[GTRenegade911]

Since my Pontiac G8 GT recently reached the 10 year old milestone, I wanted to celebrate by refreshing the paint of my summer car. I researched for weeks what would be best to bring it back to its former glory and decided ceramic coating was the best option. Forget about Plastic Dipping (looks cheap, feels cheap) and repainting the whole car (way too expensive, will never look as good as the original). Members of the community mostly agreed that ceramic coating was the best option to cure swirls and minor/mild scratches. On top of that, it will last up to 5 years and years and you only need to wash your car after that. No more waxing, polishing or compound necessary. Been there done that, and it's a ton of work.

The proper application took about 3 days at a reputable shop in Ajax - 467 Auto Salon.

I got my car back a few days later and it looked better than at the dealership. All the swirls and mild scratches were gone. The coating gave a mirror like gloss and a silky finish to the paint.

Here is some pictures, looks even better in person.

 

[Zodiac]

Very nice! I've been very fond of it. My brother did his 16 Camaro SS and it looks new 3 years later. I'm doing ceramic coating in 2 weeks on my new car. I'm doing the Gold Package which is for lifetime. I can't wait. Dealer cleaned and prepped before I picked it up... Ugh the swirls. Which brand did they use?

 

[Jam1000r]

I tried it last winter. Not knowing what I was doing it did not turn out so perfectly. But it still made it look good and is way easier to keep clean. I'm going to polish it out and re do it her in a few weeks. It is quite the process. Your car looks great BTW.

 

[GTRenegade911]

Very nice! I've been very fond of it. My brother did his 16 Camaro SS and it looks new 3 years later. I'm doing ceramic coating in 2 weeks on my new car. I'm doing the Gold Package which is for lifetime. I can't wait. Dealer cleaned and prepped before I picked it up... Ugh the swirls. Which brand did they use?

I was not aware some offered a lifetime package...there must be some sort of restrictions though...fine prints

The product used was Kenzo IGL.

 

[GTRenegade911]

I tried it last winter. Not knowing what I was doing it did not turn out so perfectly. But it still made it look good and is way easier to keep clean. I'm going to polish it out and re do it her in a few weeks. It is quite the process. Your car looks great BTW.

I did the 3 step compound - polish and wax last year and it took nearly 8 hours with a small buffer, wish I had the professional one.

There's even more work involved behind the ceramic coating, takes patience.

Thanks!

 

[lastcall190]

That looks awesome. Great color and results.

-J

 

[MGMGXP]

If anyone in the mid-Atlantic region is interested in having this done professionally, feel free to contact me.

 

[GXP25]

Since my Pontiac G8 GT recently reached the 10 year old milestone, I wanted to celebrate by refreshing the paint of my summer car. I researched for weeks what would be best to bring it back to its former glory and decided ceramic coating was the best option. Forget about Plastic Dipping (looks cheap, feels cheap) and repainting the whole car (way too expensive, will never look as good as the original). Members of the community mostly agreed that ceramic coating was the best option to cure swirls and minor/mild scratches. On top of that, it will last up to 5 years and years and you only need to wash your car after that. No more waxing, polishing or compound necessary. Been there done that, and it's a ton of work.

The proper application took about 3 days at a reputable shop in Ajax - 467 Auto Salon.

I got my car back a few days later and it looked better than at the dealership. All the swirls and mild scratches were gone. The coating gave a mirror like gloss and a silky finish to the paint.

Here is some pictures, looks even better in person.

Cost?

 

[GTRenegade911]

Cost?

Total cost was 1200$ My car was already in decent shape and only had minor scratches. Expect to pay a bit more to remove heavy scratches and scuffs.

Not too bad considering it protects the paint and shines like new for 5 years

 

[GTRenegade911]

That looks awesome. Great color and results.

-J

Thanks! It does look better than the day I bought it!

 

[Creature]

Beautiful! Makes me miss that color though :crying:

 

[Zodiac]

I was not aware some offered a lifetime package...there must be some sort of restrictions though...fine prints

The product used was Kenzo IGL.

Yeah Ceramic Pro does. The Gold package offers lifetime. As far as I know I just have to do the annual maintenance which at this place is $99. For that price I'll be good to go. They cover wheels, windows, plastic, paint, etc.

 

[GTRenegade911]

Yeah Ceramic Pro does. The Gold package offers lifetime. As far as I know I just have to do the annual maintenance which at this place is $99. For that price I'll be good to go. They cover wheels, windows, plastic, paint, etc.

Seems like a fair deal.

 

[Belo]

Since my Pontiac G8 GT recently reached the 10 year old milestone, I wanted to celebrate by refreshing the paint of my summer car. I researched for weeks what would be best to bring it back to its former glory and decided ceramic coating was the best option. Forget about Plastic Dipping (looks cheap, feels cheap) and repainting the whole car (way too expensive, will never look as good as the original). Members of the community mostly agreed that ceramic coating was the best option to cure swirls and minor/mild scratches. On top of that, it will last up to 5 years and years and you only need to wash your car after that. No more waxing, polishing or compound necessary. Been there done that, and it's a ton of work.

The proper application took about 3 days at a reputable shop in Ajax - 467 Auto Salon.

I got my car back a few days later and it looked better than at the dealership. All the swirls and mild scratches were gone. The coating gave a mirror like gloss and a silky finish to the paint.

Here is some pictures, looks even better in person.

this needs some clarification. Coating is just a protectant. Like a wax or sealant, it does nothing for swirls and scratches. The detailers got rid of those through good old fashion compound and polish. That said, ceramic coatings are all the rage and are showing their longevity. But please, please, please don't expect 5 years. That's so much bs that I feel bad for you. At most you'll get a year and then some residual. Even then, you need proper maintenance washes and a product like reload to keep her shiny.

And if you don't want to believe a random guy on the net, that's fine but think of it like this. We generally measure a cars life by mileage and how it was driven and cared for, not by how many years old it is right? why would a paint protecant be any different? Climates, where and how you drove it, if it was garage kept etc all affect the longevity of your protectant of choice. So nobody should put an age to their coating. And if that's not enough, go over to autogeek or autopia and you'll here the same from pro's.

 

[Belo]

and lifetime? come on guys. Your car literally has a clearcoat of PAINT on it that doesn't hold up. Lifetime is not a thing.

 

[rockinlespaul]

Your car looks fantastic! 1200 is a bit steep imho but whatever works for you.

I plan on doing a paint correction and ceramic coating soon. Again... looking good!

 

[GTRenegade911]

Since my Pontiac G8 GT recently reached the 10 year old milestone, I wanted to celebrate by refreshing the paint of my summer car. I researched for weeks what would be best to bring it back to its former glory and decided ceramic coating was the best option. Forget about Plastic Dipping (looks cheap, feels cheap) and repainting the whole car (way too expensive, will never look as good as the original). Members of the community mostly agreed that ceramic coating was the best option to cure swirls and minor/mild scratches. On top of that, it will last up to 5 years and years and you only need to wash your car after that. No more waxing, polishing or compound necessary. Been there done that, and it's a ton of work.

The proper application took about 3 days at a reputable shop in Ajax - 467 Auto Salon.

I got my car back a few days later and it looked better than at the dealership. All the swirls and mild scratches were gone. The coating gave a mirror like gloss and a silky finish to the paint.

Here is some pictures, looks even better in person.

this needs some clarification. Coating is just a protectant. Like a wax or sealant, it does nothing for swirls and scratches. The detailers got rid of those through good old fashion compound and polish. That said, ceramic coatings are all the rage and are showing their longevity. But please, please, please don't expect 5 years. That's so much bs that I feel bad for you. At most you'll get a year and then some residual. Even then, you need proper maintenance washes and a product like reload to keep her shiny.

And if you don't want to believe a random guy on the net, that's fine but think of it like this. We generally measure a cars life by mileage and how it was driven and cared for, not by how many years old it is right? why would a paint protecant be any different? Climates, where and how you drove it, if it was garage kept etc all affect the longevity of your protectant of choice. So nobody should put an age to their coating. And if that's not enough, go over to autogeek or autopia and you'll here the same from pro's.

You are absolutely right. The whole process involved the car being thoroughly cleaned with an acid bath, then buffed with compound and polish prior to the ceramic coating application, hence the 3 days process.

I have witnessed cars that have been ceramic coated for a few years and the gloss is still vibrant so I really don't understand your point. Of course it's not eternal and bulletproof, but most people spending 1200$ on detailing take absolute great care of their car, garage it, and don't winter drive it. I still wash the car every week but the process is much simpler than it used to be. Everything easily comes off with my pressure washer. I then apply the soap with the foamer and just lightly wash it with a mitt.

You are right when it comes to mileage and how it is driven. Mine is a garage queen, I barely do 8000KM a year, I don't even drive it when it's rainy. I think I will get the most out of it and personally see it as a placement. The car never looked so good.

I still firmly believe it is a great option to restore a car vs ugly plastic dip, wrap or the outrageous cost to get it repainted. Factor in the way I drive it and the fact I want to keep it for a very very long time and you have your answer.

As for the lifetime package, he mentioned you had to go every year for a checkup and they would refresh it if needed.

They now offer lifetime rustproofing at dealerships following the same idea.

I respect your point of view Belo, not looking to start an argument.

 

[GTRenegade911]

Your car looks fantastic! 1200 is a bit steep imho but whatever works for you.

I plan on doing a paint correction and ceramic coating soon. Again... looking good!

It is quite steep but I looked around and it was the average price. There is a lot of work behind the process and really wanted to deal with a reputable shop, not the average Kijiji Joe.

Thanks man, really appreciate it!

 

[Belo]

You are absolutely right. The whole process involved the car being thoroughly cleaned with an acid bath, then buffed with compound and polish prior to the ceramic coating application, hence the 3 days process.

I have witnessed cars that have been ceramic coated for a few years and the gloss is still vibrant so I really don't understand your point. Of course it's not eternal and bulletproof, but most people spending 1200$ on detailing take absolute great care of their car, garage it, and don't winter drive it. I still wash the car every week but the process is much simpler than it used to be. Everything easily comes off with my pressure washer. I then apply the soap with the foamer and just lightly wash it with a mitt.

You are right when it comes to mileage and how it is driven. Mine is a garage queen, I barely do 8000KM a year, I don't even drive it when it's rainy. I think I will get the most out of it and personally see it as a placement. The car never looked so good.

I still firmly believe it is a great option to restore a car vs ugly plastic dip, wrap or the outrageous cost to get it repainted. Factor in the way I drive it and the fact I want to keep it for a very very long time and you have your answer.

As for the lifetime package, he mentioned you had to go every year for a checkup and they would refresh it if needed.

They now offer lifetime rustproofing at dealerships following the same idea.

I respect your point of view Belo, not looking to start an argument.

yeah i wasn't either. I should clarify, a ceramic job, and one done professionally is a great investment and I think what you did is great and it shows. I read detailing forums almost daily and I'm only a hobbyist, but I do believe I know the business well and have done quite a bit of paint work in my life.

I just felt compelled to expand on your post for the user who might not be as knowledgeable. The thought of a 5 year worry free coating is a little misleading, eventhough i don't believe that was your intention. As you mentioned, you maintenance wash and garage queen it, and those are important variables in the life of any lsp, whether is a wax, sealant or ceramic.

hope we're all good

 

[Belo]

Your car looks fantastic! 1200 is a bit steep imho but whatever works for you.

I plan on doing a paint correction and ceramic coating soon. Again... looking good!

man it takes me all saturday to do a proper polish and seal. Then on sunday I'm wiping of the seal and detailing the trim, glass and other nooks and crannies. A coating job is even more demanding, so sure you can attempt to do it yourself, although coatings are not nearly as forgiving, or you can pay someone for your time. How valuable is 3 to 4 full days of your time, also knowing you're not an expert?