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Ceramic Coating Worth It?

9K views 36 replies 13 participants last post by  cihlenfeld 
#1 ·
I've had my Hellraisin SPWB for almost 3 weeks now, and the dealership didn't do the best job detailing the car. I just did a quick Meguiars Waterless Wash & Wax this past weekend and it works pretty good for as quick and easy as it is. I used to detail my cars meticulously by hand and it would take me all day. I just don't have that kind of time anymore and want to get it professionally detailed. I just received a quote that for $1,000-$2,000 I can have my car ceramic coated. The ceramic coating will last anywhere from 2 years to a lifetime, depending on the "package" I purchase. Honestly I don't believe that there's any ceramic coating in the world that will last a lifetime, but is $1,000-$2,000 a reasonable quote for ceramic coating? Am I better off saving some money and just paying for a traditional wax coating? This is my dream car and I plan keeping this car for my whole life, so I want to keep it in as pristine condition as possible. It's pretty much just a weekend car at this point with the occasional weeknight drive.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I know where your mindset is. I was you, back during the late 70's. So answer me this. If you did a reasonable job eating right and you exercised regularly (nothing crazy, maybe just 2-times a week), it would be easy for you to lose a few pounds if you wanted to, right? The reason why is because you stayed on top of your ability to lose those few pounds by the lifestyle that you are living, right? So, if someone told you that no matter what you ate, how much you ate and how little you exercised, they had a pill you could buy for $2000 that would keep you in shape, REGARDLESS of your lack of effort. In your mind, that would sound... unbelievable, right? I mean, too good to be true, right?

That's your $TUPID ALARM going off. Listen to it. It is trying to save your wallet.

Now think about it. How can a product manufacturer claim that their product can last a certain amount of time when they don't have ONE CLUE as to what you are going to subject you car to???

THEY CAN'T.


Like a given product is going to last the same exact amount of time on two different cars that are subjected to two, completely different paint maintenance and weather exposures. You're starting to catch on right about now, huh!

A car that lives outdoors, driven daily with no wax on it in the brutal 4-seasons of New Your City compared to a car that is garage kept in Arizona are not only going to need two different maintenance attitudes as far as the paint is concerned, the paint on both cars is going to wear and age at two, totally different intervals. Add to that, the amount of time that it takes to maintain each car is going to vary depending on the regularity of that maintenance! It's the same with exercising. If you do it frequently enough, you don't have to spend 30-hours a week trying to get in shape because you took 8-years off while living inside a Pizza Hut.

So the amount of time that you spend keeping your car looking excellent can be drastically influenced by getting it in shape ONCE, and then staying on top of that care by doing a little bit here and there. Don't wait for it to become a chore every time, make it a few little jobs. Just as you would with exercising. Also, realize that there are NO miracle products out there on the market. No matter what product you buy, that product's performance is going to totally depend on the care and maintenance your cars regularly sees. For me, someone who tries to blow that smoke up my wazoo is someone that I would never deal with. And whatever you do, stay the hell away from STEALERSHIPS. Those places employ some of the worst hacks in detailing. I wouldn't let them detail my toilet.

Here's a VISUAL example of what I mean. I bought myself a Porsha Cayenne Turbo. This is what the carpet looked like when I bought it.

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Now can you imagine what manner of hell I had to go through in order to get all that grease out of some oak colored carpet? It took me 2-days to remove that crap. Guess what it looks like now?

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Do you think it takes me 2-days to clean it now? Not even 15-minutes do I spend vacuuming it out because I do that at least twice a week. I make sure that it will always be this clean by first, not treating it like crap and second, staying on top of it with a little time here and there. That is the secret to all manner of vehicle maintenance. If you drive 10,000 miles between oil changes, plan on spending big money and big time overhauling your engine. A little care here and there will keep the sharks from eating you up.

That's why I don't have any coating on my paint. I know how to care for it. Not saying that you shouldn't have your paint coated, just that it is not necessary in order to make your paint BLING.

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#7 ·
Get it ceramic Coated, Get it Graphene Ceramic Coated. If you don't have time to wash your car on a regular basis and want it to last, then get it done. Make sure the shop you go to has a good rep. Also do they do maintenance coatings in between? You can get them to do it once a month or every few months to keep up with the coating.

Finding time to do it yourself, you can buy Spray coating that don't last as long as the Actual coating but once you get a good spray coating on it, it's super easy to keep it clean afterwards. 1 hour or less time to do a maintenance wash.

Washing your car is part of being a car guy and enjoy it on another level. Find the time.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
Do you seriously think that this product will supply 7+ years of protection?

Maybe if that is a show car, kept covered in a climate controlled garage and only driven on holidays. 😗

Here's a video that tells the story, the exact same story everyone who gets a coating should hear. This guys says that everyone should get a coating but then he lays down all the rules that having a coating consist of. Now if everyone followed his advice as far as maintenance is concerned, I would agree. Keep in mind that he is in the business so his opinion does come with a dog in the fight. But just as you have people who won't even look at some instructions until something goes wrong, not everyone is going to follow his maintenance advice. Some people are going to cut corners and those people are NOT the ones who should be considering a coating.

I look at it this way. The best product on the market MAY NOT be the best product for you.

The Charger is a fun car to drive, looks sexy but is NOT something you would buy to tow a trailer full of racing horses. So, the Charger could have won every reward that is given out to cars but it would NOT be the car for you if you were wanting to tow horses around. Coating have that same issue. It is for some people but definitely not for ALL. Watch the video. It says a lot. Again, he has a dog in the fight but he does manage to keep it honest.

 
#9 ·
I'm definitely leaning towards not getting the ceramic coating. I loved detailing my own cars in the past, but I just don't have the time to do it myself anymore. I also don't have access to a hose at my apartment. I washed my past cars approximately once a month and clay barred/polished/waxed in the beginning of the spring (to get all the winter gunk off the cars) and beginning of fall (to protect them in the winter). I had a 2007 Mustang in Ruby Red, 2015 Charger SXT in Granite Crystal, and 2018 Charger GT in Maximum Steel and this process always had my cars looking good, so I think I'll just look around for a reputable detailer that can do what I did before.
 
#10 ·
... I also don't have access to a hose at my apartment.
That would definitely be a problem. Before I had a garage, I use to go to the DIY car wash place that had electricity and wash my car there. Problem is, I had to go at like 2:00 AM in the morning. I was single then so I didn't mind but that sucked during the winter..
 
#12 ·
If your paint is properly clayed and protected with a decent protectant, washing the car should be a breeze. I don't use anything on my car but a sealant, topped with a carnauba paste wax. It is not only effective as I don't have anything etching into the finish, it is so slick that I can practically dry my car with water.

 
#18 ·
If people wanted something just to get to work and back, they would have bought a Nissan Sentra or a Ford Fiesta. I sure wouldn't be spending what it cost to get a new Charger just to go back and forth to work. For some, they may have wanted this car since they were kids. So if they were to "obsess" about it, I would TOTALLY understand. But then, I'm a car guy. So every aspect of owning a car is important to me, especially a car as iconic as a Dodge Charger. Just saying the name alone gives me goose bumps and takes me back to the days when a 1972 Road Runner would pull out of my father's body shop with a new paint job and decals. With the history alone behind Mopar products, one should take pride in owning a piece of that heritage. If I could get my hands on a 1969 SS, I wouldn't even drive that thing in the rain.

I like my cars to run like a beast and so I also have that too. And the one that really eats up pretty much everything that gets next to it never gets washed, never gets waxed and has more rust on it than the Titanic. But talk about fun to drive? Hop in the passengers seat and hold on to your hairpiece. :oops:

 
#26 ·
Lifetime requires annual maintenance which is either included within the $1000-2000 quote or its an extra charge. Other extra charges and fine print is what happens if your ceramic gets damaged because you scratched somehow and it needs additional work or coating or even paint work if it's bad then there are a lot of times extra hourly fees or outright lifetime warranty down the drawn. I don't believe anything has a lifetime warranty lol.
 
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#27 ·
The $2k quotes normally include labor for Paint correction plus Annual maintenance for the coating.
 
#29 ·
I spent 1 day doing the graphene coating and mine is a daily driver and parked in a trucking transfer warehouse with partial gravel areas which means craploads of dust. None of it sticks and been nearly 3 months since applying and water still bounces off the car. I even applied to windshield and i almost dont need to use the wipers.
cost? I days usage of about 6000 calories of elbow grease and $50 from local parts store.


now for the real question…why the hell would someone haul greasy ass shit in a porche without laying down some cheap ass f’n plastic…or i you really sure it was grease? 🤔
 
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#30 ·
I spent 1 day doing the graphene coating and mine is a daily driver and parked in a trucking transfer warehouse with partial gravel areas which means craploads of dust. None of it sticks and been nearly 3 months since applying and water still bounces off the car. I even applied to windshield and i almost dont need to use the wipers.
cost? I days usage of about 6000 calories of elbow grease and $50 from local parts store. Consumer applications may last you 1 year if you are lucky before having to reapply. Professional installs can last 5+ years. Paint correction before installing a coating is the main value and quality benefit that a normal consumer isn't capable of doing on their own.


now for the real question…why the hell would someone haul greasy ass shit in a porche without laying down some cheap ass f’n plastic…or i you really sure it was grease? 🤔
You can definitely do it yourself however it's not the same quality as a professional application.
 
#34 ·
Can't wait until they come out with ceramic hot dogs.
 
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#36 ·
Easy to swallow. Nice
 
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