Ceramic coating. Is it worth it?

[tomas_v]

Going to get my car detailed next week (cleaning, polishing etc.)
The guy is suggesting to cover it with ceramic coating.
It sound all very nice, but tried reading a bit more about and opinions are either very good and should be done or its not worth it, lots of hassle after.
Mostly I am concerned about what happens after a year or two when it stops doing its job. How do you remove it, another paint job, or just reapplication?
Anyone has any long term experience here?

[Gazwould]

What ceramic product is he suggesting ?

[tomas_v]

Not 100% sure. I think it's diamond tech H9. Not sure if it's good or bad. 🙂

[Gazwould]

Gtechniq is highly regarded .

[A6S]

Question is, do you think you will see it’s worth £3-500 for a detail and are you gonna appreciate it?
I’ve had ceramic coatings and others but I like the low maintenance and a shiny car.
I would say it won’t last 2 years. After the first winter or so you will notice the water beading isn’t quite as good especially if you are just gonna give it a quick wash once a fortnight or month. There are products out there that’s top it up which will keep it lasting longer.
Positives are it makes cleaning the car very easy, half the time a good blast with pressure washer and most dirt washes off.looks shiny.
Negatives as said is it’s costly unless you do it yourself. Think the gtechnic kit is about £60-70 but then you gonna need all the other kit to decontaminate the body work like clay bars, ironx, tarx etc. Maybe even a machine polisher as there’s no point in slapping the coat over a rough body.

[Johnny31]

My car was protected with (at the time in June '13) top of the line GTechniq coating.
It was (and still is) dead easy to maintain. I top it up on every wash with another product of theirs (C2) and after 5 years my car still does not have swirls and mini scratches and has barely any chips.
Not sure where you've picked up the info but if you go with a well known product and a good detailer, there are no downsides to it.

Sent from my mobile...

[A6S]

Not saying it’s a bad product but it’s only good and long lasting like you say if you keep on top of it with other specialist products.
I was trying to say it’s not a slap on and forget about it with the hope it will last 2 years with no maintenance. It’s kind of sold like that. Like the old supaguard stuff.

[Johnny31]

Not saying it’s a bad product but it’s only good and long lasting like you say if you keep on top of it with other specialist products.
I was trying to say it’s not a slap on and forget about it with the hope it will last 2 years with no maintenance. It’s kind of sold like that. Like the old supaguard stuff.

Sorry, my last comment actually was on OPs "another paint job" - wasn't aiming at anything else...
But yes, you do need to stay on top of it: I got into the entire detailing madness involving an (almost) full shelf of products and what not (but not a polisher).

Sent from my mobile...

[tomas_v]

Question is, do you think you will see it’s worth £3-500 for a detail and are you gonna appreciate it?
I’ve had ceramic coatings and others but I like the low maintenance and a shiny car.
I would say it won’t last 2 years. After the first winter or so you will notice the water beading isn’t quite as good especially if you are just gonna give it a quick wash once a fortnight or month. There are products out there that’s top it up which will keep it lasting longer.
Positives are it makes cleaning the car very easy, half the time a good blast with pressure washer and most dirt washes off.looks shiny.
Negatives as said is it’s costly unless you do it yourself. Think the gtechnic kit is about £60-70 but then you gonna need all the other kit to decontaminate the body work like clay bars, ironx, tarx etc. Maybe even a machine polisher as there’s no point in slapping the coat over a rough body.

Well I usually go to a professional to detail my car and thats say twice a year. If getting my car coated will save me polishing my car for couple a years and all it will need is a good wash to keep it nice then it is probably worth the money.
But I am not planning on reapplying coating myself or have a garage full of detailing stuff.

[A6S]

A good shampoo for washing between details will be fine. You might get away with detailing it once a year with a ceramic coat.
I would recommend using carpro hydro or hydro foam once a month to keep it looking good and water beading. Easy to use. Spray on pressure wash off.