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How Much Was Your Ceramic Coating?

Voo Doo

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700 from a local guy here for croftgate. No paint correction was needed, car was brand new.
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So these Stangs come from Flat Rock Michigan...by rail!! How many times will a train apply brakes?? Steel to steel equals steel dust! Iron-X is mandatory.. clean, clean and a polish for sure! Can you imagine the swirls from your dealers shop and just kids cleaning your car...in a circular motion?? May the Gods be with You!!
Paint correction is mandatory for the best results possible!! You e even hosed!!! My 2 cents!! So they used $50 worth of product and charged ya $650 to Apply??? Good gig for sure!!!
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fiveoboy01

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Not to mention that mechanical abrasion is the only way to guarantee that the paint surface is sterile and free of contamination.

At the LEAST - a finish polish should be done prior to coating.

Many times a dealership’s prep will scratch the paint. Brand new vehicles need correction 99% of the time.
 

qbnlynx

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I was quoted 900 from the shop that did my ppf for a 7 year protection.

Another shop quoted me 2,400 for a 7 year. They also quoted me 300 for a one year. Think I'll just go that route for now.
 

obgod3

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Just a comment, I paid for mine. But I am impressed that folks do this themselves, I would be afraid of burning through the clear or something stupid like that. Pretty cool that folks have the skills and time to do this themselves.

Then on the other hand, my time, 25 hrs and a few days is worth way more than $1100.
 

Voo Doo

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This is a hobby....if you count the hours doing a hobby you love... it’s invaluable!! Who does your washi/wax job while you work...dinners, mow the lawn...I could go on for days!! Self satisfaction is priceless in this hobby!!! Besides, I’m retired and I don’t worry about money!! I know a guy that would not even change a light bulb for fear of a shock!!! lol
 

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obgod3

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Hobby - dirt bike racing.....lots of time traveling country to do it. I get it a hobby is awesome and what you like to do is great. Everyone has different things they like to do.
 

Kong76

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Paid $500 to a local detailer ( Friend of a friends). Stage 2 paint correction and coating. Took him a day. Honestly, I can't tell a difference between when I detail it...lol. Job just seemed way too quick. I don't give a shit really, car is not worth a $1200 job. I was just curious and too lazy and had some casino winnings stashed in a drawer.
 

Dr. Norts

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$1500 canadian. This also included the paint correction prior to applying the Cquartz. Car had no swirls, but full decontamination and paint correction IS ALWAYS needed before applying a ceramic coating. Anyone who says different doesn't know what they're talking about. Find another place, unless you are happy sealing in rail dust, fallout and whatever other shit may be etched / stuck in the paint. Swirls are just one thing your trying to remove but not the only thing.

I had Cquartz finest reserve applied. They also used Cquartz Dlux wheel and trim coating on the wheels and all the black trim and Cquartz FlyBy30 on all the glass.
 

Voluntearz_GT

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Mine was $1500 for Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra and a 2 stage compound and polish. I also had it done by one of the best shops in the D.C. area so I payed the D.C. tax plus the "we're the best" tax. Overall, I'm happy with the work the shop did.
 

fiveoboy01

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$1500 canadian. This also included the paint correction prior to applying the Cquartz. Car had no swirls, but full decontamination and paint correction IS ALWAYS needed before applying a ceramic coating. Anyone who says different doesn't know what they're talking about. Find another place, unless you are happy sealing in rail dust, fallout and whatever other shit may be etched / stuck in the paint. Swirls are just one thing your trying to remove but not the only thing.

I had Cquartz finest reserve applied. They also used Cquartz Dlux wheel and trim coating on the wheels and all the black trim and Cquartz FlyBy30 on all the glass.
Emphasis mine, for truth.

I have a colleague in the next town over who is a Finest Reserve installer. Spend a fair amount of time at his shop helping him with various projects if I am slow.

CarPro is one of the few that makes damn sure their top-tier installers know what they are doing. As in, REALLY know what they are doing. I wish I could be one, but territory rules will not allow it.
 

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Fjc

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I did mine myself. Previous experience was just washing/waxing/clay bar work, though I had put on sealers like Opti-Seal before (very forgiving).

On my new Mustang, I decided to try a more complex ceramic coating and got Crystal Serum Light. I had almost no issues, though I did end up missing buffing excess off a couple of small areas, which hazed over. I hand-polished those off (microfiber with some swirl/scratch remover) within 12 hours and it came off easily. Results were great! I paid $80 or so for the larger bottle of CSL, and had a ton left over - ended up doing my wife's new Edge ST a few weeks back.
 

Bikeman315

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I did mine myself. Previous experience was just washing/waxing/clay bar work, though I had put on sealers like Opti-Seal before (very forgiving).

On my new Mustang, I decided to try a more complex ceramic coating and got Crystal Serum Light. I had almost no issues, though I did end up missing buffing excess off a couple of small areas, which hazed over. I hand-polished those off (microfiber with some swirl/scratch remover) within 12 hours and it came off easily. Results were great! I paid $80 or so for the larger bottle of CSL, and had a ton left over - ended up doing my wife's new Edge ST a few weeks back.
What was the total amount of time that you spent to do this? Also can you post a pic of your car?
 

Voo Doo

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Not a Mustang...but it is the prep! This one sat under a tree for 4 months..Tree sap, green rotted leaves.. I had to wash it twice...Polish twice ( cutting polish then the finer polish...clean, clean, clean!! Added some pinstriping down the sides. Total time on this one.. 25hrs! ...but I’m retired and it really is not hard work..just tedious! As I mentioned before..tunes and garage beers!! NOTE...most high end shops have infrared lights to cure the Ceramic much faster!! Yes, I use a DA polisher...try Scholls S20 Black Polish...amazing product!! Forgot to add...it’s a 2006 with 320 thousand Km’s !! 198,000 miles!!!
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Voo Doo

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Engine....before/after... product and steam cleaned... guys....everything is possible!!...this I went to a shop for....$45 !!! Good deal!!
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Fjc

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What was the total amount of time that you spent to do this? Also can you post a pic of your car?
It wasn't that bad. For my Mustang (brand new), the paint was in fantastic shape. It didn't ship via rail, and felt so slick I didn't even feel the need to clay bar it. I washed it thoroughly twice, dried it. Then I wiped it down completely with gtechniq's Panel Wipe (which they recommend before using Crystal Serum Light - iso alcohol likely would have done as good a job). Then it took me a couple hours to apply. I followed the directions and what I learned from lots of videos, and did about a 2'x2' area at a time, then buffed it off with two different soft towels before moving on.

My wife's car took longer, not only because it has more sheet metal, but because it had sat on the lot a long time before she bought it. I had to clay the entire vehicle first, and buff a few spots out. Same deal after that, washed it thoroughly, dried, Panel Wipe, then a few hours to apply the coating.

Results on the Mustang:
ceramicgloss.jpg


After some rain at work one day:

hoodrain.jpg

rain2.jpg


And the wife's car:
edgestceramic2.jpg


This is after I put some hood stripes on for her - yes, that's a sparkly purple. :) But you can see the gloss of the coating.
Edgestceramic.jpg


So total cost to me was $80 for the coating (it was enough to do both cars), and a few hours per car. This is consumer grade, so I don't expect 5+ years of service - I think they claim 3-5 years, so I'm expecting more like 2-3 given our salty Michigan winters. But if I have to apply it every 2-3 years, I'm happy with that.
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