Is it worth getting ceramic color coating done on a new car

[bbabythai]

We are planning on buying a new car. the sales guy is offering ceramic car color coating for 35,000 with 5 yrs warranty. . He says its to protect the real color of the car skin. 

 

He says we can do 24 times at his branch for that price. 

 

Do you think its worth doing it or not?

[richard_smith237]

IMO - No...  The paint on any modern car should be good enough. 

 

The ceramic coat may offer a little additional protection for the paint work. But if you car is a run of the mill Toyota, ford, Marc, BMW then its not worth it. 

 

IF your car is something special - a Porsche, BMW M4, Marc AMG etc then yeah - go for it, but people will also argue that professional waxing is better. 

 

 

Ultimately, I think it's somewhat of a ‘fad’ which has surprisingly lasted a number of years. 

 

The reason they are offering it?... because they are profiting from it !

 

 

[Keyser Soze666]

I've seen this one come up over the years and the general opinion was no it's not worth it for various reasons..

[CGW]

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The reason they are offering it?... because they are profiting from it !

Exactly, how many times do you notice a 5 year old car with "faded" paint or paint that a decent polish and T cut wouldn't restore? - waste of money IMO.

We have two cars, one 6 years old and the other is 7 years, they get washed every couple of months - maybe - nothing wrong with the paint job on either.

[Big Joke]

Walked past a ceramic coating shop in BKK. Pulling out was a 7 series white BMW. That car gleamed, very noticeable high gloss finish. Parked at the side of the road was a black 2 door Merc. Why would anyone paint a car with matte black rattle cans? Then I realized it had been wrapped.

[Rdrokit]

Quite expensive. I had my new car coated for 13,000 baht. Service for 3 years and 6 additional coating. I think every 6 months is enough. Why buy all that service? You might not have your car that long. 

While many car enthusiasts and even detailers believe it to be an alternative to clear bra (paint protection film), ceramic coating, in reality, is an alternative to waxing. The main idea is to prevent dirt, grime, and stain marks from appearing on the paint job and ruining the clear coat.

Ceramic coating, also sometimes called nano-ceramic coating, is a permanent or semi-permanent solution to your worries depending upon the coating and type of polymer used. Due to its chemically intrinsic properties, it does not break down in normal atmospheric conditions like rain or summer.

[Hi Tea]

16 hours ago, bbabythai said:

the sales guy is offering ceramic car color coating for 35,000 with 5 yrs warranty. . He says its to protect the real color of the car skin. 

Did he also say that he makes loads of commission from it and that factory paint doesn't need any extra protection?

[Hi Tea]

5 minutes ago, Rdrokit said:

Ceramic coating, also sometimes called nano-ceramic coating, is a permanent or semi-permanent solution to your worries depending upon the coating and type of polymer used. Due to its chemically intrinsic properties, it does not break down in normal atmospheric conditions like rain or summer.

"...it does not break down in normal atmospheric conditions like rain or summer".

So why do they all offer a re-coating service during the warranty period?  If it doesn't break down it shouldn't need re-doing.

[Susco]

7 minutes ago, Rdrokit said:

Ceramic coating, also sometimes called nano-ceramic coating, is a permanent or semi-permanent solution to your worries depending upon the coating and type of polymer used. Due to its chemically intrinsic properties, it does not break down in normal atmospheric conditions like rain or summer.

About 40 years ago I was selling polymer wax in 10 liter bottles.

 

The price at that time was 1200 Baht per bottle.

 

The sales argument was to wax part of a boot cover or motor hood, then use a car key and slash it on the waxed area, to show it was bone hard and would not make a scratch.

 

Looks as if those coating places have a very lucrative business model

[Rdrokit]

43 minutes ago, Hi Tea said:

"...it does not break down in normal atmospheric conditions like rain or summer".

So why do they all offer a re-coating service during the warranty period?  If it doesn't break down it shouldn't need re-doing.

Doesn't break down like wax but will wear like a clear coat and it's not as thick as the factory clear coat so you need to recoat. If you don't mind waxing your car every month than don't clear coat it. I'm 73 years old and not into detailing my car anymore.

[JAS21]

On 9/17/2020 at 5:42 PM, richard_smith237 said:

IMO - No...  The paint on any modern car should be good enough. 

 

The ceramic coat may offer a little additional protection for the paint work. But if you car is a run of the mill Toyota, ford, Marc, BMW then its not worth it. 

 

IF your car is something special - a Porsche, BMW M4, Marc AMG etc then yeah - go for it, but people will also argue that professional waxing is better. 

 

 

Ultimately, I think it's somewhat of a ‘fad’ which has surprisingly lasted a number of years. 

 

The reason they are offering it?... because they are profiting from it !

 

 

I don't think that there is any difference between the paintwork on the same model Merc whether it be AMG or not.

 

Yes, a ceramic coating will give just that extra bit of protection against 'very strong' bird <deleted> compared to a paint sealant or wax.

 

Also the ceramic coating should really be 'topped up' every three months. 

 

In the past I have always coated our cars myself. The last new one I didn't. I just apply an Opticoat paint sealant every few weeks after washing...it is so quick to apply 5-10 mins for the whole car and it is a wipe on wipe off job.

 

Just bear in mind that the conditions ...sun etc... are very harsh in Thailand compared to say the UK so 'whatever' really should be applied more often.

Edited September 18, 2020 by JAS21

[JoePai]

15 hours ago, JAS21 said:

 

 

In the past I have always coated our cars myself. The last new one I didn't. I just apply an Opticoat paint sealant every few weeks after washing...it is so quick to apply 5-10 mins for the whole car and it is a wipe on wipe off job.

 

 

Can I ask where you buy your Opticoat from - I see many other brands/names similar ?

[JAS21]

30 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Can I ask where you buy your Opticoat from - I see many other brands/names similar ?

Can you pm me an e-mail address and I’ll send you photo of what I use etc and where I get it from

[salsajapan]

ceramic coating is the biggest auto scam !!! so useless and so incredible that people cannot understand this.

by the way, I also paid for it when i was also an idiot. never again.