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I think that's an excellent compromise. Do the PPF first and then when the aftermarket budget is a little flush again, go with the ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings can be applied ANYTIME whereas a clear bra you want to apply with as few chips and scratches as possible.
Thanks. That is probably the way I am going to go. Who do you recommend as the best installer in the Tampa Bay region. I live south of the city near Bradenton but will drive a long way for the best of the best.
would I need to polish it occasionally? Or could I? No need?
You would not need to polish it. The best way to maintain our FUSION PLUS is to use our CERAMIC BOOST SPRAY every 4-6 washes or so. It's designed to protect your film, paint, or ceramic coating by sealing it with a micro-thin layer of protection against contaminates, while repelling dust and even adds extra hydrophobic properties. Again, this product can be used on paint, clear bra, or ceramic coatings. It's your replacement for wax or sealants.
Originally Posted by ShadowGray19
Thanks. That is probably the way I am going to go. Who do you recommend as the best installer in the Tampa Bay region. I live south of the city near Bradenton but will drive a long way for the best of the best.
We've got a couple options near you - XPEL In Tampa. What we would recommend would be to go to 2 shops or more and ask to see examples of their work first hand. This will let you gauge their workmanship and customer support quality. Ryan at Auto Paint Guard does excellent work but carries more than one brand of film so be sure to ask for XPEL ULTIMATE PLUS by name
I use a similar product that leaves the car with a really nice shine but it does not offer any added protection and again the coating is pricey with a real concern what to do in 5 years when it needs to be reapplied as there will be a ton of preparation required.
I had my car wrapped XPEL and added ceramic coating right after taking possession from the dealership. When I took it to my local detailer in town for the first time he was furious that I didn't use him for the xpel and that I went with ceramic coating. As fate would have it I had my Vette out today and stopped by to see him. Low and behold he became certified to apply ceramic coating over the winter but is still completely opposed. He believes several coatings of high quality vintage wax at first and then one good waxing annually is a better more cost effective solution. He cited concerns if the car is in an accident and what happens when the coating is no longer effective. He said that the car has to be completely sanded down and then coated again, a very expensive proposition. He showed me some test cars that have been left outside and compared to wax, the waxed side of the car seemed to hold up better. I know there are arguments on both sides of the fence but his primary point that ceramic coating changes the chemistry of the paint kind of hit home. My decision may work out because my car is not a daily driver, is garage kept and only gets hand washed and finished with a ceramic pro spray. I love the look but it was pricey. Hope this helps someone thinking about it
To set a base, I owned a very high end detailing shop in Silicon Valley and was beyond well versed in ceramic coating of all types..
OMG your detailer is so far behind the time it is beyond pathetic, RUN from this guy, he is absolutely clueless about the industry and what is going on. He is stuck in the 60's, 70's at best.
Ceramics are the only way to go in this day and age. At my shop I phased out all the non ceramic products, and phased in nothing but ceramics, and did so at the same pricing with a bit more longevity on the lower end details. Read that as better customer value....
As far as sanding off the coating when it runs out is completely false, if it does eventually go bad the following has happened:
A) The car was taken to a drive through car wash multiple, multiple times
B) The car was taken to a hand wash and they had no idea how to wash a ceramic coated car.
C) the car should be refreshed annually with a sacrificial coat.
You never have to sand off the coating, that is a serious flaw in thinking and a common falsehood amongst the uneducated. It can be buffed off if necessary.
After an accident you simply recoat the replaced/newly painted panels once the paint cures. I have done it many, many times with no issues
Most don't seem to be educated on this but ceramic coated cars need a car wash soap specifically for ceramic coated cars.
For A and B above, most car washes add some stupid wax in their final rinse. This "wax" covers the ceramic coating and reduces the coating's ability to do what it does best shine and self clean.
The 55 gallon drum of Meguiars Car Wash from Costco is no good for ceramic coated cars. It adds a layer that reduces what the ceramic coating is supposed to do.
Having said all that if you go ceramic do the following:
Wash the car at home, if possible with Gyeon's Bathe, or Feynlabs Car Wash, both excellent for retaining the ceramic qualities
Purchase Polish Angel High Gloss from Esoteric Car Care and use it after every wash. This adds a light layer of ceramic aka sacrificial layer. I used it at my shop after every car we washed. Every customer was simply blown away by a simple car wash.
Hope this helps some.....
Thank you for clarifying for me this is far from my area of expertise. I will but the soap you recommended and have my detailer use it. he washes my car every two weeks as I have a very bad back and cant bend much. I am having him use CarPro reload at the end of every wash is that a good one to use?
Here is the opposing point of view for everyones enjoyment......... He said ceramic coating very problematic if u get a scratch vs wax and that you are permanently changing the composition of your paint vs protecting with wax.
Finishing up ceramic install...AFTER installing Xpel Ultimate Plus. I'm telling 'ya -- my front bumper (all) looks flawless. My windshield, not so much. <--that should be next in y'alls R&D.
Here is the opposing point of view for everyones enjoyment......... He said ceramic coating very problematic if u get a scratch vs wax and that you are permanently changing the composition of your paint vs protecting with wax.
Most don't seem to be educated on this but ceramic coated cars need a car wash soap specifically for ceramic coated cars.
For A and B above, most car washes add some stupid wax in their final rinse. This "wax" covers the ceramic coating and reduces the coating's ability to do what it does best shine and self clean.
The 55 gallon drum of Meguiars Car Wash from Costco is no good for ceramic coated cars. It adds a layer that reduces what the ceramic coating is supposed to do.
Having said all that if you go ceramic do the following:
Wash the car at home, if possible with Gyeon's Bathe, or Feynlabs Car Wash, both excellent for retaining the ceramic qualities
Purchase Polish Angel High Gloss from Esoteric Car Care and use it after every wash. This adds a light layer of ceramic aka sacrificial layer. I used it at my shop after every car we washed. Every customer was simply blown away by a simple car wash.
Hope this helps some.....
What would you suggest when on an extended cross country trip and you don't have the availability of a hand wash and only quarter car wash facilities are available?
Notice above we said a Ceramic Coating keeps your car looking like-new with comparatively minimal maintenance, not no maintenance. Let’s face it, the road is a dirty place. If you are driving your car, it will get dirty, Even with a Ceramic Coating, you will still need to wash your car regularly in order to maintain its look. The benefit of a Ceramic Coating is that the cleaning process will be easier. Moreover, having a Ceramic Coating means that you will no longer have to wax your vehicle every few months, eliminating a significant part of maintaining your car’s exterior. Thus, a Ceramic Coating does not make your vehicle maintenance-free, but it does mean that with less work you will be able to maintain better results.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Grzldvt1 above disputes it though.
Whom to believe?
That video has been around for a very longtime, and he is the CEO of a wax company in Europe watching his business shrink, so it is not exactly unbiased.
Keep in mind I built very, very successful business, having ceramic'd literally hundreds cars, and redid the panels when in an accident. Get a scratch deep enough to go down to the metal, we buffed off the ceramic around the scratch fixed it and simply recoated. In all of those cars, I never put any sandpaper on them to remove the coating. Is there a technique to removing a ceramic coating, you bet.
Having said that I was able to repair many keyed cars that were ceramic coated using 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, 2000 grit, then recoat.
There is a reason the world is getting ceramics from everybody on the planet, it works extremely well.
i will never go back to a wax, that is simply 80's technology in car care.
Coming from Silicon Valley and being a techy in the corporate world, I spent many, many hours persuing, and testing products at my shop looking for the best of the best. I have another car that I just bought for mobile detailing, I am looking forward to trying Fusion Plus
What would you suggest when on an extended cross country trip and you don't have the availability of a hand wash and only quarter car wash facilities are available?
You'll be fine, you are not ruining the ceramic coating just covering it up, when you get back, just wash with a wash for ceramics and you should get the properties right back. A car wash liuid for ceramic coatings contain a very, very mild amount of acid. It does nothing to the coating, but helps keep the coating clean and allows the shine to come through and the self cleaning work.
If you are having him use reload than think about using Carpro's Reset car wash. I'm a big an of Carpro's line of products and have been using them religiously on the car.
Originally Posted by SuperdadZ06
Thank you for clarifying for me this is far from my area of expertise. I will but the soap you recommended and have my detailer use it. he washes my car every two weeks as I have a very bad back and cant bend much. I am having him use CarPro reload at the end of every wash is that a good one to use?
Ok one last question, how long should you expect ceramic coating to last and what is the process and cost to reapply?
There are many factors, usage is one of them, the products used is another. I have used a simple spray on product that only lasted 5 months versus several high end products that have lasted 4+ years, but not on a daily drivers
If you follow the products instructions wash the vehicle correctly it should last the products warranty.
as stated I am a techy ceramic geek, and have tried more products than anyone. I could rattle on about my studies of products and how I made myself/shop three steps better than my competition, but that is beyond this post.
If you wash correctly, do the annual checkup and get the sacrificial layer applied at that point you will never have to remove and completely reapply a good high end ceramic.
if you insist on going to a "let me beat the crap out of your finish car wash," then you will eventually remove the ceramic and the cost to reapply should be the same as starting out fresh.
Thank you for clarifying for me this is far from my area of expertise. I will but the soap you recommended and have my detailer use it. he washes my car every two weeks as I have a very bad back and cant bend much. I am having him use CarPro reload at the end of every wash is that a good one to use?
...
Another option would be to have him finish with our Ceramic Boost spray as we mentioned above in the thread. It will add some shine, help repel dust, and add minor hydrophobic properties.
Originally Posted by ImpliedConsent
Finishing up ceramic install...AFTER installing Xpel Ultimate Plus. I'm telling 'ya -- my front bumper (all) looks flawless. My windshield, not so much. <--that should be next in y'alls R&D.
Do you even 'Vette?
Your car looks great! Thank you for choosing XPEL. We agree that a windshield protection film would be an ideal fit for us. But this is some time down the road.
Originally Posted by SuperdadZ06
From exclusive deatil on line a summary
Notice above we said a Ceramic Coating keeps your car looking like-new with comparatively minimal maintenance, not no maintenance. Let’s face it, the road is a dirty place. If you are driving your car, it will get dirty, Even with a Ceramic Coating, you will still need to wash your car regularly in order to maintain its look. The benefit of a Ceramic Coating is that the cleaning process will be easier. Moreover, having a Ceramic Coating means that you will no longer have to wax your vehicle every few months, eliminating a significant part of maintaining your car’s exterior. Thus, a Ceramic Coating does not make your vehicle maintenance-free, but it does mean that with less work you will be able to maintain better results.
03-15-2019, 06:21 PM
