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I just got my C8 Ceramic Coated. They used “Kenzo” by IGL. The Coating is incredibly thick, it comes with a four or five year warranty against any damage to the paint, but honestly, when you look at it, you can see that there is literally a thick layer of clear poly that is as hard as glass over the paint. It is nothing like a wax. It is literally so thick
that you can tell that the paint is under the glass almost like looking at a picture under a picture frame glass. Super protective and I am glad that I did it, but you need to know, it does not look the same. It brightens the paint up, which on my Sebring orange, I actually prefer the darker more sinister look to the paint. A lot of that went away when I added to Ceramic Coating and it became a brighter orange. It also looks more plasticky if that makes any sense, because there is so much glass like shine on it, that it looks like it was made in a factory in China, you can tell that it is not it painted surface because you can tell that the paint is so far under the shiny surface. It is hard to describe but it is much more glossy, should be 100 times more easy to maintain, but the downside is $1000, and a little bit of a strange look to the paint. I will post pics here as well. All in all I am very happy that I did it.
I just had my C-8 (black) done last week. It is the second black car I've had done. and take my word for it, a black car becomes much easier to maintain once ceramic coated. BTW removing the coating is a fairly major job (so I've been told)
I just had my C-8 (black) done last week. It is the second black car I've had done. and take my word for it, a black car becomes much easier to maintain once ceramic coated. BTW removing the coating is a fairly major job (so I've been told)
I removed a ceramic coat on a Mustang. It's not difficult as much as it's time consuming but still doable. Need to have a polisher, pads, and polishing compound. If you have multiple backing plates and/or other size polishers this will aid the process. It's not rocket science and can be done in 4-5 hours.
I just had my C-8 (black) done last week. It is the second black car I've had done. and take my word for it, a black car becomes much easier to maintain once ceramic coated. BTW removing the coating is a fairly major job (so I've been told)
You are right about the black being easier to maintain after the Ceramic Coating. The AMG is black and the surface is like a mirror.
I know you are super excited but the Kenzo coating is 1 micron thick. Same thickness as most other ceramic coatings.
think you missed the point. While I can see the advantages of the Ceramic Coating, for protecting the paint, there is a different look to the car. Not better, not worse, just different. It is more glossy, but looks more like a plastic than a painted surface. That is all I was trying to communicate, and yes I agree that most high quality Ceramic Coating‘s will offer similar qualities, I only posted the brand as a reference as I know nothing about Ceramic Coating ‘s, I GL might be better or worse than others , I don’t have the slightest clue. I do know that IGL offers Coatings from .7 to 1 Micron in thickness. By your reply, I can only infer that most ceramic coatings are one mill thick, and I cannot deny that since I know nothing about them.
Last edited by Eating Tires; Feb 11, 2021 at 01:50 AM.
Good ceramics leave a super glossy finish. They do not normally look like plastic or dull in any way. The best ceramic coatings will leave an extremely high specular reflective coating. One micron coating are not particularly thick. Average coatings typically range from 0.2 microns to 1.5 microns.
Good ceramics leave a super glossy finish. They do not normally look like plastic or dull in any way. The best ceramic coatings will leave an extremely high specular reflective coating. One micron coating are not particularly thick. Average coatings typically range from 0.2 microns to 1.5 microns.
good to know. This is why I love forums. Where we are able to gain the experience of people who actually have experienced the things that they talk about. 1 micron definitely looks thick to my naked eye. It would be good to have comparisons and to hear feedback from experienced people like you that have had their car ceramic coated. what micron thickness did you use and how do you like the look of your car?
good to know. This is why I love forums. Where we are able to gain the experience of people who actually have experienced the things that they talk about. 1 micron definitely looks thick to my naked eye. It would be good to have comparisons and to hear feedback from experienced people like you that have had their car ceramic coated. what micron thickness did you use and how do you like the look of your car?
I estimate there must be about 1.2 microns of coating with my install. I had applied 3 coatings. I didn't have a paint gauge to measure it. Typically a Gyeon Mohs coating will give about 1 micron with 2 coats applied based on what others have reported, The gloss level going from 2 to 3 coats did not significantly enhance the gloss level but just thickened the coating. I am very pleased with Gyeon coatings. Many top end professional coatings require banks of heat lamps as the manifacturer wants the solvents to leave quickly to produce the best coating possible. It also reduces the cure time so the installer does not have to wait 24 hours before they install a subsequent coating. This way a professional detailer can install 2 coats in a day. My car took 3 days to install 3 coats and I spent another day just to clean, coat my wheels and calipers. I love Gyeon as it does not require the lamps and there is enough time before the coating flashes so I can work with little fear of high spotting if I am careful and methodical applying the coat. I am not familiar with IGL coatings but I am aware it has a following. Many top detailers will use Kamikaze coatings, There's a very good forum on this forum where you can learn more about detailing and maintenance of your coating in the Car Care section of CF.
think you missed the point. While I can see the advantages of the Ceramic Coating, for protecting the paint, there is a different look to the car. Not better, not worse, just different. It is more glossy, but looks more like a plastic than a painted surface.
I understand. I know you were excited . I get hung up on the specifics and need precision. The "so thick" description is what I tripped over.
this is great detailed info. Thanks for sharing. I watched the guy do mine, two coats all over and three coats on top, with the third being a bonus, end it really looks like a lot of work. Again I know nothing about this stuff, but it took him all day literally got there at 10 AM and finished at like 5:30 PM, apparently he said that he uses the IGL products because they don’t have to gas out so they can be reinstalled without waiting. That seemed like a benefit and I can see why an installer would not want to have to go back the next day to finish the job.
Dumb question for you or anyone on this thread topic. I assume doing the Ceramic coating first THEN maybe doing a PPFilm application is the ONLY way to go. Ceramic coating 1st; PPF 2nd. Seems like both processes are going to add a total of maybe $2-4k to the car depending on the amount of area done with PPF. Just trying to learn in advance; my C8 is still months away. Thanks.
I just got my C8 Ceramic Coated. They used “Kenzo” by IGL. The Coating is incredibly thick, it comes with a four or five year warranty against any damage to the paint, but honestly, when you look at it, you can see that there is literally a thick layer of clear poly that is as hard as glass over the paint. It is nothing like a wax. It is literally so thick...that you can tell that the paint is under the glass almost like looking at a picture under a picture frame glass. Super protective and I am glad that I did it, but you need to know, it does not look the same. It brightens the paint up, which on my Sebring orange, I actually prefer the darker more sinister look to the paint. A lot of that went away when I added to Ceramic Coating and it became a brighter orange. It also looks more plasticky if that makes any sense, because there is so much glass like shine on it, that it looks like it was made in a factory in China, you can tell that it is not it painted surface because you can tell that the paint is so far under the shiny surface. It is hard to describe but it is much more glossy, should be 100 times more easy to maintain, but the downside is $1000, and a little bit of a strange look to the paint. I will post pics here as well. All in all I am very happy that I did it.
Having mucked about with a variety of coatings on nearly identical vehicles, some do indeed elicit a different look it seems. Some coatings seem to have a thicker, molten-glass type of gloss (22ple HPC), some a deeper, warmer wax-like glow (Kamikaze ISM 1.0), some a near-sealant/Zaino type brilliance (Feynlab Ceramic), many a candy-like gloss (Gyeon CanCoat) and some appear more ‘shiny’ than outright glossy (Gtechniq CSL and Gyeon Mohs) if that makes any sense.
Given that experience, I can understand your impressions of what you see with Kenzo, which I haven’t used. Interesting to hear you mention the lightening of the paintwork as coatings often have a tendency to darken the paint a bit, some more than others it seems (a reason that ‘spot-fixes’ on cured coatings don’t often work so well). There could also be a slight brightening of the paintwork from the prep & polishing that was likely done prior to coating application so that may add a bit to the change; even with factory fresh paint I’ve seen some improvement in brilliance and clarity after such prepwork.
Regardless of it all as long as you’re pleased with the results overall, that’s what really matters. There are some coating maintenance products out there that could visually alter the looks a bit; a bit more reflectivity, a bit more gloss…stuff like that although with a pro-applied coating, especially if a warranty is involved, you’ll want to tread lightly in getting too far away from recommended maintenance as dictated by installer.
Coatings are neat and work well for me but do have a different look than waxes and sealants to some eyes; many eschewed the Zaino look as being somewhat akin to Saran Wrap-ish while others found it pleasing so beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
As for the mentions of actual coating thickness and functionality, I have no personal experience in measured thickness vs longevity/durability but perhaps 1 + 1 does not always equal 2?
Coating Thickness:
Dumb question for you or anyone on this thread topic. I assume doing the Ceramic coating first THEN maybe doing a PPFilm application is the ONLY way to go. Ceramic coating 1st; PPF 2nd. Seems like both processes are going to add a total of maybe $2-4k to the car depending on the amount of area done with PPF. Just trying to learn in advance; my C8 is still months away. Thanks.
Although I have heard of someone doing the reverse here on the forum and having no issues, generally the PPF goes down first and the coating is applied on top of the PPF. That's how they did our C7 and most of the PPF/coatings installs I have heard of. Never say 'always' and never say 'never' I guess. Mfg's (including PPF mfg's) actually make coatings designed for application on top of PPF so I'd say that's the prevailing school of thought.
I believe it would be the other way around. PPF right above the paint and ceramic over that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would make the most sense.
I believe it would be the other way around. PPF right above the paint and ceramic over that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would make the most sense.
Having mucked about with a variety of coatings on nearly identical vehicles, some do indeed elicit a different look it seems. Some coatings seem to have a thicker, molten-glass type of gloss (22ple HPC), some a deeper, warmer wax-like glow (Kamikaze ISM 1.0), some a near-sealant/Zaino type brilliance (Feynlab Ceramic), many a candy-like gloss (Gyeon CanCoat) and some appear more ‘shiny’ than outright glossy (Gtechniq CSL and Gyeon Mohs) if that makes any sense.
Given that experience, I can understand your impressions of what you see with Kenzo, which I haven’t used. Interesting to hear you mention the lightening of the paintwork as coatings often have a tendency to darken the paint a bit, some more than others it seems (a reason that ‘spot-fixes’ on cured coatings don’t often work so well). There could also be a slight brightening of the paintwork from the prep & polishing that was likely done prior to coating application so that may add a bit to the change; even with factory fresh paint I’ve seen some improvement in brilliance and clarity after such prepwork.
Regardless of it all as long as you’re pleased with the results overall, that’s what really matters. There are some coating maintenance products out there that could visually alter the looks a bit; a bit more reflectivity, a bit more gloss…stuff like that although with a pro-applied coating, especially if a warranty is involved, you’ll want to tread lightly in getting too far away from recommended maintenance as dictated by installer.
Coatings are neat and work well for me but do have a different look than waxes and sealants to some eyes; many eschewed the Zaino look as being somewhat akin to Saran Wrap-ish while others found it pleasing so beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
As for the mentions of actual coating thickness and functionality, I have no personal experience in measured thickness vs longevity/durability but perhaps 1 + 1 does not always equal 2?
Coating Thickness:
Although I have heard of someone doing the reverse here on the forum and having no issues, generally the PPF goes down first and the coating is applied on top of the PPF. That's how they did our C7 and most of the PPF/coatings installs I have heard of. Never say 'always' and never say 'never' I guess. Mfg's (including PPF mfg's) actually make coatings designed for application on top of PPF so I'd say that's the prevailing school of thought.
Thanks; doesn't make sense to me but I have zero experience with 'ceramic' even though I did PPF on my C7 and other cars. I will keep learning from the
CF.
I'm a big fan of the IGL Kenzo product and have it on my CTS-V3. The gloss after coating was the most surprising aspect of it. I've ceramic coated my C7Z with another product (CQuartz UK) and while happy with the results, I was more impressed with the Kenzo. I recognize these are different levels of coatings so I'm not looking to spark a big debate. The V has PPF on the entire front clip and the coating overtop. So far its proven to work as described so hopefully it will last the timeframe they say it will. Enjoy!
C8 Ceramic coating
. I get hung up on the specifics and need precision. The "so thick" description is what I tripped over.
