[Hondaphile757]

From what I've heard about ceramic coating I'm pretty sure I want it for my Platinum White Pearl Civic Sport hatch and my dealer is charging $799 to coat the exterior and interior. I plan on keeping my Civic until it won't go anymore and I want it to keep it's shiny new paint for longer than my current CR-V did (it came to me missing it's hood and roof paint and clearcoat).

I live in an apartment complex with no car wash area or access to a water faucet, so I signed up for a basic car wash program down the street today even though my Civic's not coming til mid-February. I'm trying to figure out why I wouldn't want my car ceramic coated, so I jumped onto the forum and plugged ceramic coating in the search. I kept seeing the same thing over and over about hand washing your car and how it needs to be washed using the 2 bucket method...

I've got the buckets and have no problem using the 2 bucket method outside of the whole lack of access to water situation.

What are the downsides/cons of having a car ceramic coated? Is there anything I'm missing or something I should look into?

Thanks in advance for any imput. Now to get back to falling down this rabbit hole on the interwebs...

 

[BlazedSi]

Benefits:
Insane shine
Hydrophobic so you'll find less dirt, water stick to the paint

Cons:
As you mentioned, it can come off easily with the harsh chemicals of machine washes
The cost, most places charge a lot because of the time involved. I coated 2 cars myself for the cost of the materials that lasts about 2-3 years, about $100 and 20 hours of labor to do paint prep between them. For a professional shop, it probably takes them about 3-5 hours in labor to do 2 coats of ceramic.

Other:
Not sure what a ceramic coated interior is as it is generally only for exterior paint. Interior like seat fabric, I use 3M Scotchguard. A can is about $8 and lasts about a year

 

[MattTCG]

I paid way more for my car to be professionally sealed with ceramic. To have this done right it must cure overnight and stay dry for at least 48 hours. Getting this done was and is, the best after market money I've spent on the car. My paint, pearl white, looks better today than it did when I left the dealership. No swirls, spot...it's perfect (I have picked up some chips on the front bumper from junk coming off the road). Pro-tip...never drive through a standard car wash with brush rollers. You will quickly have swirls in the paint. Only use touch free car washes or wash it by hand. This is the first car I've ever owned (my 12th car), where after almost a year the paint is still pristine.

 

[zi464]

I did ceramic coating for my pearl white as well , spent $800 and it will last for 2-3 years.
Price is really depends on shop , quality etc.......

Hand wash for sure.
You will still scratch your car while wash , 2 buckets method helps you to limit the scratch.
Almost all the popular car wash brands / products can be used for ceramic coating.

 

[douglasco190]

I did my HRV eHEV myself with Gyeon mohs. I was a bit hesitant to do it myself, But it was very easy to do. I washed the car then polished it and then used panel wipe before applying the Mohs.
I top it up with can coat every three months.
I hope to get my new civic sport in July and I will do the same with that when it comes.

 

[Old Pirate]

Decon, Clay bar, wash, and 2 coats of ceramic coating on my ride with a spray ceramic before that heat returns, wheels coated also. Price was about 100 bucks and my time.

 

[BlazedSi]

I did my HRV eHEV myself with Gyeon mohs. I was a bit hesitant to do it myself, But it was very easy to do. I washed the car then polished it and then used panel wipe before applying the Mohs.
I top it up with can coat every three months.
I hope to get my new civic sport in July and I will do the same with that when it comes.

Love Gyeon products. I used Carpro CQuartz UK 3.0. You have to really work quick and level it within 30-60 seconds.

I generally use a detailer as a drying aid in the summer months, like Carpro Reload or P&S Beadmaker/Chemical Guys Extreme Slick. In the winter, it's freezing and difficult to wash up here in Canada so I just go to the coin wash and spray off the salt build-up every few weeks.

 

[Hondaphile757]

Benefits:
Insane shine
Hydrophobic so you'll find less dirt, water stick to the paint

Cons:
As you mentioned, it can come off easily with the harsh chemicals of machine washes
The cost, most places charge a lot because of the time involved. I coated 2 cars myself for the cost of the materials that lasts about 2-3 years, about $100 and 20 hours of labor to do paint prep between them. For a professional shop, it probably takes them about 3-5 hours in labor to do 2 coats of ceramic.

Other:
Not sure what a ceramic coated interior is as it is generally only for exterior paint. Interior like seat fabric, I use 3M Scotchguard. A can is about $8 and lasts about a year

I passed on the 3M protective film back in 2011 when I traded the CIvic in for a Premium White Pearl CR-Z EX 6mt. I don't tailgate so I wasn't concerned about rock chips, buit I wasn't about to pay $600-700 for a layer of tape, regardless of how thick it was. But I'm okay with $799 for 7 years of protecting my paint.



Oh I know Scotchguard-I wouldn't let ANYONE even sit in my Tango Red Pearl 08 Civic EX 5MT until I had Scotchgarded every square inch of the Ivory cloth interior. which emptied 2 cans. I assume that's essentially what's being applied to the interior.

 

[Civicgearhead]

You hit on some good points considering your situation and ceramic. Ceramic coats require a fair regimen of maintenance to stay at peak performance. You need a source of water and a garage. Having a package at a car wash that uses any old harsh chemicals and soap, is going to be good money down the tubes! I applied my own ceramic and saved loads of senseless markup. But you have to really have a garage and a 3 day weekend to do it correctly by washing, decontaminating, claying, panel wiping, and finally applying 2 coats of ceramic. Then to upkeep it I hand wash (with special gentle SI02 ceramic soap), then always follow that up with a quick ceramic detailer, when completely dry. Thats kinda what it takes if you want the coating to really last its lifetime at full potential.

 

[Hondaphile757]

I paid way more for my car to be professionally sealed with ceramic. To have this done right it must cure overnight and stay dry for at least 48 hours. Getting this done was and is, the best after market money I've spent on the car. My paint, pearl white, looks better today than it did when I left the dealership. No swirls, spot...it's perfect (I have picked up some chips on the front bumper from junk coming off the road). Pro-tip...never drive through a standard car wash with brush rollers. You will quickly have swirls
I paid way more for my car to be professionally sealed with ceramic. To have this done right it must cure overnight and stay dry for at least 48 hours. Getting this done was and is, the best after market money I've spent on the car. My paint, pearl white, looks better today than it did when I left the dealership. No swirls, spot...it's perfect (I have picked up some chips on the front bumper from junk coming off the road). Pro-tip...never drive through a standard car wash with brush rollers. You will quickly have swirls in the paint. Only use touch free car washes or wash it by hand. This is the first car I've ever owned (my 12th car), where after almost a year the paint is still pristine.

Thank you for letting me know that I need to ditch the car wash membership I just signed up for. All I saw was brush rollers the whole time until I got to the end and saw daylight again. I appreciate the heads-up on that; I would have kept the membership and used it weekly and slowly unknowingly ruining my paint if I hadn't heard that. Thank you. I truly appreciate you looking out and mentioning that before I went and paid extra to make a big mistake.

 

[Hondaphile757]

You hit on some good points considering your situation and ceramic. Ceramic coats require a fair regimen of maintenance to stay at peak performance. You need a source of water and a garage. Having a package at a car wash that uses any old harsh chemicals and soap, is going to be good money down the tubes! I applied my own ceramic and saved loads of senseless markup. But you have to really have a garage and a 3 day weekend to do it correctly by washing, decontaminating, claying, panel wiping, and finally applying 2 coats of ceramic. Then to upkeep it I hand wash (with special gentle SI02 ceramic soap), then always follow that up with a quick ceramic detailer, when completely dry. Thats kinda what it takes if you want the coating to really last its lifetime at full potential.

That's awesome that you were able to do this yourself, and save a significant chunk of change doing it yourself. Even if I was allowed to still paint/stain, I'm the bull in the china shop; my patio looks more like somebody lost a finger more than looking like somebody tried to stain wood. I'm having the dealer apply as soon as possible once it arrives so the coating will dry and cure before the body side moldings are installed.