Ceramic Coating F80

[Evolol]

Hello everyone,

Just got back from Germany a couple weeks ago after ordering a yas marina blue M3. Still awaiting her arrival. I've been getting costs in the meantime for various things I want to get done. One of my priorities is ceramic coating for the paint and wheels. I got an average price of around $2,000 for the paint prep and coating (not including wheels). Even if that's the going rate I would rather allocate those funds for other means. So basically,

What are my options for doing this myself?

Best product to purchase?

I researched ahead of time but didnt get a definite answer. Thanks in advance!

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Do you have a polisher? Most of the work is in the prep: paint decontamination, clay, polish, and then panel wipe prep for coating. The coating itself isn't that hard. If you don't have a polisher, you're looking at a few hundred dollars and many hours of learning how to polish. Personally I had no experience so I got it professionally done along with PPF. Also with wheels you may want to remove them to coat then

[mwhalley]

Originally Posted by Evolol

Hello everyone,

Just got back from Germany a couple weeks ago after ordering a yas marina blue M3. Still awaiting her arrival. I've been getting costs in the meantime for various things I want to get done. One of my priorities is ceramic coating for the paint and wheels. I got an average price of around $2,000 for the paint prep and coating (not including wheels). Even if that's the going rate I would rather allocate those funds for other means. So basically,

What are my options for doing this myself?

Best product to purchase?

I researched ahead of time but didnt get a definite answer. Thanks in advance!

Hi, in the UK it has cost me £800, including all prep work, wheels, arches and interior!

$2,000 sounds far too much.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by mwhalley

Hi, in the UK it has cost me £800, including all prep work, wheels, arches and interior!

$2,000 sounds far too much.

Prices vary by different cities let alone different countries.

[TRYM3]

I got mine done for $300 (only because I send him a lot of business)

His normal price is between $400-$500

Full paint correction, full warranty and the car is perfect. I live in PA so it would be a long drive but maybe worth it. PM me if you want the guys info, he owns his own business traveling from dealer to dealer working on lot cars that need some sprucing up. He is very anal about his work, ive sent multiple people to him and everyone has been very pleased.

[TRYM3]

That includes wheels, glass and every trim piece plus paint correction.

[JMAN1111]

Do not pay 2,000 for ceramic coating on a brand new car.

At the most it should cost 1500 (including the wheels) for a professional ceramic coating with lifetime guarantee.

I would go with ceramic pro! Goodluck

[Eric S]

where do you get your "IT SHOULD COST" price from? Is that just the price YOU are willing to pay? (some people cant justify spending 60k on a car, while others will gladly spend 150k) Do you know what goes into the whole process, the labor pains, the material costs, etc?

$500 is going to leave you with an end result that is far from perfect, and is obviously a friend hook up price, or a hook up price in general for referrals or whatever else.

1500 to 2000 is a good price point for your caliber of car if you are getting a quality product (not entry level coating, but something like Modesta bc04, Crystal serum Light, etc.) Entry level would be the over the counter, easy to apply, 1 year coatings that cost $25 dollars to buy.

Example:
guy has a two step correction done on his car two weeks prior to bringing it in to us
(he saw another car we had recently done a full correction and modesta bc04 on and wanted his to look the same)
we pulled the lights out on the car and examined it not knowing it was "just corrected"
we went with a two step correction at $800 and 10 -12 hours of polishing. Half way through the process, the owner came by and we showed him the progress, he was thrilled. He mentioned he just had it done two weeks prior and was utterly shocked. It looked like nothing had been done to the car, swirls and scratches all over it, dull look to the paint. Our compounding step looked better than their final product step.

Fast forward to after the coating, he was blow away and has been a monthly client for the last 18 months up until he moved away for work. That other company never touched his car again.

Not all services are the same, some are better, cheaper, faster than others. Some will bait and switch products because they are cheaper, some will go overboard even if it puts them behind schedule or into the red on the job.

You just bought a 60-90k car...why go cheap on the protection end of things? That's like buying a top of the line TV from best buy and then buying low quality cables for the display...doesn't make sense.

[Madvillain]

Dont pay anyone for this overpriced service lol
Here is what you do:

• do some research on the products and steps you need to take
• buy a machine and learn how to use it (youtube and a bit of practice)
• wash the car and decontaminate the paint with ironx, claybar, ipa etc (prep stage)
• examine the paint to see what needs correcting and go to town,wipe of residue and apply ceramic coating of your choice

Products i used(found on amazon):

• carpro - ironx
• griots garage polsiher
• 6" microfiber cutting pad from them and their polishes/correcting cream (can use whatever company you want they just happen to give me good results)
• carpro - Cquartz UK edition kit (more durable)
• 50mL will easily do your car 2x over with plenty left over just make sure to wipe off in time once product has flashed.

[Evolol]

Originally Posted by Madvillain

Dont pay anyone for this overpriced service lol
Here is what you do:

• do some research on the products and steps you need to take
• buy a machine and learn how to use it (youtube and a bit of practice)
• wash the car and decontaminate the paint with ironx, claybar, ipa etc (prep stage)
• examine the paint to see what needs correcting and go to town,wipe of residue and apply ceramic coating of your choice

Products i used(found on amazon):

• carpro - ironx
• griots garage polsiher
• 6" microfiber cutting pad from them and their polishes/correcting cream (can use whatever company you want they just happen to give me good results)
• carpro - Cquartz UK edition kit (more durable)
• 50mL will easily do your car 2x over with plenty left over just make sure to wipe off in time once product has flashed.

Thanks, I started looking into these things. I won't spend that kind of money for a coating. It just doesn't make sense. The car will be in this week from Germany so I'll get the ball rolling as soon as I get it into my garage

[Eric S]

not everyone is a DIY type, so the "don't pay that kind of money" mindset doesn't work for everyone. Sure I can build my own website, but after 10 hours of trying to learn and figure it out, I'm now gladly paying someone else $$$$ to do it because he has an understanding of what I want and he knows how to get it there in 10 hours...

and not all corrections are the same...some corrections have no swirls, but the paint is hazy and not super glossy. some 2 steps still have 50% of the damage in the paint still but is glossier.

and not all coatings are the same...some work better than others, some look better, some are longer lasting. The best coatings available are not available over the counter. Modesta BC04 is hands down the best we have ever used (90% of our coating jobs utilize bc04). There are cheaper alternatives of course, but some people don't want to get the next best, and some people do. There is something for everyone in this industry. Some like CQUK, some don't. Some like Suntek, some prefer xpel. Some like paint for a chrome delete, some like vinyl.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Evolol

Thanks, I started looking into these things. I won't spend that kind of money for a coating. It just doesn't make sense. The car will be in this week from Germany so I'll get the ball rolling as soon as I get it into my garage

If it's your first time be prepared for a lot of trial and error and time spent. Personally I needed to daily drive the car almost immediately and had no prior experience with paint correction so I had it professionally done along with PPF. Those YouTube videos condense hours upon hours of work in a few minutes and don't show all the materials needed. Lots of polishing pads, towels, chemicals, several washings, clay bar, applicators etc.

[gatorfast]

I would personally never spend anywhere near $2k on coating a car. I know some people swear by it but that kind of money is crazy to me simply for having a shiny car. I would rather spend that on ppf if you are concerned about the paint as at least the ppf protects from chips and scratches. A good hand wash and wax will have the car looking great and 99% of people wont be able to tell if it is coated or not. Unless its a show car, not worth it imo.

[LAMF]

Lifetime guarantee? That’s says it all. Don’t fall for that gimmick.

Originally Posted by JMAN1111

Do not pay 2,000 for ceramic coating on a brand new car.

At the most it should cost 1500 (including the wheels) for a professional ceramic coating with lifetime guarantee.

I would go with ceramic pro! Goodluck

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I would personally never spend anywhere near $2k on coating a car. I know some people swear by it but that kind of money is crazy to me simply for having a shiny car. I would rather spend that on ppf if you are concerned about the paint as at least the ppf protects from chips and scratches. A good hand wash and wax will have the car looking great and 99% of people wont be able to tell if it is coated or not. Unless its a show car, not worth it imo.

I see where you're coming from; however, I have a differing view. Whether a ceramic coating is worth it or not depends on the value you place on your time. I no longer have the time nor the desire to spend half a day polishing, waxing and sealing my car 1-2x per year. Additionally, there is an economic cost associated with either taking it somewhere to have this done or purchasing the products to DIY. I had my car coated and it looks like it's been freshly polished, waxed and sealed every time I wash the car. Of course there's additional value to a ceramic coating but just wanted to point out one from my perspective. Different strokes for different folks...

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I see where you're coming from; however, I have a differing view. Whether a ceramic coating is worth it or not depends on the value you place on your time. I no longer have the time nor the desire to spend half a day polishing, waxing and sealing my car 1-2x per year. Additionally, there is an economic cost associated with either taking it somewhere to have this done or purchasing the products to DIY. I had my car coated and it looks like it's been freshly polished, waxed and sealed every time I wash the car. Of course there's additional value to a ceramic coating but just wanted to point out one from my perspective. Different strokes for different folks...

I hear ya and i don't have time for that stuff either. I use waterless wash 95% of the time with an occasional hand wash every few months. My car looks great to me but it's a daily driver that sees 15k+ miles per year so I know it's going to get dirty pretty quickly after a wash. I guess I just settle for my car looking 95% good for 25% of the effort.

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I see where you're coming from; however, I have a differing view. Whether a ceramic coating is worth it or not depends on the value you place on your time. I no longer have the time nor the desire to spend half a day polishing, waxing and sealing my car 1-2x per year. Additionally, there is an economic cost associated with either taking it somewhere to have this done or purchasing the products to DIY. I had my car coated and it looks like it's been freshly polished, waxed and sealed every time I wash the car. Of course there's additional value to a ceramic coating but just wanted to point out one from my perspective. Different strokes for different folks...

well said. Time value vs money.

I'd rather make money doing this work because I like doing it and pay someone else to do the landscaping at my house while I get to play with my wife and kids, go out places and do things.

[tropicalypso]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I see where you're coming from; however, I have a differing view. Whether a ceramic coating is worth it or not depends on the value you place on your time. I no longer have the time nor the desire to spend half a day polishing, waxing and sealing my car 1-2x per year. Additionally, there is an economic cost associated with either taking it somewhere to have this done or purchasing the products to DIY. I had my car coated and it looks like it's been freshly polished, waxed and sealed every time I wash the car. Of course there's additional value to a ceramic coating but just wanted to point out one from my perspective. Different strokes for different folks...

Precisely why I had mine coated. The coating allows me to have a showroom finish with a minimal amount of work.

The cost for my coating was 750$. Included the whole car, including wheels.

(I also didn't require a paint correction... which tends to drive the price up dramatically)

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by tropicalypso

Precisely why I had mine coated. The coating allows me to have a showroom finish with a minimal amount of work.

The cost for my coating was 750$. Included the whole car, including wheels.

(I also didn't require a paint correction... which tends to drive the price up dramatically)

honest question...

did it not NEED the correction, or was the finish "good enough" for you?

Obviously if you are happy with the finish, it can be coated right away with a wash, clay, coat package at $750

Paint correction at 4-20 hours will dramatically enhance the depth and wetness, gloss and clarity of the paintwork prior to the coating. The end result will be a huge difference in the looks even with a car painted with the same paint, at the same time, taken care of the same way...

Average price on a new car, straight from the dealership, is around 1500-2500 depending on location, how much correction, which coating (a 1 year coating from amazon is a whole lot different than a coating like Modesta BC04), and color.

[tropicalypso]

Originally Posted by Eric S

honest question...

did it not NEED the correction, or was the finish "good enough" for you?

Obviously if you are happy with the finish, it can be coated right away with a wash, clay, coat package at $750

Paint correction at 4-20 hours will dramatically enhance the depth and wetness, gloss and clarity of the paintwork prior to the coating. The end result will be a huge difference in the looks even with a car painted with the same paint, at the same time, taken care of the same way...

Average price on a new car, straight from the dealership, is around 1500-2500 depending on location, how much correction, which coating (a 1 year coating from amazon is a whole lot different than a coating like Modesta BC04), and color.

This is a good question.

Under normal conditions, many would take delivery of their car, and go directly to their detailer for paint correction + coating (or correction + ppf + coating)

My scenario was a bit different.

I bought my car off the showroom floor and whoever did the prep on this car did an amazing job.

I took the car home, and examined the finish of the paint (Sapphire Black) under the fluorescent lights of my garage, and the again with a led flashlight.

To my eyes (granted, I'm no pro), I had never seen a finish so smooth. Not a single micro scratch, blemish, or orange peel anywhere. The finish was simply a mirror.

As such, I quickly realized that I wanted it to stay this way for as long as possible, albeit with it requiring the least amount of effort. So I booked the first available appointment with my detailer, and had the coating done.

[aerostar]

I provided the C Quartz.

My detailer did initial delivery detail and paint correction and applied the Quartz for $600.

$2000 is insane.

[Eric S]

Originally Posted by tropicalypso

This is a good question.

Under normal conditions, many would take delivery of their car, and go directly to their detailer for paint correction + coating (or correction + ppf + coating)

My scenario was a bit different.

I bought my car off the showroom floor and whoever did the prep on this car did an amazing job.

I took the car home, and examined the finish of the paint (Sapphire Black) under the fluorescent lights of my garage, and the again with a led flashlight.

To my eyes (granted, I'm no pro), I had never seen a finish so smooth. Not a single micro scratch, blemish, or orange peel anywhere. The finish was simply a mirror.

As such, I quickly realized that I wanted it to stay this way for as long as possible, albeit with it requiring the least amount of effort. So I booked the first available appointment with my detailer, and had the coating done.

WOW, you lucked out! Every single BSM (or new car for that matter) we get new from dealership, not washed or prepped for delivery (just the papers taken off) is a wreck with lots of marring and lacking luster.