Ceramic coating worth the cost?

[Rivdog]

What about paint protection film versus the ceramic coating? Isn’t that more durable and potentially a better value?

Yes, but those serve totally different purposes.

PPF actually protects your vehicle from damage and will cost around $5,000 for professional install. Some people can DIY it, but few do.

Ceramic coating doesn’t protect your vehicle from anything other than UV. It basically fills in the imperfections in the paint and creates an extremely hard level surface that allows for a beautiful finish. That being said, it won’t protect your paint from even a small rock chip. A DIY job with professional quality material is $100-150, but that doesn’t include the paint prep that you need to do in order to make the ceramic coating worth it. That can take 5-10 hours, even on a brand new vehicle.

I’ve ceramic coated several vehicles and I’m really not sure it’s worth it. I’ve become more of a fan of ceramic detailers. You need to use those on a full ceramic coating after every wash anyway, and they really add a lot of pop.

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[iansriv]

After reading "Blue Zones" by Dan Buttner I started looking at things I could do myself. I enjoy cleaning my cars. I have PPF on the front quarter and used a DIY ceramic on the rest. I'm happy with the results.

OP-deep dive Youtube and DIY to see what you think of it. Like others have said, you can probably get most of the results of a professional with the available kits. The $100 DIY kit will give you a good idea. All the best!

 

[lefkonj]

I wash may car myself 90% of the time and had professional ceramic coating done. I am a big fan. Vehicle looks amazing. We did 5 year (warranty) ceramics. I chose not to do PPF due to the increased cost. If you are doing PPF I would recommend ceramic first to give the paint that shiny wet look then the PPF will protect the paint from chips and scratches.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

This is an ironically timed thread as my R1 is at my detailer getting the ceramic coating applied today

 

[TexasBob]

We have had great results with Ceramic coatings. They make a significant difference in ease of washing in my experience. I have had them done professionally in the past but I am doing DIY from now on (including the new R1S). Just not that big a job and lots of extremely high quality options on Amazon.

One note: there is a lot of nonsense among marketers and installers about the high solids content of "professional" grade coatings. It really makes no difference. Solids content is just a measure of solvent to solids (% dilution). In theory, you use twice as much solution with half the solids content but it makes no difference in performance. In practice, you will see the instructions say to put it on, let it dry, and buff off the haze? That haze is excess solids that cannot adhere to the surface and are getting wiped off anyway. The higher solids content really means just more haze! (It does go further in theory if you are frugal but you are better off applying a little generously to make sure you have covered everything well.)

Re PPF: The cost of $6k to get it installed and another $2k t get it removed after 5-7 years. For me, it does not add $100 a month in value to me and it does not add enough value in resale to justify the cost. YMMV

 

[TWharton]

I’ve really learned a lot here. Thank you to all. I had no idea that the PPF would eventually have to be removed. I just think a regular carnuba wax and touchless car wash or me in my driveway is the way I’m gonna go. I’ve had ceramic coating done both professionally and DIY on my airplane and in my experience, it was not the longevity I was hoping for…ultimately just wax it a couple times a year.

 

[CANCERDOC]

I also vote for the DIY Ceramic coat. It is not difficult, but make sure you are using the professional product - usually its the volatile flammable one, not the quick wax that claims to have ceramic in it. Do the full prep and go to town. Do a ceramic topper every 3-6 months after that and you are good.

 

[PaythePiper]

This is a very debated thing in the car world. My first vehicle I got coated was my Raptor. And 3 yrs later it didn’t have a single swirl. And being a dark color, I was amazed. Granted I wash with a foam cannon and dry with a leaf blower to minimize contact. A lot of people have chimed in about DIY, which is fine if the paint doesn’t need corrected. The reason the price is so high is because of the time it takes to paint correct, which if done correctly makes a huge difference

 

[carsly]

Just put on a coat of Chemical Guys Carbon Force Ceramic this weekend. Key is to work on small sections - say a half a door or 1/3 of the hood - at a time so you can buff off as soon as it flashes. If it sits too long it's a bit of a hassle to buff off.

Link: https://amzn.to/3Dhx2IM

 

[CrazyOne]

Spray on ceramic infused wax works well enough for most people. It must be applied more frequently though. Project farm did a test on various ones and I believe Turtle wax was among the best

 

[DayTripping]

I'd say it depends on how you use your vehicle, what paint color and where you park it. I've done PPF on a few vehicles and did my full PPF on my R1T. I usually will ceramic coat windows and if I do ceramic over PPF, I normally wait a year or two to help boost the hydrophobicity of the PPF.

PPF worked great on some of my other vehicles. We had a Ford EV I did just the front on it and after 150k miles, it looked like new. Well worth the cost for it. It spent a lot of time on the freeways at high speeds.

The R1T I did because it sits outside a lot. In TX UV is an issue. I also have some trees nearby that weep sap all the freaking time. My son left his car for a few weeks by the tree when he was out of town on work longer than planned, and the sap stained the heck out of his paint.

I'd rather have the PPF get ruined than the paint. The PPF has also saved a few issues from parking lot contact and other mishaps. It is self-healing, so some hot water, or leaving it in the sun, normally takes care of it based on my past experience. One thing that influenced me was I planned on keeping my truck long-term and I found a good installer who did it at a very fair price; $4500. Which is substantially below market for full PPF in my area.

PPF and ceramic coatings are often like oil threads on forums. I don't automatically do all my cars but look at how I will use them, how long I'll keep them and the cost of the vehicle. Basically if it is under $50k, I won't bother with PPF. Normally it needs to be 100k and up before I'll consider it. Ceramic coating I'll often do myself if time permits. As mentioned, the prep is the time consuming part.

I prefer my cars to be clean and the easier they are to clean, the more likely I'll clean them. I never go to car washes as I like taking the time when I wash the vehicle to inspect it at the same time. For me washing is a good way to destress a bit, and my wife never bugs me when doing it.

 

[DuoRivians]

Personally, no. And they have to be reapplied at intervals to keep it up.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

This is a very debated thing in the car world. My first vehicle I got coated was my Raptor. And 3 yrs later it didn’t have a single swirl. And being a dark color, I was amazed. Granted I wash with a foam cannon and dry with a leaf blower to minimize contact. A lot of people have chimed in about DIY, which is fine if the paint doesn’t need corrected. The reason the price is so high is because of the time it takes to paint correct, which if done correctly makes a huge difference

100%. The first thing my detailer does is paint correct before ceramic. All vehicles leaving the factory need paint correction. My new Trimax is probably the best one I’ve had in a while.

Most have a ton of orange peel and swirls right off the line. Those get magnified with ceramic.

 

[carsly]

100%. The first thing my detailer does is paint correct before ceramic. All vehicles leaving the factory need paint correction. My new Trimax is probably the best one I’ve had in a while.

Most have a ton of orange peel and swirls right off the line. Those get magnified with ceramic.

Ironically my Dual Large delivered two weeks ago has the worst orange peel I've ever seen on a vehicle in 35+ years of driving. Paint depth is all over the place, orange peel basically everywhere. Must have gotten a late Friday afternoon build, it's horrendous.

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