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Hope to take delivery of my C8 convertible in the next few weeks!
Are ceramic coatings worth the expense?
Should I go with dealer applied ceramic or use other vendors?
Thanks!
I was a skeptic on CC but decided to do it on the C8 as it is garaged and not a DD. I hav 800 miles and tomorrow will be 2 months old. All I have done is get out the power washer and spray it down. Faom cannon the whole car and let sit for about a minute. Rinse off with the power washer and blow dry with my blower. Have not had to take take a wash mitt to it yet.
Prices vary. I was seeing prices from $700 - $1500. Shop around. I would pay for a professional job. You can mess up even on a DIY kit with high spots if you are not careful. Worth it to me to trust to a professional and where I have a warranty.
Hope to take delivery of my C8 convertible in the next few weeks!
Are ceramic coatings worth the expense?
Should I go with dealer applied ceramic or use other vendors?
Thanks!
Congratulations on the new ride.
There is no absolute answer, only opinions. I will share mine. I have had 6 cars recently and all have been ceramic coated. I believe that Ceramic coatings or similar are worthwhile. I also advocate for paint protection film. Been using that for almost 20 years.
I picked up my C8 from the dealership and drove straight to my detail shop to have the work done.
I have ceramic coated 4 of my 6 vehicles and I find it was worth it. The uncoated vehicles get much dirtier and are harder to clean. The coated vehicles (especially when garaged) stay clean and are easy to wipe down with just a detail spray and microfiber towel. I did it myself after watching many hours of youtube. The cost is about $300 to get set up properly with all the tools and supplies, including a polisher. But the cost per vehicle goes down the more you do ($100). My C8 has PPF only on the front and ceramic only on the remaining panels. I did not apply ceramic on top of the PPF. From a cleaning perspective I can’t tell the difference. My next C8 I will likely PPF the full car and forego the ceramic.
I tried doing PPF myself also. It is very challenging and I never achieved professional quality (over 40 hrs of labor on 3 attempts using a roll I bought on eBay). In the end I had to pay to have it removed and applied professionally.
If you do it yourself cost is okay otherwise you will pay big bucks for it. In reality the paint correction is usually what makes a big difference. And of course there is the old wax it every month or so and it will continue to look good without spending any real money. There is no one on this forum who paid for ceramic coating that is going to say it was not worth it.
I did my C7 with Cquartz. Most time spent was on paint correction but probably won't need to do that on a new one. Watch the videos & take your time. I'll be doing my C8 this spring.
Will need a 1 step paint correction and or polish, the paint finish will have many scratches and flaws from transport and the white cover, Avalonking has a DIY kit, hard to screw it up. Save thousands....
Hope to take delivery of my C8 convertible in the next few weeks!
Are ceramic coatings worth the expense?
Should I go with dealer applied ceramic or use other vendors?
Thanks!
I was a skeptic on CC but decided to do it on the C8 as it is garaged and not a DD. I hav 800 miles and tomorrow will be 2 months old. All I have done is get out the power washer and spray it down. Faom cannon the whole car and let sit for about a minute. Rinse off with the power washer and blow dry with my blower. Have not had to take take a wash mitt to it yet.
Prices vary. I was seeing prices from $700 - $1500. Shop around. I would pay for a professional job. You can mess up even on a DIY kit with high spots if you are not careful. Worth it to me to trust to a professional and where I have a warranty.
Research Revifify self healing ceramic coating applied by a certified professional.
I researched a lot and found it to be the best product for me. Very pleased with the results.
Definitely do not let the dealer do it, imo.
I had our C6 427 ceramic coated with paint correction and find it makes a big difference in both appearance and ease of keeping the car clean. All I have used to clean it for the last five years is Chemical Guys waterless wash. The paint looks and feels like glass.
I have a ‘22 HTC on order and it will be going for the same treatment before it gets driven any serious miles.
I def think it is worth it if you do it yourself. I paid $900.00 for the dealership to do it with a previous car. Tried it myself with the next daily we bought and def would not pay someone to do it as it is easy to do yourself. I would recommend that you use the proper type of car wash on it afterwards if you have it done.
There are a few processes that seem to get consolidated but should not be:
1. Paint correction: No matter what you put on the paint, correcting first will make it look great. Some pros will correct paint before ceramic coating or PPF and some will not.
2. PPF is a film protectant that covers the paint therefore leaving the paint as glossy/shiny as it was before covering. Plus offers some stone chip protection.
3. Ceramic coating is basically a long lasting substitute for wax. In the tests I have seen it lasts about 6-7 months. It makes the car easier to wash. That's it.
I don't find the C8 difficult to wash at all. Some of our other vehicles are much bigger and much higher so harder to wash. To me the initial cost and maintenance of ceramics are not a strong enough deterrent to washing when dirty and waxing periodically given the simple liquid waxes available.
Finally, if you are washing your car every week or 2 a ceramic coating will reduce your effort so worth while. I wash about once a month and have PPF so no ceramic. My Honda CRV has no PPF and no ceramic. It gets a wash monthly and wax quarterly and looks great.
I've both paid to have it done on my c7 ($1200) and did my own on my 300 SRT. Paint prep is the key to the results you want, and even a new car will need it. It's been 4 years and the C7 still looks like glass. The one I did had some spots to it. Not terrible but I knew they were there. I'm doing my slingshot this weekend, but when my vet finally comes, I'm taking it to a pro.
Regardless, as has been said, keeping the paint looking good is much easier once it's ceramic coated. If you take care of it, the coating will last years.
Research Revifify self healing ceramic coating applied by a certified professional.
I researched a lot and found it to be the best product for me. Very pleased with the results.
Definitely do not let the dealer do it, imo.
This is the stuff I have been after. Been trying to get friend that owns an business detailing to pick up this product. Unfortunately you cant buy it unless you are an professional. I wanted to apply it myself on one car as a test and then the C8. Will not have my C8 until later this year so I would have time to do one of my other cars.
Hope to take delivery of my C8 convertible in the next few weeks!
Are ceramic coatings worth the expense?
Should I go with dealer applied ceramic or use other vendors?
Thanks!
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
Enjoy your Vette. 
