Gold.
Will probably do bronze, 2 year warranty.

[CeeTeeX5]

Definitely a catch to some of the “lifetime” coatings. Generally annual reloads at the owners cost.

I went with Opti-coat pro 5 yr specifically because they warranty for the full time without requiring reloads.

[menelaos]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

Definitely a catch to some of the “lifetime” coatings. Generally annual reloads at the owners cost.

I went with Opti-coat pro 5 yr specifically because they warranty for the full time without requiring reloads.

I was not told about reloads at all, but did not ask specifically for Gold -no mention of reloads in silver and bronze.
Will ask and report back.

[tagta3]

I’ve done 5 BMW’s myself so far. It is pretty easy to do just a lot of time to prep. The application itself does not take more than a couple hours if you are being meticulous. I highly recommend 22PLE HPC (or VX3 if on budget). HPC has added fluorine so it beads a lot more and slicker feeling to the paint. Also when it flash cures you can see the haze more easily to know when to wipe off.

[ZigmundUK]

Originally Posted by menelaos

I know some folks have done ceramic coating at a shop, but has anybody done it on his/her own? A lot of these pop up as ads, but am suspicious
I have found a good deal with 2-year protection, but just wondering if it's worth doing it myself.
I lean against it, but if anybody can share a personal experience from any type of coating, including wax, I'd be glad to read it.

I have just done my g30 for the first time. It was my first time polishing it too! Id say polishing is optional depending on what you want but claying is a must. After the coating the panels feel soooo silky which I assume is good coz the dirt has less to purchase.

I planned on the following:
Thorough wash including wire wool on windows
Tar and glue remover (actually forgot this step- doh!)
Fallout remover
Clay
Polish with a dual action polisher and scholl s20 Black (one stage polisher)
Wipe off with a cleanser
Gtechniq c1
Gtechniq exo v3 (I know - v4 is out now!)
Angelwax vision followed by angelwax h2go on the windows

I skipped the wheels this time round.

Thoughts: it's a lot of time and you need indoor garage space really and you need to be very very careful to buff off the excess ceramic in time!! (I've ended up with a few spots where the ceramic wasn't buffed entirely properly and you can see the highlight spots. But it's relatively hidden so not hugely worried. I think having more microfibre cloths is the key and don't be stingy in moving to a new cloth or side if needed. )

I also found angelwax h2go difficult to buff off properly.

All in all it took me about 2 days, maybe 2.5 days. Day 1: clean and clay. Day 2: polish and c1. Day 3 exo.

You could skip the polishing I think if your paint is ok (swirls etc) and it depends on what you're looking for. If like me you actually just want a bit of protection and make washes easier going forwards then polishing isn't a must.

For my F15 I will do this combo again but get extra microfibres ready and get exo v4 this time.

FYI I finished a whole 30ml bottle of c1 on a 5series so x5 will need more. But I only used about half a 30ml bottle of exo (go figure!)

[Zamorskii]

What exactly does a warranty imply? Shine, protection, dirt repellent characteristics?

[menelaos]

Originally Posted by Zamorskii

What exactly does a warranty imply? Shine, protection, dirt repellent characteristics?

I assume and hope that warranty implies that the coating will remain the same for at least the stated period... But you made a very good point: is warranty about the glow, or the protection of the paint.?

[D_MCO]

My local BMW dealership offers Cilajet coating for new and used cars.
I was quoted $1295 for each of my cars (2016 X5 and 2011 3-series).
Reasonable compared to the quote I got for Ceramic pro 9H from an auto detailer.

BMW said the Cilajet coating is for 10-years. Reapplied at year-5, but at no additional cost (not even for prep).