ceramic coating. Enlghten a NOOB on the pros and cons

[vaderx5]

Just got a new to me 2021 x5 m50i and want to protect the paint.I see all of these ads for ceramic coating but in reading here people are saying scam.

Please enlighten me

[tcphoto]

I just applied my first ceramic coating last week and I’m impressed. I washed it, clay bared, compound, polished and then applied the coating. After curing, a few days of sunshine we had a few days of rain and it still looks great. Of course, the rear picks up dirt from the wet pavement but I’m impressed so far.

[shimmy23]

not trying to sound like an ass but there are tons of threads, youtubes and info on the internet to answer your question. why wait for folks to post here? us bmw guys are only a small niche of the detailing scene

[Ugly Kar]

I don't know why it would be a scam. If you would just search you'd find the test gecko posted. And there's certainly more good products than just the ones in that test.

https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2103612

Now if you pay someone $4k to do it for you, then yes it's a scam.

[Llarry]

I had my F80 M3 paint-corrected/ceramic-coated when new in early 2017 and have become of fan of ceramic. Properly applied, think wax that lasts years. I'm not up to doing the job myself and so must admit that it is expensive, but I'm very happy with the results.

[tcphoto]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

not trying to sound like an ass but there are tons of threads, youtubes and info on the internet to answer your question. why wait for folks to post here? us bmw guys are only a small niche of the detailing scene

The younger generation seems to resist searching for answers, they want someone to do it for them. I know this doesn't apply to everyone but certainly a majority of them. Ever notice how ancient threads suddenly get bumped or there's a new thread with the same question over and over again? I find that they pertain to wheel offsets, blown head gaskets, coolant leaks and tuning to name a few.

[eliphil]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

not trying to sound like an ass but there are tons of threads, youtubes and info on the internet to answer your question. why wait for folks to post here? us bmw guys are only a small niche of the detailing scene

Well guys here’s my contrarian view, this forum is great for advice and there’s nothing wrong w a nube asking for it even if there are tons of other threads about it. If your not interested in helping him don’t but to me you do seem like an ass.

To the nube ceramic coating is great, doesn’t repel dirt but it lasts way longer then wax. My detailer no longer uses wax. If u just want a simple dyi product there is a silica spray out there that’s awesome. I will try and find the name and let u know. There are plenty of folks on this forum that will help you

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by vaderx5

Just got a new to me 2021 x5 m50i and want to protect the paint.I see all of these ads for ceramic coating but in reading here people are saying scam.

Please enlighten me

A ceramic layer makes the paint look good & is much easier to clean. If you're looking for protection from rock chips, etc., paint protection film is needed.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by Llarry

think wax that lasts years

I think this is a good way of looking at it.

One does still have to wash their car and such, but afterwards it can be left alone or maintained with a spray-on diluted ceramic that's DIY-able with a couple microfibers. Easier than the standard wax, wait, buff off process for sure.

[vaderx5]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

not trying to sound like an ass but there are tons of threads, youtubes and info on the internet to answer your question. why wait for folks to post here? us bmw guys are only a small niche of the detailing scene

I am by no means a member of the younger generation just smart enough to try to learn from the experiences of others. I've read the you tubs and other info. which is why i asked the question.

The last time I wasa looking into what;s best for my car I came up with Zaino...

[Littlecoupe]

Some points to consider on ceramic from my own experience:

Prep is key. Apply ceramic over paint defects, they stay there until the coating is gone and the defect is fixed. Also to that note, if not applying yourself, removing scratches from the paint also removes the coating. You either need to reapply, or you lose protection there.

Also worth noting that the water sheeting typically doesn't last the full life of the coating. A top coat of something to make the coating slick again fixes this. I've also seen videos showing that a light polish (not so much that it removes the coating) removes the contaminants that "clog" the coating, which otherwise render the sheeting less effective.

Ceramic is low maintenance, but not no maintenance. Also that claim that it repels dust, I call BS. My car is ALWAYS dusty by the end of a workday.

[Nettles]

Originally Posted by vaderx5

I am by no means a member of the younger generation just smart enough to try to learn from the experiences of others. I've read the you tubs and other info. which is why i asked the question.

The last time I wasa looking into what;s best for my car I came up with Zaino...

Yeah you tubs is great. You're learning a lot.

Ceramic is not a scam. If you maintain your car and have it cleaned often whether by yourself or a detailer then yes it is worth it. If you aren't really into it then skip it. You won't ever understand the value if you don't understand paintwork.

[TheMocc]

Originally Posted by vaderx5

I am by no means a member of the younger generation just smart enough to try to learn from the experiences of others. I've read the you tubs and other info. which is why i asked the question.

The last time I wasa looking into what;s best for my car I came up with Zaino...

I remember and used Zaino as well back in the day. My take on it is - if you have the extra time on your hands and enjoy the amount of work you’re going to have to put in to get the job done right i.e clay bar, polish, prep and then ceramic- there are plenty of DIY ceramic products out these days and many that are fine to apply outdoors and forgiving to first timers as far as application. I say go for it

If you dont have the time, dont enjoy that amount of work or just have the disposable income handy to get a reputable shop in your area that uses quality products- I don’t think you will regret the paint prep and coating either.

Good luck with whatever you decide

[MADBMWX5MC]

Lots of good coments here..the key is understanding what ceramic coating is and is not. Once you get pass that, the next decision is a matter of $$

[KevinGS]

If you care about the appearance of your paint, PPF is more important than ceramic, IMO. so I'd say get as much PPF as you can afford, but make sure to do a paint correction first. Ceramic can be done later, and can also be a DIY job with some patience.

[eliphil]

Yes ppf is a must for entire front end and side mirrors, glad so many members rose to the occasion to help a brother…..

[MMnut]

There is all pros and no cons with ceramic coating, not just with pain but also with glass. You will see crystal clear through the windows in the rain as the water beads off the windows the moment it hits the glass.

[GreenRangerDX]

Originally Posted by eliphil

Well guys here’s my contrarian view, this forum is great for advice and there’s nothing wrong w a nube asking for it even if there are tons of other threads about it. If your not interested in helping him don’t but to me you do seem like an ass.

To the nube ceramic coating is great, doesn’t repel dirt but it lasts way longer then wax. My detailer no longer uses wax. If u just want a simple dyi product there is a silica spray out there that’s awesome. I will try and find the name and let u know. There are plenty of folks on this forum that will help you

Thanks for sticking up for us noobs, brother. It gets very intimidating on here sometimes

[eliphil]

There are plenty of good people on this forum that are very helpful

[Navin_Johnson]

Originally Posted by MADBMWX5MC

.............the key is understanding what ceramic coating is and is not. ..............

After retiring, my car is no longer a "daily driver" sitting in a parking lot for 8 hours, I decided to get myself a nice car that I could enjoy driving. What better car to get than the Ultimate Driving Machine!

I've always done my own car care, so I researched ceramic coating on the internet, and now feel that if you get a nice brand new car now, you'd be a fool NOT to have it treated, either by paying the dealer, a detailing shop, or doing it yourself. If you are buying a car that doesn't cost much or you don't care about it, then you probably will never bother to even wax the car, so this isn't for you.

The way I saw someone (probably on YT) explain it; imagine the paint on your car looked at through a microscope, and the clearcoat looks like the surface of the moon. Ceramic coat is basically liquid glass, and by applying it to the clear coat (and glass, plastics) you are filling in all those craters and when you wipe (level) it off, smoothing the surface so that contaminants (dirt, pollen) won't stick to the surface as easily, making it easier to wash off, by what ever method you decide to use. The car will still get dirty, but the ceramic coating will make it so much easier to wash it clean again. Read through the previous comments above. There is so much information here in these forums, and even more out on the web.

I wish this stuff was available the last time I bought a new car that I wanted to keep forever. In 1987 the best you could do was wax the car to protect it. If there was something better I didn't know about it since that was before all the knowledge of the internet. The 18 years I had that car, it got waxed every year, and put less than 500 miles on it each year. One thing I did then that I won't ever do again is cover a car. Now I know that a cotton cover will sift dust through, and every time you go to drive it and take the cover off, you are putting micro scratches into the clearcoat. With the ceramic coating, we can rinse and dry without even touching the paint.

[scotthilly]

I've used AvalonKing on two cars and have been extraordinarily happy with the results. It's cheap ($70 or so), and I can verify it lasts 3 years even when parked outside.

It added tons of gloss to my black 2019 vw gti, and has made my alpine white e90 shine much more. It also beads water away and is slightly less dirty.

Is it easier to clean? Maybe, but a dirty car is a dirty car. It doesn't really stop that. In my opinion, the effect is that it makes the clean car look better.

Additionally, even a complete noob can install it and it only takes a few hours. Highly highly reccomend!

[Murf the Surf]

I had A+ Detailing in Kingston do the Bug today. They are mobile so come to you which had a lot of appeal. 2 stage paint correction and ceramic coat. This is a business owned and run by two young brothers (one of them is starting university in the fall for engineering). I can't say enough about these guys. They are back tomorrow to do the RAM and I will likely have them do the Mini and my Donzi as well.

First go with ceramic coating, so we'll see how it stands up but it looks fantastic.