Anyone here have experience with it? I’m seeing quotes all over the map for it. Everywhere from $299 DIY kits online to $1400 quotes. What’s the story? Anyone got the scoop on it?
We do it all the time. About $600-800/vehicle. You need to buff and paint correct everything before applying, and this can take all day hence the cost. Some types can also take several applications before its ready, which is more time and money. Its really good on wraps, makes cleaning them much easier.
Thx. When you say you do them, you actually do it or you get them done? For 600-800 I’d do it tomorrow if I knew it was the good stuff. What brand coating are you using? All the guys I see doing the opti-coat or ceramicpro are in the $1000+ range for multi layers. I’m all new to this and don’t mind spending the money, but also don’t want to get ripped off because of the brand of stuff a particular shops using.
I work for a dealership we have a ceramic guy who does it for us. Mostly to customers buying cars, not as much to cars that haven't sold yet. I honestly don't know specific's, the sales guys deal with him more then I do. He's also broke and probably doing it for less then he should lol.
Ok so I asked and he's ceramic pro, and a 3 series BMW full pop with scratch resistance and all the good stuff is about $800. Starts at $200 but that won't do scratches. He mentioned 9h, so I guess that means something lol
My side business is auto detailing in SC and I use IGL Coatings products. I highly recommend coating any vehicle as it will keep your vehicle looking amazing and easy to wash. Coatings are usually contaminant resistent, protect against bird droppings/bug etchings, help defend against hard water spots (IGL Kenzo), and coatings are super hydrophobic. Quote-wise I do cars for $900/mid-size vehicles $1000/large vehicles $1100/Bikes $500. That price includes only 1-step paint correction, 2-step correction is another $200 on top. Steps are the detailer will wash, iron decontaminat, clay bar, correction, IPA/Precoat wipedown, and go into the coating process.
Thanks. 9h is top of the line. Ceramic Pro and opti-coat are in the same range where 1000-1500 seems to get you their good stuff then the best is like 1500+ for my Macan. Appreciate you looking into that. I feel better about the pricing I’m seeing now. -jz
No, 10H from IGL and Gtechniq are top of the line. CP and Opti-Coat are falling behind in the technology. Also, CP may have a lifetime warranty but that yearly maintenence is you taking the car in for them to clean and spot coat where the coating is going away. Most of the 1000-1500 prices are with a 2-step and it lines up usually with my top of the line coating price with a 2-step. CP is killer at marketing, just be wary. I would go IGL, Gtechniq, Feynlab, CQuartz, OPT, and then CP. Most people I know in SC are going away from CP.
What exactly is this stuff? It can’t actually be ceramic, that stuff has to bake. Is it really good wax? How long does it last?
It’s all over the place which is why I’m asking. You can got to online and buy DIY kits from 89 and up. The good ones do use infrared and heat to bake it on but essentially it’s like a hardened wax that repels water, grit, sand, etc. way better than wax. On wheels, brake dust just washes away, not crazy scrubbing etc. Many of them will warranty from 5-7 years. No waxing, etc.
This... And what is the difference between one step and two step paint correction? I’m in the market to have this done but like the OP said prices and product choices are all over the place. Ride safe, AAron
Ive never had anything put on any of mine. But the dealer put some bullshit on the Jag before I picked it up. I can't even remember the name of it, but it starts with a "Z" I think. It only took them about 6hrs to do it, but the car was already detailed and sitting on the showroom floor. So I imagine there wouldn't have been a lot of prep work needed. I am really impressed with it, mostly with how easy it is to clean. It is like nothing actually sticks to it. After driving down south it is usually a pain in the dick to get the front of the car clean, but with this shit even the damn love bugs just rinse right off. Ill try to find the name and get back...
I do a little bit of auto detailing and just work on my own stuff (I like Optimum gloss coat), but just figured i'd throw out that unless you plan on hand washing your vehicle from now on, spending a ton of money on this stuff would be a waste of time. You probably already know that, but pros always seem to have stories of people complaining that the auto wash scratched up their perfectly corrected paint and expecting a refund.
I got a sample of topcoat F11 and put it on my WHITE WHEELS. You can blow the brake dust off. Crazy stuff. I park my black truck outside. Put F11 on a month ago and now in the mornings, to remove bird droppings, I just squirt water on and wipe off, no residue. Will apply more coats ... Cleaning is basically rinsing off with water. I bet a professional coat is even better. Do it!
Well shit. There isn't a Z anywhere in it. It is called Cilajet. That's what they put on mine. https://www.cilajet.com/
Where are you located. A good friend of mine David Francis owns Final Touch detailing and Paint correction. All he does is the ceramic stuff. Find him on Facebook at the business site. He has customers that come from all over the east coast. He is in Knoxville TN. And a genius at it.
@drop I’m in California. So that won’t help. Yes, the stuff is crazy and I really want it for the wheels because of brake dust. I wash my vehicles every weekend by hand and use a top coat spray that’s quite nice. Once every few months I’ll clay bar and wax my wife’s because it sits outside and mine usually every six- it’s never outside and I park underground at work. The thought of having a really shiny car all the time and rinsing stuff off and making cleaning the rims easier is of huge value to me. Thanks for the input guys. I’ll keep talking to people and will check out some of the options listed above.