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Ceramic Coating Completed

5K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  TonyKarter 
#1 ·
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.
 

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#2 ·
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?
 
#3 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
Beautiful! Makes me miss that color though :crying:
 
#14 ·
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.
 
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#15 ·
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.
 
#16 ·
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!
 
#17 ·
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.
 
#19 ·
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 :)
 
#31 ·
My G8's paint isn't nearly good enough to justify ceramic. And I've machined polished it about 2 years ago. For me, it's not worth it to spend the $ on a proper/professional detail job to get the paint good enough for this process.

I've recently just clay bar'd the G and finished it with the duragloss 601/111 combo. Supposed to be good for a good 3 months. Maybe 4 if you extend it with spray wax 1-2 month. Definately NOT of the same durability level of pro ceramic. But I have no problem claying and using this Duragloss combo 2-3 times a year.
 
#32 ·
same, even with touchup paint. Single biggest complaint I have by far on this car is the **** paint.
 
#35 ·
Belo is right about things. This is one of the few times I read a post reply that's auto detailing related about coatings, waxes and so on and didnt shake my head belo

"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.
Like"

Looks like they did a good job GT. Are you going to Lakeview this year? Unfortunately I am working and gonn miss out. gonna try for the next meet
 
#41 ·
best thing i've found for paint chips is doctor color chips, but it's not perfect, just better and tedious. there's also the duplicolor and blob remover approach which i tried and may have actually had better results with, but a coating doesn't do anything for chips. If the paints gone, you need to fill in the paint. If there's a scratch in the clear, a polish will eliminate it. A coating just protects what's already there, which is why correction is key.
 
#43 ·
As mentioned in my previous reply, I second that. Not perfect but pretty good for a somewhat cheap alternative.

Back when I had my GTP 04, I ordered their correcting kit and it really did an awesome job.

TIP : For road rash and multiple small chips, put a bit of paint on a clean microfiber towel and then wipe it directly on the affected surface in a circular motion. Let it dry and then apply their thinner solution by wiping again very lightly. The paint will remain in the chips and the excess will be removed. That will save you a TON of time.
 
#44 · (Edited)
My G8 is Coated with Zaino Z5 and my Tacoma is ceramic coated with CQuartz ceramic products. The Zaino Z5 on the G8 looks better than the Taco due to its higher gloss than the ceramic coating. The CQuartz on the Tacoma keeps it cleaner due to the incredible dirt and water sheeting action of ceramics. Everything just runs right off of it. So I like both for different reasons. The Zaino Z5 is ONE TENTH THE COST of ceramic. Guys you can do ceramic yourself for about $300 all in: buffer pads, microfiber towels that you must throw away, clay bar, polish, alcohol wipe solution, ceramic coating. If you feel you MUST spend $1200 on your car's finish then do the above process through the polish and then take it and have the front clearcoated with a quality product like ExPel. THEN ceramic coat it yourself, including ceramic over the ExPel. It is not rocket science. It is not hard. There is fear-mongering reports all over the net that if you mess it up then you must remove it with a grinder. Nothing is farther from the truth, You simply polish it back off and redo that area again. I wouldn't do it in the heat of the summer because it flashes too quick. Wait until the temp is about 50, then do it. I went with CarPro CQuartz products: Essence first to final polish and lay a base layer of ceramic for the further coats to better adhere to, two coats of CQuartz UK 3.0 ceramic coating, then a final quote of CQuartz Gliss. You can do this.

If you MUST have someone else do it, if anyone quotes you less than $1200, RUN! It is a lot of work. I wouldn't do your car for less than $1200! It's all in the tedious prep work, and that is where your $600 "total care" package is going to cut the corners. You get what you pay for. I'd recommend seeking out a high-end auto salon that the hyper-car dealers use to prep their Ferraris and Astons. Those will be the guys who will come highly recommended and who will not cut corners.


Whichever product you use, please consider a top coat of Gliss. You know how the feel of your cars surface is so improved after a clay-barring it? That is the exponential surface improvement of the surface's feel after a coat of Gliss OVER A CERAMIC COATING! Much more gloss too.
 
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