Ceramic Pro Coating...any good?

[Madtiger]

Hey all,

Need opinion. I got a quote for Ceramic Pro Gold Package (XL) (Polish+Coat) for my Land Cruiser. Lifetime warranty.

FIRST WASH STAGE
▪pH Neutral Wash + APC to Aide in Wax/Sealant removal
▪Bug/Tar/Sap Removal
▪︎Wheels & Tires Degrease and Prep

DECONTAMINATION STAGE
▪︎Iron-X: Chemical Decontamination of Paintwork ▪Clay Bar: Physical Decontamination of Paintwork ▪︎RO/Distilled/Equivalent Rinse & Dry, Water Spot Removal/Reduction

PAINT ASSESSMENT STAGE
To Determine Level of Paint Correction Needed, if any

SURFACE PREP FINAL STAGE
▪︎Solvent Bath of All Paintwork & Trim to be coated
▪︎NANO PRIMER applied with machine polisher on all paintwork

COATING INSTALL STAGE
▪︎4 Layers of "9H" on Paintwork & Trim
▪︎1 Layer of "Top Coat" on Paintwork & Trim ▪︎2 Layers of "Glass" on Exterior
Windows and Mirrors
▪︎1 Layer of "Wheel and Caliper" on Wheel Faces

Curing Process - 72 hours initial cure, with first 12- 24 hours recommended stay at coating location.

Total price: $1100.

Annually, $95 for inspection, glass coating, and coating booster.

The guy is reputable. 5-star reviews across the board.

I have never done anything like this to my car.......so, is this a good deal??

 

[radman]

What’s the going rate for wrap in your area? Ceramic is great, but it doesn’t protect you from rock chips.
I haven’t done anything to my LX, but in my old GS, I got the whole front wrapped with xpel self-healing.
If I were to ever do anything, i’d probably get my front/hood wrapped, and then ceramic the rest.
Or get the front and doors wrapped to help against the Colorado pin stripes.

 

[Madtiger]

What’s the going rate for wrap in your area? Ceramic is great, but it doesn’t protect you from rock chips.
I haven’t done anything to my LX, but in my old GS, I got the whole front wrapped with xpel self-healing.
If I were to ever do anything, i’d probably get my front/hood wrapped, and then ceramic the rest.
Or get the front and doors wrapped to help against the Colorado pin stripes.

Have not considered wrapping. Not a fan of it because i prefer factory paint look.

 

[radman]

Have not considered wrapping. Not a fan of it because i prefer factory paint look.

The xpel I had was full coverage and you couldn’t tell it was even there. Literally scratch it up with a wire brush and it would self-heal in the sun.
But I worry that prices are much more than I paid back in 2014.

 

[daneo]

I think if you're not wanting to DIY, and the car needs polishing it's a good deal.

Otherwise, you can save $1,000 bucks and apply a coating yourself. Adam's Graphene seems really strong. Ammo NYC has an easy to apply coating called Reflex Pro (tons of other coatings to choose from). Both of those could be applied in an afternoon. But, if the vehicle has swirls in the paint, polishing is going to be much more labor. And if you're asking here, I'm guessing you don't own a polisher. In which case, the ceramic pro is a fine deal IMO.

As mentioned above, a clear wrap gives another layer of protection on top of the paint if you're going to do tight trails. No wipe-on coating is going to do that.

 

[LTSR]

I think that price is great. It's a ton of man hours to do what they're offering. Question is what are you expecting from the ceramic coating? I would ceramic coat a street car but not any vehicle I take off road (just my personal opinion)

 

[Madtiger]

Thanks all. Heck, i just had my car detailed this weekend……..first time since i bought my LC in 2019! So, no, i am not much of a caring owner in terms of detailing and washing. Thus, my interest in Ceramic Pro.

Xpel seems nice. But doing that whole vehicle is probably above my budget to spend for external appearance.

 

[USMCVader]

I use Carpro C-Quartz and Gliss topcoat on my LC and two other cars, but I do the work myself. Works out to roughly $150-200, plus my labor. The first time I did it I was torn about paying someone “to do it right” or just biting the bullet and getting it done. Having done it every year for about eight years now (Gliss is a recent addition, used to just do C-Quartz and their Reload topcoat), I will have to get much more old and frail before tossing down over $1000 for it. It is not as complicated or hard as many would have you think, although there is a time factor. Admittedly, some of this comes from a recognition that cars are meant to be driven…and crap happens out on the road or trail that almost guarantees paint degradation over time. With that said, no ceramic coat is going to last more than a year or two, so if they are reapplying it for an annual $95 charge, that is cheaper than buying the materials, so I suggest not missing annual sessions. (Some top coats are much cheaper so if that is all they are doing for the annual it might not be as good a deal. For example, the last time I bought Reload it was about $40, which would get me through about 2.5 cars)

 

[Madtiger]

I use Carpro C-Quartz and Gliss topcoat on my LC and two other cars, but I do the work myself. Works out to roughly $150-200, plus my labor. The first time I did it I was torn about paying someone “to do it right” or just biting the bullet and getting it done. Having done it every year for about eight years now (Gliss is a recent addition, used to just do C-Quartz and their Reload topcoat), I will have to get much more old and frail before tossing down over $1000 for it. It is not as complicated or hard as many would have you think, although there is a time factor. Admittedly, some of this comes from a recognition that cars are meant to be driven…and crap happens out on the road or trail that almost guarantees paint degradation over time. With that said, no ceramic coat is going to last more than a year or two, so if they are reapplying it for an annual $95 charge, that is cheaper than buying the materials, so I suggest not missing annual sessions. (Some top coats are much cheaper so if that is all they are doing for the annual it might not be as good a deal. For example, the last time I bought Reload it was about $40, which would get me through about 2.5 cars)

For me, due to job, time is money…so, me doing it myself is a no go. Thanks for your input!!

 

[stevopike]

you will also need to search out touchless car washes, not the brush/mop ones to prolong the coating.

 

[Madtiger]

you will also need to search out touchless car washes, not the brush/mop ones to prolong the coating.

I know!! One of my favorite quick car wash has brushes.

 

[Specialeyes]

That sounds like a heck of a deal to me! I paid a little over $2k to have my 4R done when it was new. PPF on the front nose and halfway up the hood and fenders. Also wrapped the mirrors. Full ceramic coat on top with G Technique Crystal Serum. Was told it would be good for 3 years. Best looking paint job when it was clean. Avoid those drive thru washes with all your might, the brushes will mar your coating. Best to handwash at home via the two bucket method. With a good coating you can dry most of it off with a leaf blower.

 

[Redbull]

I got my LX done about a year and 20k miles ago for the same price and it’s been worth it. It’s like a super wax, every time I wash it it looks detailed. For the money it’s worth it. I got a quote for PPF and it was just too much money at the time.

 

[2HundyJTex]

I knew I wasn’t the only one having this debate with myself. Literally went to a shop today and got a similar quote, verbal only for now, same price range. The paint correction alone was a “70%” correction for $800-ish. Adding ceramic 3-yr coating was in the $400 range.

 

[Madtiger]

I knew I wasn’t the only one having this debate with myself. Literally went to a shop today and got a similar quote, verbal only for now, same price range. The paint correction alone was a “70%” correction for $800-ish. Adding ceramic 3-yr coating was in the $400 range.

Are you gonna do it? I am leaning toward doing it.

 

[Heritage 2020]

I personally wouldn’t because all of my cars/trucks are either white or light silver—which hide dirt, swirls, pinstripes, scratches, dings relatively easy without much issue.

If I ever purchased a black vehicle (heaven forbid that would occur), then I’d Xpel(r) or consider ceramic.

 

[Madtiger]

I personally wouldn’t because all of my cars/trucks are either white or light silver—which hide dirt, swirls, pinstripes, scratches, dings relatively easy without much issue.

If I ever purchased a black vehicle (heaven forbid that would occur), then I’d Xpel(r) or consider ceramic.

I drive on the highway a lot…and my front end gets mobbed by bugs on a daily basis…so, i was thinking that this coating will help with ease of clean. In addition, the coating on windows is kinda nice to have in a rainstorm.

 

[Heritage 2020]

I drive on the highway a lot…and my front end gets mobbed by bugs on a daily basis…so, i was thinking that this coating will help with ease of clean. In addition, the coating on windows is kinda nice to have in a rainstorm.

I’d Xpel the front end and call it a day. That is based on lots of highway driving with sports cars—where I’m protected from chips, bugs, etc.

Based on what you describe—either Xpel or ceramic would do better for your front end paint than nothing.

Windshield I have no perspective other than just using the good old wiper fluid.

 

[LTSR]

@Madtiger just get it done. the price quoted is good. ceramic coating is awesome and it sounds like it fits your needs.

 

[gasman4u]

@Madtiger BLUF - My vote is to do it!

That's a good price for ceramic coating for sure. The high notes of caring for it afterwards have been hit before. I have Gtechniq CSL/EXO on mine where XPEL is not. I did the ceramic myself and outsourced the PPF. Next time, I don't know that I will DIY the ceramic coating. It took me all weekend for the paint with the prep taking up about half of the total time. I've only seen CeramicPro advertised, but know first hand Gtechniq makes good stuff.