[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

If it did not do so, then forget it, especially at the costs involved! It is regularly said, and should be kept in sight, that the cost of these special coatings can approach (even exceed?) the cost of a full dealer-service-centre respray! .

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

A daily drive vehicle needs a round of ProKlear over the weekend - maybe a round of cream polish once or twice a year depending on usage.

Yep. All in all, if I could time-travel 6 months to the day I bought my car, I would tell my less-wiser self to save those Rs. 30,000 and spend it on the mandatory repainting over the next few years, bi-annual polishing, quarterly detailing and daily washing; and then buy a drink or lunch with the leftover ceramic coating money

[HEMIOrange]

I thought of getting paint protection for my car, but the price (and its variation) and the number of options on offer got me perplexed. How do I know which one is better? or whether a detailer will do the job the way he claims? With that much money and man hours put into the detailing process, my car will definitely look better and give me the feeling of being protected, and since I always care about my car I will always keep it clean and give that credit to ceramic coating and if ceramic coating and other expensive treatments aren't a mere placebo effect then in that price I can get my car detailed periodically and get it washed regularly till the time I wish to keep my car with me, I don't think tall claims on the longevity of the coating are true.

I would rather recommend to those having a place to wash their car and do a DIY on detailing, it's a great hobby to pursue and one can give all care and attention one wants to give to their care. I wash my cars regularly on weekends and holidays and it takes me 5-6 hours to do the process, the end results are both fantastic and satisfying. The initial investment too isn't much.

[bharathg]

I think that most detailers are exaggerating the benefits of Ceramic coating. No, it doesn't prevent scratches, it doesn't last more than a year or maybe with extreme care, you can maybe push it to 2. There are other coatings that are, in my opinion, superior to ceramic. And detailing doesn't extend the life of the ENGINE like gomechanic so laughably claims. A premium ceramic coating does 2 things well that solve problems, in my opinion. They are; cleaning the vehicle is considerably easier since the water just beeds of the surface. The second thing is that it protects the painted surface from light swirls.

I think that these 2 advantages make protective coating worth it for my vehicle, if it is worth it for you is a question best answered by, well, you. Let me elaborate on why I think that. Let's talk about the ease of cleaning the vehicle. I just spend just a few minutes with a static duster to dust the car(the static pulls the dirt particles off the surface and not drag it along the surface causing swirls). When the duster isn't able to pull something off the surface, let's take bird droppings for example. I use a waterless wash solution to soak it and wipe it off. This saves me frequent trips to the car wash, where there is a high chance of swirl formation due to improper washing techniques or just basic human error. And I have a black car, so the effect of even the lightest of swirls is huge. I have seen multiple car washes that use the same wash mitt for the entirety of the car, and use the same wash mitt on other cars. By using my technique to wash the vehicle I think that in the long run, I'm saving the car's surface, I am saving water as with the waterless wash I'm using less than a litre of water to clean the whole car, and I only use the solution when the duster isn't able to do its job. Most importantly as an Indian, I save money, I see protective coatings as an investment that protects the car to a certain degree, but saves you a lot of money that is spent on washing. Let's do some math, a decent car wash is going to cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of Rs. 800. And Ideally before coating, I felt that the car needed to be taken to the car wash bi-weekly at least. So, that's 1600/month, which works out to Rs. 19200 per year, and typically you would keep your car for say 8 years, and the coating that I had put on mine should last 3-5 years, depending on maintenance, and I can say that with confidence because I've done a lot of research on the subject. So Rs. 19200 a year over a period of 5 years adds up to Rs. 96,000. In my case, the coating cost Rs. 25,000. So for me, it was a worthwhile investment. I save money, mitigate the possibility of swirls, save a lot of water, and save the time that would otherwise be spent on taking the car to the car wash. And as an added bonus the coating protects the surface from light scratches as well. It also feels amazing to run the back of your fingers along the surface of a coated car, it feels so smooth.

In conclusion, coatings have been overplayed by many in the market. When you understand its true purpose, you can see the value proposition. Some people in the thread were talking about DIY detailing, it can be done but with an asterisk. As many premium coatings are only available to certified detailers, but if you're happy with the product you get, or can get your hands on the "certified detailer" only product then more power to you. There's a plethora of how-to videos on YouTube and many channels have some great content, do your research before DIYing it.

[senna]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought an Audi A6 in white and wanted to get ceramic coating done. I visited the following three outlets in Gurgaon :

1. Turtle wax studio: got a quote of 30K for the 3 year package. They say that maintenance coat is not needed but they will repair the coat if it wears off in those 3 years.
2. Detailing street: this was suggested by my SA and offered 3 year package for 28K with maintenance coat every 6 months.
3. House of polish: 68K + GST. Even after discounts it comes close to 70K.

I am a bit confused as to which one to go with. Turtle wax studio was working on an i10 and creta when I visited them. Detailing street was working on a gloster. House of polish had multiple S classes and other biggies being worked upon. House of polish was filled up to the brim with luxury cars. Does any of you guys have any first hand experience with these guys ? Any other suggestions for a good and reliable detailer in Gurgaon ?

[skstorq]

Hey,
I am planning to buy a Kia Seltos. I had been researching ceramic coating. And found this video:

https://youtu.be/kKe4MwToPo0

Is this true? I read some posts and did some research and found that Ceramic Coating is useful, but I want to know if the coating in the aforementioned video is true. If any BHPians have done this coating on their car, please let me know how your experience was.


P.S.: I live in Bangalore, and in no way affiliated with the company.

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by skstorq

Hey,
I am planning to buy a Kia Seltos. I had been researching ceramic coating. And found this video:

https://Youtu.be/kKe4MwToPo0

Is this true? I read some posts and did some research and found that Ceramic Coating is useful, but I want to know if the coating in the aforementioned video is true. If any BHPians have done this coating on their car, please let me know how your experience was.


P.S.: I live in Bangalore, and in no way affiliated with the company.

I have a White First Gen Creta and I did get the Max Protect coating in June,19 and in my opinion, it's just like any other coating and nothing out of the ordinary. Mine was a regular one. There is another version of the same coating called UNC-R which supposedly is more durable and has some rubber compounds so it's more resistant towards scratches.
There are only 2 authorised applicators for Max Protect in India. One is in Bangalore and another one is in Ludhiana.
The price I paid was reasonable so I have no qualms.
Please do let me know if you want more details.

[rag_nfs]

Hello everyone,

Am planning to get my new black Hector ceramic coated. This forum has been really helpful in understanding the pros and cons about ceramic and the process. Wanted to get help and feedback on the below from the members

1. Carzspa 10H coating - what has been folks experience with this, does the finish and gloss last after 2-3 years?

2. OCD Detail studio Gurgaon - coating of Jade Marine - does anyone have any with experience with this?

Thanks

[Traveller17]

Wanted to go for Ceramic Coating for my new Ecosport. Any suggestions on which is the most genuine place in Bangalore to get it done

[skstorq]

Originally Posted by Artyom

I have a White First Gen Creta and I did get the Max Protect coating in June,19 and in my opinion, it's just like any other coating and nothing out of the ordinary. Mine was a regular one. There is another version of the same coating called UNC-R which supposedly is more durable and has some rubber compounds so it's more resistant towards scratches.
There are only 2 authorised applicators for Max Protect in India. One is in Bangalore and another one is in Ludhiana.
The price I paid was reasonable so I have no qualms.
Please do let me know if you want more details.

Hey Artyom,
I have decided to go with the UNC-R rubber coating for the Seltos. Which outlet did you get it done, and how was your experience? Also, Could you please let me know who is the authorized applicator for the rubber coating in Bangalore?
Thanks in advance for your help.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by Acid Burn

Hi I am looking for having a ceramic coating done on my new XUV 300 in Mumbai.

If you have not got your car coated yet and still want to go for it, you can try Detailing Dons. They have an outlet in Mahalaxmi and Kharghar.

Tbhp link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumba...mi-mumbai.html (Car Detailing : Detailing Dons (Kharghar & Mahalaxmi, Mumbai))

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by Traveller17

Wanted to go for Ceramic Coating for my new Ecosport. Any suggestions on which is the most genuine place in Bangalore to get it done

You can check @ Krithi Car Care(https://www.krithicarcare.com/contact). They do a good job, you can refer to the below thread as well.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/banga...bangalore.html

[Artyom]

Originally Posted by skstorq

Hey Artyom,
I have decided to go with the UNC-R rubber coating for the Seltos. Which outlet did you get it done, and how was your experience? Also, Could you please let me know who is the authorized applicator for the rubber coating in Bangalore?
Thanks in advance for your help.

My experience has been good and the guy knows his stuff.Best of luck with the coating brother.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by rag_nfs

Hello everyone,

Am planning to get my new black Hector ceramic coated. This forum has been really helpful in understanding the pros and cons about ceramic and the process. Wanted to get help and feedback on the below from the members

1. Carzspa 10H coating - what has been folks experience with this, does the finish and gloss last after 2-3 years?

2. OCD Detail studio Gurgaon - coating of Jade Marine - does anyone have any with experience with this?

Thanks

Please be wary of any detailer than claims 10H or higher levels of hardness, as the pencil scale of hardness used for testing ceramic coatings ends at 9H. There is no higher rating possible, anything higher is marketing fluff.

Regarding gloss and durability, it depends heavily on the prep and application process. Make sure you ask the detailer about all the steps that will be performed regarding paint decontamination (physical + chemical), correction (yes even new cars need light correction), and finally application.

A lot will also depend on your climate and parking area (covered vs open), wash frequency and perhaps most importantly ensuring correct washing techniques are used that don’t inflict swirls on the coating in order to maintain the gloss over the years. Also keep in mind, a high quality coating does not require ‘topping up’ or reapplication every few months, (unless it has been damaged or compromised in some way with abrasives) using silica spray sealants is optional on most professional coatings. Cheers.

[rag_nfs]

After many hours of research, going through the TBHP forum pages, countless youtube videos and international auto forums, i went ahead with OptiCoat Pro for my black Hector+. I was looking for a coating that would

1) Give a deep gloss finish rather than a glassy one.
2) Provide long lasting protection from minor swirls and micro-marring, OC supposedly does this better as its SiC based.
3) Would retain shine even if it isn't washed regularly. My car is parked in the basement so doesn't get that dirty and i dont see myself washing it every week too. OC also doesn't require regular top-ups, though will have to take the car for occasional wash.

Got the work done by Steam and Shine who is the the authorized detailer and is close to home. Members on this thread had a good experience there so that gave me some confidence. Sunny, the owner described the entire process to me in detail and helped me choose the right variant, good part was there was no unnecessary upselling.

The process was similar to what has been described on other threads so wont go into the details again. Since it is a new car the compounding step was faster. The process took the entire day though, started at 10.30am and ended at 8.30 pm. Car was kept overnight for curing.

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

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by rag_nfs

Since it is a new car the compounding step was faster. The process took the entire day though, started at 10.30am and ended at 8.30 pm.

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!