Just got my baby back from the Ceramic Pro 9H rep where I live. WOW, she shines like nothing I've ever seen!! The wheels, calipers, engine bay, glass and door jambs were treated as well.

 

looks great. Love the color.

 

Why don't you describe what it is exactly and what makes it better IYO so we don't have to do a ton of research.

 

@polarisnavyxj it is a type of hydrophobic coating that protects the paint from UV rays, scratches etc. The finish look is a ultra high gloss finish. Here is the link to the product. Ceramic Pro 9H

 

Wow, picking up cloud reflections.

I use Rejex, which is a polymer thing. Not sure the shine is on your level.

Impressive.

Is that the bronze, silver or gold package? What did it cost you.

 

Thank you!!! I chose the gold package just because I plan on keeping this car for a while. I even had them coat the wheels and calipers, inside the door jambs, engine compartment, treat the carpet and leather. Total price was $1,550.

 

If a panel was coated on just one side, is the shine absolutely (no placebo) noticeable. Would ten out of ten people instantly be able to pick the side that has the coating?

The area of coatings, films, detail products, has got to be like the #1 place where placebo effects contribute to "whats best" products. Hard to make informed decisions because everything looks better than the dirty car that began the treatment.

I was getting a clear bra installed tomorrow from headlights forward but this may be a better answer for me @ $1550.

 

I do believe you would be able to tell which panel was coated and which one wasn't especially on a sunny day. I wanted to cap the hood and front with XPEL clear bra but the closest place to me is 2 hours away and they would need to keep it for a week. I just don't have that much spare time so I opted for just the ceramic coat.

 

My take may not be the best answer but these are two different solutions. The coating is going to make your car look nicer, easier to clean, and provide some protection. The film is going to provide better protection but will never look as good as the coating. The film, I believe, lasts longer, but does age. I have had an Xpel covered car and liked it. But I just had my Jaguar coated with CQuartz and nothing has looked that good.
No point in pricing comparisons, IMHO, you just have to decide why you are spending the money.
Larry

 

He said lifetime warranty right?

 

The process that I had applied is a 7 year warranty.

 

A guy at Cars and Coffee here in Portland had his R8 treated with this and it looked amazing.

My input would be go with this if you really take car of your car and fuss over it - don't drive it daily, etc. XPel if not.

The latter meaning protection more important than shine.

The guy at the show said his car had a ceramic coating applied - not sure if it was specifically this brand or not.

$1500 is a no brainer investment - coating or shielding on a car you plan on keeping and enjoying for a while. When you see an ad for a used car and the description says 'car has wear and tear like all used cars - a few chips and scratches' VS an ad that says car in immaculate and had protection applied when new ....... which ad would you care about investigating further?

VERY nice F-Type OP!

 

I have a combination of Expel film and Opticoat on my car. Opticoat is also a ceramic wax. I have xpel film on the front of my car and rear view mirrors to protect from rock chips and things of that nature. I have opticoat over my entire car and wheels. Opticoat servers a different purpose. It protects the paint from elements, give it a long lasting shine and makes it easier to clean your car. The detailer typically spends time correcting the paint surface before applying the wax so it .
My detailer documented the process on my car here:

2014 BMW 650i Window Tint| Opti-Coat Pro|Xpel Ultimate | Exclusive Detail and Tint

He has a lot of info on his blog and website.

 

OT - and kudos to the OP for the TITLE of this thread.

If more people would use the SUBJECT line as specific to the discussion forums like this would be so much better.

One of my **** pet peeves - same with subject lines in emails, especially in a back and forth business-related conversation where I can do a search later.

LOL! - damn that drives me nuts - I have broke my employees of using subject lines like "Your Issue" or "About yesterday" !!!

 

Decaf?

 

I bought mine used a couple of weeks ago with 9950 miles on it.

I am taking it to the Ceramic Pro guy here in town this weekend to see what he can do for me.

I will keep you updated.

I want the protection but the shine is very important which is why I am looking at Ceramic Pro rather than XPEL.

While my car is a daily driver, my round trip commute is under 6 miles which is about 1500 miles per year, then maybe another 1000-1500 miles running around on the weekends makes my annual miles as a daily driver only about 3000 miles per year.

This does not including any road trips I may take, but even then most of those are on the bike.

 

some needed clarity to a point that several have touched on, but not fully...

Hydrophobic coatings, ceramics, tungsten, etc, provide intensive shine, provide some protection against swirl marks, and some protection (depending on the actual product) against stains from bug juice, bird droppings and hard water spots. However, none of these "coatings" will provide any significant protection against road gravel, flying debris and rock chips.

Conversely, films like Xpel, Suntek, 3M and others are immensely helpful in minimizing the inevitable pitting from gravel, rocks and other airborne debris (though not perfect), and will also protect the paint from swirls and stains -- though the film itself may get swirls and stains -- however the film cannot compete with the coatings as far as intense shine, and for some brands of film, may actually slightly dull the cars finish.

In short, two different solutions for different purposes. Intense Shine vs. Rock Chip Protection.

There is a new generation of lighter weight coatings starting to infiltrate the market that are specially formulated for use over Paint Protection Film. Not generally as durable, protective, or long lasting as the original ceramic coatings, but supposedly they interact better with the film, and are less inclined to accelerate yellowing or hazing of the film... giving a hybrid solution that may be better for on top of surfaces that have been filmed, while the ceramics are most likely superior on surfaces which have not been filmed.

 

Bill, definitely keep us updated on how your ceramic pro turns out. I purchased mine in June and since I have only put 400 miles on her. Strictly a weekend driver for me. I had not even put a microfiber towel on her when I took it to my local guy and when he put the lights on it you could see swirls in the paint I'm assuming from the dealer when they washed it.

Mike I completely agree, I wanted to put Xpel on the hood, mirrors and Nu,per but the closest dealer is a couple of hours away and would need to keep it a week. I just couldn't make the time work and that's why I decided on Ceramic Pro.

I did order a foaming gun and blow dryer to wash her with. I don't plan on using a microfiber towel unless I absolutely have too.

 

If you're not using a microfiber towel, you plan to just blow it clean? I have a high power leaf blower that does nothing but move the water around slowly.

 

If that's the case on your car, you really need to either wax or apply some sort of coating to the car to protect the paint. If water is beading well on the surface, any high-pressure air source is going cause water to fly off quickly.