ceramic paint coating?

[mzdspd]

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Paint correction should only be done once, with proper care and maintenance of your paintwork. I've gone almost 3 years without paint correction and minimal scratches and swirl-free on a Black Sapphire Metallic paint.

Relying on just the coating alone for years, without using a booster or reloading, is negligence of paintwork.

The majority of the cost should be eaten from the paint correction itself.

An over the counter coating like Crystal Serum Light and EXO V3 kit for $144 and CarPro Reload for $81, then DIY on which a 30ml bottle can be applied 3 times over a small SUV.

Looking at the cost perspective, let's say $80 plus $25 an hour for labor, with the LSP package above I mentioned, I can coat a vehicle 2 times (CSL, top off with EXO V3) for around $130 with 2 hours of labor.

Cost of booster or reloading, let's say $25 for product, and 2 hours for labor on decontamination (chemical wash, no clay, or correction) and LSP application.

You are 100% correct.. I am coming up on 2 years on my exo. My car is parked in a garage (garage queen) and driven on weekends and on road trips.

The exo is still beading in some areas but I follow a 2 bucket method (using G wash), and I properly decontaminate usually every 6 months because the bottom sides get road tar and brake dust. These coatings Do Not protect a car from everyday buildup. I will probably redo the exo or just try out some sealants. The coatings also do not protect from swirls from improper washing. This usually takes me 8-10 hours to decontaminate, polish off the remaining old coating, and then reapply a new coating.

On the other side though, I detailed (also a part time detailer) a car last year with Exo and CSL (3 year coating). This car is daily driven, winter driven, and washed probably once a week at a car wand wash (no brush). After about a year, the coatings were not beading water on the sides. I decontaminated the car this spring and gave it a proper wash and it helped but the customer is coming back in the fall to have the coating redone. So in our environment, with a daily driver, winter driven, I think you would be lucky to get half of the life expectancy that the coating manufacturer claims. In saying that, the sealant of my choice for long term is power lock, I consistently get about 4 - 6 months before it is wearing off (manufacturer states it should last around 1 year). So keeping that in mind, the coating is still worth the extra money because it lasts longer, produces a nicer shine and beads water significantly better.

[rlim891]

Thanks for the shout out guys.

Longevity on coatings can range from 2years - 7 years(proven). Coatings are not God's Holy Water. They DO require some basic maintenance to for it to last and perform well.

As what I have stated before coatings are different from wax and sealant. Coatings in the market now are normally Si02, Ti02 or SiC. If you do a quick google search on them you will know these substances when cured forms a "hard" surface.

Longevity depends greatly on the chemisty behind it in bonding with car's paint. All coatings have 1 thing in common and that's PROTECTION.

"Most" of the nano coatings are all high chemical and UV heat resistance. Acid, Tar/Grease or gun wash etc will not remove them. it may degrade the hydrophobic but it will not remove the coating. The only way to actually remove any nano coatings is abrasive (cut/polish and/or wetsand).

If a coating can be remove with some sort of chemical then you should really think if that coating is worth it or not.

Gloss, Slickness, Hydrophobic/Super Hydrophobic and hardness are all a bonus feature of nano coating.

Ceramic Coating. Nano coatings do not actually contains ceramic (AT ALL). It's just a name to make it sound "strong" or "harder" than wax.

CS-II Titanium does not contain Titanium also. But it has such a high % of solid (Si02) combined with other chemistry elements making it last longer and offering superior protection against others in the market.

Nano-1 is our retail line that anyone can do themselve. But you should never apply any nano coatings without propper prepping. (decontamination, stage 1 or stage 2 polishing etc)

Why would one spend hundreds of dollars for a paint protection coating......when your paint is not in a good shape?

If hydrophobic is what you are looking for, there are specific coatings for Hydrophobic. These do not require polishing..although recommended.

99.999% of all nano coatings (ceramic..titanium..glass) all produces gloss and slickness. If the surface of the vehicle is badly swirled. Putting a coating on will actually amplify them.

If anyone has any questions or would like to learn more about coatings in general (not just CS-II brand). I welcome them to either give me a call or drop by my shop.

I will be offering free courses on how to properly wash a vehicle, how to use a DA polisher (beginners level) and how to apply ANY nano coatings.

CHeers

[rlim891]

Also, I had forgot to mention.

For those who are curious on how much gloss our nano coatings add when in comparison with our competitors or traditional wax/sealant.

We just got our gloss meter in for before and after results

[heavyD]

I spent two days (took my time) getting my STI prepped for Opti-coat. Two bucket wash, Iron X, clay bar, full polish, IPA wipe-down. If a detailer is taking these steps the high prices are somewhat justified as it's labor intensive, although IMO $1200 is too much money.

[hurrdurr]

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Also, I had forgot to mention.

For those who are curious on how much gloss our nano coatings add when in comparison with our competitors or traditional wax/sealant.

We just got our gloss meter in for before and after results

PM'd also BUMP!

[hurrdurr]

FYI to anyone wondering or looking to get ceramic coating done - Rainer is at Nano Defense. He did some work on my C400 and also to my wife's C300. I will write a review shortly but the gist of it is that he has incredible workmanship, attention to detail and provides great pricing for beyond members.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Nano Defense just did some 3M for a friend of mine on my referral - they were extremely happy with the work done. Highly recommend.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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I spent two days (took my time) getting my STI prepped for Opti-coat. Two bucket wash, Iron X, clay bar, full polish, IPA wipe-down. If a detailer is taking these steps the high prices are somewhat justified as it's labor intensive, although IMO $1200 is too much money.

You are wasting your money if you are paying someone to put on a ceramic coating without prepping the paint properly first - that is where a big chunk of the cost comes from and is arguably the most important step. With that in mind, it is relatively cheap in my opinion compared to all the time and hassle it saves you down the road. There are lots of products that end up far less than $1200 if price is an issue.

[killramos]

Looks great and good to know!

Need to get in touch with Rainer again here soon myself!

[s2k_boi]

For people who have done ceramic coating. Pros? Cons? would you do it again?

[jwslam]

I haven't tried yet but everyone seems to be saying this is a good deal. Regularly $25+

Also carzilla so #SupportLocal
https://carzilla.ca/products/turtle-...d2578fb9&_ss=r

[bjstare]

I'm sure he's talking more about something like this:

https://carzilla.ca/products/gyeon-s...eluxe-kit-50ml

Personally, I just use old school wax (collinite 845) a couple times a year. I've heard good things about ceramic coating, but IMO wax delivers 90% of the value at 10% (or less) of the cost.

[killramos]

Love my ceramic coating. Take it to the spray wash once a week and your car looks brand new for years.

I like the idea of hand waxing, but I’ve never been able to realistically find the time for it.

If I had a decent garage-driveway setup where I could actually do detailing I might change my opinion. But I’ve never had that so detailing has always been a PIA where I have no space, no light, no water / drainage. It’s a someday goal for me.

For now. I get my cars ceramic coated and wand wash and done.

[Xtrema]

I am waiting for warmer temp so I can do a proper wash and cleaning before trying it.

But I have tested it one of my older phone screen as a test run. It does take about a day or so to cure. So make sure there is a few consecutive nice days or garage it for a day or so for it to cure.

So far the old phone test (4 year old, well worn) is spectacular when I tested the hydrophobic ability of it before and after application.

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I'm sure he's talking more about something like this:

https://carzilla.ca/products/gyeon-s...eluxe-kit-50ml

Personally, I just use old school wax (collinite 845) a couple times a year. I've heard good things about ceramic coating, but IMO wax delivers 90% of the value at 10% (or less) of the cost.

I used to do 1 days detail binge spring and fall. Then it becomes 2 days. I just want to see if ceramic coating can reduce that to once per year or every 2 years then it probably worked out pretty similar in amount of product (and wear and tear on the body).

[bjstare]

If you want to do a day of work every 2 years, then ceramic is absolutely the way to go.

It takes me ~3h to wash/decontaminate/clay/wax my car. That's not unrealistic to do twice a year.

[s2k_boi]

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I'm sure he's talking more about something like this:

https://carzilla.ca/products/gyeon-s...eluxe-kit-50ml

Personally, I just use old school wax (collinite 845) a couple times a year. I've heard good things about ceramic coating, but IMO wax delivers 90% of the value at 10% (or less) of the cost.

Yeah. I would be using something along that line or getting a profession one done. I've always just used wax in the past and debating about a coating now.

[Xtrema]

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If you want to do a day of work every 2 years, then ceramic is absolutely the way to go.

It takes me ~3h to wash/decontaminate/clay/wax my car. That's not unrealistic to do twice a year.

Sounds about right. I used to do interior and exterior in 1 full day. But now I'm older, I have to split that into 2 and give myself a bit of a break or I won't enjoy it as much.

[jaylo]

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For people who have done ceramic coating. Pros? Cons? would you do it again?

The coating is the last step product (LSP) or application. You will need the assess the condition of the paintwork prior to applying LSP. You can do this easily by inspecting the clean surface using a high power LED lamp or flashlight and perform the baggie test (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...want-know.html).

Hybrid waxes and sealants have come a long way in the past 3 years and a good hybrid sealant or wax should be enough, as long as you take care of your paintwork.

If you have the time and money-wise, you can DIY and enjoy the process. All you need is 10-20 hours of your time and access to the internet for tutorials.

Much cheaper than $2,500 + for ceramic coating and you can repeat the process on other vehicles, bikes, refridgerator, etc...

200 - GRIOT'S GARAGE G9 RANDOM ORBITAL POLISHER
80 - PADS, 2x HD ORANGE FOAM CUTTING PAD, 2x BLACK POLISHING FOAM PAD
55 - NANOSKIN AUTOSCRUB 6" PAD MEDIUM GRADE
10 - 3D PINK CAR FOAM/BUCKET WASH SOAP 16OZ
20 - ADAM'S RED WASH MITT (GREY)
35 - MENZERNA FG400 FAST GLOSS COMPOUND 8OZ
27 - JESCAR MICRO FINISHING POLISH 8OZ
35 - SONAX POLYMER NET SHIELD 340ML

462 + TAX

PS. I don't work for Carzilla, I just sourced the products from there.

[ExtraSlow]

Great post.

[gpomp]

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Much cheaper than $2,500 + for ceramic coating

Is this the going rate?