[ElCapitanMX]

Hello everyone,

Newbie here in the wash and paint protection game, so hopefully I don't get roasted too much.

I have never cared too much for detail washing nor care enough for paint to not take the car to a regular car wash tunnel (I know swirls)

But with this car, after a fresh touchless car wash I can't stop looking on how gorgeous the paint looks and I'm seriously considering Ceramic Coating.

Now, as I said before I have always overlooked the appearance of the car and I have a couple of questions:

- Are the microfiber towels really safe to dry the car? as absorbent as they can be they don't feel soft enough for me and make me think they can produce swirls (maybe I'm overthinking this)

- I really don't see hand washing the car in my current situation due to not enough space plus winter months will make it really hard. What are the safe bets? I have been taking it to a self service touchless carwash and so far it seems ok, thinking on purchasing a pressure washer down the line to do it myself. any cons with this approach?

- Mosquitos and bugs are starting to appear in the windshield and grill area, what's the best to facilitate wash them off without using anything abrasive? will ceramic coating help here?

- I found a ceramic coating place with the following prices and menu, what are your thoughts on it? I really have no idea what am I looking at here.

Thanks for the help!

[335i54n]

imo that kinda on cost is better off spent on ppf unless that a NO, something like Crystal Serum Light works and is pretty diy

quality count when buying towels

with csl ceramic treatment, the self serve pressure wash with spot free rinse water and fwy air dry work for me to keep it looking decent most of the time. when i do touch the car i make sure to spend a lot of time with the pressure washer

[Nettles]

I would recommend finding a good mobile detailer and having them maintain the vehicle. Going down the rabbit hole of ceramic and right towels and methods/techniques is most likely not for you.

[FunnyUsername]

Originally Posted by 335i54n

imo that kinda on cost is better off spent on ppf unless that a NO, something like Crystal Serum Light works and is pretty diy

quality count when buying towels

with csl ceramic treatment, the self serve pressure wash with spot free rinse water and fwy air dry work for me to keep it looking decent most of the time. when i do touch the car i make sure to spend a lot of time with the pressure washer

I honestly don't see the value in PPF. You're basically dropping $5k USD into a wrap that you have to replace for a similarly expensive amount when it gets old, or when it gets damaged (chemically or physically). So ultimately spending $10-$15k on a car that going to depreciate like 30-50% over 10 years. Of course, your paint will be pristine, but does it really matter? For a much cheaper cost, you could just touch-up paint the bad areas, and buff out small scratches yourself, or with a professional for a bit more money.

[Llarry]

My vote would be for ceramic coating and then use touchless auto car wash; I've had good luck with this approach the last few years. I do have a pressure washer for general use around the house and I use that on wheels.

I did Ceramic Pro on all three of my vehicles; expensive but worth it in my opinion. And they do glass as well; my experience is that the ceramic helps cut down on the summer bug splatters.

[1209582]

if ur going with ceramic pro, they have a new version called ion

[Game]

Originally Posted by FunnyUsername

I honestly don't see the value in PPF. You're basically dropping $5k USD into a wrap that you have to replace for a similarly expensive amount when it gets old, or when it gets damaged (chemically or physically). So ultimately spending $10-$15k on a car that going to depreciate like 30-50% over 10 years. Of course, your paint will be pristine, but does it really matter? For a much cheaper cost, you could just touch-up paint the bad areas, and buff out small scratches yourself, or with a professional for a bit more money.

PPF on a front end will cost you about $1500-$2000.

[FunnyUsername]

Originally Posted by Game

PPF on a front end will cost you about $1500-$2000.

That $1500 could be split into 3 professional full paint corrections and full ceramic coating over 9+ years.

This is also considering the ppf never gets damaged. Big rock chip or gash in the ppf can't be touched up or buffed out like paint - you need to replace that whole section which can be expensive (easily a few hundred bucks). Same with chemical damage like bird droppings. That stuff will permanently ruin ppf if you let it sit for too long. Yes there are some self healing properties, but it's mostly for little scratches and swirls.

And of course, the rest of the car will also be vulnerable. Sides can still be scratched up to door dings and road debris. Side skirts will especially be torn up, most notably if you have the gloss black trim and drive through dirt or gravel occasionally.

[jkline398]

Ceramic is old school, graphene coating is the way to go. I have a mint 2000 XKR that a detailer friend convinced me to (pay him to) graphene coat a couple years ago, I don't drive it in rain or snow ever but a couple months ago I took my son to school and I got rained on. We were sitting in the line watching the rain stream down the car like it wasn't even touching it. Parked in the garage and by the time I got my chamois wet to dry it off the car was dry in the garage and floor was soaked. I was blown away. I also never have brake dust problems anymore, I can wipe wheels off with a cheap white towel and barely anything comes off.

It is expensive though and my friend usually only does graphene to lambo's or the high dollar classics around my area, but if you do it you may find your days of actually washing the car will be much more limited. I haven't washed the XKR once since I did it, just duster it and wipe droppings and bugs off with detailer spray after every drive.

[Nettles]

Originally Posted by jkline398

Ceramic is old school, graphene coating is the way to go. I have a mint 2000 XKR that a detailer friend convinced me to (pay him to) graphene coat a couple years ago, I don't drive it in rain or snow ever but a couple months ago I took my son to school and I got rained on. We were sitting in the line watching the rain stream down the car like it wasn't even touching it. Parked in the garage and by the time I got my chamois wet to dry it off the car was dry in the garage and floor was soaked. I was blown away. I also never have brake dust problems anymore, I can wipe wheels off with a cheap white towel and barely anything comes off.

It is expensive though and my friend usually only does graphene to lambo's or the high dollar classics around my area, but if you do it you may find your days of actually washing the car will be much more limited. I haven't washed the XKR once since I did it, just duster it and wipe droppings and bugs off with detailer spray after every drive.

This post is misleading. Graphene came and went pretty quickly. It was very popular for a period of time in the past few years, but lost popularity because its legitimacy came into heavy question. From a chemical breakdown standpoint basically the professionals said it was not something immensely better than ceramic. Apparently alot of products have graphene built in, but it’s been leveraged today for marketing purposes. Do your own research for the accuracy on this (including my own comments). This industry is scarily getting worse with misinformation and powerful marketing.

[FrankMstein]

Originally Posted by FunnyUsername

That $1500 could be split into 3 professional full paint corrections and full ceramic coating over 9+ years.

This is also considering the ppf never gets damaged. Big rock chip or gash in the ppf can't be touched up or buffed out like paint - you need to replace that whole section which can be expensive (easily a few hundred bucks). Same with chemical damage like bird droppings. That stuff will permanently ruin ppf if you let it sit for too long. Yes there are some self healing properties, but it's mostly for little scratches and swirls.

And of course, the rest of the car will also be vulnerable. Sides can still be scratched up to door dings and road debris. Side skirts will especially be torn up, most notably if you have the gloss black trim and drive through dirt or gravel occasionally.

$1500 will get you one decent correction and coat that will last 1-3 years at best. If you don't assault the paint in an automatic wash no more correction will be needed for a few years. Unless you know someone who is going to do a correction and coat a car for $500...Doing polishing more than once in every two years is asking for trouble on the 4th or 5th polishing the highspots unless they have a film thickness meter and know what they are doing.

[Theruleslawyer]

Originally Posted by FunnyUsername

I honestly don't see the value in PPF. You're basically dropping $5k USD into a wrap that you have to replace for a similarly expensive amount when it gets old, or when it gets damaged (chemically or physically). So ultimately spending $10-$15k on a car that going to depreciate like 30-50% over 10 years. Of course, your paint will be pristine, but does it really matter? For a much cheaper cost, you could just touch-up paint the bad areas, and buff out small scratches yourself, or with a professional for a bit more money.

I tend to agree, but it depends if you see the car as something you use up and toss or if you're trying to preserve it forever and have concurs level paint. Different mentalities. When it becomes collectible in 20 years the PPF one will have a substantial premium.

I'm more a sand and respray the bumper once in awhile guy if it gets too bad. I care a lot more about function than it being pretty. However I wouldn't mind ceramic just so road spray tends to slide off without leaving gross water spots all the time.

[FunnyUsername]

Originally Posted by FrankMstein

$1500 will get you one decent correction and coat that will last 1-3 years at best. If you don't assault the paint in an automatic wash no more correction will be needed for a few years. Unless you know someone who is going to do a correction and coat a car for $500...Doing polishing more than once in every two years is asking for trouble on the 4th or 5th polishing the highspots unless they have a film thickness meter and know what they are doing.

$1500 in your area! The most expensive in my area is 850 for paint correction and coating

Originally Posted by Theruleslawyer

I tend to agree, but it depends if you see the car as something you use up and toss or if you're trying to preserve it forever and have concurs level paint. Different mentalities. When it becomes collectible in 20 years the PPF one will have a substantial premium.

I'm more a sand and respray the bumper once in awhile guy if it gets too bad. I care a lot more about function than it being pretty. However I wouldn't mind ceramic just so road spray tends to slide off without leaving gross water spots all the time.

The thing is, you're just speculating that the car could become a collectible. I get it if it's your hobby, but there are definitely more reliable returns on investment in other things. I also don't know much about car collections but I don't think a repaint will kill the valuation, especially if it's the right color.
If you want hydrophobic qualities, I hear Opti-Coat Hyper Seal is very good and easy to apply.

[Sp749]

I use to wash my car/truck twice a week. I had xpel ceramic put on. By far the best money I've spent. You don't have to wash as often. People ask if my truck is brand new. As long as you don't go thru car washes and do your routine maintenance when washing it holds well. Car wash soaps can kill the ceramic over time and the towels also. You shouldn't have swirls in ceramic. Don't buff in a circle and you won't get any swirls.

[jkline398]

Originally Posted by Nettles

This post is misleading. Graphene came and went pretty quickly. It was very popular for a period of time in the past few years, but lost popularity because its legitimacy came into heavy question. From a chemical breakdown standpoint basically the professionals said it was not something immensely better than ceramic. Apparently alot of products have graphene built in, but it’s been leveraged today for marketing purposes. Do your own research for the accuracy on this (including my own comments). This industry is scarily getting worse with misinformation and powerful marketing.

Sadly yes this is true, I completely agree! There is so much junk out there that is fake it is unbelievable. But this goes with any product and graphene is not immune. It is such a powerhouse on the molecular level that companies can easily scam people to think they are buying graphene products that are simply not.

I emphasize my friend convinced me after I had much skepticism and it is intirely possible even he, with a detail enterprise, is not able to get the same stuff he used on my car anymore due to market inconsistency and products changing/going out of business.

My point is I have ceramic coated my vehicles for years, but this XKR is only one that has had this result lasting years.

[FrankMstein]

Originally Posted by jkline398

Sadly yes this is true, I completely agree! There is so much junk out there that is fake it is unbelievable. But this goes with any product and graphene is not immune. It is such a powerhouse on the molecular level that companies can easily scam people to think they are buying graphene products that are simply not.

I emphasize my friend convinced me after I had much skepticism and it is intirely possible even he, with a detail enterprise, is not able to get the same stuff he used on my car anymore due to market inconsistency and products changing/going out of business.

My point is I have ceramic coated my vehicles for years, but this XKR is only one that has had this result lasting years.

I am interested to know what you believe is a reputable graphene coating product. After watching ScottHD, some of the manufacturers quality control is non-existent or very poor. Some are pretty consistent. Some others (Including ScottHD) are saying graphene is not any better, or marginally better, in longevity. I went with Adams graphene to try it out for a few reasons, larger company, batch consistency/performance, local "dealer", support products, and customer service. I had been using CQUARTZ and IGL.

Not to start another topic here but I understand the initial need in the first few years for installers to be controlled via training/license for application, but not now. There is so much of this stuff out there now available to any consumer/installer that it is not viable. Some "pro only" products are no better given the same install.

[jsf721]

Ceramic pro is a marketing strategy. Heavily advertised and imho not worth it. I’d look for a IGL dealer and get Kenzo. I love it on my car.

Or find a Geyon dealer or a nanolex.

[Throatpunch]

Originally Posted by FunnyUsername

$1500 in your area! The most expensive in my area is 850 for paint correction and coating



The thing is, you're just speculating that the car could become a collectible. I get it if it's your hobby, but there are definitely more reliable returns on investment in other things. I also don't know much about car collections but I don't think a repaint will kill the valuation, especially if it's the right color.
If you want hydrophobic qualities, I hear Opti-Coat Hyper Seal is very good and easy to apply.

We have shops charging $3500 for correction and coating here