[nomad47]

I am in the market for ceramic coating of my car. Have talked with several detailing shops and it seems everyone is using different brands for the coat like Turtlewax, Wurth etc. One shop is using their in house product developed by them. Does the brand matter in the coat or is it more about the detailer and their application process?

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by nomad47

I am in the market for ceramic coating of my car. Have talked with several detailing shops and it seems everyone is using different brands for the coat like Turtlewax, Wurth etc. One shop is using their in house product developed by them. Does the brand matter in the coat or is it more about the detailer and their application process?

Both, the dealer and the product matter in my opinion. The most commonly used brand is the CarPro and getting this product applied by approved detailers would be preferred.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by contentedbloke

Guys, i have given my 5 year old Innova crysta for ceramic coating (Ceramic Version 2) with Fenylab, Museum Road, Bangalore...

If you don't mind could you please share what is the cost for the Ceramic coating that Fenylab charges ?

[contentedbloke]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

If you don't mind could you please share what is the cost for the Ceramic coating that Fenylab charges ?

I was charged about INR 45K plus taxes for the Fenylab ceramic coating for my Crysta.

[dotcombubbled]

Originally Posted by AJ56

1) The only correct school of thought is to protect your paint immediately upon delivery as it leaves the factory unprotected, you can use a wax or paint sealant if you don’t want a ceramic coating. Postponing this decision will only lead to a more aggressive approach being used by the detailer later to remove defects in the paint before applying protection (be it a coating or otherwise). Doing it immediately will result in a much less aggressive approach as in most cases only a finishing polish is needed to remove light swirls inflicted by the dealer before delivery.

Glad I read it. similar thing happened with me —
got my new Venue N line delivery last Wednesday (23 Nov) I noticed a day after delivery that my car already had few swirl marks.

since a week of having this new car — I’m using a garden pipe with Multi-mode attachment to clear off the dust with water all over the body then then wipe it with a pair thick microfibers using a vertical, single wipe down method —

Q1) is this method okay? Have bought proklear spray but haven’t used it yet since I have running water. Also, kinda developing an OCD for swirls, not using a shampoo yet - will pipe water + MF wipe okay for an interim?

I enquired a bunch of ceramic coating providers in bangalore (3M, Feynlab, Ultimate Detailerz, but they’ll need 2 days and I have to go out of town for a week. So I’ll do it once I come back (it’ll be 15 days from car delivery)

Q2) is there anything like a few-hours-job substitute I can use to protect my paint and minimise further swirls until I go for a ceramic after I come back after my trip ?
- like wax, polishing etc?
Please suggest.


Q3) will ceramic hide the light swirls, probably which got inflicted at dealers end? Based on your opinion, how do you rate Feynlab products?

[deepakdograbhp]

Originally Posted by dotcombubbled

Q1) is this method okay? Have bought proklear spray but haven’t used it yet since I have running water. Also, kinda developing an OCD for swirls, not using a shampoo yet - will pipe water + MF wipe okay for an interim?


Q2) is there anything like a few-hours-job substitute I can use to protect my paint and minimise further swirls until I go for a ceramic after I come back after my trip ?
- like wax, polishing etc?
Please suggest.


Q3) will ceramic hide the light swirls, probably which got inflicted at dealers end? Based on your opinion, how do you rate Feynlab products?

1) I'm not sure if this method will help your paint remain swirl-free. This method won't let the paint to be completely free of dust/road grime which when wiped off, will mar the surface. If you can use a good quality shampoo, it should help. Once your car is coated, cleaning becomes a lot easier and dust may run off with high pressure washer, but any lubrication will still be preferable.

2) Basically, there is no escape from swirls - the more you touch car surface, more you will be marring it, no matter how conscious you are while cleaning your car. You can at best reduce the intensity and prolong the time when swirls become too apparent. Probably the best way till you get your car coated is to minimize the frequency of wash.

3) You detailer will correct the surface before application of coating which basically means taking off a bit of top coat. To add further, ceramic is also prone to swirls (definitely harder than top coat, thus less prone) which means you will have to follow good wash techniques to inflict the minimal swirls when you wash your car.

[HappyWheels]

Got my Hyrdyder ceramic coated from Viva Toyota, 2 days back. Had to leave the vehicle for 2 days and the CRM in charge of this kept me informed throughout the process, with videos of what activity is being done.

Their cost was 4k less than what other 3M outlets quoted.

Did reach out to Carzspa at RR Nagar; post discussing the pricing and what all will be done, put in over WhatsApp, before handing over, to avoid ambiguities later. Was left at read and got no response from them!

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by deepakdograbhp

2) Basically, there is no escape from swirls - the more you touch car surface, more you will be marring it, no matter how conscious you are while cleaning your car. You can at best reduce the intensity and prolong the time when swirls become too apparent. Probably the best way till you get your car coated is to minimize the frequency of wash.

This is flat out incorrect, there is a correct way to wash a car safely without inflicting any wash induced surface marring whatsoever, it’s not easy, takes time and basic equipment and know how but it’s very much possible.

Again frequency of the wash has no relation to swirls/marring, if your technique is wrong it takes a single improper wash to inflict fine swirls into the finish, if the technique is correct, you can wash hundreds of times without any swirling, no matter how soft the paint (I’ve tested on butter soft black Honda/Porsche), which is about the softest paint you’ll find on any car. I’d suggest looking into the multi mitt method and using filtered water as the basics of getting started with safe washing.

Originally Posted by dotcombubbled

Glad I read it. similar thing happened with me —
got my new Venue N line delivery last Wednesday (23 Nov) I noticed a day after delivery that my car already had few swirl marks.

since a week of having this new car — I’m using a garden pipe with Multi-mode attachment to clear off the dust with water all over the body then then wipe it with a pair thick microfibers using a vertical, single wipe down method —

Q1) is this method okay? Have bought proklear spray but haven’t used it yet since I have running water. Also, kinda developing an OCD for swirls, not using a shampoo yet - will pipe water + MF wipe okay for an interim?

Q2) is there anything like a few-hours-job substitute I can use to protect my paint and minimise further swirls until I go for a ceramic after I come back after my trip ?
- like wax, polishing etc?
Please suggest.

Q3) will ceramic hide the light swirls, probably which got inflicted at dealers end? Based on your opinion, how do you rate Feynlab products?

1) No it’s not, you’re wiping down dirty paint (water alone is insufficient to emulsify and clean contamination) with very little lubrication as plain water is not a good lubricant.

Solution: use a pressure washer/garden hose to get the loose dust off, follow through with a foam cannon and only then go in with multiple wash mitts (use the microfibre noodle type), do not use a mitt on more than 1-2 panels, you’ll need 7-8 mitts in total.

For drying the safest method is using a powerful leaf blower, just blow off all the water, if the paint is protected it’s a very fast process, under 10 mins and much faster/safer than towel drying. If you don’t have a blower use plush high quality (600 gsm and up) microfibres to gently dab the paint dry, do not wipe. You can wipe matte/glass surfaces but never wipe paint, chrome and glossy plastics.

If your car isn’t very dirty, you can skip the contact wash and simply use the pressure washer followed by the blower to rinse and dry quickly, again having a hydrophobic coating really helps here. If you’re living in an apartment there are cordless pressure washers and leaf blowers available.

2) The only way to remove swirls is through machine polishing, you can apply a wax for basic protection but the swirls will remain (wax does have minor filling properties but it’s temporary). Make sure to not get any wax on your matte plastic trims, if you do clean immediately. The only way to minimise swirls is to stop your daily washing by the society guy/driver.

3) Ceramic coatings are transparent and will not hide any imperfections, neither should they as the detailer will put in a lot of effort to prep and correct any surface prior to coating it, that’s the reason a ceramic job takes 2-3 days, machine polishing is a large part of the process.

Feynlab Self Heal Plus is an excellent pro coating, I’ve not tested their consumer coatings so won’t comment. Like with any other brand, it all comes down to the franchise doing the coating, the best products are no good if the prep and machine work is not stellar.

Side note: every new car comes with fine swirls, I’ve yet to see one that didn’t.

[deepakdograbhp]

Originally Posted by AJ56

This is flat out incorrect

Ouch, that hurts

I won’t disagree with you – yes, there are perfect car wash methods. The reason I said there is no escape from swirls is from my practical experience. I would consider myself reasonably sound with car washing methods. I use ONR with rinse-less wash method (don’t have a running water luxury as I live in high rise apartments) with typical prescribed usage like pre-soak/using grit guard/wash mitts/plush microfiber etc. I do this myself and don't use services of car cleaners in the society. Yes, this is not the perfect method and there are swirls on my 2-year-old black ceramic coated “Laado” (for people not able to understand Punjabi, it essentially means Beloved ).

Yet I take pride that swirls on my car are lot lesser compared to other cars (including cars which get pampered with a foam wash every week). I also tried Gary Dean method to better my technique, but ended up washing 12 microfibre cloths and decided to give my arms some leeway . Doing rinseless wash twice-a-week has worked well for me with minimal swirls (which I can live with).

I thought that it wasn’t practical to invest time and money beyond a certain limit. Turns out I’m wrong, enthusiasts are always willing to go a step beyond. I've seen some of your posts and admire your know-how on the detailing subject

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by deepakdograbhp

I do this myself and don't use services of car cleaners in the society. Yes, this is not the perfect method and there are swirls on my 2-year-old black ceramic coated “Laado” (for people not able to understand Punjabi, it essentially means Beloved ).

Yet I take pride that swirls on my car are lot lesser compared to other cars (including cars which get pampered with a foam wash every week). I also tried Gary Dean method to better my technique, but ended up washing 12 microfibre cloths and decided to give my arms some leeway . Doing rinseless wash twice-a-week has worked well for me with minimal swirls (which I can live with).

I thought that it wasn’t practical to invest time and money beyond a certain limit. Turns out I’m wrong, enthusiasts are always willing to go a step beyond. I've seen some of your posts and admire your know-how on the detailing subject

Thank you, both my cars are black as well and I know the feeling of walking up to the shiniest paint job in the entire parking lot, that’s the reason we do all this for our cars to begin with.

Make one small change and you’ll never get swirls again. Don’t have any form of physical contact with the paint during the wash, rinseless washing is a guaranteed way of marring the paint, coated or not.

Instead just use water + air from a blower. You can use cordless machines, all you’ll need is a bucket of water for the pressure washers input, Dewalt makes a decent cordless washer, for the blower go with a black and decker cordless. No need for multiple mitts/towels, once every few weeks you will need a contact wash and that can be done at a local detailer (ensure they do it properly with multiple mitts). Cheers.

[TorqueSteer]

Finally my wife agreed to get ceramic coating done for my 2020 Ignis. I've enquired a couple of stores near my home in Pune. Prices are between 10k to 25k.

1. What will the difference be between 10K one & 25K one apart from the number of coatings ?
2. My area has lost of dust. Even parking my car in my apartment parking doesn't help. A layer of dust gets accumulated in 2 days. What care should I take after ceramic coating apart from using a cover and how should I wash my car to remove dust and not damaging the ceramic coating ?
TIA

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by TorqueSteer

Finally my wife agreed to get ceramic coating done for my 2020 Ignis. I've enquired a couple of stores near my home in Pune. Prices are between 10k to 25k.

1. What will the difference be between 10K one & 25K one apart from the number of coatings ?
2. My area has lost of dust. Even parking my car in my apartment parking doesn't help. A layer of dust gets accumulated in 2 days. What care should I take after ceramic coating apart from using a cover and how should I wash my car to remove dust and not damaging the ceramic coating ?
TIA

Ceramic coating is really hard and doesn't get spoilt easily. That's the whole point in getting it done in the first place.

I have the coating on two of my cars and I don't cover them up at all. In fact the.dust inside the cover will damage it more than anything else.

I just get the car washed with running water whenever it gets dirty and the rest of the time I don't touch it at all. Strictly no daily washing by the car cleaner guy who reuse dirty water.

The gloss on my cars is impeccable even after 2 years.

Just to give you an example of how hard the coating is. It took the detailer almost 10 minutes to redo the coating at a particular spot on my car since there was excess coating applied. He buffed the area with a polisher to remove the coating as it wouldn't come off just by rubbing it with a cloth and rubbing compound.

So don't worry about it. Just don't get the car washed by the society car cleaners and you will be fine.

You could also use a Jopashu duster to clean the car between the actual car washes with running water.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by TorqueSteer

1. What will the difference be between 10K one & 25K one apart from the number of coatings ?
2. My area has lost of dust. Even parking my car in my apartment parking doesn't help. A layer of dust gets accumulated in 2 days. What care should I take after ceramic coating apart from using a cover and how should I wash my car to remove dust and not damaging the ceramic coating ?
TIA

1) Ask the 10k shop which kit is being used, a pro coating kit itself is around 10-12k, before factoring in the dozens of man hours and detailing products that will be used during the process. Most likely a cheap coating is being used.

2) Dust won’t do any harm, improper washing will. Despite the slight bump up in paint hardness a coating is still very easy to swirl up and damage if not washed properly. Do not use car covers, do not dry dust and do not do any contact washing until you know the basics of safe washing. See the post before yours for how to do a quick touchless rinse.

[amitnair]

I am planning to get Ceramic/PPF combo done. Could you recommend good detailing centres in Bangalore

[dotcombubbled]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Paint chips need either a spot repaint (for 100% correction)

The scratch, provided it’s not through the clearcoat, can be taken care of by the detailer during the coating process. Avoid the respray from the service centre as it has the potential to create more paint issues like pinholes, clear peeling off, excessive orange peel, fisheye, shade mismatch, etc.

Having said that there are body shops that do much better work than the authorised service centres (which are terrible) and can deliver paint quality even better than the original finish, but they’re rarer than unicorns in India and very expensive.

Hello AJ56

Got my new, 2 weeks old car’s rear bumper scratched by a biker

What should I do for this small a scratch.
There’s a parking light broken also, and service Center fellow said they’ll do a touch up after installing new light

1. What should I be vary of — better to do at a detailing shop?
I’m anyway going for a ceramic and PPF on both bumpers. (Either at Feynlab or Ultimate Detailerz)

2. Would a respray on such small area is not recommended? And given there will be a PPF over oh later, what kind of correction technique I should follow for this kind of a scratch?

3. Don’t know the exact process service Center will follow, but do they sand off a big patch and then spray over it?

Being my first ever car and getting a scratch like this with totally no mistake of mine hurts a lot :(