Real life with ceramic coating?

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I bought the CarPro Kit and working on getting the nerve up to put it on. Will wait for spring weather though.

First, it’s I do it or nobody does it. Not paying someone to do it.

My car looks great. I had my Model 3 a year in New England with 9K mikes and there was not a mark on it. Except one nick in low front that I think it was delivered with.

It’s midnight Silver.

I’ve kept cars as long as 12 years and over 200K miles without a single wax job or treatment. And when I washed it, it looked new.

I watched this video and it all makes sense in what to expect.

But what lots of videos don’t cover is what happens in 6 months or 6 years. I tend to keep my cars shiny when they are new. But as they age I lose interest. I might wash it 4 times year after 2 years.

So what happens if I stop or don’t apply the “boost” every 6 months. Does it still look better than not having done anything. My biggest fear is will it look worse if I don’t boost it. My plan isn’t to not boost it, but I know myself and I may not and I don’t want to regret I costed it.

Anyone out there, like me that may have not boosted it and still happy they did it?

A friend that does detailing on the side uses this spray on 6 month ceramic like coating and is the same amount of work as boosting and comes out as nice. So he does that. I’ve seen some post something similar recommending the same.

 

[Burrito]

so i used carpro quartzuk 3.0 the day i got my car, i brought it home and did a full detail (got all the wax telsa put on, even though i said not to off), as it was new, there wasnt too much wrong but still needed clay and a 1 stage polish step. i put 3 coats of ceramic on. when its warm i probably washed my car ever week or 2 but now that its cold, my car has been covered in salt and crap for a couple of months. we had a freak warm day here about 2 months into winter and i washed my car, EVERYTHING came off easily with basically just my prewash step (foam cannon, and pressure wash off).

i would say do it, even without constant washing and reapplying some top coats, the ceramic if you put it on good will keep your car looking new everytime you wash it. mine has been on for about 9 months now and my coating is a 1-2year application. i think ill get closer to 2 years due to my cleaning habits and my car is garage kept at home and work but give it a go!

 

[mswlogo]

so i used carpro quartzuk 3.0 the day i got my car, i brought it home and did a full detail (got all the wax telsa put on, even though i said not to off), as it was new, there wasnt too much wrong but still needed clay and a 1 stage polish step. i put 3 coats of ceramic on. when its warm i probably washed my car ever week or 2 but now that its cold, my car has been covered in salt and crap for a couple of months. we had a freak warm day here about 2 months into winter and i washed my car, EVERYTHING came off easily with basically just my prewash step (foam cannon, and pressure wash off).

i would say do it, even without constant washing and reapplying some top coats, the ceramic if you put it on good will keep your car looking new everytime you wash it. mine has been on for about 9 months now and my coating is a 1-2year application. i think ill get closer to 2 years due to my cleaning habits and my car is garage kept at home and work but give it a go!

Thanks for the the info. But what did you mean by 1-2year application?

 

[Burrito]

the ceramic coating i used says it should last 1-2 years based on conditions

 

[mswlogo]

the ceramic coating i used says it should last 1-2 years based on conditions

I just looked up CarPro Quartz 3.0 and it says 2 years or more.

Hmm, I thought it was supposed to last way longer than that, like 5 years.

So every 2 years full recoat, plus "reload" every 3-12 months. Seems like a lot of work (to keep up).

 

[joebruin77]

I just looked up CarPro Quartz 3.0 and it says 2 years or more.

Hmm, I thought it was supposed to last way longer than that, like 5 years.

So every 2 years full recoat, plus "reload" every 3-12 months. Seems like a lot of work (to keep up).

If you want the absolute least amount of maintenance, then I think you would need to go with a professionally installed ceramic coating. There are some ceramic coatings that come with 5+ years (I have even seen 10 years) of a warranty. But the coatings with this longevity are only professionally installed.

Or you can skip the coating all together and just use a ceramic-infused spray sealant once every 3 months, such as OptiCoat Hyper Seal or The Last Coat 2.0.

 

[Bill Foster]

I just looked up CarPro Quartz 3.0 and it says 2 years or more.

Hmm, I thought it was supposed to last way longer than that, like 5 years.

So every 2 years full recoat, plus "reload" every 3-12 months. Seems like a lot of work (to keep up).

I cant speak for them, but Opti-Gloss is "rated" at 2 years. At 3 years it was still as hydrophobic as the first day I installed it.

I also use Hyper Seal or Opti Seal as a drying aid which helps.

But I use them when drying the car so its not even really another step, or more time.

 

[Burrito]

I just looked up CarPro Quartz 3.0 and it says 2 years or more.

Hmm, I thought it was supposed to last way longer than that, like 5 years.

So every 2 years full recoat, plus "reload" every 3-12 months. Seems like a lot of work (to keep up).

you are probably right, i was going off memory (which isnt that great ) so my ceramic coat is cqku3.0 with 2 layers and 1 layer of carpro gliss which is supposed to be a more permanent reload or topcoat spray. even though i have gliss on it i still use reload or bead maker whenever i want to "go the extra mile" . i do love the slickness after using them

 

[JulienW]

I did it myself on my ELR (and of course my Model 3) and here it is dirty at over 2 years.

 

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I did it myself on my ELR (and of course my Model 3) and here it is dirty at over 2 years.

View attachment 508699

Have you done anything since it was put on. Which coating did you use?

Looks good.

 

[SlyOne]

cQuartz lite here. Two coats. Of course prep took much longer than actual coating. I topped it off with Seal N Shine, which is amazing by itself.

 

[JulienW]

Have you done anything since it was put on. Which coating did you use?

Looks good.

I used CQuartz and did the full paint correction too. Also I traded my ELR for my Model 3 in June and then did it.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

I’m a fan of ceramic coatings. But just like any coating your surface prep is key. DIY vs professional is really up to you. I personally take the 5-10yr claims with a grain of salt.

I have copious amounts of Cquartz waiting to go on my car. Applied it to our black BMW, the wheels of my Tesla, and soon to the rest of it...likely have enough for my Lotus and jeep as well...just to find the time.

I’ve applied a cpl professional grade products as a DIY guy. I’m not convinced they are better than many of the consumer grade products, at least enough to justify the cost.

there’s a youtuber “Scott H” who has some good comparisons of a bunch of products...testing longevity. (I’m easily entertained).

 

[TLLMRRJ]

ELR is still a great looking car today.