[Amyth Prabhakar]

Originally Posted by akhil994

You should definitely do that. I believe you have been grossly misinformed. I don't want to spoil your joy of how beautiful your car looks. Apologies for that , since that was not my intention.

I am sure even after this you have substantial clear coat to get paint correction done a couple of more times , but from a detailer who will ensure he does not burn through the paint.

Your car would have been able to achieve the mirror finish in a 1 step correction only! Maybe a couple of places would have required some medium compounding, but not the whole car.

If they (Feynlab) say otherwise, that's totally unethical and wrong. You should check the difference between the clear coat on the door jambs and the bonnet ( for example), if the difference is not much, I believe they have removed way too much clear than they were supposed to.

Generally on a new car, about 4-5 microns is the max you would need to remove to get the perfect mirror like finish. Even that is on the higher side, a skilled detailer would only remove 2-3 microns.

I went there and questioned them about this. They agreed to the fact that they could have done with just one step of polishing but they said in most cases that will not work as each car they get is different and some very minute scratches and swirl marks and paint defects ( like the orange peel ) will have to removed and leveled out. They also told me that they apply slight pressure at an angle while doing it to ensure minimum removal of clear coat and finish it off with just one pass for new vehicles and multiple passes for older vehicles. They told me that these microscopic defects pop out during the curing and heating process if they are not taken care of.

They also told me that the heavy cut on my vehicle was used to the least extent possible and wherever absolutely necessary.

They were working on another White Seltos, which was about 3-4 months old in the studio. They put on the yellow tapes to divide the bonnet into 3 different sections. On the left they used the heavy cut compound and on the middle and right, they used the medium and finishing compounds and we took the measurements of the paint thickness in microns on both sides.

Nothing visible when looked at it from far.



Very minute scratches became visible under warm lights & upon very close observation. ( Zoom out to check them )





They used a medium cut to remove that.

Very minute trails were left behind and can still be seen. They said that it can removed with 2 passes of medium cut or just one pass of heavy cut.



The paint thickness I guess is never consistent but does vary when measured at different points on the vehicle.

The below measurements are from another seltos which was undergoing the same ceramic coating process:

Right side paint thickness in microns which varied from 125- 134 microns at different points.



Right side paint thickness in microns which varied from 125- 134 microns at different points.



In the middle and on the left the thickness varied from 121 - 127 microns after using the medium and heavy cut compounds respectively.







At the rear, before doing anything. on the rear doors.



Very Surprising: Nothing done at the end of rear door and just above the door handle and towards the edge, It showed 93 microns. Looks like Kia cars have less paint there. Need to go to showroom and check this. Will do it soon.

[Amyth Prabhakar]

Paint thickness after ceramic coating on my vehicle.

I am not sure how much of clear coat was removed. But here are the measurements in micros post application.

It varied from 122-128 on the bonnet at various points.





On the top and near the roof rails it was around 116-120



On the front and rear doors, fenders, the readings were between 110-116 at various points











It showed 107 microns at the bottom of the doors.





On the Rear panels it varied from 118-120 microns





Just towards the edge of left rear door and above the handle



The only place on the edge of rear right door where it showed as 94 microns



Paint thickness on Interior panels where no work was done:

There is really a major difference in paint thickness between the outside panels on which they worked upon and the interior areas that were left untouched.





The device did not show any readings when measured on plastics:



Near the scuff plate



Inside the door jams: The paint thickness is the least.

[R17]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

Your car looks brilliant. Congratulations

Ceramic coatings provide a certain level of protection but for the price quoted by most detailers makes people shy away from the same. I too thought it was a gimmick like teflon and the costs did not justify the results. I can get a proper overcoat for the car at that price.

There are however a few players in the market who does provide quality ceramic coatings at significantly lower prices. A little bit of research would help saving significant costs. But ensure that you actually spend time doing that homework.

Two such examples are Wheeler Cleaners in Marathalli, Bangalore and NanoPro India in Delhi and this is through personal experience of self and friends.

Wheeler Cleaners did Ceramic Coating for a fellow Duster AWD owner and Bhpian for around 10k INR with 2 years warranty. This was a Pandemic Rate, and they were running heavy discounts. But their normal rates are also not as high as the market.

Nanopro has been used by me, bhpian JKDS, PredatorWheelz and a personal friend of mine. We all are pretty happy with the outcome. Prices were 14k for 3 years (includes touchups every year) and 17.5k for 5 years irrespective of the size of the car (discounted rates). JKDS, my friend and myself have the Duster AWD. Predator did it for his Safari and he was the first one who actually did it and gave a thumbs up after few weeks. We then went one day to actually check the setup to ensure they have a proper one to do ceramic coatings.

I got the coating done September last year and this is the shine after a normal shampoo wash yesterday after 10 months. No polish or wax was done.
Attachment 2036275

Would you / any of the other experts here know of a reasonably priced option in Mumbai? Im looking to get coating done for my Jeep Compass and am getting quotes ranging from INR 30K-60K depending upon annual maintenance, number of layers etc.

Secondly, any clue on the most reliable, high quality options in Mumbai? Im looking at Autotriz and Autzilla for now.

[Amyth Prabhakar]

Originally Posted by R17

Would you / any of the other experts here know of a reasonably priced option in Mumbai? Im looking to get coating done for my Jeep Compass and am getting quotes ranging from INR 30K-60K depending upon annual maintenance, number of layers etc.

Secondly, any clue on the most reliable, high quality options in Mumbai? Im looking at Autotriz and Autzilla for now.

Creta and Seltos sized vehicles are considered as compact SUV's while Jeep compass falls under the category of a regular/premium SUV.

So generally the prices will be on the higher side and if you are looking for long term durability and reliability, then you might have to either choose a 5 or 7 year premium package.

You can check with Autotriz guys. Their packages start from 30K, for 3 layers, with 3 year warranty in Bangalore.This would only be for the exterior body panels though. I guess it would cost around the same range in Mumbai as well. It looked quite reliable to me.

Opti-coat is the only brand that offers life time warranty. But they are not pocket friendly when it comes to premium packages. Their entry level products are hybrid and not true ceramic.

I really don't have any experience with other brands.

Experts pls comment on this.

[Amyth Prabhakar]

Update on interior coating: Leather treatment.

I had been to the Feynlab studio to get the pending things done.
I had paid in advance for this application and so it was like a maintenance visit.

The vehicle exterior was thoroughly washed and the interiors were cleaned.

The plastic covers were peeled off from the seats and the interiors were cleaned with an interior cleaning liquid. [Feynlab interior cleaner]

The Feynlab leather treatment was then applied with a soft applicator sponge pad on to all faux leather surfaces that included, the seats ( front and rear), front and rear armrest, dashboard, door pads and finally the steering wheel. This hydrates the leather and retains the suppleness and elasticity for long duration and prevents it from cracking due continuous usage.

It was kind of very sticky until it completely dried. It took about 10-15 min to dry. I also noticed the stickiness even after a day and complained about it.
Samrat said, that the leather fabric will absorb slowly and the stickiness will disappear in a few hours. In reality it took about a day and half to completely dry.

Post application it introduced its own unique aroma. But the fragrance was mild and tolerable and took about 2-3 days to exit the cabin.

Here are the pics:

[YD14]

Originally Posted by Amyth Prabhakar

Update on interior coating: Leather treatment.

Though interior coatings are not my thing, but still a couple of queries.

1. You mentioned applying it to dashboard. Does it work for plastic too? If no, have you planned anything to protect the plastics?

2. Can it be used to revive old leather like some of the plastic reviving products or it is just a protectant?

3. In the pictures the parts appear too shiny after application. Does the shine go away?

And lastly,

4. Are you concerned about oils evapourating from the surface and getting collected on glass under direct sun?

[Amyth Prabhakar]

Originally Posted by YD14

Though interior coatings are not my thing, but still a couple of queries.

1. You mentioned applying it to dashboard. Does it work for plastic too? If no, have you planned anything to protect the plastics?

2. Can it be used to revive old leather like some of the plastic reviving products or it is just a protectant?

3. In the pictures the parts appear too shiny after application. Does the shine go away?

And lastly,

4. Are you concerned about oils evapourating from the surface and getting collected on glass under direct sun?

1. It was applied to the dashboard leather. Yes there is also a separate plastic coat available for exterior and interior plastics. It has already been applied on to my vehicle and more over Seltos comes with Solar protection glass. It does cut off all the UV and hence will protect the interiors and I also use the company given car cover. Most of the times it is covered as I park outside.I never leave it exposed to sun.
   
2. I am not 100% sure about this. I will check with them and let you know.I have seen them working on some old vehicles. I guess they have a separate range of products for reviving/restoring old interiors. These products work only if the interiors are in workable condition. Nothing can be done if the condition has reached a beyond repair stage. The one applied to my vehicle is a protecting layer to prevent future damage.
   
3. The shine lasts only until it dries completely and yes it does go away over usage. It gets absorbed into the leather fabric. The sticky substance will dry off over time.
   
4. It's been a week and I haven't come across such a situation. I park the vehicle outside under direct sun. My car wears a cover though.

[D'Ro@dSt@r]

Originally Posted by Amyth Prabhakar

The price that I have mentioned includes everything that I have listed along with multiple washes and labour costs. This also includes free maintenance washes and coats after 6 months and 1 year. (Of course they would have included the cost for the free maintenance washes,coats as well and say free to attract customers and we know about all these gimmicks)

AutoTriz, Bangalore

Attachment 2036594

Packages and their Prices

35k and 55k respectively [you can further customize and eliminate what you don't need to bring the costs down]

Attachment 2036595

Thanks for the Wonderful & informative write-up. Your ride looks sparkling after the treatment.
I am expecting my new Ride (Creta - SX(O) turbo petrol) in a couple of weeks and have planned to pamper it with a good ceramic coating as soon as I take it out of the showroom. Have been exploring all options (best & pocket-friendly as well) and spoke to Autotriz & Ultimate detailerz (CV Raman nagar) and learnt that the ceramic coating is not self healing and will bear swirl marks over a period of time or if not taken care of otherwise.
You did mentioned that the Feynlab coatings are self-healing and will heal the swirl marks or small scratches when exposed to heat. Is this some technology which is specific to Feynlab, coz others are simply denying it and proposing PPF instead if I am looking for such feature. Or may be I am expecting too much from the ceramic package due to the price tag

Autotriz has revised Packages now and prices at 39k and 59K now.

[Amyth Prabhakar]

Originally Posted by D'Ro@dSt@r

You did mentioned that the Feynlab coatings are self-healing and will heal the swirl marks or small scratches when exposed to heat. Is this some technology which is specific to Feynlab ?

First of all, congrats on your new Creta.

Yes that is correct. That is a proprietary formula of Feynlab ceramic liquids. I also heard that they are launching a new range of self healing products and should be available in India soon.

They also do have cheaper packages which are not self healing.

Branded PPF's are way too expensive.

[ghodlur]

Thanks Prabhakar for the wonderful and detailed write up, must appreciate your writing skills as well, I wouldnt even dare to come close to using such words.

Having heard uptil now about ceramic coating for new cars and wanting to get one done for my car, the amount of information available is so immense and at times confusing too. I learned that when it comes to any paint treatment jobs, the more moolah you have the more options are there. I had enquired with some folks on social media groups plus dropped a post in the main Ceramic coating thread, have 3 quotes till now but I guess there will be more whom I need to contact before I come to any conclusion.

[Surya1]

Is interior dashboard ceramic coating worth it? Like for piano black elements and their scratch resistance?

[Sebring]

Unlike ceramic, PPF is a strong barrier that requires zero upkeep and I had the 'glossy piano finish dashboard' bits of my NEXON finished in 3M film. Cost me 6 grand - (5 years back), and is the best investment I made

Originally Posted by Surya1

Is interior dashboard ceramic coating worth it? Like for piano black elements and their scratch resistance?

[Surya1]

Thanks @Sebring for sharing your experience. I will for sure get this done on my car.

[contentedbloke]

Guys, i have given my 5 year old Innova crysta for ceramic coating (Ceramic Version 2) with Fenylab, Museum Road, Bangalore. The process is underway and i am told that a final coat has to be applied after which it will undergo curing under UV light.

Quick question: when I keep my hand on the body, immediately the oil / grease from my palm is sticking on the body and it becomes a fingerprint magnet. I am quite concerned about this, as it will end up requiring high maintenance if i have to keep scrubbing / wiping the grease everyday. I thought ceramic coating would repel grase / oil / fingerprints? I didn't have / notice this before the coating. The extra gloss due to the coating is probably bring it out now? Needless to mention, my car is dark brown colour.

The owner says this will reduce when final coat is done but it won't completely go away. Any thoughts / experience about this from fellow members??