[skindoc]

2022 X6 M50i

Really wanting to do the ceramic coating, but can't bring myself to do it. Besides the cost (quoted $1200 in NYC area), I sometimes run her through the tunnel if I need a quick wash. Thought about PPF, but I'm not a fan of removing the badges because I am OCD about placement and the cost is high. I'm in an apartment so no ability to wash myself. Guys in my area charging $80 for a simple wash. Hand wash place is ok but inconvenient. Should I just wax her and call it a day or is ceramic or PPF worth considering?

[CGG]

Sorry, there is no answer to this question. It's personal preference and how much you are prepared to pay.

Apparently some people are prepared to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to get their car PPF and ceramic coated. I certainly understand the desire to keep a new car looking as new as you can, for as long as you can. For me it is not worth it to spend so much on a rapidly depreciating asset. No matter what you do, after four or five years you vehicle looks like a four or five year old vehicle - because it is.

I decided to do both PPF and a ceramic coating on my X5. However, I only put PPF on the hood and fenders. Cost $300.

I did a ceramic coating myself - but beware doing so is not for the faint of heart and it does require the right equipment (it is a long list of equipment and products required).

The cost in getting ceramic is not the cost of the actual ceramic but all the extensive labor required to clean and polish the paint and get the paint ready for the ceramic coating. I never kept track but I probably spent around 12 hours. I already had a lot of the equipment and products so the cost was probably around $200.

If you are concerned about paint chips etc, go with PPF. Ceramic does make the car look glosser and it will be easier to clean but ceramic does not really provide any paint protection against chips and scratches.

If it were me, I would get some PPF and apply a sealant. A good sealant such as Jescar Power Lock will give you 3-6 months of protection. Apply 2-3 times a year and you are good to go. At the same time, if you have the $ combine the PPF with a ceramic coating! Up to you...

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by skindoc

I'm in an apartment so no ability to wash myself.

You can absolutely do waterless washes yourself assuming your car isn't parked on a major road that risks you getting hit and/or you're willing & able to take it a parking lot somewhere. (if it's got caked on mud or heavy salt etc, then, yeah, you gotta spray it off; if it's just the normal 3 weeks of dust & dirt AND you routinely maintain it, it's an easy 20-30 min)

Here's how:

(1.) Optimum No rinse Wash & Wax + 1/2 gallon of distilled water in a small bucket mixed double or triple strength - you can even use a collapsible bucket or a cut-off water bottle.

(2.) Put 4 microfiber rags into the bucket and, ideally, some of the solution in a sprayer. Have 4 more clean dry MFs at the ready.

Optional: spray the first panel, say 1/2 the hood, with ONR

(3.) Take a rag out dripping & fold into 4ths - squeeze just enough solution out so it's not all sloppy. Each 1/4 of the rag wil be used to clean 1 panel (hood counts as 2 panels). NEVER put that rag back in the bucket. Once a rag comes out, it's out. Never rinse it out until you're 100% done with it and never put it back in the clean water bucket.

(4.) GENTLY wipe the panel in a single direction. Spray down the next panel. With your other hand, use a dry MF folded into 4ths to more/less dry the first panel.

(5.) Repeat for all panels. Then use a final MF to buff out the whole car and get any drops left behind.


If you wax it first with a great beading wax, LSP, or ceramic then your washes should be pretty easy - or have your detailer do it.

Optionally after you wash it you can use something like P&S Bead maker or Turtle Wax's graphene spray wax (or meguiars spray wax) to do one round of that (with different MFs of course)


Overall, my 2 cents, unless the micropits really bother you, and/or you absolutely can't or won't wash it yourself and/or pay for it to be done, the spendy PPF/ceramics aren't worth it. Even the ceramics companies are starting to make waxes again!

[Ashme]

Rent a garage for a day and do your own graphene coating. It's not hard, but it will take all day. I did the pro graphene kit from Adams (not spray bottle) and it's so much better than any ceramic coating I've used (and I've used a lot).

Then wash using the 2 bucket system and no-rinse system described above. I have the luxury of a hose/garage and pressure wash the car off first, but I doubt I need to with graphene unless it's really dirty. Also, be sure to use GOOD microfiber towels like these. I use 3 for washing and 2 for trying. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1
The cheap disposable ones will absolutely wreck your paint. Use those for wheels and throw them out after. You can see all the swirl marks I have:
(That's wet sanded paint so swirl marks would be very obvious)

Coatings won't stop rock chips at all. They'll add UV protection and drastically reduce swirl marks from automatic car washes and make it much easier to wash (especially brake dust). That's what PPF is for. If you're living in a city and don't do much highway speed cruising, you're probably not going to get many rock chips and such.

PPFing the entire car is madness imo. You can repaint the car for that price, and how many rock chips are you getting on your trunk lid, hood, etc. It's a nice car, but it's not a $4M collectable.

edit: I also put the coating on my seats and steering wheel. It helps, I think. Last car I sold, the buyer was shocked at how good the seats looked.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Ashme

Rent a garage for a day and do your own graphene coating. ... PPFing the entire car is madness imo. You can repaint the car for that price, and how many rock chips are you getting on your trunk lid, hood, etc. It's a nice car, but it's not a $4M collectable.

Great advice! I think I'm gonna try just the ole Optimum rinseless wash and Turtle Wax's new ceramic stuff and see how I do ... if I start getting alot of chips or something I may change ...

Due to a lot of planned roadtrips I"m also considering just the front bumper PPF and not custom ... can't decide ... it's a lot for maybe not a lot, but it might make cleaning off the bugs less of a concern ...

[Fe304rdu]

I have one PPF and professionally ceramic applied car (my midlife crisis) and on my e45 I just used Adams spray graphene and no PPF.

The pro car beads and washes much easier and I have not touched it in 2 years but the Adams e45 beads very well, washes quickly and is almost as fun to wash.

For the limited expense and 20 minutes of application every 6 months I’ll probably just use the spray graphene on any daily car which I will trade in every 3-4 years.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Fe304rdu

I have one PPF and professionally ceramic applied car (my midlife crisis) and on my e45 I just used Adams spray graphene and no PPF.

The pro car beads and washes much easier and I have not touched it in 2 years but the Adams e45 beads very well, washes quickly and is almost as fun to wash.

For the limited expense and 20 minutes of application every 6 months I’ll probably just use the spray graphene on any daily car which I will trade in every 3-4 years.

Great to hear your experience!

I've come to the same conclusions ... since I want the car maintained anyway, just easier to use a little flex wax after every wash and if I get a lot of rock chips I'll respray it.

[Melbourne_X5M]

The real beauty of a properly prepped paint surface with ceramic coating comes after you’ve applied 2 to 3 coats of ceramic. One is never enough to fill in the uneven paint surface. After 3 coats, the surface is perfectly smooth. Thus, nothing for dirt to become caught in. With no dirt or other contaminants, washing is simple and there is nothing to catch in your mitt to scratch the paint. One bucket washing or even just a thick microfiber cloth and detailing spray is enough to keep your auto looking gorgeous!

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Melbourne_X5M

The real beauty of a properly prepped paint surface with ceramic coating comes after you’ve applied 2 to 3 coats of ceramic. One is never enough to fill in the uneven paint surface. After 3 coats, the surface is perfectly smooth. Thus, nothing for dirt to become caught in. With no dirt or other contaminants, washing is simple and there is nothing to catch in your mitt to scratch the paint. One bucket washing or even just a thick microfiber cloth and detailing spray is enough to keep your auto looking gorgeous!

Just FYI, you don't need any of that to get the same effect. For US$50 or less you can buy a 36 pack of microfibers, a bottle of mckees, and a bottle of spray on wax. Using the right technique, which is extremely easy, you can avoid 99% of the micromarring and get the same hose-off effects with one caveat:

Spray on waxes/sealents will only last 2-3 months or less in harsh conditions and 6-9 months in sunny dry regions ... but if you wash it yourself and use the sealant as drying aid every time, then those timespans become irrelevant.


The real enemy, ceramic or not, is road film; i.e., driving in rainy or wet conditions and having your car splashed with water containing vehicle oils - that'll definitely stick to anything, ceramic or not, and you'll have to remove it with a degreaser (shampoo won't do it) or you'll get permadirty.

But, to your point, at the margins a resin-delivered ceramic on corrected paint will always be better (longer lasting, more durable) than a water-soluble wax or sealant, though the questions become how much? when? can you tell? if not was the marginal difference worth it? No right answers, just factors for each person to noodle.