bchankai
136
Understood
I was pretty intimidated at first too. And I don’t pretend to be an expert, but there is something therapeutic in being able to wash a car well. I think it’s a level of detail that is analogous to why we like high level finishing on movements—there’s a technique to being able to do it well and it extends beyond the parameters that most people consider as “good enough.” I’m happy to share some resources with you if you would like to PM me. Some of it will probably end up referring to specific brands and retailers, so I’d prefer to keep it off this forum.
Thanks,
Brian
Paint Protection
Hello Purists, Any of you do ceramic paint coating or protective film on your cars? Worth it? Ted ...
Hi Ted ...
I have protective film and it’s very good at deflecting stones around the front of the car. Some cars are more prone to it than others. The film will slightly yellow over time.
Hello my Captain, your junior is here for duty! :)
What are you thoughts on ceramic coating?
It certainly makes it less labour intensive...
to keep the paint looking good. Just be careful, as some sales people see it as an opportunity to charge the earth for it.
Thank you my Captain! I am thinking maybe the front end for the film and Ceramic Pro Gold for the whole car....
OH!! CHECK THE FORUM THIS SATURDAY, MAY SHOUT YOU OUT!!!!!!!!
Hi Ted, I always put a ceramic coat on my cars and I find it makes a big difference on the durability, look (like another clear coat) and ease of maintenance
On my previous Audi black if made a great difference to keep nice and shinny. Same thing on my mamba green panamera currently. If you do it, I would suggest always choosing the top of the line more expensing product for optimal difference
Yes, I am thinking Ceramic Pro Gold....
Also I want to have some spray bottles in the car and some micro fiber towels handy....
I just did that on my old 2006 M series and it’s worth it ... every single penny ..
New lease , new life to the paint
I used paint protection film and ceramic coat on both my cars
And highly recommend both! I put film on only the front, side view mirrors, rocker panels, door handles and rear, not the whole car,
So worth it. The answer on wps is always both 😂
Ceramic and PPF has totally changed my car ownership experience. I'm a little ocd and this has made it possible to own a black car and actually enjoy it. I did xpel over the whole car and cquartz over the xpel. The ceramic means dirt wipes right off and t...
It's so worth it. Life changing. I used to have a duffle bag of detailing products
Now I just have a stack of mf towels and ceramic qd spray. I spend a fraction of the time washing the car, the car is clean 90% of the time, and I can use a car cover in the garage since there's no issues covering a dirty car and creating swirls. I had so...
I’ve got the stuf
Only i must do it on my car. When i am done, i post the results. I wil do it at this thread, so when maybe a few months later an older thread wil resurrected. I do not open a new thread for it.
Timing
It is important that the timing is right. 1. a dry day or two days in a row. 2. not to much sun. 3. the neighbors do not pick to much of my space. I am very curious of wat ceramic coating wil do.
Cars are meant to be driven
so I don't protect my cars at all. They are tracked and also driven with up to more than 300 km/h on our Autobahn. From time to time they get a paint job.
I hear you! I didn’t take care of my BMW and the paint is all chipped...
Might try something different this time, going to spend a price of used car 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️.
Problem with all these water-based paints
I even know people who removed the protective film after some time together with parts of the paint. I have one of my cars painted by the OEM on personal request to so called "trade fair level" as they usually do it when presenting cars to the public mass...
Uber expensive tbh
Well, it is done by hand - so you cannot compare with industrial paint application. But as this car has a special matte white paint which cannot be reproduced by any workshop I went this way to secure its looks for as long as possible
Maybe things are different where you are but finding a good paint shop in the states is hard
Matching metallic paints is tough as is older bright colors (e.g. red) which fade. I've had cars painted and it's either never as good as oem or crazy expensive and often both. A good reasonable paint shop of course is the best but rare. For less money th...
I've done both
The ceramic coating is obvious at first with how water beads and slides off. Things in general will wash off more easily. That effect, unfortunately, only lasted a year or two. A had a clear film bra applied to the entire front of my car at the same time....
I am going to try both, for the Ceramic coating, vendors told me to come back
Once a year to get another coating, not sure what that does 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I do my own coating
I typically use Kamikaze miyabi coat or ISM(or both) approximately once a year. My daily car does have partial film, but complete film never retains the same luster as uncovered paint does—that’s not a knock on the quality of film but rather the realities...
Understood
I was pretty intimidated at first too. And I don’t pretend to be an expert, but there is something therapeutic in being able to wash a car well. I think it’s a level of detail that is analogous to why we like high level finishing on movements—there’s a te...
Got you, a PM would be great! Probably for after ceramic applied maintenance, I am doing Ceramic Pro Gold with a detailer with STEK film in the fronth
Also, do you know of interior products to keep leather and Alcantara looking new? Among other interior products. Ted
Sounds great!
You’d better post some after pics—Your car is going to look awesome. I don’t have a ton of experience with alcantara as I’ve actually never owned a car that had it, but I’ve heard the Sonax alcantara cleaner is good. Gyeon makes a quick detailer spray tha...
I have both ceramic coating and poly-film.
The film is definitely worth it on a new car. The ceramic coating is definitely worth it if you live in a very dirty environment and if the car has be kept clean. But the ceramic coating does need to be "recharged" or "reapplied" after about 50-100 washes...
Yeah I am leaning towards front with paint film and whole car with ceramic coating..
Your cars have to them??
Yes. My cars have it. Film is worth it, ceramic coating might be worth it...
The film is definitely worth it to me. I don't like rock chips in my paint and the film also slows the yellowing of the headlights, a big problem if the car is parked outdoors during the day (Silicon Valley parking lots aren't all covered). The ceramic co...
Wow! What an explanation!!
So I plan to do film on the front of the car like yours. Do you notice chips on the doors and trunk because you did not wrap those areas? Re: ceramic coating, I guess I like the easy wash and I hear it makes your car a little shinier too..
No chips on doors...
My older cars that have no film on them at all don't have stone chips on the doors nor trunk. But one does have a rock chip on the front of the roof. Also, keep in mind, your driving conditions are very different in mine. In your neck of the woods it snow...
It Depends....
On some cars with very soft paint I have full Paint Protection Film (PPF), on my rarely driven cars I have a ceramic coating and on my often driven cars I used a self-healing coating (which is halfway between PPF and Ceramic without the hassle of the form...