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I got a quote from a detail shop to do Ceramic coating on the car for $1600. This includes exterior/interior wash, level 3 paint correction, and ceramic coating. What is your experience with this and is it worth it?
paint correction is pretty much required when doing a ceramic coating. I would suggest, while you are at it you look into doing ppf on the leading edges at the same time. $1600 seems a little high but maybe thats where the market has been driven the last 4 years. Adding PPF may add another 1500 bucks to the cost but well worth the protection. The ceramic coating is great, especially for garaged vehicles. It makes cleaning the car a breeze, however, every ceramic coating does require a refreshening. Ask you installer how often they recommend the refresh and if they include that in the price or if it would be additional cost each time during the warranty period.
Had a local outfit ceramic coat our rag top last September. $1200. So far, it looks good and is eas(ier) to clean, but the car is not a daily driver and almost never sees rain or serious road grime. Too soon to tell how it will last.
We think if you foresee your car being exposed to any serious weather or dirty conditions, the ceramic coating is probably worth the cost. If you use the car as a garage queen and seldom/never get it seriously dirty, not so much.
Ceramic can be applied to the surface with or without the paint correction. The paint correction will however really improve the shine and depth. I good detailer will not charge for the yearly maintenance to the original coating. The PPF is a great addition if your leading edges are in great shape, but if you have the daily driver chips it will not help those, only stop further chips.
Now as far as the Ceramic v. Wax issue, ceramic is far and away a better product, especially if you are not the type that enjoys detail and shining the car. If you enjoy that (as I do) there are any number of good products on the market. I am not a fan of the so-call spray and wipe products, but I use Adams Spray Graphene Ceramic coating and it is applied the same as the 5-9 year products. It is sprayed on an applicator and then applied to and area using the cross-hatch meth. then buffed with cured. The difference in this and the longer lasting, is this can be removed with polish and a buffer (random orbital), while the long term needs a professional to remove it.
Finally the $1,600 seems like a good price as I have seen upwards of $2m500 for just the paint correction and application of the ceramic.
When I bought my 2019Z last year, I flew out to Traverse City, MI and drove it straight back 850 miles to New York. The PO had paint correction and ceramic coating done prior to my purchase. The last 100 miles it was dark and every bug was plastered to the front and windshield. I had to scrub the windshield, but the bugs on the paint literally washed off with a sprayer and still looked new. I’m a believer!
I appreciate the comments. Mine is a garage queen pretty much, but we do like to take it on long drives on occasion. Being in the south, the love bugs worry me the most, especially with white paint. This would be with the Graphene coating also.
Always been a PPF guy on all my cars leading edges. Then I use a spray Ceramic by Turtle Wax wipe on wipe off nice deep shine and nothing seems to stick. Good for plastics as well great UV protection too. Makes the paint feel like butter....
I'm in the same zone there...I put a good coat of wax on there once a year (C7 is in the garage for 3 months during the winter) and it works well for next to no cost.
I did the same with my C3 and C7...and both were 21 years old when I sold them with the paint finish still looking pretty well like new after all those years.
I had a clear transparent wrap, PPF, applied to the nose of my C7 to protect it from small rocks pitting it during my many road trips. The front nose and two sides mirrors wrapped for $700. I wish I would have wrapped that nose when the car was new. It would have avoided the few small pits on the front of my car. I ceramic coated all other areas of the car.
PPF will not adhere properly to ceramic coated areas of a car.
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Originally Posted by VMace21
Always been a PPF guy on all my cars leading edges. Then I use a spray Ceramic by Turtle Wax wipe on wipe off nice deep shine and nothing seems to stick. Good for plastics as well great UV protection too. Makes the paint feel like butter....
Thanks for the recommendation. I am a fan of Turtle Wax products having used Turtle Wax Ice paste wax for years on my cars. May have to try that stuff.
I got a quote from a detail shop to do Ceramic coating on the car for $1600. This includes exterior/interior wash, level 3 paint correction, and ceramic coating. What is your experience with this and is it worth it?
If you're handy, buy a kit and do it yourself. I did mine using Adam's Graphene kit. Compound first, then the kit. Came out great. I've done 3 of my cars. Save yourself some$$$...
I had a clear transparent wrap, PPF, applied to the nose of my C7 to protect it from small rocks pitting it during my many road trips. The front nose and two sides mirrors wrapped for $700. I wish I would have wrapped that nose when the car was new. It would have avoided the few small pits on the front of my car. I ceramic coated all other areas of the car.
PPF will not adhere properly to ceramic coated areas of a car.
You are correct that PPF will not stick well to a ceramic coated surface but you can ceramic coat over PPF.
I had paint correction and ceramic done last Aug. for $1300. It's our only car and goes out in the rain all the time and we've had plenty. I don't think it's been washed in at least a month and doesn't show any dirt. They treated the glass and wheels.
I got a quote from a detail shop to do Ceramic coating on the car for $1600. This includes exterior/interior wash, level 3 paint correction, and ceramic coating. What is your experience with this and is it worth it?
The paint correction is the majority of that price. I paid $1600 to have my GS paint corrected and ceramic coated. The cost is in the labor to correct the blemishes and swirls in the clear coat. I'm a believer now that we've had a few of our cars done. The maintenance is a breeze now and I will continue to reapply a fresh coat when needed, before the clear gets all mucked up.
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Ceramic Coating, Yes or No
