Ceramic Pro worth it? Should I "wrap" instead?

[Spork3245]

Hey, guys!

So, I'm thinking about getting a ceramic pro coating professionally done for my 2019 Mustang GT that I just got two weeks ago. This is my first time getting some type of professional coating done on one of my cars as I usually lease (bought this one).
I contacted a highly reviewed place that's somewhat near me (30-ish minutes away in south NJ) the prices they quoted me are...
5-Year coating: $1200-1300
7-Year healable coating: $2800-3500
Lifetime Package (5-layer coating, essentially the 5-year with 3 additional base coats): $2200-2500
*the varying of prices is depending on what's needed to prep. ie: getting out any scuffs/chips prior to coating.
**they mentioned that they also coat the rims

Are these good prices? They also do PPF (clear wrap) and quoted me $1800 for just the "full front end" package, said it has a 10-year warranty. They mentioned that people often do the wrap then have the ceramic pro put on top of it...?

Admittedly, money is a little tight at the moment (well... not tight, just... uhh... my wallet hurts ) between buying the car and getting 2x 275-wide front rims to remove the staggered PP1 set-up and obviously needed to get tires to go along with that (it's my DD so I got 4x Pilot Sport A/S 3+ to replace the summer PS 4S tires). So, I was hoping to get everyone's thoughts about going ceramic pro and/or a wrap. The place has a coating studio which is fully climate and humidity controlled, they said a full coat will take about 3 days.

Sponsored

 

[JohnDoe]

Don't you have to go back once a year to recoat?

 

[Spork3245]

Don't you have to go back once a year to recoat?

That would be if I got the absolute basic coating which I wouldn't bother with. I'll likely keep this car for at least 4 years before either moving to the next gen or a GT500, so the 1-2 year packages aren't even on my radar at the moment.

 

[Kevin08]

Ceramic coatings are not protective barriers like vinyl wraps are. The are glorified waxes that cure to a fairly hardened state. They'll still scratch (or let scratches and chips through your clear-coat and base coat) but make cleaning much easier and prevent you from having to wax the car. If you want protection, get PPF.

 

[Spork3245]

Ceramic coatings are not protective barriers like vinyl wraps are. The are glorified waxes that cure to a fairly hardened state. They'll still scratch (or let scratches and chips through your clear-coat and base coat) but make cleaning much easier and prevent you from having to wax the car. If you want protection, get PPF.

I mean, I like the idea of having just "visual" protection as well in regards to clearcoat and quality of the "look" of the paint.

 

[Spork3245]

Hmmmm... Sounds like it may be a good idea to do the wrap first, just the front end + doors, maybe rear bumper, then do the ceramic coating a few months down the road?

EDIT: If I go with a wrap/clear bra, what areas of the car do you suggest I wrap? Is what I mentioned the most prone areas (I recall those getting the most chips/scuffs on my 2016 GT which I leased).

 

[Kevin08]

The whole hood and front bumper are going to take the brunt of it. Some people do the front 1/3 of the hood but all of my chips are at least at the mid point or closer to the windshield. Plus you can see a seam when body panels aren't fully done and it looks kind of crappy.

 

[gixxersixxerman]

This is me and im only speaking for myself.. no way i would pay that much unless a lot of paint correction needed done. a new car a light polish is all thats needed. Even my car sitting on the lot for 6 months and the cheapest company the dealership could find washing it during those 6 months hardly needed much correction. Im no professional, but after about 12 hours in the garage over a weekend i polished mine perfect and then coated it with CQuartz UK 3.0. I personally dont care much about the small paint chips and stuff that happens on the bumper and hood. its a car and doesnt bother me. the ceramic coating helps against light scratches, but its not going to protect much more to small rocks and stuff. For me its not worth the 1800 to get the front wrapped in clear bra. but thats me. ive never traded in a car and they tell me, hey we are taking 1800 off for rock chips. Its not tough with the DA's and polishers to paint correct yourself and then coat yourself. UK 3.0 will not last as long as the finest or the other commercial/professional grade coatings. But it works great for about 2-3 years depending on how its taken care of.

In the end you have to ask yourself is it worth possibly close to 4k to protect from rock chips and such, or just doing it yourself for less then 500$ with virtually the same results albeit without the clear bra

 

[jimmybuffit]

so much to unpack in this thread. Please don't buy into these 5-7 year blah blah blah coatings. There is absolutely no way to tell how long a coating will last. Are some better than others? Yes. Will that depend on the amount of coats? Yes. The durability of the coating depends on the maintenance and care of the coating, I have coated a car with 5 layers of 9h ceramic pro and 2 coats of LITE and a year later the paint was trashed. There is no such thing as a warranty for ceramic coatings, none of which I ever heard of people actually collecting on.

make sure to get a high quality PPF. if your on a budget get both bumpers done, mirrors, 1/4 hood, and 1/4 way up around the wheel wells.

 

[LSchicago]

I'm getting my Ceramic Pro done by a friend with a detail shop for $500, with 2 coats.

 

[SVT-DADDY]

Ceramic coating and PPF are 2 totally different things that work together:

-Think of the coating like a wax. It's going to make your car shine and easier to clean. It's going to protect your paint against chemicals and the sun. Maybe even against light swirl marks. However it's not going to protect your car against physical damage, from rocks, hail, small branches etc.

-PPF will protect against all the things the coating will but also add physical protection. I actually coated my PPF to make it shine and easier to clean.

My advice is get as much PPF as you can afford. The paint on these cars is thin! Don't do partial hood either, you won't like the line, and it's only $400-$500 more to do the whole front clip. I have the partial and had a small tree branch dent my hood just inches from where the PPF ends. If I was buying a new GT500, the entire car would be getting done!

Here is what you do:
Your installer should be polishing any areas they are covering. Have them polish the whole car. Then coat the car yourself for around $100.....its easy. Check out this thread:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...nt-need-paint-correction.104213/#post-2262354

Among cars in my family we have cars coated my the best that Opti Coat, Gtechniq, etc have to offer. My DIY Cquartz car looks just as good!

Sponsored