[rag_nfs]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Looks good, hopefully they didn’t use rubbing compound and only performed a light finishing polish since it’s new with very light swirls. Do check the finish with a bright flashlight to see the real work, as overhead lights often hide defects very easily. Also, only get it professionally washed in order to maintain the gloss over time. You can wash yourself but it’s very time consuming and one needs basic knowledge of good wash technique. Cheers!

Yes it was mostly light, even though car is new there were some swirl marks as the dealer guys tried to prep the car before delivery Those had to be removed. Enough information on the forum as well as on the internet for safe ways to clean the car. Have my ONR and microfibres ready

Has anyone tried using a blower to remove loose dust? Is it effective, does it leave marks?

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by rag_nfs

Has anyone tried using a blower to remove loose dust? Is it effective, does it leave marks?

It’s not very effective as no matter how powerful your blower is, it can only remove 20-30% of very lose dust, the rest will remain. It’s also risky as any small leaves, debris left on the surface can fly up and scratch the paint surface.

Best practice is to use the multi mitt method with a pressure washer and foam cannon and use the blower for its intended purpose - drying safely post wash.

[car FANATICUS]

Has anyone done Cermic coating for Compass ? how much did it cost and how is the experience

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by car FANATICUS

Has anyone done Cermic coating for Compass ? how much did it cost and how is the experience

It depends on your cars paint condition, how many coats you want, which areas you want done (paint, glass, plastics, alloys, chrome, leather, etc.) and which brand you go with. Roughly 25–70k. Avoid shops that are cheaper than this as there’s a high probability corners were cut during machine polishing and prep, which is very important with coatings.

Coatings make periodic maintenance and cleaning very easy as water slips off the surface and contaminants have a lower probability of bonding to the clearcoat. They also eliminate the need to apply waxes and sealants regularly to the paint to seal and protect it. As long as you follow proper wash technique, the lifespan of a professional grade coating is in years. Cheers.

[D'Ro@dSt@r]

Originally Posted by car FANATICUS

Has anyone done Cermic coating for Compass ? how much did it cost and how is the experience

You can check with Feynlab in Koramangala 1st block. Though the price as compared to other products in the market are a bit higher but it is totally worth spending that extra for the self healing capabilities of some of their ceramic coatings. Yes you read it right self healing ceramic coatings.
I got my creta 2020 done by them in oct last year with the Heal lite coatings and seen the swirl marks going away when kept in sunlight for a few hours.
I did finalized with Feynlab after a lot of research and comparision. I have read many posts where peole saw that its a waste of money and they should have looked at PPF with that additional cost, but i feel Feynlab products (Heal Lite and Heal plus) have good self healing capabilities and you can see your rides shining as always. On top of it is super easy to clean and dirt n grime doesnt stick to the panels and can cleaned with their rinse less wash products.

Icing on the top is that it is owned by a Bhpian @vishwasvr

[sheelapratosh]

Originally Posted by car FANATICUS

Has anyone done Cermic coating for Compass ? how much did it cost and how is the experience

I wanted to. But ended up doing a full car PPF. Check out carsbuddy in Koramangala if you are in Bangalore. They have both Ceramic and PPF.

Lot depends on the color and condition of your car. Talk to them to get a better idea.

[nTorq]

Hello folks,

Request your thoughts and advice on the below:

Do you think it is wise to do a ceramic coating for a new car, or is it better to wait for 2-3 years (assuming one will use the car for 7-8 years) and then get it done?

My logic is as follows. I have recently bought a Honda City 5th Gen (White), and it has been about a month since I got it home. Of course, the paint job isn't perfect, and there are some swirl marks if you really look for it. I was about to get a proper ceramic coating done from a detailing studio that I know of, and the estimate is around 25k INR.

Recently, I came across the Turtlewax product which is meant to be for DIY ceramic coating. This costs around 1.6k INR, and will last for a few months. Given that the car's paint is still new, and does not probably need much of 'paint correction', is it better to use the Turtlewax product for about 2 years, and when the swirl marks do become prominent then go for a professional ceramic coating job?

This way, the paint will stay fairly new for the duration of 5-6 years in total, as against doing a professional ceramic coating now itself, which might have a life of about 2-3 years.

Please advise.

Thanks!

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by nTorq

Hello folks,

Request your thoughts and advice on the below:

Do you think it is wise to do a ceramic coating for a new car, or is it better to wait for 2-3 years (assuming one will use the car for 7-8 years) and then get it done?

My logic is as follows. I have recently bought a Honda City 5th Gen (White), and it has been about a month since I got it home. Of course, the paint job isn't perfect, and there are some swirl marks if you really look for it. I was about to get a proper ceramic coating done from a detailing studio that I know of, and the estimate is around 25k INR.

Recently, I came across the Turtlewax product which is meant to be for DIY ceramic coating. This costs around 1.6k INR, and will last for a few months. Given that the car's paint is still new, and does not probably need much of 'paint correction', is it better to use the Turtlewax product for about 2 years, and when the swirl marks do become prominent then go for a professional ceramic coating job?

This way, the paint will stay fairly new for the duration of 5-6 years in total, as against doing a professional ceramic coating now itself, which might have a life of about 2-3 years.

Please advise.

Thanks!

I have this product and the ceramic spray sealant will not reduce swirls. You need to polish your car to remove the swirls which can be done with a polish like meguiars ultimate polish, and then the spray sealant is applied for the gloss and beading. Read up on ceramic coating maintenance, unless you do the regular steps the swirls will come even on a ceramic coated cars very soon. Ceramic coatings need a lot of regular maintenance and care to maintain the shine else it's a waste of money. If you still want to go ahead its better to apply the ceramic now and keep maintaining it with SiO2 spray sealents like turtlewax etc. Do note on a white car the effects are less noticeable as well with a ceramic coating.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by nTorq

Hello folks,

Request your thoughts and advice on the below:

Do you think it is wise to do a ceramic coating for a new car, or is it better to wait for 2-3 years (assuming one will use the car for 7-8 years) and then get it done?

Recently, I came across the Turtlewax product which is meant to be for DIY ceramic coating. This costs around 1.6k INR, and will last for a few months. Given that the car's paint is still new, and does not probably need much of 'paint correction', is it better to use the Turtlewax product for about 2 years, and when the swirl marks do become prominent then go for a professional ceramic coating job?

This way, the paint will stay fairly new for the duration of 5-6 years in total, as against doing a professional ceramic coating now itself, which might have a life of about 2-3 years.

Please advise.

Thanks!

Please understand there is a difference between paint correction and paint protection, the former refers to polishing/compounding the paint to remove surface imperfections like swirls and fine scratches that all new cars come with, a good machine polishing will also reduce orange peel (optical distortion) in the factory paintjob by a noticeable amount making reflections sharper.

Paint correction is optional as it’s cosmetic in nature. Paint protection however is not, it refers to protecting your factory clearcoat with a wax, paint sealant or ceramic coating to ensure it is protected from all the natural elements + sunshine (via UV blockers mainly).

You don’t necessarily need the most expensive ceramic option if your aim is to simply protect your paint, all you need is some IPA (isopropyl alcohol) + a high quality sealant and you’re good, but please do this as soon as you get the car, never leave the paint naked. You will have to reapply every alternate month as sealants don’t last anywhere near as long as a silica based professional coating. You can also go with a silica infused spray sealant like the one you’ve mentioned but again these don’t last more than 2-3 months (with proper care). The reason you pay more for a professional coating is because they have a much higher percentage of SiO2 than DIY ceramic products, and as a result last much longer with the right wash technique (a large part of the cost is also all the prep work and paint correction they will do).

Also, how new your paint looks has little to do with the type of paint protection used (be it ceramic or something else) and everything to do with how you touch it every single time it’s washed. Once a detailer has polished out the defects, the only way you can ruin the gloss is to re inflict that damage by improper washing, and if that happens coating or not you will need machine polishing again to remove the defects and restore gloss and clarity. So be very careful about how the vehicle is washed (it’s always better to not wash and leave dirty than to wash improperly and swirl up the finish), the exception being bird droppings and tree sap - these are acidic and very corrosive and must be dealt with immediately. You can read up on the multi mitt wash method, it’s the safest way to clean your paintwork without swirling. Cheers.

[rbp25]

Originally Posted by sonil.luthra

Any suggestions who offers graphene coating in New delhi.
For ceramic I have heard good reviews for detailing devil and Always dry.
Always dry is quoting 40K for Honda City 2020 and detailing devil quoted 20K (negotiable).
Always dry is offering 4-5 microns thickness and detailing devil is offering 6-7 microns.

Looking for suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

My car is at the shop getting coated with Graphene as we speak. They have a branch in Gurgaon as well. They're called OCD Detail Studio. They use Art de Shine Graphene coating which is a product from Singapore. From research it seems to be a very good product. Before booking I spoke to the owner and he was extremely knowledgable about detailing in general. From understanding the chemistry involved with the products to being picky about the microfibre cloths he uses.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by rbp25

My car is at the shop getting coated with Graphene as we speak. ...

Correct me if wrong (I'll earn something!) but I thought that graphene was still pretty-much in-the-lab with manufacture being in its infancy. Is this really Graphene the single layer of carbon atoms, or Graphene the buzz word?

I'm interested to know. But, either way, if you get a great finish, that's a great result

[PMK-MoJo]

Originally Posted by rag_nfs

Sharing some pictures below. Now lets see how this holds up over the years

Hi Rag_nfs, I believe its more than a month since you got your car got coated with OptiCoat. Appreciate your feedback on this as I am looking for the same? Thanks in advance.

[rag_nfs]

Originally Posted by PMK-MoJo

Hi Rag_nfs, I believe its more than a month since you got your car got coated with OptiCoat. Appreciate your feedback on this as I am looking for the same? Thanks in advance.

Yes almost 2 months now. All good so far, shine and gloss still there and water just glides off. Been busy so haven't been able to clean it much, got it washed twice. I have a basement parking so thankfully it doesn't get very dirty. I use the Jopasu duster to lightly brush off the dust from the roof and the bumpers. As of now no swirl marks. Hope this helps.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Correct me if wrong (I'll earn something!) but I thought that graphene was still pretty-much in-the-lab with manufacture being in its infancy. Is this really Graphene the single layer of carbon atoms, or Graphene the buzz word?

I'm interested to know. But, either way, if you get a great finish, that's a great result

Graphene is just a marketing buzz word, these coatings have been tested thoroughly by some of the best detailing channels on YouTube and their findings all point to virtually no difference when compared to a high quality ceramic coating, mainly because the graphene component is less than 1%, the rest is still SiO2 just like standard ceramic coatings. If you want to confirm this just look as the SDS (safety data sheets) published by graphene coating mfg’s and you’ll see it’s 99% ceramic coating with a graphene additive. Larry from Ammo NYC (arguably one of the best detailers in the world) on YouTube even went to meet the chemists who formulated the graphene additives and reached the same conclusion.

As far as gloss, durability, water beading, abrasion resistance, resistance to chemical staining, UV protection and prevention of oxidation, the graphene coatings performed at par (sometimes a little worse) than their ceramic counterparts. The main reason graphene is pushed so hard by mfg’s is cause they get to charge detailers almost double for a graphene kit compared to a ceramic kit, and this cost is unfortunately passed onto the customers buying into the hype, urge all to do their own research before believing what a company or brand claims. Cheers.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Graphene is just a marketing buzz word ...

Thanks for that. I had read recently about "graphene batteries" and the general run of comments was "plain lie: not possible." I've also read about graphene production. If I remember rightly, UK has a couple of companies that make the stuff, but it is hard to do, and the quantities small and the prices high.

There may be instances where a mere percentage of a percentage can make a different (the tiny amounts of additive that change the nature of steels comes to mind) but, from what you say, this is not one of them.

Hopefully, the gentleman who was getting his graphene coating will get a great finish on his car anyway.