Ceramic Coating - Price and Details Thread

[Pedaldude]

Hydrophobic Silicon Dioxide is the active ingredient in these coatings, Silicon and Oxygen are the two most abundant element on earth. When the disinformation and outrageous claims subsides, hopefully the price point of what is otherwise a legitimate product will come down to a realistic level in comparison to its actual cost.

I have to hand it to the guys marketing this stuff for automotive use. They’re relabeling an industrial product manufactured by the ton. In some cases packaging it in in crack vials and charging more per ounce than printer ink.

Another excellent example is women’s cosmetics, I forget who said it but I think it was either Elizabeth Arden or Helena Rubinstein; that if their face cream was reasonably priced, nobody would believe that it worked and that they weren’t selling beauty products but hope. They started the trend that continues to this day of charging between $10-$200 for something that is essentially the same thing and only costs pennies to produce; making hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The automotive care industry is the much less successful male equivalent.

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[CnB150Lariat]

Hydrophobic Silicon Dioxide is the active ingredient in these coatings, Silicon and Oxygen are the two most abundant element on earth. When the disinformation and outrageous claims subsides, hopefully the price point of what is otherwise a legitimate product will come down to a realistic level in comparison to its actual cost.

I have to hand it to the guys marketing this stuff for automotive use. They’re relabeling an industrial product manufactured by the ton. In some cases packaging it in in crack vials and charging more per ounce than printer ink.

Another excellent example is women’s cosmetics, I forget who said it but I think it was either Elizabeth Arden or Helena Rubinstein; that if their face cream was reasonably priced, nobody would believe that it worked and that they weren’t selling beauty products but hope. They started the trend that continues to this day of charging between $10-$200 for something that is essentially the same thing and only costs pennies to produce; making hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The automotive care industry is the much less successful male equivalent.

Solid point. However it’s not the product that’s driving the cost, it’s the labor. For a high end application with multiple processes involved that include, wash, full detail, clay bar, decontamination wash, compound, polish, and then possibly multiple layers of ceramic, it just takes time. On our new trucks in most cases with minimal paint correction needed and a single stage polish is sufficient and in those cases the pricing should be much more reasonable. But Some detailers will push for multi stage corrections and multi layer ceramic products that take a lot of time and drive up the price. That’s where the higher priced coatings are coming from.

Mine was very reasonably priced with paint, trim and glass treatments all included. I paid less than others are paying. But my truck is star white which just doesn’t need the time that the darker colored trucks will need. The majority of the higher end professional coatings per bottle are $100-$200. Consumer level ceramics are mostly less than $100. So it’s not the ceramic that’s driving these prices, it’s the labor. I would think if people were going to professional detailers for the same amount of work to apply a coat of wax at the end of it all would only be slightly cheaper because ceramic is a pain to apply and takes more time than wax.

 

[jeffcrum]

Agree. I did my truck and my wife's 3 year old car. Amazing job and mostly labor!

 

[Pedaldude]

Yes, I am only referring to the actual coating. Everything else being equal, polishing and buffing the paint; it will be no different preparing for a Carnauba wax coating. If anything, it should be cheaper to apply the SiO2 coating because it goes on as a clear liquid and you‘re not stuck chasing wax in every corner and crevice.

You don’t need a full detailing to enjoy the benefits of the SiO2 coating. I have worked at garages that had detailers and paintless dent removal services we cooperated with. It’s crazy how much longer they would take when the customers insisted on watching! A lot of the stuff that they do is pomp and circumstance.

The paint these days is pretty impressive and durable, however, the craziest paint job I have ever seen wasn’t at a museum, auction or concours d’elegance. It was in some dude’s goat barn. The car was a V16 Cadillac with a newer nitrocellulose lacquer paint job that the former owner had done right before he died. As I helped remove the wool lined car cover off, I was met with one of the blackest shiniest paint jobs imaginable. It was like looking into a barrel of oil!

I would like to caution people against getting their cars polished too often. Modern paint is relatively thin and a few of the previous owners of a few of my vehicles had a fetish with having their car or truck constantly polished and worse, one would take his truck to a machine car wash three times a week. The clear coat was gone on the hood and roof when I got it. My car that was owned by a kid who would wash and wax it every other weekend had the paint worn off on the edges and sharp body creases. A big advantage of the SiO2 coatings is they will last longer in the elements than plain wax but as durable as they are they will be obliterated by machine wash brushes.

I wish that I could wax my truck but I need to wait for the dealership to realign my doors that Ford did a lousy job hanging. They look like they’re open when they’re shut. So frustrating.

 

[Mengel]

For those of us wanting to get ceramic coating done it might help when comparing prices to post some information here-

Entire truck? (Windows, trim, and paint)
What brand?
How many years?
How much did you pay?
Did you also get paint correction?
Where did you get it done at?

Thanks!

Picking mine up tomorrow.
1200
Added rims and windshield
Mike offer limited lifetime warranty as long as I don’t take it to a cheap car wash I’m good
http://firsttexan.com/
Brand new. No paint correction needed

 

[Asphaltman]

Anyone applied their own coating? Im looking at Chemical Guys Carbon Force

 

[lcrain]

Considering having this done. My truck unfortunately gets parked outside...will that interfere with the cure time for the ceramic coating?

 

[ZWARRIOR]

I got my truck coated last Wednesday: $1,000 for Ceramic pro Silver package plus $500 for "factory paint correction" which is just removing the light swirl lines.

 

[Dan]

Did the exterior with paint correction and 2 year warranty. Paint looks way better. $650 at local Ceramic Pro detailer. Driving through salt a lot now and it just rinses right off.

Best price I can find is up Huntsville ontario area and it's $2500, he also needs truck for a week and life time warranty as long as you own the truck.

 

[Agashi25]

Best price I can find is up Huntsville ontario area and it's $2500, he also needs truck for a week and life time warranty as long as you own the truck.

A week? ?

every place I’ve checked with has just said overnight for curing process.

 

[Dan]

A week? ?

every place I’ve checked with has just said overnight for curing process.
[/QUOT

A week? ?

every place I’ve checked with has just said overnight for curing process.

Yea first coat then sets couple days and he final coat and let's cure. Didn't think it was to bad. Never get stone chips again and life time warranty.

 

[oddlou]

Yea first coat then sets couple days and he final coat and let's cure. Didn't think it was to bad. Never get stone chips again and life time warranty.

You were promised that the ceramic coat would stop rock chips? From everything I've seen and understanding what it is that a ceramic coat is and does, it seems very highly unlikely that you'll get that type of protection from the ceramic coat. In terms of function, the coating is a lot like a long-term wax--years, instead of weeks or months, assuming you take care of it. Each coat is super thin and makes the paint easier to keep clean, but it's not protecting from physical damage. A PPF, which is thin, but much much thicker than a ceramic coating will provide protection against chips and scratches, so long as the scratches aren't too deep. Are you sure the guy isn't putting on some PPF? That process tends to take a few days to a week or so.

 

[Agashi25]

You were promised that the ceramic coat would stop rock chips? From everything I've seen and understanding what it is that a ceramic coat is and does, it seems very highly unlikely that you'll get that type of protection from the ceramic coat. In terms of function, the coating is a lot like a long-term wax--years, instead of weeks or months, assuming you take care of it. Each coat is super thin and makes the paint easier to keep clean, but it's not protecting from physical damage. A PPF, which is thin, but much much thicker than a ceramic coating will provide protection against chips and scratches, so long as the scratches aren't too deep. Are you sure the guy isn't putting on some PPF? That process tends to take a few days to a week or so.

Ceramic coating isn’t going to do much to help against debris hitting the paint. You would need a clear bra to help mitigate that at all and even those are questionable.

edit- meant to reply to other guy but looks like we both agree so I’m keeping it here lol

 

[Dan]

You were promised that the ceramic coat would stop rock chips? From everything I've seen and understanding what it is that a ceramic coat is and does, it seems very highly unlikely that you'll get that type of protection from the ceramic coat. In terms of function, the coating is a lot like a long-term wax--years, instead of weeks or months, assuming you take care of it. Each coat is super thin and makes the paint easier to keep clean, but it's not protecting from physical damage. A PPF, which is thin, but much much thicker than a ceramic coating will provide protection against chips and scratches, so long as the scratches aren't too deep. Are you sure the guy isn't putting on some PPF? That process tends to take a few days to a week or so.

He does most of the sports car in the GTA area and it's more then just one coat. It's enamel coating. Not ceramic.

 

[Dan]

He does most of the sports car in the GTA area and it's more then just one coat. It's enamel coating. Not ceramic.

I do work in that area for weeks at time. I usually drive company truck there but I will take my truck and drop it of while working in area. Won't need my truck until finished working so it isn't going to be a problem not having my truck.

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