Ceramic Pro 9H, Any Cons?

[marvinp]

I came across Ceramic Pro 9H while searching for a detailer to prep my soon-to-be M3. I could find a lot of pros for the coating but not a lot of cons.

For the pros I have:

• Easier to clean (just spray with water and dirt washes off)
• Paint protection ( UV protection, scratch protection and some even claim rock chip protection which I found to be doubtful)

While I understand and see the many benefits I haven't seen anyone mention cons which makes me skeptical. For the cons I only have:

• Increases glossiness (more prominent on darker paints)

So what are some other cons of Ceramic Pro 9H coating?

[LAMF]

I've used Ceramic Pro along with many other types of ceramic coatings. They are all more similar than different. You will need to wash your car (2 bucket method) because that claim is bogus along with protecting from rock chips. Coatings do keep the car cleaner longer but if you plan on driving through a car wash then don't spend the money. These coatings are not bullet proof and with improper washing methods you will have the swirls and marring. I've been using coatings for about 6 years now and I am not a Professional Detailer. I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by marvinp

I came across Ceramic Pro 9H while searching for a detailer to prep my soon-to-be M3. I could find a lot of pros for the coating but not a lot of cons.

For the pros I have:

• Easier to clean (just spray with water and dirt washes off)
• Paint protection ( UV protection, scratch protection and some even claim rock chip protection which I found to be doubtful)

While I understand and see the many benefits I haven't seen anyone mention cons which makes me skeptical. For the cons I only have:

• Increases glossiness (more prominent on darker paints)

So what are some other cons of Ceramic Pro 9H coating?

[XsltAnalyst]

Other con: Cost and time

Most of these ceramic coatings have too much marketing mumbo jumbo. Any decent coating will do, as long as it's applied correctly by a reputable place.

Most common method is to have the full frontal Paint Protection film and few other high impact areas covered, then if you have $$ leftover, you can have the rest covered by a coating or even DIY for under $100 using cquartz or similar

[Eric S]

rock chip protection from a coating???? better rethink that company if that is a claim they make...installer or coating company.

coatings are a layer of protection better than anyu sealant on the market. Modesta BC04 for example will look better, protect better, and clean better than basically every other coating available. Is it pricey, yes. Is it worth it, yes!

There are a lot of coatings on the market today. Some are horrible, bad, decent, good, amazing. Find a good, reputable installer. Discuss experience with coatings, why he uses what he does, research the intel on it, make a decision, drop your car off!

As mentioned, most popular thing is a full front, rockers, and rear impact (track package) along with 1 or 2 steps of correction, followed by coating of choice.

[usafmike]

Found this on youtube one day. I decided not to do Ceramic Pro and just do a traditional wax/sealant instead. Main reason why I decided against it was money. I used that money on parts instead Just my two cents though.

Hope that helps.

[Tan]

Yes, Ceramic coating can be quite expensive. I have mine with C. Quartz Finest Reserve..definitely has more gloss and easier to clean. It's all relative to the $ you are willing to spend for that sort of product.

[cwhands]

There are a lot of ways to look at this. If you're looking for cons, I've had people mention they did not like how it changed the metallic properties of their paint. It isn't actually changing the metallic flake, the coating changes the way light hits the surface and therefore may alter the appearance of the color.

Coatings are awesome when applied properly, of course it's on the owner of the vehicle to find a reputable shop. If they aren't applied with precision by experienced detailers, you're asking for trouble. Removal is labor intensive and if the surface underneath isn't corrected/polished properly, any remaining imperfections will be magnified.

I truly think the biggest con is the marketing. Ceramics WILL NOT do anything against rock chips and they are not "scratch proof," only much more resistant to scratching than traditional clear coat.

I can't speak for Ceramic Pro specifically, but in general these all hold true with coatings like it.

In my experience with Silverstone, you'd probably be better off going with PPF on trouble areas. Whole hood, fenders, quarters (that factory piece is useless), rockers, trunk entry. I regret not wrapping my rockers, and my doors even. I've gotten quite a few rock chips on both front doors. PPF has saved my front bumper, A pillars, mirror covers, and my quarters. I think it's more worthwhile. Rock chips stick out a lot more than micro scratches/swirls will on silverstone.

[guess2098]

I used to import those coating and did on many of my car. It does not prevent rock chip! The best one is hard to remove. But result it very good

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Increase glossiness is usually a pro. Most people don't consider that most of the cost and work in applying a coating is in the prep work: paint decontamination and correction. The coating itself is usually no harder to apply than a sealant. They will not protect against rock chips period. Also remember that if you happen to get any paint damage or need body panels repaired, you'll have to get those recorrected and coated, much like PPF.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by usafmike

Found this on youtube one day. I decided not to do Ceramic Pro and just do a traditional wax/sealant instead. Main reason why I decided against it was money. I used that money on parts instead Just my two cents though.

Hope that helps.

Nothing personal to anyone who uses Swissvax but they sell some of the most over priced snake oil on the market.

[usafmike]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Nothing personal to anyone who uses Swissvax but they sell some of the most over priced snake oil on the market.

I agree. I personally use Chemical guys and Adams. They make great stuff and call me crazy but I like waxing/detailing my car. The video, I think, does a decent explanation between a wax and ceramic coating, although the guy might be a little biased.

[marvinp]

Thanks for all the responses! I think this has made my decision that much more difficult

I think it may come down to a cost decision. To wrap my hood, front bumper, mirrors, rear bumper and trunk in PPF would cost $2,300 per one detailer's quote. A coat of Ceramic Pro 9H would cost $500 with each additional coat costing $150. In an ideal world, I'd get the entire car wrapped, but that's waaay too costly relative to the car's value IMO.

So I'm really torn as to what I'll do. I look at my 135i and it's littered with rock chips all over the hood, bumper, trump, roof, you name it.

I think my options are to either A) Get PPF on front bumper and hood (the areas most likely to get rock chips and most visible) or B) Get a couple of coats of Ceramic Pro 9H and live with the fact that I'll get rock chips. But I don't think I can justify getting both :/

[Aaaaaaaaa]

I'd get PPF now when the paint is still in good condition. Can always get paint correction and coating on other areas later. Can't undo rock chips though.

[guess2098]

A coat for 500 is rip off. The one 9h import price is $50 but you need to wash detail that might be the cost

[domino_z]

lol @ ol mate swissvax trying to fight the market changing underneath him

as a hobbiest detailer, i have used my fair share of traditional waxes (still kept my collection of over 40 purely for nostalgia), nano sealants and now coatings

my thoughts on coatings go something like this; great for a daily driven car where the owner has very little interest in maintaining beyond washing, bad for the enthusiast who wants to maintain a perpetual state of flawless corrected paint

but that second line doesn't make sense i hear you say....

the problem with coatings is the fact they are semi permanent, meaning if you're washing your car and come across some swirls or marring from say someone brushing along the paint when you had it parked, or worse, there's nothing you can do to fix that other than using an abrasiveness polish to remove the coating on that entire panel, and re-coat it

so the best (and so far only) product i've come across that provides coating like longevity, cleanliness and water sheeting, but while also allowing for a simple wipe on wipe off application is kamikaze's infinity wax - this is the product for the enthusiast who wants all the benefits both a coating and traditional wax offer

[marvinp]

I've read that some people have gotten both PPF and ceramic coating. That had me wondering.. in which order is it applied? Ceramic coat first and then PPF or PPF and then ceramic coat?

[domino_z]

You don't want anything on the paint for the ppf to bond correctly

You can coat ppf but they don't bond as well as on clear coat, so lose their beading and sheeting a lot faster

Most ppf have a self heeling top coat which bleed out wash induced marring, and the coating can interfere with that

There are now dedicated coatings for clear film, kamikaze surface coat for example, but I've yet to try it

Personally on clear film I'd just use a good spray wax or coating topper type product like polish angel high gloss or cosmic spritz and use that as a drying aid after washing the car - it'll give you the same beading/sheeting as a coating next time you wash the car

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by marvinp

I've read that some people have gotten both PPF and ceramic coating. That had me wondering.. in which order is it applied? Ceramic coat first and then PPF or PPF and then ceramic coat?

PPF, then ceramic coating. That said, I have seen parts that had ppf applied on top of ceramic coating, but then the ceramic coating isn't doing anything.

Ceramic coating on PPF still helps prevent things from sticking to it, making cleaning/washing easier and quicker. That alone was worth the cost IMO.

[guess2098]

Ppf then coating, personally I won't not recommend to put 9h coating on top of ppf because it is very hard to clean off 9h coatings because it dry too fast. If you use water base nano coating is ok but not 9h coating which is not water base!

[guess2098]

Both of my x5m and m4 has complete ppf, just use detailer to clean which is cheap and super fast. Don't need to apply any coating that is my 2c

[marvinp]

I ended up getting PPF on the front of the car. I'm really happy with the results. You can barely tell the difference between PPF covered paint and non-covered paint (that's something I was concerned about).

Unfortunately, I got a chip on the front bumper when I drove to the detailer Kinda frustrating but makes me feel good about getting PPF.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

[Eric S]

Bryan is correct! you do not want to wax on top of coatings. maintenance sprays are all that you will need.