Black 12C - machine polish, then ceramic coating??

[dank]

I was chatting with a guy from a car valeting, washing, PPF etc company and he said that I could ceramic coat my 12C which would allow it to be much easier to clean, just requiring water over the car to clean. He also said it would give a showroom shine all the time with the ceramic coating. So the process was machine polish out the fine swirls and any light scratches, then apply the ceramic coating. Cost was £350 for all in, any peoples opinions on this, and potentially pitfalls to the coating? Will it start peeling or discolouring over time??? Sounds too good-to be true, showroom shiny black car most of the time!

thanks

[davek_964]

I think ceramic does basically do what he's said. I've had quotes before, and that is at the lower end - but the price seemed to depend on number of coats, how long it should last etc.

I chose PPF instead. Much more expensive but also more peace of mind.

[456mgt]

Ceramic coating is a great idea, and you can't see it once it's been applied and polished. I did the experiment with a new Panamera daily driver and after 3 years worth of daily duties and must be 100 hand car washes the paint was damn near perfect, no swirls or anything. Impressive actually since it had anything but TLC.

I do think PPF or ceramic coating will make your life with a black car so much easier.

[garystoybox]

Unfortunately ‘only water’ bit is complete bull, you still need to ideally snow foam and 2 bucket wash, but the ease of washing and staying swirl free is the real winner. All 3 of my cars are covered with the latest Gtechniq serum ultra coatings which has moved the game on massively imo. I’ve tried their previous and lower rung products on previous cars and it wasn’t as effective with stopping the swirls. I would expect to spend more like £1k for a top quality paint correction and best coating; particularly on a black car. It will look unbelievable when done well.
Ps you will hear that all ceramic coatings are the same (from some) but from my experience this is definitely not the case... you really do get what you pay for.

[TVR Wannabe]

dank said:

I was chatting with a guy from a car valeting, washing, PPF etc company and he said that I could ceramic coat my 12C which would allow it to be much easier to clean, just requiring water over the car to clean. He also said it would give a showroom shine all the time with the ceramic coating. So the process was machine polish out the fine swirls and any light scratches, then apply the ceramic coating. Cost was £350 for all in, any peoples opinions on this, and potentially pitfalls to the coating? Will it start peeling or discolouring over time??? Sounds too good-to be true, showroom shiny black car most of the time!

thanks

That’s too cheap for a ‘proper’ job. I’ve had various cars polished and ceramic coated (I now DIY as it’s not rocket science) and each has cost in the region of £1K, taking approx 4 days from start to finish.

I’d highly recommend PPF and ceramic coating ontop if budget allows, but you should get a fantastic result for £800 - £1K with a ‘proper’ polish and Gtech coating.

Hop on over to www.detailingworld.co.uk. It’s were all the professionals and DIY nerds hang out.

[xcentric]

TVR Wannabe said:

I’d highly recommend PPF and ceramic coating ontop if budget allows, but you should get a fantastic result for £800 - £1K with a ‘proper’ polish and Gtech coating.

I'm a fan of both - but I don't quite understand the ceramic coating on top of ppf.....

AFAIK, ppf is a clear slightly softer plastic film, which when scratched or impacted will slowly return to its previous (flat) shape and so stones that would otherwise chip are bounced off and the dent/scuff self-heals.

Ceramic coating is essentially a nano-glass agent that bonds to the paint, producing something akin to a glass coating on the surface - it's ultra hard and so dirt washes off easily, and scratches rarely form.

But given the two completely different approaches, I cannot see how a ceramic coating over ppf really helps.....

If anyone knows, do let me know!

[davek_964]

xcentric said:

I'm a fan of both - but I don't quite understand the ceramic coating on top of ppf.....

AFAIK, ppf is a clear slightly softer plastic film, which when scratched or impacted will slowly return to its previous (flat) shape and so stones that would otherwise chip are bounced off and the dent/scuff self-heals.

Ceramic coating is essentially a nano-glass agent that bonds to the paint, producing something akin to a glass coating on the surface - it's ultra hard and so dirt washes off easily, and scratches rarely form.

But given the two completely different approaches, I cannot see how a ceramic coating over ppf really helps.....

If anyone knows, do let me know!

Ceramic adds shine, on paint and on PPF

[TVR Wannabe]

xcentric said:

TVR Wannabe said:

I’d highly recommend PPF and ceramic coating ontop if budget allows, but you should get a fantastic result for £800 - £1K with a ‘proper’ polish and Gtech coating.

I'm a fan of both - but I don't quite understand the ceramic coating on top of ppf.....

AFAIK, ppf is a clear slightly softer plastic film, which when scratched or impacted will slowly return to its previous (flat) shape and so stones that would otherwise chip are bounced off and the dent/scuff self-heals.

Ceramic coating is essentially a nano-glass agent that bonds to the paint, producing something akin to a glass coating on the surface - it's ultra hard and so dirt washes off easily, and scratches rarely form.

But given the two completely different approaches, I cannot see how a ceramic coating over ppf really helps.....

If anyone knows, do let me know!

Ease of cleaning mainly, but also helps protect the PPF from bird ste and various other airborne crap. A lot of overkill but it definitely makes it easier to clean. I rarely touch my cars with a wash mitt. Pressure wash with normal tap water > Citrus Snowfoam > Pressure wash with deionised water. Don’t even need to dry because the final rinse uses filtered water so no contaminants leaving streaks and blotches.