[kwarden13]

Recently I had my car ceramic coated with Feynlab Ultra. Honestly it doesn’t look much different then when I picked up the car from the dealer. And I notice some dirt sticking however unsure what is normal. I haven’t washed the car yet since it’s only been 1.5 weeks.

How can you tell if a car is ceramic coated?

[taek]

Water will bead on a ceramic coating, it will react normally to clearcoat (sheets). Beading (lack of it) is generally how you tell a coating is wearing off and you'll need another coating.

[misterbc]

Could probably google it, but how long does a ceramic coating last before it needs to be reapplied?

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by misterbc

Could probably google it, but how long does a ceramic coating last before it needs to be reapplied?

this will vary depending on the product (could be months or years) and installer skill

[11001X101]

Originally Posted by kwarden13

Recently I had my car ceramic coated with Feynlab Ultra. Honestly it doesn’t look much different then when I picked up the car from the dealer. And I notice some dirt sticking however unsure what is normal. I haven’t washed the car yet since it’s only been 1.5 weeks.

How can you tell if a car is ceramic coated?

For it to look good, you need to have a good looking paint to begin with. If your paint is not in great shape, that is what you will see after coating. Coating is mainly to preserve the condition of your paint and gives you some glassy look. Professional installer usually prep (paint correction) first before applying the coating. Imo, installers make a huge difference in the outcome. I usually try to stop by when the car is still inside. If done right, you can really see the improvement right after it's done and waiting for curing. After first wash, it will look even better. If you didn't get to see it, I would wait to see how it looks after first wash. Maybe that's all you need.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by kwarden13

Recently I had my car ceramic coated with Feynlab Ultra. Honestly it doesn’t look much different then when I picked up the car from the dealer.

How can you tell if a car is ceramic coated?

Originally Posted by 10101X5

For it to look good, you need to have a good looking paint to begin with. If your paint is not in great shape, that is what you will see after coating. Coating is mainly to preserve the condition of your paint and gives you some glassy look. Professional installer usually prep (paint correction) first before applying the coating. Imo, installers make a huge difference in the outcome. I usually try to stop by when the car is still inside. If done right, you can really see the improvement right after it's done and waiting for curing. After first wash, it will look even better. If you didn't get to see it, I would wait to see how it looks after first wash. Maybe that's all you need.

Yup, and, as others mentioned, water beading. Spray some water on the hood: if it beads, it's coated, if it sheets, it's not.

But further, you didn't mention the age or condition of the car/paint.

If it's not new (and for many, even when new) the paint needs correction first to:

(1.) Ensure the coating adheres & lasts
(2.) Ensure the paint has max luster BEFORE it's coated

If your detailer didn't do any paint correction and/or your vehicle wasn't new (like days old max), then even if water beads, it probably won't look much different; i.e., the detailer simply coated over what was there, rather than correcting what was there and THEN coating it.

My 2 cents is, for most people willing to do a little elbow work every few weeks, ceramic isn't close to worth it, and it actually complicates things (since it's a semi-permanent coating - you lose options; you can get = or better look for $100 with a little work every month) ...

If, on the other hand, you just want it max shiny for min labor on your part - and cost isn't a factor - then ceramic can be a good idea.

[kwarden13]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Yup, and, as others mentioned, water beading. Spray some water on the hood: if it beads, it's coated, if it sheets, it's not.

But further, you didn't mention the age or condition of the car/paint.

If it's not new (and for many, even when new) the paint needs correction first to:

(1.) Ensure the coating adheres & lasts
(2.) Ensure the paint has max luster BEFORE it's coated

If your detailer didn't do any paint correction and/or your vehicle wasn't new (like days old max), then even if water beads, it probably won't look much different; i.e., the detailer simply coated over what was there, rather than correcting what was there and THEN coating it.

My 2 cents is, for most people willing to do a little elbow work every few weeks, ceramic isn't close to worth it, and it actually complicates things (since it's a semi-permanent coating - you lose options; you can get = or better look for $100 with a little work every month) ...

If, on the other hand, you just want it max shiny for min labor on your part - and cost isn't a factor - then ceramic can be a good idea.

The back of my car looks drastically different from the rest. It has dirt stuck, does not bead, I hosed it and nothing happened it. My car was new and ceramic coated less then 3 weeks ago. Wondering if they just missed the back.

Btw anyone reading this, unless your are enthusiast I would not bother with ceramic. You can just professionally clean you car every month. I paid $1400 and am not wowed by any means. And I still have to wash my car.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by kwarden13

The back of my car looks drastically different from the rest. It has dirt stuck, does not bead, I hosed it and nothing happened it. My car was new and ceramic coated less then 3 weeks ago. Wondering if they just missed the back.

Well ... a couple of things:

(1.) Maybe (?) you need to get your money back
No detailer misses a major portion of the car ... that said ...

(2.) Beading vs Sheeting
On a new car, water should sheet off a clean car even better than if it's treated! Be that treatment ceramic, a polymer LSP, or carnauba wax, those will bead & retain water while a new car will sheet most all off .. until it gets dirty! Which will happen fairly quickly ... "Sheeting" means, when the water runs off, it looks like large irregular-edged sheet and all flows off the car. Beading means that sheet will bunch up into many bubbly-looking beads. Again, on a new car, the beading will usually leave more water on the car than no-treatment sheeting. So when you say you "hosed it and nothing happened" what does that mean? Do you mean the car is dusty/muddy/dirty and when you hosed it the dirt didn't come off? If so then ...

(3.) Ceramic is just a surface protectant
It won't repel dirt, but it will make it easier (for awhile depending) to clean off ... but, like you said, you still have to routinely wash your car to clean off the dirt - there is no way around that with any known technology.


As you pointed out, for anyone who wants the shiniest car always, even with ceramic you still have to wash it.

Having been through all of it, that why, for anyone willing to put in 20-30 min every few weeks for the always-shine, ceramic is just so not worth it - a waterless wash is pretty dang simple & if you tack on an extra 10 min every few months for some meguires hybrid wax or bead maker it's so much easier. $4 of bead maker 3x / year will look better than $1500 of ceramic, just my 2 cents.

After having been a 2-bucket-foam-gun guy, then bringing my car to a fancy detailer for a few years, I finally realized I could do a waterless wash in less time than it took me to drive to the detailer's and it looked equal or better with fewer scratches.

With my last car, 20 min / month of waterless wash for 3 years and I had almost zero swirls.

Just so much easier & better to do it yourself.

[mccoyua1]

This is what I paid for. I've had this car for a month. After review of these photos (maybe I need some of the whole car which I can provide) do you feel this has ceramic coating? I bought from out of state dealer so I cannot take back for verification to them. My next step is to go to a local coating shop.

PermaPlate
B1PLA - 3-WAY PREMDLX APP w/ 1-7 VR
OPTION - Fiber, Leather,
Paint - PREMDLX
84 months
$825.00
Coverage

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by mccoyua1

This is what I paid for. I've had this car for a month. After review of these photos (maybe I need some of the whole car which I can provide) do you feel this has ceramic coating? I bought from out of state dealer so I cannot take back for verification to them. My next step is to go to a local coating shop.

PermaPlate
B1PLA - 3-WAY PREMDLX APP w/ 1-7 VR
OPTION - Fiber, Leather,
Paint - PREMDLX
84 months
$825.00
Coverage

PermaPlate is a garbage sealant dealerships up charge people on.

[evanseric21]

Originally Posted by kwarden13

Recently I had my car ceramic coated with Feynlab Ultra. Honestly it doesn’t look much different then when I picked up the car from the dealer. And I notice some dirt sticking however unsure what is normal. I haven’t washed the car yet since it’s only been 1.5 weeks.

How can you tell if a car is ceramic coated?

If you can't tell, then they probably didn't do a good job, honestly. Your car should have an almost candy-like gloss to it. Do you know if it was Feynlab Ultra V2? There's also an optional overcoat they can add to enhance the gloss and extend the coating's life. I'm having this applied to my wife's car as we speak and just took delivery of my vehicle today. I will be dropping it off over the next few days.

The beading is another way to tell, but you should have been able to notice it at pickup.

[keg97]

That dealership cost alone tells me it's garbage. A true ceramic coating (with proper prep) with a typical dealership premium would be several thousand dollars.

[Pheonix]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

PermaPlate is a garbage sealant dealerships up charge people on.

Yes, 1st hand experience with this. I purchased a VW and they already had Permaplate applied and want to charge $1,200 for it. They were desperate to make the sale so they took the cost off. The coating was terrible and too me a bit of work to get them off for ceramic coatings.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by keg97

That dealership cost alone tells me it's garbage. A true ceramic coating (with proper prep) with a typical dealership premium would be several thousand dollars.

I would never have a dealer do either ceramic or PPF. They usually outsource the work and add a markup to the cost or if they do it themselves it won’t be a great job and/ or they use cheap products. 👎🏻

[Littierally]

Try putting a sticker on the coated area. If ceramic coated properly, it will not stick.

[P1]

It's amazing this ceramic coating scam has gone on for so long. Amazing. 84 months? 84 months of what???