[Fastfwd]

I've got my G87 on order and I'm starting to look for a shop to do a paint correction, partial PPF, and ceramic coating on it straight off the dealer lot. Any suggestions or resources on this topic anyone would like to point me toward?

What brands of PPF and ceramic coatings are recommend? I'm not sure yet what my shop choices locally would be. I see 3m, Kavaca, SunTek are available for PPF. I haven't dug deep into this yet.

I would possibly just take my car to Dallas to find a shop that installs a particular brand of PPF, but I'm guessing that getting the paint correction performed and having the PPF and ceramic coating installed in one go would be the best option. So, a 3-5 day wait for something like this would make that a difficult option to explore.

I'm seeing Modesta Ceramic Coatings, CQuartz, and Ceramic Pro amongst the offerings for ceramic coating. I might guess the quality of the prep and application would be the most important thing, but maybe there is objective evidence of the product used making a big difference too idk.

I do see some shops offering information on what they cover when performing their ceramic coatings. Door jams, etc. What else should I be sure to ask to be done? How important is it to have multiple layers? Is that dependent upon what type of ceramic coating used perhaps? Some apply thicker than others maybe. I'm not even sure what to ask frankly.

Thanks!

[malvern_man]

I've got Gyeon Protect+ PPF on my X5 and Gyeon ceramic coatings.

Areas that I've had PPF'd are...

Full front end including the headlights.
A Pillars.
Mirror casings.
Sills ( rockers )
Inner sills/door shuts.

Gyeon ceramic coatings applied to...

Wheels, faces and barrels.
All the paintwork that isn't PPF'd ( Protect+ is ceramic coated at the time of manufacture )
All the glass including the panoramic roof.
All the interior ( leather and hard plastics )

[MassWholeBimmer]

Interested in responses as well. Have an appointment next week for ceramic coating. Two coats of CQuartz Pro, windows ( shop uses different coating for windows... forgot what they use), and wheels. Said he would do the interior, which I'm on the fence. Maybe I'll have him do just the seats?!

[LeonHtownM440]

Xpel full front with rock panel and lower side doors and rear bumper with full ceramic coating 3+ years is what I did to mine. Works well.

[P1]

The fact people are still falling for this ceramic coating nonsense in 2023 is absolutely beyond me.

[Fastfwd]

Originally Posted by P1

The fact people are still falling for this ceramic coating nonsense in 2023 is absolutely beyond me.

Would you care to elaborate? I fully confess that I just don't keep up that much. Is there evidence that ceramic coatings aren't worth it? Don't last? Fill me in.

Otherwise, I do question if one 'formula' of a company's ceramic coating is worth the extra $$$ for the claimed extended warranty? Say, beyond 5 years perhaps? Are those warranties pretty worthless for that matter?

[kzg1969]

FWIW, i have had a 5yr GTechniq coating on a previous car and it easily outlasted the several DIY attempts i made on other cars (Gtechnic and Gyeon). Now, whether it is worth the £700 price tag over the £100 self install kit and a weekend of your time is another matter.

On my last few brand new cars i put Ceramic on without paint correction - which i imagine many will read with horror!!! (But the paint was actually really quite good)

Personally for me, PPF on the front bumper, headlight and 1/4 bonnet (hood) is a good compromise for price / protection. There are very few stone chips you get outside that area.

[txmav]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd

I've got my G87 on order and I'm starting to look for a shop to do a paint correction, partial PPF, and ceramic coating on it straight off the dealer lot. Any suggestions or resources on this topic anyone would like to point me toward?

What brands of PPF and ceramic coatings are recommend? I'm not sure yet what my shop choices locally would be. I see 3m, Kavaca, SunTek are available for PPF. I haven't dug deep into this yet.

I would possibly just take my car to Dallas to find a shop that installs a particular brand of PPF, but I'm guessing that getting the paint correction performed and having the PPF and ceramic coating installed in one go would be the best option. So, a 3-5 day wait for something like this would make that a difficult option to explore.

I'm seeing Modesta Ceramic Coatings, CQuartz, and Ceramic Pro amongst the offerings for ceramic coating. I might guess the quality of the prep and application would be the most important thing, but maybe there is objective evidence of the product used making a big difference too idk.

I do see some shops offering information on what they cover when performing their ceramic coatings. Door jams, etc. What else should I be sure to ask to be done? How important is it to have multiple layers? Is that dependent upon what type of ceramic coating used perhaps? Some apply thicker than others maybe. I'm not even sure what to ask frankly.

Thanks!

I am in the Dallas area and received my car two weeks ago. I am using Tactical Fleet in Dallas to do full XPEL ppf, window tinting and ceramic coating. They did a really good job on my wife's X5 so I decided to use them again for my G87. I hope to get my car back this weekend (they were really busy when I dropped off my car -- drove it straight from dealership to the shop) and will post pictures once I get it back.

[Westside Guy]

I have the following on my Z4.

Xpel's Ultimate Plus PPF
Ceramic Pro's 9H and Top Coat

My car is 2 years old, parked outdoors and exposed daily to South Florida's intense sunlight and heavy rain, it still looks brand new.

I recommend that you bring your new car straight from the dealer to the shop doing the work. I made the mistake of waiting a few weeks and picked up a rock chip on my front bumper because I hesitated.
I will not make that mistake on my next car!

[dscabra]

Maybe a different sort of a response than you were looking for, but here is my input. First, I just had XPEL PPF installed on my 2023 GMC and the quality of the film is well known. I already had a couple of rock chips in the paint and had to have those fixed before applying the film. Since the film has been installed, no new chips have appeared.

On the discussion of ceramic coating, I will say I'm no expert. However, I had a "paint correction" done on my Cobra and the guy that did it also ceramic coated the car with his own brand of coating products. The big difference was the paint correction. I can't say if the coating really makes a difference over other detail spray/wax options, but the paint is slick as ice.

[Kinleyg]

I did a full ppf wrap with xpel. Then ceramic pro on top. Took the car from the dealer right to the shop.

I couldn't be happier with the result. It's saved me on 3 different occasions where the ppf was damaged. Then replaced the ppf with no damage to the car itself. I really love being able to dry the car with a leaf blower.

[P1]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd

Would you care to elaborate? I fully confess that I just don't keep up that much. Is there evidence that ceramic coatings aren't worth it? Don't last? Fill me in.

Otherwise, I do question if one 'formula' of a company's ceramic coating is worth the extra $$$ for the claimed extended warranty? Say, beyond 5 years perhaps? Are those warranties pretty worthless for that matter?

PPF is one thing. I have it on two of my cars. If a rock hits your car, the PPF will get damaged or suffer an imperfection vs. your paint and that's worth it to many.

Ceramic coating on top of PPF is ridiculous. Definitely don't do that, but that's common sense.

Now, for the areas where you won't have PPF, applying a good sealant such as Power Lock a few times per year is more than enough.

It's appalling how the detailing industry has ripped off consumers for years for these ceramic coatings. I won't subscribe to it, and I advise others to spend your hard-earned money elsewhere.

[sammyj]

I imagine you’re no longer needing input on this decision, but I’ll offer up my advice for others.

I did a “track pack” with llumar valor. Includes hood, front bumper and fenders, headlights, mirrors, rockers. In addition, I did a full ceramic on the car, including wheels and calipers. I was on the fence about full PPF, and decided this was a good middle ground.

A few thoughts:

1. Very glad with the decision to do PPF
2. Ceramic looks and feels incredible. Bad news is that I’m now obsessed with keeping it this way.

Regrets:

1. I wish I had gone the full PPF route
2. Barring that, at least add A pillars and potentially rear quarters
3. I wish I hadn’t gone through the dealership, and rather found a shop on my own.

[xivex]

Originally Posted by sammyj

I imagine you’re no longer needing input on this decision, but I’ll offer up my advice for others.

I did a “track pack” with llumar valor. Includes hood, front bumper and fenders, headlights, mirrors, rockers. In addition, I did a full ceramic on the car, including wheels and calipers. I was on the fence about full PPF, and decided this was a good middle ground.

A few thoughts:

1. Very glad with the decision to do PPF
2. Ceramic looks and feels incredible. Bad news is that I’m now obsessed with keeping it this way.

Regrets:

1. I wish I had gone the full PPF route
2. Barring that, at least add A pillars and potentially rear quarters
3. I wish I hadn’t gone through the dealership, and rather found a shop on my own.

Good tips, thank you!

[KevinGS]

I did the full front PPF and ceramic coating. Looking back, I wish I had done a full PPF and skipped the professional ceramic coating.

I could have applied the ceramic myself and got at least 85% of the result. And since I have my own rotary buffer, I could always bring the paint back to life when needed, right over top of the PPF.

Every time I see a small rock chip on my door or rear quarter panel, I always wished I would have simply PPF'ed the whole car (not cheap when done right, but worth it if you're anal...and simply add any professional ceramic job costs to the PPF job).

[Fastfwd]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

I did the full front PPF and ceramic coating. Looking back, I wish I had done a full PPF and skipped the professional ceramic coating.

I could have applied the ceramic myself and got at least 85% of the result. And since I have my own rotary buffer, I could always bring the paint back to life when needed, right over top of the PPF.

Every time I see a small rock chip on my door or rear quarter panel, I always wished I would have simply PPF'ed the whole car (not cheap when done right, but worth it if you're anal...and simply add any professional ceramic job costs to the PPF job).

I did the full body PPF and added Griots Ceramic 3 in 1 on the STEK Dynoshield. So far it appears to be a winning combo. The last couple of washes after applying the Griots have been a breeze compared to before with only the STEK.

I checked out a bunch of videos on various sealants and such and the Griots got high marks from what I could find.

[Nighthawks]

Has anyone used Ceramic Pro https://ceramicpro.com/ ?

Thoughts please. I am going to get a free quote.