[carrazy]

Hi @akhil994. Sad, your experience wasn't good with Steam and Shine. Just out of curiosity, was this the one at Golf Course Extn. Road or the one on MG road Arjangarh Metro Station? I am asking because I got my Skoda opti-coated from the one on MG road and they did a fantastic job. I usually get a wash done from there every week to properly maintain the coat. No home cleaning whatsoever. It has been 2 years since the coating was done and I am pretty happy with their service. The owner's name is Sunny and he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to detailing. I have no regrets choosing Opti-coat as the coating for my car. PPF would've been a better option but its expensive..

Originally Posted by akhil994

Not just that, they left sanding marks and swirl marks all over my car. (they sanded my whole car). Kept my car for two full days, the owner was hardly present, since they were more into detailing a helicopter at that time. I took delivery of the car without the presence of the owner.

After I pointed out the next day that there are swirl marks (I checked in my basement using flashlight) , the owner casually remarked that swirl marks come back (within a day!!! Imagine).

This is for their platinum package , which cost me 10k. After this session of detailing, 5C Car Care guys still had to do 2-step process, compounding and polishing, due to the mess of sanding and swirl marks that were left on my car. They (Steam n Shine) did ask me to come in for application of paint sealant, but I had absolutely no confidence in them to let them anywhere near my car.

I spent the same amount on paint correction and detailing as I would have on ceramic coating, just because I had to get it done twice.
Well, you learn lessons in life everyday...

There was another BHPian's Safari being detailed this Saturday at 5C, didn't manage to meet the owner, but that car was adorned with T-BHP stickers

[akhil994]

Originally Posted by carrazy

Hi @akhil994. Sad, your experience wasn't good with Steam and Shine. Just out of curiosity, was this the one at Golf Course Extn. Road or the one on MG road Arjangarh Metro Station? I am asking because I got my Skoda opti-coated from the one on MG road and they did a fantastic job. I usually get a wash done from there every week to properly maintain the coat. No home cleaning whatsoever. It has been 2 years since the coating was done and I am pretty happy with their service. The owner's name is Sunny and he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to detailing. I have no regrets choosing Opti-coat as the coating for my car. PPF would've been a better option but its expensive..

This was the one on Golf Course Extension Road. I would not debate your experience, but do not know whether it is specific to this outlet or whether their quality/workmanship has gone down. Their apathy towards fixing their poor workmanship is what really got on my nerves and hence decided to never go back.

I mean hearing statements like - "You can ask if any detailer can remove these swirl marks permanently, no such things exist as of now" or "wax or paint sealant are the same and we can apply either of them" does not give much confidence to the customer, does it!

[carrazy]

Originally Posted by akhil994

I mean hearing statements like - "You can ask if any detailer can remove these swirl marks permanently, no such things exist as of now" or "wax or paint sealant are the same and we can apply either of them" does not give much confidence to the customer, does it!

Very disappointing to say the least..
I guess it is a generic case of a Franchise having sub-par 'quality of service' & 'customer satisfaction values' and not being able to match up to the parent brand's work ethics that led to such an experience, in-turn spoiling the name of the brand itself.
On another note, just came across this video on a Panemera getting PPFed at Steam and Shine MG road. Thought I'd share..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZppP7iezo

[k2max6]

I had almost fixed an appointment for tomorrow at Steam&Shine Golf Course Extn.for ceramic coating on my seltos. I got my verna detailed a few months back and they did a good job. Now I am in doubt. He is saying we are doing ceramic on 2-3 cars right now and I should come and visit. I don’t know if I should visit MG Road or find anyother detailer.

[Rahulkool]

One different video on "if the ceramic coatings works ?" question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S00WsL6cnvw

[k2max6]

Can somebody provide feedback on Ceramic Coating, those who got it done a year or more back?

Like how it has been, which colour & car , how is the gloss now, overall current satisfaction level (irrespective of the where the job was done)

After an year do you feel you did the right thing?
I am planning to get it for my Intense Red Seltos with PPF on bumpers and ORVMs (I am getting PPF partially conplementary). Can’t afford full PPF.

Also my car is rarely parked in the sun, basement always. So should I worry about the car’s paint as to get ceramic coating? I generally purchased silver & white cars. This the first Red.
Or Just get PPF for bumpers and ORVMs?

Or just save the money and get the car waxed quarterly or less ? I can’t do it myself but still its pretty cheap getting it done from a detailer.

[monkey_wrench]

Final update on the quest for ceramic coating. Though fellow member @akhil994 recommended against Steam and Shine, I went anyway to have a look as it wasn't too far away (and @carrazy) had a good review - so I decided to check for myself. On top of it, they seemed like the only outlet that provided Opticoat Pro (which seemed to be one of the few original brands that kept popping up in my research).

Anyway, I met the owner Sunny - and he was a real genuine guy, and spoke well and confidently about detailing and polishing. A fellow anti swirl nerd if you will. Was 100% convinced with his passion and decided to leave the dirty baby under his protection.

Went in for Opticoat Level 2 Pro after a lengthy discussion with Sunny about it. Here are the final results below. First few images - freshly delivered at the Steam and Shine shop at MG road. Last images, sitting pretty in my driveway (already covered in the Gurgaon dust).

Final thoughts and verdict:

• There are just too many different ceramic coating options out there and is really confusing. Ceramic coating is now what Teflon used to be a few years ago.
• There are many companies that use in house brands (DetailingDevilz, FeynLab etc.) and some that provide direct US brands like OptiCoat. Can't say which is better, use your own judgement.
• There is a lot of price differential, at the end of the day all of it seems overpriced to me.
• Is Ceramic Coating an answer to swirl marks? NO it isn't. You will still get swirl marks, you need to follow the age old advice for cleaning your car.
• Will it last? Time will tell!

[NOS Power]

The one thing I keep asking is, why does a Ceramic Coated car need a touch up or service every 6 months or so?

The top coating manufacturers in the world, Opti-Coat, Gyeon, CarPro, Gtechniq, IGL, Kamikaze & Nanoskin never suggest such a thing. Once applied it should be there for the entire duration of the coating's durability claim. The only thing one should do, in the event of some kind of overspray on the paint is to clay it and then spray on a coating topper. Plus their claims of multiple layers. All of these top coating's are single or at max 3 layers. Ceramic Coating cannot be layered more than 3 times. The rest will just wash away. It's just how it is chemically built.

Don't you think all this is a gimmick to hide the improper work done by most so called coating installers?

[monkey_wrench]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

The one thing I keep asking is, why does a Ceramic Coated car need a touch up or service every 6 months or so?

The top coating manufacturers in the world, Opti-Coat, Gyeon, CarPro, Gtechniq, IGL, Kamikaze & Nanoskin never suggest such a thing. Once applied it should be there for the entire duration of the coating's durability claim. The only thing one should do, in the event of some kind of overspray on the paint is to clay it and then spray on a coating topper. Plus their claims of multiple layers. All of these top coating's are single or at max 3 layers. Ceramic Coating cannot be layered more than 3 times. The rest will just wash away. It's just how it is chemically built.

Don't you think all this is a gimmick to hide the improper work done by most so called coating installers?

Good thought. So far in all my research the coating that I did (Opti-Coat from Steam + Shine) was the only one that didn't come with the top up packages. Though the owner did say they are working on a product where they provide monthly or half yearly detailing packages where they do exactly what you said, do a wash, minor detailing etc.

My thinking here is that because of the harshness of the Indian climate, along with the temperature variations etc. no ceramic coating will last as long as it does abroad, and to keep customers satisfied most detailers figure that they need to fix it every now and then.

That said, agreed that the multi-coat ceramic upsell techniques smells of BS. The way the packages are structured too seems shady (1 coat = 1 year, 3 coats = 3 years, 7 coats = 5 years and so on). Lastly (being overtly suspicious here as always) who's to tell once you leave your car at the workshop how many coats they really do?

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

The one thing I keep asking is, why does a Ceramic Coated car need a touch up or service every 6 months or so?

The top coating manufacturers in the world, Opti-Coat, Gyeon, CarPro, Gtechniq, IGL, Kamikaze & Nanoskin never suggest such a thing. Once applied it should be there for the entire duration of the coating's durability claim. The only thing one should do, in the event of some kind of overspray on the paint is to clay it and then spray on a coating topper. Plus their claims of multiple layers. All of these top coating's are single or at max 3 layers. Ceramic Coating cannot be layered more than 3 times. The rest will just wash away. It's just how it is chemically built.

Don't you think all this is a gimmick to hide the improper work done by most so called coating installers?

Agree on the layering part. Top brands don't need topcoat every now and then. This is just a money-making exercise. Irrespective of the brand, paint preparation plays a key role in the overall life of the coating. Poor preparation results in a poorer life. The prices for some of these ceramic coating materials is high, which brings in the problem of cheating the customers by these installers. Since I am into the same industry, we too deal with people who come to promote such coatings at throwaway prices which do not last even a fortnight. Uninformed customers fall for the lower price and end up believing all these are useless from their experience.

Fortunately, I have met a person who is into ceramic coating/chemical manufacturing for 4 decades not just for automobiles but for a whole variety of applications. All this layering is all marketing gimmicks unless these are completely different chemicals made to bond one after the other. This is not the case most times.

Originally Posted by monkey_wrench

Good thought. So far in all my research the coating that I did (Opti-Coat from Steam + Shine) was the only one that didn't come with the top up packages. Though the owner did say they are working on a product where they provide monthly or half yearly detailing packages where they do exactly what you said, do a wash, minor detailing etc.

Opti is coming up with a coating maintenance material. Currently the Opti seal does a decent job of the maintenance thing, if at all you are required to do anything with the paint.

My thinking here is that because of the harshness of the Indian climate, along with the temperature variations etc. no ceramic coating will last as long as it does abroad, and to keep customers satisfied most detailers figure that they need to fix it every now and then.

Not really. Once the paint is prepped correctly and the coating is applied, it does not deteriorate that easily. This is from my personal experience. Even the IR lights are not required for most of these coatings, all of these need a 8 to 12 hours of air-drying time depending on the ambient temperature.

That said, agreed that the multi-coat ceramic upsell techniques smells of BS. The way the packages are structured too seems shady (1 coat = 1 year, 3 coats = 3 years, 7 coats = 5 years and so on). Lastly (being overtly suspicious here as always) who's to tell once you leave your car at the workshop how many coats they really do?

Once the solvents evaporate the SIO hardens and whatever you apply further will more or less be removed in the buffing/wiping process. Unfortunately the layers and the top coat is the most abused term in this ceramic coating field to make quick bucks.

Missed to add the 9H to 12H claims.

[R17]

Folks - Im looking to get ceramic coating done on my Jeep Compass. Would be great to get guidance on reasonably priced options in Mumbai. Im getting quotes ranging from INR 32K-60K depending upon annual maintenance packages, number of layers etc.

Secondly, would be incredibly helpful to know which are the most reliable, high quality ceramic coating options in Mumbai? Im looking at Autotriz and Autzilla for now.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by R17

Im getting quotes ranging from INR 32K-60K depending upon annual maintenance packages, number of layers etc.

Ceramic coating is done for the protection of the existing paint. I think 60K is an atrocious price. I'd rather get it resprayed alongwith a coat of clearcoat with that kind of money which will also fix any dents and scratches.

[NOTORIOUS]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

The one thing I keep asking is, why does a Ceramic Coated car need a touch up or service every 6 months or so?

The top coating manufacturers in the world, Opti-Coat, Gyeon, CarPro, Gtechniq, IGL, Kamikaze & Nanoskin never suggest such a thing. Once applied it should be there for the entire duration of the coating's durability claim. The only thing one should do, in the event of some kind of overspray on the paint is to clay it and then spray on a coating topper. Plus their claims of multiple layers. All of these top coating's are single or at max 3 layers. Ceramic Coating cannot be layered more than 3 times. The rest will just wash away. It's just how it is chemically built.

Don't you think all this is a gimmick to hide the improper work done by most so called coating installers?

To justify the price they are asking because most of the people are using coating brand which doesnt exist , you can try and ask these so called franchise setups that brand they are using , mostly will answer that its there own brand. Moreover , if you do too much good work , with best of the coating in world , with car shining like mirror always , who will come back to you ?

[maddylaw]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Hahaha that's pretty sweet! Do you have a contact for the vendor?

Hey, sorry for the late response, Got busy with the new maid role during lockdown, it was done by Prabhakar Tinting - 9869016269, hope this helps.

[Karan_n8]

Originally Posted by Deepu Sharma

Got my X4 to undergo a detailing job with Feynlab Delhi and witnessed a major transformation to the car which was just 2 months old.

Sir if you could please let us know the damages fo this treatment ? I'm personally inching towards them as well as the other option near my house "Always Dry USA" guy is asking for 40k and says will be done in 7 hours! As per him thats the speciality of the treatment! Sounds like BS to me, I'd want the car to be properly and patiently prepped before I spend that much!