[mikey82]

Hi folks,

This is my first new BMW. It's arriving in Baltimore today. Dealership asked if I want to ceramic coat it, and quoted 1500$ for it (Cilajet). Is that standard, do you guys get it done at the dealership before taking delivery?
Cheers!

[killhour]

That's not a bad price, but as someone who got it done on their last car, I just don't find it worth doing unless you PPF it first. Any micro scratches you get can't be polished out without removing the coating and it's a huge pain. All it takes is one person at the dealership to "hand wash" your car without asking and boom - swirl city. I'd rather spend the money on getting the hood PPF'd to prevent rock chips.

It did help that one time the dealership left it parked under a tree for a week and it came back covered in sap though...

[Krypt-Nick]

I got offered to do the same thing when mine comes in. My sales guy said they warranty it for 10 years... I'm assuming just the coating. My question would be if they look the car over for any swirls upon receiving it and if they buff those out before sealing it all up.

[mr2t]

Originally Posted by killhour

That's not a bad price, but as someone who got it done on their last car, I just don't find it worth doing unless you PPF it first. Any micro scratches you get can't be polished out without removing the coating and it's a huge pain. All it takes is one person at the dealership to "hand wash" your car without asking and boom - swirl city. I'd rather spend the money on getting the hood PPF'd to prevent rock chips.

It did help that one time the dealership left it parked under a tree for a week and it came back covered in sap though...

Yep took my 335i to the local BMW dealer for a detail and wax and they swirled the paint to hell. Will be getting PPF instantly when I get the M3 (from a different dealer.)

[killhour]

Originally Posted by mr2t

Yep took my 335i to the local BMW dealer for a detail and wax and they swirled the paint to hell. Will be getting PPF instantly when I get the M3 (from a different dealer.)

To make it worse, this was the Aston, at an AM dealership

[pcai]

If you want to err on the safe side never let your dealer do any detailing work on your car. There's videos out there showing the "10 year" coating is eroded away from a simple car wash. Your mileage will vary at every dealer, but you're probably better off getting the work done at a reputable detailer.
Also are you leasing? There's really no point getting any coatings or PPF in that case. And ceramic coating will not help against rock chips, road rash, and swirls so unless you PPF it there's no point in getting it coated IMO.

[Scorp!on]

Originally Posted by pcai

If you want to err on the safe side never let your dealer do any detailing work on your car. There's videos out there showing the "10 year" coating is eroded away from a simple car wash. Your mileage will vary at every dealer, but you're probably better off getting the work done at a reputable detailer.
Also are you leasing? There's really no point getting any coatings or PPF in that case. And ceramic coating will not help against rock chips, road rash, and swirls so unless you PPF it there's no point in getting it coated IMO.

I disagree here.
Ceramic coating helps actually A LOT on keeping the car clean.

of course when the dealer smacks your car into the car wash the protection is basically gone.

But ceramic coating is phenomenal, it was never meant to protect against scratches, it's to keep the car clean.

[mikey82]

Originally Posted by pcai

If you want to err on the safe side never let your dealer do any detailing work on your car. There's videos out there showing the "10 year" coating is eroded away from a simple car wash. Your mileage will vary at every dealer, but you're probably better off getting the work done at a reputable detailer.
Also are you leasing? There's really no point getting any coatings or PPF in that case. And ceramic coating will not help against rock chips, road rash, and swirls so unless you PPF it there's no point in getting it coated IMO.

Yeah it's a lease, that's why my initial reaction was to just say no for now. But as others and the CA said, that ceramic coating is a popular option with the leases, as it really keeps the car clean and shine intact (people have differing opinions on this too).
My concern is more about the quality of the product that they are gonna apply. Cilajet is not consumer grade, and only found very vague anecdotal opinions on it, often on the opposite extremes, hence the confusion. Despite whatever years they claim for it's validity, opinion seems like ceramic coatings last 2-3 years at most, so at least I will not be paying on behalf of the second owner if I return it.

PPF was quoted for 3000$, which I am definitely not gonna spend for on a lease. At least not at the dealer price.

[HK4]

Originally Posted by mikey82

Hi folks,

This is my first new BMW. It's arriving in Baltimore today. Dealership asked if I want to ceramic coat it, and quoted 1500$ for it (Cilajet). Is that standard, do you guys get it done at the dealership before taking delivery?
Cheers!

Got my F80 ceramic coated by a very good detailer in South Florida with Modesta. Like others have said, it's meant to keep the car glossy and clean. No protection against rock chips. I paid 2000K for the coating to car and all 4 wheels. No PPF. 2000k is on the higher end while 1K is the very low end. So 1500 for you is about right.

This time around I'm considering PPF at least on hood/front bumper/front mirror as these are the areas that got the most damage from debris. Then I'll add the ceramic coat on top.

My coating was suppose to last 2 yrs but I got only 20 months since I share a 1 car garage with my wife.

[Dr.Deep]

Not sure how well your dealer is equipped for such work... if they have a special department for such things I would probably go for it, but if they do this just as a plus to „normal" detailing before delivery, not so much...

Professional ceramic coating is not a „straight forward" job...
As others mentioned, car needs to be paint corrected and so on, so I would rather let a professional detailer with enough knowledge do this, where you are sure, all stages are done properly...

[pcai]

Originally Posted by Scorp!on

I disagree here.
Ceramic coating helps actually A LOT on keeping the car clean.

of course when the dealer smacks your car into the car wash the protection is basically gone.

But ceramic coating is phenomenal, it was never meant to protect against scratches, it's to keep the car clean.

If I were to buy a "nice" car, I would at least get PPF on all the crucial areas and whole car ceramic coated. But I just don't see the point to getting any of these expensive services done to a leased car. There are a lot of great ceramic, graphene sprays that can last from 6-12 months that give you the gloss, water beading, chemical protection, and easy cleaning properties of a ceramic coating, and spray-ons cost $20-30 a bottle. And the best part is when the protection fades, you just spray it on again. You can apply them DIY super easy.

[pcai]

Originally Posted by HK4

Got my F80 ceramic coated by a very good detailer in South Florida with Modesta. Like others have said, it's meant to keep the car glossy and clean. No protection against rock chips. I paid 2000K for the coating to car and all 4 wheels. No PPF. 2000k is on the higher end while 1K is the very low end. So 1500 for you is about right.

This time around I'm considering PPF at least on hood/front bumper/front mirror as these are the areas that got the most damage from debris. Then I'll add the ceramic coat on top.

My coating was suppose to last 2 yrs but I got only 20 months since I share a 1 car garage with my wife.

The rocker panel and lower door area right behind the front wheels take a lot of road rash damage-arguably takes as much damage as the front bumper.

[Scorp!on]

Originally Posted by pcai

If I were to buy a "nice" car, I would at least get PPF on all the crucial areas and whole car ceramic coated. But I just don't see the point to getting any of these expensive services done to a leased car. There are a lot of great ceramic, graphene sprays that can last from 6-12 months that give you the gloss, water beading, chemical protection, and easy cleaning properties of a ceramic coating, and spray-ons cost $20-30 a bottle. And the best part is when the protection fades, you just spray it on again. You can apply them DIY super easy.

uh really ? didn't know that ! can you suggest something ?

[pcai]

Originally Posted by Scorp!on

uh really ? didn't know that ! can you suggest something ?

The Last Coat products (Black Ice) performs very well; Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax is also great: it lasts a long time, gives a lot of gloss, and after the initial application you can spray more on during the following washes and it acts as a drying aid while also replenishing the base layer so you can theoretically extend its efficacy forever; 303 graphene nano spray.

Don't get the Adam's graphene or ceramic sprays, that stuff is a joke compared to the rest of the brands above.

[Nettles]

Don’t let the dealer do anything. 100% chance they don’t know what they are doing.

Argue ppf vs ceramic all day long but they serve different purposes. Don’t claim one isn’t worth it because that’s not true and we can play devils advocate all day long for either. It’s based on your use and preference.

FYI getting a ceramic is to make cleaning the car easier for YOU. If you’re having a detailer maintain your car you paid them a premium to install a coating so that the maintenance washes end up being easier for them. You’re wasting a lot of money so bottom line take some time and do your own research. There is so much misinformation about detailing on these forums these days. I’m waiting for someone to recommend a CG product...

[SickGTR]

Originally Posted by Krypt-Nick

I got offered to do the same thing when mine comes in. My sales guy said they warranty it for 10 years... I'm assuming just the coating. My question would be if they look the car over for any swirls upon receiving it and if they buff those out before sealing it all up.

Ha Ha. 10 year warranty. Sounds exactly like what a scumbag clueless salesman would say. 10 Years my balls. Maybe if it's garage kept and driven 3000 miles a year. It's not lasting 10 years bro. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE to get that done

[CanuckM]

Originally Posted by pcai

The Last Coat products (Black Ice) performs very well; Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax is also great: it lasts a long time, gives a lot of gloss, and after the initial application you can spray more on during the following washes and it acts as a drying aid while also replenishing the base layer so you can theoretically extend its efficacy forever; 303 graphene nano spray.

Don't get the Adam's graphene or ceramic sprays, that stuff is a joke compared to the rest of the brands above.

Great to know. This is a great solution for leased vehicles.

I'll cover the front half of the car with PPF and use these products you mentioned above instead of spending 2k on a full ceramic coat.

[Dr. Ice]

In St. Louis my detailer charges $850 for paint correction and Ceramic Pro plus $1,500 for Xpel Ultimate on front clip and mirrors. He does high end cars and I used him on my new Corvette and 911. Some of the prices I hear thrown around sound stupid for what they are doing.....must be the location.

[KiloCo]

Nettles, I would not have the dealership apply any ceramic coating on my M4 when it arrives in California.

However, did you have PPF done on your M3/M4? If so, where? I have been asking on this Thread about PPF recommendations in Southern California.

[merlin3008]

Personally, I would not let the dealer detail my car and especially apply a ceramic coating. I have never seen a dealership perform top notch professional detailing. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten cars back with swirls and even compounding haze. People doing this work could just be high schools learning how to wash cars. When getting high-end and high-touch services done on my cars, I go to a place that specializes in it. Find a reputable and skilled detailer near you and start a relationship. It won't be the last time you visit them.

[Limegrntaln]

Originally Posted by Dr. Ice

In St. Louis my detailer charges $850 for paint correction and Ceramic Pro plus $1,500 for Xpel Ultimate on front clip and mirrors. He does high end cars and I used him on my new Corvette and 911. Some of the prices I hear thrown around sound stupid for what they are doing.....must be the location.

1. This guy, or shop is making next to no money for what hes doing
2. The quality is subpar, and its only worth the price hes charging for what hes actually doing. Ok, the car looks amazing, when hes done, but anyone can take a microfiber cutting pad, and run around the whole car in 45 minutes, and remove 50% of the clearcoat in the process.
3. This guy wont be around for long, because hes killing himself, and not making any money. A bottle of professional grade ceramic coating, is $200-$300, and ceramic pro, requires it to be heat lamped onto the panel for 20-25 minutes per panel.
4. $1,500 for full front "XPel" PPF is crazy talk. I ordered just the film, from the cheapest place I could find it, pre-cut, online, and it was $1,100 just for the film, and I had to order it from Canada, shipped to California, and that was just for my Honda Accord.

Not saying its impossile, but the going rate for the amount of work, isnt even close to what he should be charging.

[Salespunk]

FYI the Cilajet products are nothing but dealership garbage. You can get the same thing from your local Ford/GMC/Ram dealer as well. This is merely an insurance policy against bird droppings, etc where they assume you will never use it. Hard pass and go find a solid detailer locally if you want this done.