[razman]

I had never heard of ceramic coatings until I read people singing its praises on this forum. With my g80 on its way, I've started researching it to see whether it's something I should get. One thing that stood out to me was that the ceramic coating chemically bonds to the paint, meaning that it's (semi-)permanent. Before I apply something that essentially can't be reversed, I want to be damn sure that I understand all its pros and cons. There are a plethora of detail shops online hailing the advantages of ceramic coatings but none candidly describing its disadvantages (if any).

First, can a case be made that at least to some people a ceramic coating alters the appearance of the paint in a subjectively negative way? If the answer is no, that it only ever improves the look of the paint, and only ever provides additional protection, why wouldn't bmw just apply it to every car they produce?

Compared to waxes, does ceramic offer the same level of shine/gloss?

Does ceramic require any extra maintenance that if not performed will actually make your car look worse?

Any general cons I should know about ceramic?
Thanks in advance.

[Loganm0916]

We have ceramic coated all of our cars ever since we heard about it around five years ago. In our experience with all of them the paint when clean looks much better than before the ceramic coating. Wether it is because the car is polished to perfection before it is sealed or because of the ceramic coating I am not 100% sure. Probably a combination of both. But I have never seen the paint look worse ceramic coated. Not sure why BMW wouldn’t apply it to their cars but I would assume it may have something to do with cost and the fact that you cant put PPF over the ceramic coating. In our experience coming from only waxing cars to doing PPF and ceramic coating the ceramic coating provides a shine that I could never get with waxing. Again wether its because it was polished before it was ceramic coated or not I’m not fully sure. We have always used the recommended products to maintain the ceramic coating so I couldn’t answer that one for you. From our experience there has been no cons. I highly recommend you coat your car!

[DoubleDave]

If you’re having the ceramic coating applied by someone else, the biggest negative is cost.

If you’re doing it yourself, the preparation is the biggest downside. Paint decontamination and correction, then proper wipe down to remove all remnants of products used for correction is a time consuming (but worthwhile) process. All of those steps are recommended prior to applying a ceramic coating (and why it costs more to have it done)

Ceramic coatings don’t add much in terms of gloss, it’s all in the prep work. There are mild differences in appearance but I guarantee you, if the prep work isn’t good a ceramic coating isn’t a magic bullet. Paint correction is key before a ceramic coating.

Day to day living with it is nice. Dirt does not stick as readily to a coated car versus traditional waxes and sealants.

The only practical downside is bird bombs…if you get one and it leaves an etch in the coating, it’s more difficult to spot correct than if the car was waxed or sealed. A ceramic coating will offer a much better sacrificial layer and even if you get an etch from bird droppings, the paint has a higher degree of protection vs more traditional methods.

In short, do it. No negatives in appearance, higher durability, higher cost and higher effort to prep the paint.

[Asynchronism]

As the other poster said, cost and doing the prep right are the only I can see. I have it on 2 cars right now and have been really happy with the result, shine is great and they stay clean a lot longer.

Had my airplane done 2 years ago, that’s what really sold me. You wouldn’t believe the amount of huge bugs a plane hits, and how they explode at 150mph… quick wipe with a damp cloth takes it all off. That took a lot of prep work, but everyone comments how amazing my paint looks, and the upkeep is minimal.

My M3 will get it as soon as it comes off the truck.

[kjx]

Polishing your car will remove ceramic coatings. Regular washes over a year or two will slowly take away a little bit of the ceramic coat at a time. It is not "permanent".

If you are investing in paint protection, get PPF first. The difference in a PPF coated surface vs one that was merely ceramic coated can be vast as the car goes through life.

Ceramic coats add a lot of gloss but can also hide certain desirable aspects of more "complex" paint colors like say Tanzanite at oblique angles. You may notice the coating (looked like a faint brown surface haze to me) instead of paint attributes at very specific angles and lighting conditions.

I'd never skip PPF. The value in paying someone for ceramic the first time is in the professional paint correction. Reload may be DIY with spray on ceramics.

[razman]

Originally Posted by DoubleDave

Ceramic coatings don’t add much in terms of gloss, it’s all in the prep work.

Thank you all! This statement, however, has me a bit confused. While the paint protective features of ceramic coatings are certainly a plus, the central reason I personally am interested in getting ceramic is the hope that it will provide a glossy/showroom look when clean. I want to be able to pull out of a car wash and have my car look like it was freshly waxed. If the ceramic coating does not provide a wax-like gloss after a car wash and I still need to resort to waxing, then this doesn't seem to fit the bill for me.

Originally Posted by DoubleDave

The only practical downside is bird bombs…if you get one and it leaves an etch in the coating, it’s more difficult to spot correct than if the car was waxed or sealed.

I must confess that I am not good about cleaning my car regularly and bird droppings might sit for days/weeks before they are washed off. I understand that this is not good for paint/clear coat but will leaving bird droppings on a ceramic coating leave behind a permanent mark that is significantly more noticeable than any mark left behind if the car was not coated (and not waxed)?

Originally Posted by DoubleDave

If you’re doing it yourself, the preparation is the biggest downside. Paint decontamination and correction, then proper wipe down to remove all remnants of products used for correction is a time consuming (but worthwhile) process. All of those steps are recommended prior to applying a ceramic coating (and why it costs more to have it done)

If I get the ceramic coating done, it will be right after I take delivery of the car. Does this mean that no prep work and paint color correction is involved, and so it just makes sense to apply the coating myself?

[M2 CCO]

There are a number of reviews out there on YouTube for specific coatings that use gloss meters to show the improvements. Some are significant and I would say that the right ceramic coatings offer significant gloss improvements over uncoated paint surfaces. The key to getting the best results is in the prep work. Even if you coat the car right from the dealership, most freshly delivered cars still have some paint imperfections, but most can be removed with a simple decontamination and one step polish process.

If you don't wash your car frequently and you coat your car, I would highly recommend keeping up a fresh sacrificial layer of protection to avoid any trouble spots. For example most base layer coatings have a top layer/sacrificial layer they can be paired with. CarPro, Gtechniq and Kamikaze for example all have top coats that help protect from etching. Base layer coatings can be prone to water spotting if not properly cared for. However if you keep up on the sacrificial layer it should help diminish any effects of something like water or a bird dropping sitting on the paint for awhile.

Agree with a previous poster in that most consumer level coatings can easily be removed with compounding/polishing the surface. There are several professional level coatings though that would require wet sanding to remove from the surface.

If you don't have the tools to do the light paint correction on the new ride, you can still coat it, the gloss won't be as good as it could be, but it would likely still be better than the untreated surface. You can always go back and polish the surface later to remove the product and reapply if you so desire. If you don't want to paint correct the surface you may want to just start with a simple paint sealant. They are easier to apply than wax in my opinion.

I'm a bit of a hobbyist detailer so I find polishing cars quite therapeutic and change coatings every now and again on our cars when it's time to re-apply etc…

I've coated every one of my cars and it's very much worth the effort for the added glossy appearance and the ease of cleaning during maintenance washes! 100% vote for coating your incoming ride!

[M2 CCO]

This was my M2C right after polishing and applying CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 and a top coat of CarPro Gliss v2. Sorry it's just a cell phone pic so it may not upload well!

[LuvMyE92]

I'll be the outlier here and suggest that ceramic coating "magically bonding at a molecular level" is marketing b.s. and that it's generally overpriced snake oil.

As mentioned above, most of the improvement in looks and gloss and shine is simply from the preparation that most professionals do before applying the product.

And since it does wear off after washing and drying and using the car, it's by no means permanent.

It is not difficult to apply - you can buy it yourself, clean and polish the car (I refuse to use the term "paint correction" since they don't correct anything and are actually just polishing the clear coat, not the color coat which is what I refer to as "paint") yourself and save thousands.

I did it to the wife's car (brand new) after proper preparation, and it looks good but no better than a good coat of wax.

[luckylingy]

Originally Posted by razman

Thank you all! This statement, however, has me a bit confused. While the paint protective features of ceramic coatings are certainly a plus, the central reason I personally am interested in getting ceramic is the hope that it will provide a glossy/showroom look when clean. I want to be able to pull out of a car wash and have my car look like it was freshly waxed. If the ceramic coating does not provide a wax-like gloss after a car wash and I still need to resort to waxing, then this doesn't seem to fit the bill for me.

Ceramic coating WILL provide a wax-like gloss after a car wash. But your outcome will be more a result of the car wash you utilize. Many fanatics here (myself included) hand-wash our cars ourselves. The thing I like about ceramic coating is its durability relative to wax or sealant after repeatedly being subjected to commercial car washes. I'm coming from a Black Sapphire X5, which for most of its lease term was washed commercially once a week. The coating held up better than I could have imagined, and the clear coat returned to its original scratch-free condition after a one-step polish.[/COLOR][/COLOR]

I must confess that I am not good about cleaning my car regularly and bird droppings might sit for days/weeks before they are washed off. I understand that this is not good for paint/clear coat but will leaving bird droppings on a ceramic coating leave behind a permanent mark that is significantly more noticeable than any mark left behind if the car was not coated (and not waxed)?

Bird droppings that etch into the clear coat will be noticeable whether it's waxed, sealed or coated. I had one I'd overlooked which etched beyond what polish alone could remove. Heat (from a hair dryer) immediately followed by polish did the trick.

If I get the ceramic coating done, it will be right after I take delivery of the car. Does this mean that no prep work and paint color correction is involved, and so it just makes sense to apply the coating myself?

No, you still have to undergo all the prep work on a brand-new vehicle, though hopefully there are fewer blemishes in the clear coat to remove and were contaminants to remove. Minimally you want to use a products which removes all waxes and oils from the surface, before applying any ceramic coating.

If you can take the time, watch a few videos of professionals applying ceramic coating and doing the prep work beforehand. That'll take the FUD out of the equation.

[razman]

Assuming I take it to a pro who knows what she's doing and preps the hell out of the car before applying the ceramic coating (maybe one known for high gloss), will my car have this level of showroom shine/gloss every time I simply wash my car (i.e., no wax)?

[M2 CCO]

In my experience as long as it's a quality coating and you wash and maintain the coating correctly, I would say yes.

[razman]

Originally Posted by M2 CCO

In my experience as long as it's a quality coating and you wash and maintain the coating correctly, I would say yes.

Sold

[merlin3008]

Originally Posted by M2 CCO

In my experience as long as it's a quality coating and you wash and maintain the coating correctly, I would say yes.

I agree. I use a top coating periodically to preserve the ceramic and to provide even additional gloss. Man does it make that paint pop! Carpro Reload is a great product.

[themnmd]

Originally Posted by DoubleDave

If you're having the ceramic coating applied by someone else, the biggest negative is cost.

If you're doing it yourself, the preparation is the biggest downside. Paint decontamination and correction, then proper wipe down to remove all remnants of products used for correction is a time consuming (but worthwhile) process. All of those steps are recommended prior to applying a ceramic coating (and why it costs more to have it done)

Ceramic coatings don't add much in terms of gloss, it's all in the prep work. There are mild differences in appearance but I guarantee you, if the prep work isn't good a ceramic coating isn't a magic bullet. Paint correction is key before a ceramic coating.

Day to day living with it is nice. Dirt does not stick as readily to a coated car versus traditional waxes and sealants.

The only practical downside is bird bombs…if you get one and it leaves an etch in the coating, it's more difficult to spot correct than if the car was waxed or sealed. A ceramic coating will offer a much better sacrificial layer and even if you get an etch from bird droppings, the paint has a higher degree of protection vs more traditional methods.

In short, do it. No negatives in appearance, higher durability, higher cost and higher effort to prep the paint.

I just put on some good tunes and rock out while detailing my car. To me spending the time to do it right is satisfying. Do it right the first time,maintenance washes are much easier

[thaalrasha]

In my experience, once coated, the maintenance is much easier... Typically nothing stick very much, i never have to touch the paint again, just pressure wash (i do one pass pressure wash, snow foam, another pressure wash to remove the soap) and it's clean with show room gloss. Exception would be tar / sap / insects but even those are way easier to remove. I'd say i don't need to use mits / sponges anymore. Blow dry and it's pretty much done.

[luckylingy]

Originally Posted by merlin3008

I agree. I use a top coating periodically to preserve the ceramic and to provide even additional gloss. Man does it make that paint pop! Carpro Reload is a great product.

The other thing I love about Carpro Reload is how slick to the touch the car is after application. Not that I run my fingers over a freshly cleaned body panel from time to time ...

[Sparky_12]

I'm new to ceramic and PPF and have read to do the PPF first then ceramic. How does ceramic work as far as gloss goes when it's applied over PPF?

[barryc365]

Originally Posted by Sparky_12

I'm new to ceramic and PPF and have read to do the PPF first then ceramic. How does ceramic work as far as gloss goes when it's applied over PPF?

I don't think Ceramic will give you more 'gloss' than a good wax. A good wax may even give you more pop and gloss but the ceramic should have more longevity

I did PPF on the front and ceramic all over and the biggest difference I've noticed is that when you hit the car with a power hose the dirt comes off

I've even noticed the car kind of washing itself in heavy rain to an extent

I agree that it's all about the prep which is machine polishing. If you waxed your car after a machine polish it would look amazing too and may have more pop but the ceramic seems like it's more robust and lasts longer, albeit with less 'pop' than a really nice wax

Next time I'm not sure if I would bother. A machine polish followed by a nice wax would look great too, just as good, but might need a fresh coat more often

[Sparky_12]

That's very helpful - thank you. I'm still not sure how the PPF takes wax compared to the clearcoat on the car. I have an M4 vert on the way in Tanzanite and thinking front end PPF for sure. Maybe ceramic.

[2022M4COMP]

The largest disadvantage is that when your ceramic coat your car your wallet is also ceramic coated, and all the sudden you can't see your money anymore

[m4ml]

Originally Posted by razman

Assuming I take it to a pro who knows what she's doing and preps the hell out of the car before applying the ceramic coating (maybe one known for high gloss), will my car have this level of showroom shine/gloss every time I simply wash my car (i.e., no wax)?

Yes as long as you take care of it.

1st pics are after Ceramic Pro Gold was first applied.

Last pic is three years later.