Ceramic coating/xpel

[WantaKoth]

I?m going to get my car polished and then ceramic coated but Wanted to get some opinions on xpel to see if you guys think it?s worth the money. My car is a red 1990 ZR1 with 4,475 miles. Paint is in nice condition with 2-3 very minor chips. I plan on driving the car 1-2 weekends a month with my wife up and down the Florida east and west coast to see different beaches.

If you?ve done yours what parts did you do or wish you would have done afterwards. Thanks.

[dredgeguy]

I had the front end and hood done on my 92 about 7 years ago. At that time 3M was the best on the market. Only regret was the maximum length of plastic was just short of our hood length so I have a seam on the sides. Now Xpel has the longer length so you can get the hood wrapped without a seam. Fix the paint chips and have the hood polished and ceramic coated then have the Xpel applied. In case you have to take it off in the future you will not have any paint issues. I am afraid to replace my old film as it is a crap shoot if paint will come off with it. Xpel is awesome, all self healing. They did a demo at Corvettes at Carlisle. They had a C4 top that was wrapped and took a brilo pad and rubbed it so the top was all scratched up. Then took a hair dryer and all scratches disappeared and the top looked new again. Great stuff!

[viper107]

dont forget to do the lower rockers

[32valvesftw]

I cannot comment on the expel but can on the ceramic coatings, I had my Tundra ceramic coated through a specialty shop not the dealer. In any case, I personally don't see the advantage over regular wax. Yes the coating appears to last longer, but the paint does NOT shed dirt like they tell you that is BS, bugs stick to it as does sap and bird poop, water spotting is the same. All those things have to be removed as you would have always had to, with elbow grease!. You have to wash the car just as much, and they make such a fuss about the way you have to wash it that to me it's more of a hassle. Your mileage may vary.

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Originally Posted by 32valvesftw

I cannot comment on the expel but can on the ceramic coatings, I had my Tundra ceramic coated through a specialty shop not the dealer. In any case, I personally don't see the advantage over regular wax. Yes the coating appears to last longer, but the paint does shed dirt like they tell you that is BS, bugs stick to it as does sap and bird poop, water spotting is the same. All those things have to be removed as you would have always had to, with elbow grease!. You have to wash the car just as much, and they make such a fuss about the way you have to wash it that to me it's more of a hassle. Your mileage may vary.

X-pel: Yes!

Ceramic: Never again.


Marty

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by DRM500RUBYZR-1

X-pel: Yes!

Ceramic: Never again.


Marty

Marty,

Why on the ceramic?

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

Marty,

Why on the ceramic?

Everything that 32valvesftw stated above is my same experience.
Add to that the level of difficulty in removing it if any paintwork touch up is ever needed.
You can burn it off with a high speed or you can sand it, but either way it just makes life far more difficult.
Paint correction and protection products and methods have advanced dramatically, making it easy for even a novice to keep their car looking spectacular without having to cover it in glass.
PPF does a far better job of protecting against stone chips or other damage in the most vulnerable spots and can be carefully removed if needed.

Ceramic looks great, but not really any better than a well detailed paint corrected car that is cared for and driven sparingly like most of our toys.

However, I suspect that I will soon be adding ceramic coatings to my list of topics never discussed like politics, religion and motor oil.

Marty

[bowtiguy]

I've had great luck with both PPF and cermic products and have been detailing personal cars and smaller private collections off an on for 30 years. Just like paint jobs, the final outcome is directly corelated to the prep work. (its the same whether you choose wax or ceramic as the final coat).

My normal wash routine:

1) Local car wash
-quick layer or soap
-thourough rinse
-spot free rinse

2) Home
-blow it off with a metrovac. If you like to your cars finish, get yourself a metrovac dryer. That way. you only touch the car once when you clean it ( zero times if you pressure wash).

https://metrovac.com/

I use the same process when I wash at home ( I use a water deionizer for final rinse).

Ive had VERY good luck with DIY products from Adams polish's when it comes to ceramic coatings. I've used their spray on ( 4 hr cure time) on my NCRS ZR1 and their wipe on (12-24 hr cure time) on my 19' Dmax truck. The spray on is a thinner coat and wont give you that mile deep paint look-didnt want to get docked points for being too shiny!

(Example #1) 2019 Dmax: I did a slight paint correction when I bought it new followed with a full exterior ceramic treatment w/ Adams standard wipe on poducts. How well has it worked? I can spray a bird drooping with a quick detailer to hydrate and wipe it of (lightly) usually with 1 wipe of the micro fiber towel. Bugs come right off at the car wash too. I've only had to hand wash it twice since August of 2019. This vehicle has a full front end and partial PPF to the hood because we have a lot of little rocks here in the "rocky mountains".

(Example #2) After a mild paint correction, I WAXED my wifes AMG GL63 after purchasing it with 9K miles in 2016'. I use the same cleaning process for this car as I do my others BUT It never sees snow, rarely rain, The reslut: Ive hand washed that car 3 times in 5 years. That car has also the FULL front end xpel treatment including the hood.

(Example #3) I did a three day 900 mile road rally in the high country with clssic car adventures May of 2019. The end of day 1 saw a massive down pour, the cars were filthy. I just blew the dirt off the truck and parked it for teh next day ( not my usual routine). In the AM one of the guys had a classic Aston Martin that looked like it just came out of the restoration shop. I asked if he had it detailed over night at a local shop. His reply, "I just wiped it down with a microfiber cloth and quick detailer. I had it ceramic coated a few weeks back". This blew my mind! I looked over the entire car looking for fine scratches that i just KNEW were in the paint. couldn't find a one.

What am I going to do with my new to me 1991 CR1. I will be doing a very mild paint correction followed by 2 applications of the Adams wipe on product. I then have my PPF guy do the full lower half of the car and teh entire hood to protect the original 30 year old German paint job. By the time the PPF needs to come off, I'll either be dead or give it a repaint.

Take home points ( just my opinon from what Ive used and seen)...

1) pressure wash as often as you can, then hand wash when you have to.
2) spot free rinse ( or water deionizer at home)
3) metro vac everytime ( it even gets the water out of the mirrorr, hatch well & tail lights. That ALONE is worth the price of admission on a C4)
4) DEFINATELY Ceramc coat your daily drivers
5) Be aware there is a LARGE variation in hardness levels , cost and the installer skill set with ceramic coatings.
6) ceramic will do very little to guard against stone chips -=> you need PPF for that.
7) I've had no collison repair experience w/ a ceramic coated car, I cant chime in on that
8) I removed the PPF off our 2007 Denali XL after 10 years and 200K miles - you'll only do that once! assuming you can still feel your finger tips for the next one.

[WARP TEN]

I'll step in here with just a couple thoughts from my experiences. First, I did not put any Xpel type coverings on my ZR-1s, but I did on my 2016 Z06 when I bought it. Never again will I spend the money for that. In the first week I got a rock chip that went through the Xpel and chipped the paint. But with the Xpel I can't repair it so I have just left it. Have gotten several other similar rock chips. Eventually I will have a good local body shop remove the film (just on the front bumper) and repaint the nose. Second, I never put a ceramic coating on my ZR-1s but I did on the Z06. I echo others' comments that it really does not seem to provide major protection to the paint. Still have problems with bird poop (I didn't notice a spot on my roof for a while and while I cleaned and polished it very thoroughly it permanently marked the paint). Third, around 2015 I treated my '95 polo green ZR-1 to a paint correction. It came out beautiful. Two detail experts worked in my garage (with a lift) for about 6 hours. One thing they said is that the paint on those '90s Corvettes is very hard and really responds well to a paint correction. Their work will not fix stone chips, but I didn't have too many on the 30,000 mile car and just colored them with Dr. Colorchip touch up before the paint correction. They disappear unless you look very, very closely. So I would suggest a paint correction by pro detailers if you really want a nice looking finish. Back in 2015 it only cost me about $450 but I am sure it is more now. Still, I think it would be money well spent. Here's one thread on paint correction; there are others: http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread....int+correction --Bob