IGL Coating Kenzo vs Ceramic Pro Gold

[TxGT350-52]

I am considering a ceramic coating for my 2018 GT350. There are several shops in my area that work with Ceramic Pro and Opti-Coat, but I also found one who recommends IGL Coating. The price for the IGL Coating is considerably less and they do not require an annual maintenance coat, like Ceramic Pro does for their Gold Lifetime Warranty package.

https://iglcoatingsusa.com/kenzo/

Has anyone used Kenzo IGL Coating for their car? If so, how long ago and how is it holding up?

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[wade001]

i looked at ceramic pro, had a guy close to the house, going to apply it, etc etc... was quite pricey, and they insisted on a FULL paint correction, 400 miles on ODO.. half of those were the drive back from the dealership. i know brand new car, still needs some correction to the paint, minor corrections but.. ok i thought to myself, this is where they're going to make their money on the install.

after some more research, all the literature i came across called for 2-3 weeks cure time for ceramic pro AFTER application.during this cure time you cant (shouldnt) let the car get specific things on it, if the car comes in contact with these things, you are supposed to wipe them off immediately. the installer also wanted to keep my car for 4 days for the ceramic pro detail and application. so in the back of my mind. im leaving my brand new car, that has been babied, and not really broken in yet with some strangers for 4 days. this combined with the price i feel i need to do a bit more research and shop around before i commit.

part of the reason i want ceramic coating is for ease of cleaning the vehicle, because i have no garage, it sits under trees in a parking lot where i live, it sits in a parking lot full sun where i work. its constantly exposed to the elements, and here these guys are telling me that i cant, or shouldnt, let water, pollen, sap, or bird droppings on the car for 2-3 weeks after i get it back (keep in mind there is a warranty involved here, and to claim on that warranty i'd need to follow their FULL process for prep, application, as well as the cure).

so, no garage, daily driver, and i live in FL as spring is starting... and i cant get the car wet, covered in pollen, or bird droppings for 2-3 weeks... that is just not going to happen. i'd have to rent a storage unit for a month, just to park the car after install. i went over all this with the installer and they were understanding, but confirmed, yes 2-3 weeks after application no rain, no bird droppings, pollen, etc.. wipe it off immediately after it happens. pretty much verbatim from the literature i read.

i started looking at alternatives that were also consumer friendly, not just for professionals. thats when i found CarPro. im sure you have heard of them, maybe by the name C.Quartz? anyway, im not trying to sell on you on carpro products, i just want you to make sure you know what you're getting into with CeramicPro. when i asked my installer they said yeah, all this info is in the documents we give you after its done. which is nice and all but.. honestly the expectations for me to maintain my warranty, could be compromised from the first 5 minutes after they hand over the keys.

ask your installer whats needed to do after installation, before you spend the money, to maintain the coating and warranty. for some people, garaging the vehicle and keeping it clean for a couple weeks, in the grand scheme of things, is no big deal. for me it was a big deal.

 

[TxGT350-52]

i looked at ceramic pro, had a guy close to the house, going to apply it, etc etc... was quite pricey, and they insisted on a FULL paint correction, 400 miles on ODO.. half of those were the drive back from the dealership. i know brand new car, still needs some correction to the paint, minor corrections but.. ok i thought to myself, this is where they're going to make their money on the install.

after some more research, all the literature i came across called for 2-3 weeks cure time for ceramic pro AFTER application.during this cure time you cant (shouldnt) let the car get specific things on it, if the car comes in contact with these things, you are supposed to wipe them off immediately. the installer also wanted to keep my car for 4 days for the ceramic pro detail and application. so in the back of my mind. im leaving my brand new car, that has been babied, and not really broken in yet with some strangers for 4 days. this combined with the price i feel i need to do a bit more research and shop around before i commit.

part of the reason i want ceramic coating is for ease of cleaning the vehicle, because i have no garage, it sits under trees in a parking lot where i live, it sits in a parking lot full sun where i work. its constantly exposed to the elements, and here these guys are telling me that i cant, or shouldnt, let water, pollen, sap, or bird droppings on the car for 2-3 weeks after i get it back (keep in mind there is a warranty involved here, and to claim on that warranty i'd need to follow their FULL process for prep, application, as well as the cure).

so, no garage, daily driver, and i live in FL as spring is starting... and i cant get the car wet, covered in pollen, or bird droppings for 2-3 weeks... that is just not going to happen. i'd have to rent a storage unit for a month, just to park the car after install. i went over all this with the installer and they were understanding, but confirmed, yes 2-3 weeks after application no rain, no bird droppings, pollen, etc.. wipe it off immediately after it happens. pretty much verbatim from the literature i read.

i started looking at alternatives that were also consumer friendly, not just for professionals. thats when i found CarPro. im sure you have heard of them, maybe by the name C.Quartz? anyway, im not trying to sell on you on carpro products, i just want you to make sure you know what you're getting into with CeramicPro. when i asked my installer they said yeah, all this info is in the documents we give you after its done. which is nice and all but.. honestly the expectations for me to maintain my warranty, could be compromised from the first 5 minutes after they hand over the keys.

ask your installer whats needed to do after installation, before you spend the money, to maintain the coating and warranty. for some people, garaging the vehicle and keeping it clean for a couple weeks, in the grand scheme of things, is no big deal. for me it was a big deal.

Thank you for your detailed reply about Ceramic Pro. My car is a third vehicle in a two person family, so leaving it my garage for a couple of weeks would not be a big deal. However, when they tell you it has a lifetime warranty that requires a $190 re-application of the top coat every year, that is a big deal to me. If I keep the car for 10 years (I kept my previous car for 18), that is an additional cost of $1900 to maintain my “lifetime” warranty. What that really sounds like to me, is a 1 year warranty that I have to pay each year to extend for another year. That is a great business model for Ceramic Pro, but not so much for the person who buys into it.

With IGL Coatings Kenzo, the cost is hundreds of dollars less, but the warranty is 4 years. There is no re-application fees or additional cost. At the end of the 4 years, I can come back for a reapplication of the top coat or if the car still looks good, I can wait until I am ready. Since I do not plan to put a lot of miles on the car and it sits in my garage the rest of the time, the installer thought I would probably get 5 or more years out of it.

I am still considering my options, so if anyone else has any input on IGL Coatings or others, please let me know.

 

[wade001]

yes i was also told about the yearly "refresh" to maintain my 2 yr, 5yr, or lifetime warranty also.. i agree did not really seem like a good deal for me, in my case anyway.

i did a quick google search on kenzo, looks like the gloss is insane. good luck and whatever you decide to go with, im sure your gt350 is going to shine like crazy

 

[Shift]

The most important thing to do is a full paint correction. Even my 1 month old car at the time needed about 30 man hours to detail the car, and that's with me babying the car. In my personal experience, I would not do ceramic coating again. It's great, but I'm pretty freaking anal and I notice even a light coat of dust that is invisible to everyone else. You realistically only see the light dust coat at POV of the driver, so I still wash on a regular basis. Nowadays, I throw a coat of P&S beadmaker on there every month or so to keep it shimmering like a pool of water.

But, if you want to do everything you can to minimize maintenance intervals, ceramic coating is the easiest, albeit most expensive way. A lot of that cost is correcting your shitty factory paint. If you find yourself still topping off/spray wax every month or so, it's pointless IMO.

 

[TxGT350-52]

The most important thing to do is a full paint correction. Even my 1 month old car at the time needed about 30 man hours to detail the car, and that's with me babying the car. In my personal experience, I would not do ceramic coating again. It's great, but I'm pretty freaking anal and I notice even a light coat of dust that is invisible to everyone else. You realistically only see the light dust coat at POV of the driver, so I still wash on a regular basis. Nowadays, I throw a coat of P&S beadmaker on there every month or so to keep it shimmering like a pool of water.

But, if you want to do everything you can to minimize maintenance intervals, ceramic coating is the easiest, albeit most expensive way. A lot of that cost is correcting your shitty factory paint. If you find yourself still topping off/spray wax every month or so, it's pointless IMO.

I agree on the paint correction. Every shop I called was quoting a paint correction prior to applying the ceramic coating. Most of them said all I will have to do is wash the car, except the Ceramic Pro installers who want you to come back every year for more $$. I really just want to car to look good without waxing and make it easy to clean when I do get a chance to get out there on the weekend.

 

[Shift]

I agree on the paint correction. Every shop I called was quoting a paint correction prior to applying the ceramic coating. Most of them said all I will have to do is wash the car, except the Ceramic Pro installers who want you to come back every year for more $$. I really just want to car to look good without waxing and make it easy to clean when I do get a chance to get out there on the weekend.

Spray waxes have advanced greatly. You could do your car with beadmaker in about 15-20 minutes once every month or two, especially if it's garaged.

 

[Johnnydarkgt350]

I’m going to be looking for the highest gloss I can get and then it’s in a climate controlled shop ! I’m retired and can apply something every month or us the ceramic the way to go? My issues will include removing brake dust after every drive as well !

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