[unfinedandunfiltered]

Hi everyone,

I saw a diy ceramic coating called Armor IX that purports to be easy to apply and lasts a long time.

My M340i only has 600 miles on it and I want to keep the finish in good shape over the long term but just can’t stomach paying 2k to have someone “coat” my car.

Anybody have experience with these diy types? At $60 it seems worthwhile but I don’t want to use it if it might damage the paint either.

[zilan23]

Originally Posted by unfinedandunfiltered

Hi everyone,

I saw a diy ceramic coating called Armor IX that purports to be easy to apply and lasts a long time.

My M340i only has 600 miles on it and I want to keep the finish in good shape over the long term but just can't stomach paying 2k to have someone "coat" my car.

Anybody have experience with these diy types? At $60 it seems worthwhile but I don't want to use it if it might damage the paint either.

I'm looking at coating my car as well and have done a lot of research. It's a whole process where you have to wash with a pH neutral soap, use an iron decontaminator, use a clay bar or clay mit to remove decontaminates in the paint, do at least one step of paint correction, and then apply the coating. I live in an apartment that doesn't allow car washing and most of the self serve car washes in my area don't allow bucket washing or detailing in their wash bays so I'm trying to figure it all out.

[Ugly Kar]

It's interesting how people will read 1 review (or just an ad) and accept that as the latest greatest. I think I've read about every review and study written and consistently at the top for self application is Car Pro Cquartz. Best value ceramic Weirixium.

[zilan23]

Originally Posted by Ugly Kar

It's interesting how people will read 1 review (or just an ad) and accept that as the latest greatest. I think I've read about every review and study written and consistently at the top for self application is Car Pro Cquartz. Best value ceramic Weirixium.

Yeah, that is a really great coating but I don't think it's available for retail meaning an authorized detailer has to do it. Undrdog Pro is a good one if you properly maintain it. McKees 37 is also really good with proper maintenance.

[ultrared93]

Originally Posted by zilan23

Yeah, that is a really great coating but I don't think it's available for retail meaning an authorized detailer has to do it. Undrdog Pro is a good one if you properly maintain it. McKees 37 is also really good with proper maintenance.

CARPRO CQUARTZ UK Edition 3.0 is definitely available via retail (Autogeek, etc.) and is designed for DIY application. As with any ceramic or graphene coating, it is all about the prep and following directions.

[zilan23]

Originally Posted by ultrared93

CARPRO CQUARTZ UK Edition 3.0 is definitely available via retail (Autogeek, etc.) and is designed for DIY application. As with any ceramic or graphene coating, it is all about the prep and following directions.

Good info, thanks! Do you know if that coating is available in the US?

Yeah, prep and proper maintenance are key. I thought about doing it myself but there's so much I would have to buy and I live in an apartment so it would be difficult. I may just pay the money to have someone do it.

[VipinLJ]

TL;DR - CQUK 3.0 is fantastic and available to buy online in america.

I've used the predecessor, the CQUK 2.0, on my old A4. The thing lasted 3 years and 30k miles and still beaded water like it was applied recently. The gloss was fantastic too. So good that the lease inspector said the car looks better than brand new cars she's seen at dealerships.

I haven't ceramic coated my G20 because the dealership absolutely trashed the paint and I dont have the time now to do a proper paint correction.

[ultrared93]

Originally Posted by zilan23

Good info, thanks! Do you know if that coating is available in the US?

On line at Autogeek, Autopia, and Amazon.

[skroonigan]

Originally Posted by unfinedandunfiltered

Hi everyone,

I saw a diy ceramic coating called Armor IX that purports to be easy to apply and lasts a long time.

My M340i only has 600 miles on it and I want to keep the finish in good shape over the long term but just can’t stomach paying 2k to have someone “coat” my car.

Anybody have experience with these diy types? At $60 it seems worthwhile but I don’t want to use it if it might damage the paint either.

I'm assuming it's the Avalonking Armor Shield IX? I applied that on my previous car (Genesis G70) and it worked great (yeah probably not as good as the more expensive stuff in this thread). The car was new so I had to do minimal correction to the paint (YMMV). Beaded water and def made a difference after seeing how dirty my M340i gets parked in my driveway in the same spot (stupid tree). I would watch some videos and inspect your paint before applying, it might make sense to have a detailer do a paint correction depending on the condition of your paint before you do the diy ceramic coating. The key with the ceramic coating is to make sure your paint is perfect/as good as you can get it before applying the ceramic coating. It can (most likely) be hard to remove the ceramic coating to do a paint correction after it's been applied.