[bmwauug]

Originally Posted by mattinfll

I will contract with a mobile detailer to keep the car looking as new as I can. But that will be every two weeks at most.

I want the ceramic on before I drive home from Spartanburg.

Brooklyn Grey has been the easiest color I have ever maintained ( on my X4). But that color is now on every Hyundai and Honda around me (no offense, I just like to be a little more individual).

So with TZ Blue, need to be prepared for easier cleaner.

Agree. That color needs some love. I had it and it’s beautiful

[bmwauug]

Here it is. Gloss shine is amazing !

[USMC G2]

Greetings,

I personally think ceramic coating your car or wheels is expensive, does not last forever and is somewhat effective in preventing dirt, dust and other particles from accumulating on the surface of whatever.

Therefore, I would recommend a few different approaches.

1. Wash your car with the new ceramic or wax car wash. Griot's Garage has several car washes that contain wax, ceramic, etc.

2. After washing your car, apply Aerolon Tech Shine ($125 per gallon). It's applied to a wet car including windows and easily rinsed off. You spray onto a wet surface and spread it around with a wet sponge and rinse off. Leaves a great polymer coating that protects and shines and lasts.

3. After washing your car either a wax or ceramic wash and using a two bucket method or spray cannon, or spray foamer (used with a simple hose), rinse and then spray with a detailer spray or a wax spray or a ceramic spray and wipe dry. Use a quality car wash when washing, and avoid Dawn dishwashing liquid - yes, being sarcastic.

4. After washing, rinsing and drying your car. Apply a detailer spray, wax spray or ceramic spray and wipe/polish to a shine.

There are so many products on the market today that make your car's surface look better than new.

I personally don't have anything to do with Griot's Garage, but love their products...they are competitively priced and work as advertised. Many of their detailer sprays, tire dressings, washes and waxes contain ceramic.

Semper Fi

[chood98]

I have looked at ceramic coating, but not sure is it really as good as people say?

[bmwauug]

Hey thanks - all really good feedback. I'm new to the ceramic thing and just had it done. I was on the fence (hence my post). I will learn how well and how long it holds up - on initial look, the gloss and shine is insane.

[lens]

Originally Posted by chood98

I have looked at ceramic coating, but not sure is it really as good as people say?

Imagine you're driving and it's raining and you don't need to use your wipers because the rain is legit sliding off your windshield.


Or imagine your car is dirty, and all it takes is a quick spray at the coin wash and wipe.

Dirt and bugs doesn't stick on the paint as much.

[Yuille36]

If your OCD goes off like mind does, then yes Ceramic coating is totally worth it. But that is dependent upon the cost, my local shop charges about $1500 to include decontamination and paint correction.

POLISH PLUS | $1499+
9H PRO + PAINT CORRECTION | 2-3 DAYS

6 year protection

Shine enhancement to achieve a mirror-like finish.

Up to 80% of scratches treated.

Premium Exterior Detailing
Clay bar
2 Stage paint correction
9H Pro Ceramic coating
Wheels coated (face)
Plastic trims and tires dressed
Interior Vacuum
+Glass ceramic coated

[stbm5]

for anyone wanting a ceramic coating, they are not hard to do. assuming you have a garage, some tools and time its an easy DIY project. paying 2400 for a coating is just too much. even if you had to buy tools for paint correction you'll still save tons doing it yourself. AND you'll probably take more care and time than someone else will. my opinion is that professionally installed coatings only available to detailers is mostly a scam.

[Yuille36]

They also offer a 2-yr enhancement coat for $399 to top of your ceramic coating's hydrophobic properties.

[jwmFcreek]

BMW AUUG

Great question what to do I just got a frozen XM this summer was terrified to mess it up and NOT a detailer had new clue what all this world was it’s great .

But have spent months crash course learning buying products doing trials on best way to take care of my car … I used my other cars first to teach myself … and so many helpful in this site and others .

Funny BMW says only soap and water but then we sell this matte black nano wax was all nuts . To me I could not long term treat my car because what if it’s wrong for my car my paint I am screwed for a long time … I did PPF on the hood and front end that’s it I love my paint color … and wanted to protect my car myself right or wrong .
The end of my trials and research was with Jimbo’s detailing products and his Hard as shell ceramic spray product … lasts 6 months a year … not forever … easy to apply very easy . Makes the trim pop and protects the car with out changing the appearance I tried the inside doors first it was a process . Then my other cars … love the product for me . Like what he says avoid using your hands on your car all you can most black car owners cause there own troubles he is right . The hard as shell spray I use on towel when drying my cars keeps them updated and drying marks off my cars also . Doing it myself I am not as afraid of screwing up now … its a great easy product for me . Truly good luck enjoy your nice car .

[reallymarkedup]

Originally Posted by stbm5

assuming you have a garage

I do have a garage! It's too bad that once the car is in there, there's hardly enough room for me. I guess I need two garages to qualify.

Originally Posted by stbm5

some tools

I have those! Will a wrench work?

Originally Posted by stbm5

and time

Not a lot of that. Do you know where I can get more?

Originally Posted by stbm5

its an easy DIY project

Easy is very subjective here. I get that the DIYers will see an opportunity to buy more tools, but let's not fool anyone into thinking the first time you pick up an orbital you're going to get a showroom result.

That being said, I'm going to try and teach myself next spring and I have a friend with a literal fleet of old cars that I can practice on, but I also completely understand that some people just want to pay for it and have it done by an experienced professional.

[stbm5]

Originally Posted by reallymarkedup

I do have a garage! It's too bad that once the car is in there, there's hardly enough room for me. I guess I need two garages to qualify.



I have those! Will a wrench work?



Not a lot of that. Do you know where I can get more?



Easy is very subjective here. I get that the DIYers will see an opportunity to buy more tools, but let's not fool anyone into thinking the first time you pick up an orbital you're going to get a showroom result.

That being said, I'm going to try and teach myself next spring and I have a friend with a literal fleet of old cars that I can practice on, but I also completely understand that some people just want to pay for it and have it done by an experienced professional.

using an orbital isn't difficult, get one that is light and preferably cordless. as long as you don't do something obviously boneheaded like being too aggressive with compound your chance of making a serious error is low. you could always practice first on a car that it wouldn't matter if you did a less than perfect job. wish I could find you more time. but if you start the whole process on a Saturday morning you be done including cure Sunday evening.

[reallymarkedup]

Originally Posted by stbm5

but if you start the whole process on a Saturday morning you be done including cure Sunday evening.

And that is why I don't begrudge anyone who wants to pay someone else to do it. Not everyone wants to burn their weekend on that, when we all work 40-50-60 hour weeks or whatever it is. If it's your hobby, sure, but being a gearhead doesn't automatically mean you have to enjoy detailing. That's the whole of my point and I'll let it be now.

[IanH]

I can barely find 2 consecutive hours on the weekend to do a wash and detail, nevermind 6-8 straight hours to get the ceramic done to my exacting standards.

Also, like with paying a good euro shop to do mechanical work you could do yourself, if something isnt right then you get support from the shop/detailer.

[jwmFcreek]

Ceramic spray with Jimbo’s hard as shell

After prepping the car … maybe a half hour it’s takes 10 minutes to apply to the car at best … I think it’s fun and easy . Car is smooth and protected and I did I like not handing my new BMW Xm label off to some shop .

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Nettles

Why not just let a detailer handle maintenance?

You mean maintenance as in weekly washes or upkeep of the ceramic? Having a detailer doing frequent washes would get costly. I'll be taking mine back to the shop that applied the ceramic for the yearly tune-ups for it.

[snareman]

Late to the thread, but I'll add my thoughts for posterity.

I had my Marina Bay Blue X5 ceramic coated. MBB is the darkest color I've owned and I don't think I'll get one this dark again because it shows dust the day after I wash it. I had a white X3 and took it through the auto wash frequently. Sure, there were probably swirls from it, but you can't see them on white. I've seen my friend's MBB X3M that's been through the auto wash and there tons of swirls which are way more evident because of the darker color.

My desire for an always clean car has always been greater than my desire for a swirl-less car, but after seeing my friends MBB I'm not so sure. I had ceramic coating applied at a local shop. Car looks great and so far I've only hand washed it at home and it has no swirls. I'm entering my first Ohio winter with it and I recognize that I'm not going to be standing outside washing it in February (or even now in November).

So now I have the conundrum of how do I keep my car clean through the winter. If I had my house to build over again I'd have added a larger garage with heat to be able to wash it in there during the winter, but I'm 7 years too late for that plan. Neither the auto wash with brushes or the touchless are great for the ceramic. The touchless shouldn't really add swirls, but the very basic (high pH) soap used can wear down the ceramic coating faster. I suppose I'd rather have that than beating off the ceramic with the brushes AND adding swirls so I'll probably go that route for the winter.

[Yuille36]

Since, all of my vehicles went thru a two-stage paint correction, PPF installed, and ceramic coated by Wrap Beast. I wash them thru a touchless car wash. Nothing touches the car except for foam soap, water and a high-pressure blow dryer. And all for $9.00 for the deluxe wash. I simply wipe them down with my jumbo micro-fiber towel and add some tire dressing, and vacuum and wipe down the interior. Not a drawn-out process, about 45 minutes in total. Quick and easy.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

Since, all of my vehicles went thru a two-stage paint correction, PPF installed, and ceramic coated by Wrap Beast. I wash them thru a touchless car wash. Nothing touches the car except for foam soap, water and a high-pressure blow dryer. And all for $9.00 for the deluxe wash. I simply wipe them down with my jumbo micro-fiber towel and add some dressing, and vacuum and clean the interior. Not a drawn-out process, about 45 minutes in total. Quick and easy.

If I had PPF I'd be less concerned about swirls, but I couldn't see spending $6k+ on a car I was going to have for 3ish years.

[Yuille36]

Originally Posted by snareman

Neither the auto wash with brushes or the touchless are great for the ceramic. The touchless shouldn't really add swirls, but the very basic (high pH) soap used can wear down the ceramic coating faster. I suppose I'd rather have that than beating off the ceramic with the brushes AND adding swirls so I'll probably go that route for the winter.

Yes, I'm aware of that fact, but since winter is coming touchless is the best option. Besides, my shop told me that if I'm not handwashing the car myself, a touchless car wash is the safest option to not ruin the ceramic coating. And my ceramic coating comes with a two-year reapplication for $399 which the shop recommends doing.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

Yes, I'm aware of that fact, but since winter is coming touchless is the best option. Besides, my shop told me that if I'm not handwashing the car myself, a touchless car wash is the safest option to not ruin the ceramic coating. And my ceramic coating comes with a two-year reapplication for $399 which the shop recommends doing.

Yea, the touchless seems like the less paint offensive of the two options. My shop requires the annual maintenance (reapplication of some form) although I forget the price. I think its required by Xpel for their warranty.

[Yuille36]

Originally Posted by snareman

If I had PPF I'd be less concerned about swirls, but I couldn't see spending $6k+ on a car I was going to have for 3ish years.

I've had the E63 AMG for 17 yrs, the X5M for 9 yrs and the M3 for 7 months. And they all have partial front PPF installed. I'm just trying to preserve the paint correction and ceramic coating. The PPF is sacrificial. But they all look really do for their ages, especially the F85 X5M and E63. I get compliments on them all the time. In fact, on Wednesday some Asian guy gave me two thumbs up as I was turning the corner.

But for sure, if I was to use a standard car wash, I would definitely introduce swirls marks and scratches back into the paint.