Ceramic Coating - fiction or fact?

[RedvGreen]

I’m a busy chap and rarely have the time to properly detail my car; namely lack of driveway at the moment (we are due to get driveway done sometime in next 2 yrs). However I do really like my car and I honestly think my new car looks best clean and shiny (who doesn’t think that of their new car?!).

My question is this, would a ceramic coat actually produce any realistic benefits in the real world?

I’ve been looking at IGL Kenzo, which claims to last for 4yrs (the length of time I’ll have my agreement) and it certainly attracts positive reviews.

Ceramic coatings however generally attract 50:50 perspectives, half the crowd swear by them, yet half say it is simply overpriced nonsense that you could do yourself for around 10% of the cost, and that they never last long in the real world.

What say you?

 

[Housey]

I had a Gyeon Quartz ceramic coating done on my car and it was superb when done and still today the paint washes easier. It does degrade over time and 4 years could work for a garage queen, but not for a car used a lot. I think I paid about a grand for a full detail, top to bottom, wheels off etc which took around 4 days.

https://www.staffordshirecarcare.co.uk/

 

[Kenai]

Ceramic coatings however generally attract 50:50 perspectives, half the crowd swear by them, yet half say it is simply overpriced nonsense that you could do yourself for around 10% of the cost, and that they never last long in the real world.

Are all those opinions based on properly applied ceramics or is there some confusion with the intern slapping some lifeshine on a new car?

 

[muon]

Have had Ceramic Pro applied and it is fairing up pretty well after 8 months. Makes it really easy to clean the car as well.

It's not bullet proof, so contaminants will still cause marks, but it does make it quite resistant.

The real question is whether you really care about it that much (easy to do so whilst car is new, but what about after a year?). Also depends on whether you will feel like it was a waste of money when it doesn't completely prevent scratches and marks (even though you will have a lot less than without).

 

[kindai]

YMMV.

If its some generic no-name chinese crap they wont even cure to the paintwork, and a lot of places are offering these naff coatings.

Personally I use Siramik or Ceramic Pro.

 

[pepsilol]

If I was you, I’d just use one of the spray on ceramic coatings that last a few months. Only take a few minutes to apply and just use that every 3-4 months or so. Something like Sam’s Ceramic Boost.

 

[RedvGreen]

I had a Gyeon Quartz ceramic coating done on my car and it was superb when done and still today the paint washes easier. It does degrade over time and 4 years could work for a garage queen, but not for a car used a lot. I think I paid about a grand for a full detail, top to bottom, wheels off etc which took around 4 days.

https://www.staffordshirecarcare.co.uk/

The IGL Kenzo is for body, (paint correction; read: orange peel), alloys, calipers and glass. I was quoted £800 for this with a duration of 3 days. On a M140i I would think that to be about right, as your 4-days tends to be big cars, does it not?

 

[grudas]

If I was you, I’d just use one of the spray on ceramic coatings that last a few months. Only take a few minutes to apply and just use that every 3-4 months or so. Something like Sam’s Ceramic Boost.

spray on ceramic is pure BS. It's just a recent marketing "buzz" word to use "ceramic" on everything.. ceramic infused waxes, spray on ceramic etc etc.

I personally suggest a good coat of wax or sealant and it'll make a difference.

if you do want ceramic done either do it yourself but you'll need a garage(24hr dry cure time etc) and PROPER preparation on the paintwork for it to cure or get a professional to do it who uses proper ceramic coats.. loads of chinese rubbish around these days for £5/bottle that doesn't quite show what ceramic can do but is OKAY as a sealant.

 

[Nasher]

I don't think any of these coatings are worth it tbh, the paint already has a coating of very hard lacquer to protect it. Just wax once in a while.

Put the money in to underside protection instead.

 

[Steedie]

I had the C43 detailed last week, single stage correction and a ceramic coating (GTechniq), granted I can't speak for the longevity, really impressed with the coating as a whole. Seems more hydrophobic than any of the waxes I've used previously but obviously that's nothing if it only lasts a month or two.

It's guaranteed with him for 3 years though. So he must have a lot of confidence in it as a product, as he'll reapply/top up the coating if it isn't working although quite how he defines "not working" in 2-3 years will be interesting

 

[Housey]

The IGL Kenzo is for body, (paint correction; read: orange peel), alloys, calipers and glass. I was quoted £800 for this with a duration of 3 days. On a M140i I would think that to be about right, as your 4-days tends to be big cars, does it not?

R8

 

[On Holiday]

 

[FTM]

getting a new car on friday and I declined the dealers offerings of paint protection

so was thinking about this myself ...whether to get a detailer to properly prep the paintwork and something like gtechiq...or just to have the car detailed then a quality wax then just top it up myself afterwards

 

[rhysduck]

Learn it yourself. Much more rewarding. If you have the time and can easily access a water / electric source where the car is.

 

[Liquidfox]

Yep, had mine done 18 months ago with Seramik and I'd say it was well worth the money. I top it up with the Seramik mist every few months, but even if I forget it still beads nicely after just a basic wash. The main reason I got it was to make the car easier to wash, dirt wipes off brilliantly easily. No scrubbing required.

 

[pepsilol]

spray on ceramic is pure BS. It's just a recent marketing "buzz" word to use "ceramic" on everything.. ceramic infused waxes, spray on ceramic etc etc.

I personally suggest a good coat of wax or sealant and it'll make a difference.

if you do want ceramic done either do it yourself but you'll need a garage(24hr dry cure time etc) and PROPER preparation on the paintwork for it to cure or get a professional to do it who uses proper ceramic coats.. loads of chinese rubbish around these days for £5/bottle that doesn't quite show what ceramic can do but is OKAY as a sealant.

It’s

spray on ceramic is pure BS. It's just a recent marketing "buzz" word to use "ceramic" on everything.. ceramic infused waxes, spray on ceramic etc etc.

I personally suggest a good coat of wax or sealant and it'll make a difference.

Surely that is completely irrelevant?

The question should simply be whether it performs like a Ceramic Coating...which it does..

It's the beauty of advances in Chemistry! Why go against it?!

 

[grudas]

It’s


Surely that is completely irrelevant?

The question should simply be whether it performs like a Ceramic Coating...which it does..

It's the beauty of advances in Chemistry! Why go against it?!

Erm what? What does ceramic coating perform like? There are plenty of spray on sealants that perform great and don't claim to be "ceramic" infused.

 

[kaptainmarc]

had both my cars done in the Gtechniq range.

ones had it on just shy of a year
the other 5 months

both clean really easily and still have great hydrophobic quality, cost me £350 for my car with minor paint correction. Every car i own in the future will be going to them

 

[cuke2u]

Spray on quick detailers can look very good, and I have used a couple of them - bouncer done&dusted and gyeon q2m, but they do work best if used in conjuction with professionally applied ceramic coating. I use them as a 'sacrificial layer' however I give them 7-8 weeks life time before another application will be required...

 

[robj20]

Erm what? What does ceramic coating perform like? There are plenty of spray on sealants that perform great and don't claim to be "ceramic" infused.

I don't think you understand what a ceramic is.
A lot of spray on sealants "claiming" they have ceramics in them really do usually in the form of SiO2.
They generally adhere to the paint better, last longer and are more resilient than traditional sealants and Waxs.