[ZittingCisticol]

Would love some advice here... Just booked a Honda Amaze. As part of accessories, the dealership is offering graphene coating including underbody coating for 27k (with a boost with yearly service for 2 years, and 5 years of maintenance - they said they'll reapply it for these 5 years if some repainting needs to be done).

This might seem like a very basic question, but is it worth doing? If it's good for the car, I'm for it, but is it anything more than a glossy coat? And is an additional underbody protection required these days? Does it really make caring for the car any easier? For context, I'm in Kerala (humid, and ~20KMs from the sea).

[SpikeSpiegel26]

Originally Posted by AJ56

5) For PPF good brands include Expel, Stek. For ceramic you should look at Carpro, Gyeon, SystemX, Kamikaze, Modesta, etc. Puris Jade (Quartz Pro, green bottle) is also nice if budget is a concern.

Hi,

I have been following your posts in this thread and came across a car detailing studio near my residence who uses Gyeon products only for ceramic coating. I don't think he is certified by Gyeon but I enquired a few customers of his, and they were satisfied with his work and would come to his shop for all maintenance coats as well as washing and cleaning. He has coated Rs. 25000/- with 3 years warranty and 6 maintenance coats till end 4th year. He has also added Front windshield, headlights and tail lights as complimentary. Should I take the risk and go ahead with him?

Regards

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by ZittingCisticol

This might seem like a very basic question, but is it worth doing? If it's good for the car, I'm for it, but is it anything more than a glossy coat? And is an additional underbody protection required these days? Does it really make caring for the car any easier? For context, I'm in Kerala (humid, and ~20KMs from the sea).

Every car is fully galvanised at the factory by submersion in a zinc bath, there is no need for additional underbody protection unless you live in very snowy areas where they frequently salt the roads.

Regarding ceramic, don’t get it done from the dealer. Go to a known high quality brand by looking up their authorised installers for your city (Carpro, SystemX, Modesta, etc.).

Ceramic will add a lot of protection for the factory clearcoat by forming a glossy sacrificial layer over the paint. Will make cleaning and drying a breeze as nothing will stick to the paint, coating wheels and glass greatly reduces cleaning effort and in most situations you don’t need to use wipers when it rains.

You must follow safe washing methods even after the coating in order to keep swirl free and keep gloss intact. Also, high quality coatings applied by a good installer do not need constant reapplication every 6-12 months. They last years with a chemical decon needed once a year at most.

Originally Posted by SpikeSpiegel26

Hi,

I have been following your posts in this thread and came across a car detailing studio near my residence who uses Gyeon products only for ceramic coating. I don't think he is certified by Gyeon but I enquired a few customers of his, and they were satisfied with his work and would come to his shop for all maintenance coats as well as washing and cleaning. He has coated Rs. 25000/- with 3 years warranty and 6 maintenance coats till end 4th year. Should I take the risk and go ahead with him?

Regards

Gyeon is a good brand but do ask what variant is being applied, from Mohs Evo, Infinite Base Type 1/2, Pure, Syncro, etc. ask what exactly is being applied to your paint. Ask if wheels, glass, plastic trim, lights, chrome and glossy black plastics are covered or not.

Carry a bright flashlight and check other cars they have freshly completed for swirls or other paint imperfections.

Also ask if a fresh kit will be opened during each and every maintenance visit, Gyeon kits aren’t cheap and given the pricing it is impossible for them to use a fresh kit every time.

The minute you take a polisher to a coated surface, all the hydrophobic properties are removed and in most cases the coating itself is stripped, ask them why does a professional coating need constant reapplication every few months, as even paint sealants last a couple of months.

Only exception being, if you neglect safe washing, then even the best coatings cannot hold up to the extreme abrasion inflicted by society cleaners for eg.

[SpikeSpiegel26]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Gyeon is a good brand but do ask what variant is being applied, from Mohs Evo, Infinite Base Type 1/2, Pure, Syncro, etc. ask what exactly is being applied to your paint. Ask if wheels, glass, plastic trim, lights, chrome and glossy black plastics are covered or not.

That I'll confirm as he has all the GYEON products on display of his detailing shop. In the package he has included front windshield, headlights and tail lights as complimentary. Wheels, plastic trim and chrome is not included and have to be paid for extra

Originally Posted by AJ56

Also ask if a fresh kit will be opened during each and every maintenance visit, Gyeon kits aren’t cheap and given the pricing it is impossible for them to use a fresh kit every time.

He said that the primary coating will be done only once at the start. The maintenance coats will be polish and wax to retain hydrophobic properties.

Originally Posted by AJ56

The minute you take a polisher to a coated surface, all the hydrophobic properties are removed and in most cases the coating itself is stripped, ask them why does a professional coating need constant reapplication every few months, as even paint sealants last a couple of months.

That seems like a valid point as I agree that good quality coating shouldn't need reapplication. And as the studio confirmed that primary coating will be applied only once. So is the maintenance buffing worth the price tag of 25K which includes 6 visits every 6 months?

Originally Posted by AJ56

Only exception being, if you neglect safe washing, then even the best coatings cannot hold up to the extreme abrasion inflicted by society cleaners for eg.

That I'll take care of as I will personally wash and wipe my car. I never give new vehicles to society cleaners as I know they won't go gentle with their hands. Or if need be I will take it a nearby washing centre to just give it a pressure wash and do the drying myself.

[ZittingCisticol]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Every car is fully galvanised at the factory by submersion in a zinc bath, there is no need for additional underbody protection unless you live in very snowy areas where they frequently salt the roads.

Thank you AJ56! This was helpful and something I'll keep in mind. Unfortunately, went ahead and asked the dealer to do the coating the day after I posted.

[sulliavi]

Could anybody suggest a good detailer for Ceramic coating in Mangalore ?

One more question that comes in my mind is, Kerala has good number of detailers and not very far from my place. Any suggestions if Kerala has better detailers then which one that would be ?

Thanks in advance.

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Removing scratches and swirls is a part of the prep process. Any detailer has to compound/polish a surface so that swirls/scratches are minimised prior to the coating process. If the coating is just applied on an already swirled surface, it will offer protection but it probably will not look any better than before.

I just got my vehicle freshly painted. There are very very minor swirl marks from god knows where. Will a ceramic coat "fill in" these micro swirls. Or do I have to polish and then go ahead. Have run out of polish hence the question.

[Gupts007]

Originally Posted by Petrolhead1209

I just got my vehicle freshly painted. There are very very minor swirl marks from god knows where. Will a ceramic coat "fill in" these micro swirls. Or do I have to polish and then go ahead. Have run out of polish hence the question.

They will always polish and remove the swirl marks before ceramic coating the vehicle. The coating is to protect, nothing more. So if you have some anomalies under the coating, they will keep reflecting that.

[rahulk2510]

Hi,

Having read through a lot of posts here, I am now having doubts if Ceramic Coating is better or should i simply use my car (Honda City 5th Gen) as it is with annual polishing and removing scratches and swirl marks and maybe after 5 years or so go for a full body repaint which might cost around 50k.

I do not have the luxury of washing the car by myself in my garage as I live in apartments and have to rely on normal car washer who would not take the pains of cleaning using waterless car wash inspite of paying higher (Volume matters than money for them).

[blackbandit]

Originally Posted by sulliavi

Could anybody suggest a good detailer for Ceramic coating in Mangalore?

You can try Carz Spa in Mannagudda. They have done a good job on my friend's Venue. And I have heard positive feedback about them from few others around me as well.

[Petrolhead1209]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

They will always polish and remove the swirl marks before ceramic coating the vehicle. The coating is to protect, nothing more. So if you have some anomalies under the coating, they will keep reflecting that.

You said they, I have a bottle of ceramic coating and looking to DIY it. Nevertheless I think you've answered my question .

[rving]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Every car is fully galvanised at the factory by submersion in a zinc bath, there is no need for additional underbody protection unless you live in very snowy areas where they frequently salt the roads.

Regarding ceramic, don’t get it done from the dealer. Go to a known high quality brand by looking up their authorised installers for your city (Carpro, SystemX, Modesta, etc.).

Ceramic will add a lot of protection for the factory clearcoat by forming a glossy sacrificial layer over the paint. Will make cleaning and drying a breeze as nothing will stick to the paint, coating wheels and glass greatly reduces cleaning effort and in most situations you don’t need to use wipers when it rains.

You must follow safe washing methods even after the coating in order to keep swirl free and keep gloss intact. Also, high quality coatings applied by a good installer do not need constant reapplication every 6-12 months. They last years with a chemical decon needed once a year at most.



Gyeon is a good brand but do ask what variant is being applied, from Mohs Evo, Infinite Base Type 1/2, Pure, Syncro, etc. ask what exactly is being applied to your paint. Ask if wheels, glass, plastic trim, lights, chrome and glossy black plastics are covered or not.

Carry a bright flashlight and check other cars they have freshly completed for swirls or other paint imperfections.

Also ask if a fresh kit will be opened during each and every maintenance visit, Gyeon kits aren’t cheap and given the pricing it is impossible for them to use a fresh kit every time.

The minute you take a polisher to a coated surface, all the hydrophobic properties are removed and in most cases the coating itself is stripped, ask them why does a professional coating need constant reapplication every few months, as even paint sealants last a couple of months.

Only exception being, if you neglect safe washing, then even the best coatings cannot hold up to the extreme abrasion inflicted by society cleaners for eg.

I last ceramic coated ( my sportsbike ) when it was ok to layer coatings with sealants and waxes. Realising a lot has changed. Going through your posts, I think I see cars and paint through the same eyes. Hoping you could guide me a bit

1) Best current detailer in Mumbai (I like the one I used before, but would love your opinion)

2) Best looking ceramic coat in the Mumbai market, not special imports like the Kamikaze Zipang( I used to love the slick deep look of Blackfire wet diamond sealant - would love your recommendation on the deepest gloss finish ceramic coat)

3) Interior Piano black trim - self healing PPF?

4) Exterior Piano black trim - self healing PPF?

Thanks in advance!

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by rving

I last ceramic coated ( my sportsbike ) when it was ok to layer coatings with sealants and waxes. Realising a lot has changed. Going through your posts, I think I see cars and paint through the same eyes. Hoping you could guide me a bit

1) Best current detailer in Mumbai (I like the one I used before, but would love your opinion)

2) Best looking ceramic coat in the Mumbai market, not special imports like the Kamikaze Zipang( I used to love the slick deep look of Blackfire wet diamond sealant - would love your recommendation on the deepest gloss finish ceramic coat)

3) Interior Piano black trim - self healing PPF?

4) Exterior Piano black trim - self healing PPF?

Thanks in advance!

Happy to help:

1) Back when I was in Mumbai the only pro detailers operating were 3M Car Care franchises, the less about their quality and attention to detail the better. 3M was actually a big catalyst in me starting to detail my own cars over a decade ago.

Try authorised installers of Carpro, SystemX and Modesta.

2) 95% of all the gloss and clarity you see in paintwork is a result of proper machine polishing to remove all defects and haze/oxidation in the clearcoat. A coating is the cherry on top to protect the corrected paint underneath.

In fact, if you see a noticeable increase in depth/gloss after you apply a coating/sealant it’s a good indication of improper machine polishing, perfectly polished paint should have extreme levels of gloss.

Stick to the known high quality ceramics and you won’t see any difference in gloss.

3) and 4) No, I wouldn’t do it if it was my car. First, self healing is a self levelling polymer that doesn’t last beyond a few months, after which you will be left with very soft film which will swirl very easily (PPF is much softer than a coating and even bare paint.)

Second, the panels you want covered will need to be removed for a perfect install, doing so messes with the factory fit and finish and may not even be possible with certain interior trims.

If you don’t remove, you will see the edges of the film which will pick up muck over time and turn white which looks terrible just like a phone screen protector.

Film will also add very noticeable optical distortion also known as orange peel.

[himanshu_trikha]

Hello Folks !

I recently looked up an ad for Door Step ceramic coating by a company called ‘Shiftup’.
It seems they originated from Kolkata and now spreading wings in select metros.The reviews online are plenty and positive.

https://g.co/kgs/YfsuSf

Does anyone here got an experience with them ?
The rates offered are Jaw Dropping ,13k for 4 years guarantee package with 3 touch-ups for XUV700.

[rving]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Happy to help:

1) Back when I was in Mumbai the only pro detailers operating were 3M Car Care franchises, the less about their quality and attention to detail the better. 3M was actually a big catalyst in me starting to detail my own cars over a decade ago.

Try authorised installers of Carpro, SystemX and Modesta.

2) 95% of all the gloss and clarity you see in paintwork is a result of proper machine polishing to remove all defects and haze/oxidation in the clearcoat. A coating is the cherry on top to protect the corrected paint underneath.

In fact, if you see a noticeable increase in depth/gloss after you apply a coating/sealant it’s a good indication of improper machine polishing, perfectly polished paint should have extreme levels of gloss.

Stick to the known high quality ceramics and you won’t see any difference in gloss.

3) and 4) No, I wouldn’t do it if it was my car. First, self healing is a self levelling polymer that doesn’t last beyond a few months, after which you will be left with very soft film which will swirl very easily (PPF is much softer than a coating and even bare paint.)

Second, the panels you want covered will need to be removed for a perfect install, doing so messes with the factory fit and finish and may not even be possible with certain interior trims.

If you don’t remove, you will see the edges of the film which will pick up muck over time and turn white which looks terrible just like a phone screen protector.

Film will also add very noticeable optical distortion also known as orange peel.

Thank you so much for your inputs! Won't be going for any PPF, and going with the detailers I used last time since I know they do 2) - Machine polishing and defect removal well