What About Ceramic Coating?

S.B.

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These products are certainly less expensive than the ceramic coating offered by my dealer.
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Kamuelaflyer

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These products are certainly less expensive than the ceramic coating offered by my dealer.
There are advantages to a professionally applied ceramic coatings. And disadvantages. I'll likely get a ceramic coating (and possibly PPF as well), but almost guaranteed it won't be through the dealer.
 

VegStang

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I wouldn't pay what it would cost for the amount of time and effort I take to detail and wax a car ;) The PPF install is worth professional assistance though.

There are advantages to a professionally applied ceramic coatings. And disadvantages. I'll likely get a ceramic coating (and possibly PPF as well), but almost guaranteed it won't be through the dealer.
 

GoGoGadgetMachE

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VegStang

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My PPF installer recommendation for San Francisco Bay Area people: https://avoclearbra.com They have done 3 cars for me (the MME will be the 4th of course) and I've been very happy with their work. They are in Walnut Creek.

No, I don't have any connection or receive any compensation or discount for recommending them, just a happy customer.
 


eltonlin

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My PPF installer recommendation for San Francisco Bay Area people: https://avoclearbra.com They have done 3 cars for me (the MME will be the 4th of course) and I've been very happy with their work. They are in Walnut Creek.

No, I don't have any connection or receive any compensation or discount for recommending them, just a happy customer.
Have they provided any quotes for your MME?
 

VegStang

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No, I'll get one once I schedule, they usually do a little better if you are paying cash ;) instead of card.

Have they provided any quotes for your MME?
 

Nak

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The comments on here about Tesla's soft paint are spot on. Any car painted in California is going to have this issue due to environmental restrictions in California. The Mach-e should not suffer from this problem at all. Still, Xpel on the front of the car should be considered, any paint is going to get rock chips eventually on the front of the car. Xpel on the whole car has pluses and minuses, I don't think there is a wrong answer.

It's not that hard to DIY ceramic coating, but it is time consuming. The ceramic itself is easy, the prep work takes forever. The only hard part about DIY ceramics--and it's not that hard--is figuring out the flash time. You want to wipe it off at the right time. The nice thing about ceramic coating is how easy it is to wash the car afterwards. That's a big deal in the winter here. I just rinse it off with a low power pressure washer. I don't even have to dry the car because I rinse with deionized water. It's well worth the investment to get a good deionizer. The UV resistance and shine is a plus as well of course.

The red on the Tesla is not as shiny as the Rapid Red on the Mach-e, so a good polish and ceramic coating is absolutely required. Otherwise it just ends up looking dull. I spent all day prepping my Y for ceramic coating, and then did the coating the next day. Some Tesla's certainly have paint issues, neither of mine do other than the red needing a good polish. I did a two step machine polish of the entire car and then did the ceramic. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
Ford Mustang Mach-E What About Ceramic Coating? 20200717_151651
Ford Mustang Mach-E What About Ceramic Coating? 20200813_080057
 

supertramp

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The comments on here about Tesla's soft paint are spot on. Any car painted in California is going to have this issue due to environmental restrictions in California. The Mach-e should not suffer from this problem at all. Still, Xpel on the front of the car should be considered, any paint is going to get rock chips eventually on the front of the car. Xpel on the whole car has pluses and minuses, I don't think there is a wrong answer.

It's not that hard to DIY ceramic coating, but it is time consuming. The ceramic itself is easy, the prep work takes forever. The only hard part about DIY ceramics--and it's not that hard--is figuring out the flash time. You want to wipe it off at the right time. The nice thing about ceramic coating is how easy it is to wash the car afterwards. That's a big deal in the winter here. I just rinse it off with a low power pressure washer. I don't even have to dry the car because I rinse with deionized water. It's well worth the investment to get a good deionizer. The UV resistance and shine is a plus as well of course.

The red on the Tesla is not as shiny as the Rapid Red on the Mach-e, so a good polish and ceramic coating is absolutely required. Otherwise it just ends up looking dull. I spent all day prepping my Y for ceramic coating, and then did the coating the next day. Some Tesla's certainly have paint issues, neither of mine do other than the red needing a good polish. I did a two step machine polish of the entire car and then did the ceramic. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
20200717_151651.jpg
20200813_080057.jpg
The car looks amazing! Could you please redirect me to any of the DYI instructions on the ceramic coating? (I am asking because I do not understand why it might take the whole day to prepare a car for this procedure). Though, I am not totally sure how ceramic coating compares to film protection? Film protection defends from potential small damages, ceramic coating is not - as far as I understand it just helps with some chemical, water issues. Of course, it's my uneducated opinion, I am pretty sure I am wrong, but, in any case, if I can do something myself and it saves me money, I would like to do that. I kind of considering to do partial film coating by myself too - watching very helpful videos on youtube :) Thanks!
 
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Nak

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The car looks amazing! Could you please redirect me to any of the DYI instructions on the ceramic coating? (I am asking because I do not understand why it might take the whole day to prepare a car for this procedure). Though, I am not totally sure how ceramic coating compares to film protection? Film protection defends from potential small damages, ceramic coating is not - as far as I understand it just helps with some chemical, water issues. Of course, it's my uneducated opinion, I am pretty sure I am wrong, but, in any case, if I can do something myself and it saves me money, I would like to do that. I kind of considering to do partial film coating by myself too - watching very helpful videos on youtube :) Thanks!
Thanks!!

It took me all day because besides prepping the car I did a two step machine polish. That was four or five hours right there. When I did my wife's white 3 I didn't polish it as the white didn't really need it to be shiny. The Tesla red needs it. Still, a good two step polish is going to really bring out the luster in any car. The Mach-e will have better factory paint than the Y, but it will still be a factory paint job.

Here's a good link for how to prep your car for ceramic coating. They skip the polishing step, but that really takes a lot more research than what you can put in one post. DIY Ceramic Coating Prep the sooner you coat your car after it's new, the easier it will be. That's because there will be fewer contaminants on the paint. Don't coat it until after you get your film applied. The film will end up peeling if you do.

You are correct in that film provides mechanical protection, ceramic coatings do not, at least not directly. Less dirt and dust adheres to paint that has been ceramic coated, so you have less chance of scratching the paint by rubbing up against it when there's dirt on it. Dirt scratches paint, so the less of it on your car the less chance for scratches. Film does give minor mechanical protection, and Xpel ultimate really does self heal minor scratches in the film. Here's a good link talking about the reality and myths of ceramic coatings: Ceramic Coatings

I tried DIY film application, LOL. I give much respect to anyone who can DIY that stuff. My attempt was a great lesson in why it costs so much to have it installed.

I use the Cquartz ceramic coating. CQuartz Ceramic Coating Great reviews and easy to apply properly. It is GREAT on your glass too, but I don't like it on windshields. It does make the rain sheet off the windshield, so that's good. You don't even need wipers with this stuff. (I do put it on my boat windshield.) What I don't like is how in a light rain the beads of water immediately run up the windshield. I find the motion very distracting. But it makes visibility in the rain so much better on all of your other glass.

I highly recommend learning to polish your car if you really want the paint to "pop." With today's polishers it's so much easier to do a good job than it used to be. You can cheap out and get an inexpensive polisher; I do not recommend this. It is so much easier to "burn through" your paint with a cheap polisher. Pros will use two polishers, basically a small one and a full size one. I bought two and found out that if you're only going to be polishing one car, you only need the small one. Now if you're planning on polishing a truck or a boat, yeah buy two. But a car like the Mach-e has so many contours that your going to be using the small one for 90% of the car. The little bit of time you save with the bigger polisher just isn't worth the cost, IMHO. Here's the small polisher I have and recommend: Polisher

Next comes the polishing compound and pads. You could research this for months and not learn everything there is to know. I'm sure there are better compounds for Pros, but I like the Rupes compounds and pads because they're color coded and beginner proof. Just put the green compound on the green pad. Put the white compound on the white pad. Easy. Rupes polishing compound. Green pad White pad I start with the green, and then do it again with the white.

This is just a primer on polishing. Do a lot more research and watch a few videos before you try it.

Long story short as possible: The car MUST be in the shade. Wash your car with Dawn. Clay bar your car. Wash your car with dawn. Wash your car with IronX if it is older than a month or two or always if you live in a manufacturing area. Also go over the car with bug and tar remover as required. Wash the car with dawn. Polish the car if you are going to. Wash the car with Dawn. Go over the car with CarPro Eraser. Wash the car with Dawn. Ceramic coat your car. You'll note I added a couple of extra "Wash the car with Dawn" steps compared to my first link. I do this because of the horror stories I've read about where not all the wax was removed prior to coating. I might be over doing it, but you're going to do this like once every three years. A little extra effort doesn't cost you all that much really. I'm not saying an experienced detailer should go overboard like this, not at all. But they know a lot more about what they can get away with compared to an amatuer like me. For me, it's just easier to over kill the process.
 
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supertramp

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Thanks!!

It took me all day because besides prepping the car I did a two step machine polish. That was four or five hours right there. When I did my wife's white 3 I didn't polish it as the white didn't really need it to be shiny. The Tesla red needs it. Still, a good two step polish is going to really bring out the luster in any car. The Mach-e will have better factory paint than the Y, but it will still be a factory paint job.

Here's a good link for how to prep your car for ceramic coating. They skip the polishing step, but that really takes a lot more research than what you can put in one post. DIY Ceramic Coating Prep the sooner you coat your car after it's new, the easier it will be. That's because there will be fewer contaminants on the paint. Don't coat it until after you get your film applied. The film will end up peeling if you do.

You are correct in that film provides mechanical protection, ceramic coatings do not, at least not directly. Less dirt and dust adheres to paint that has been ceramic coated, so you have less chance of scratching the paint by rubbing up against it when there's dirt on it. Dirt scratches paint, so the less of it on your car the less chance for scratches. Film does give minor mechanical protection, and Xpel ultimate really does self heal minor scratches in the film. Here's a good link talking about the reality and myths of ceramic coatings: Ceramic Coatings

I tried DIY film application, LOL. I give much respect to anyone who can DIY that stuff. My attempt was a great lesson in why it costs so much to have it installed.

I use the Cquartz ceramic coating. CQuartz Ceramic Coating Great reviews and easy to apply properly. It is GREAT on your glass too, but I don't like it on windshields. It does make the rain sheet off the windshield, so that's good. You don't even need wipers with this stuff. (I do put it on my boat windshield.) What I don't like is how in a light rain the beads of water immediately run up the windshield. I find the motion very distracting. But it makes visibility in the rain so much better on all of your other glass.

I highly recommend learning to polish your car if you really want the paint to "pop." With today's polishers it's so much easier to do a good job than it used to be. You can cheap out and get an inexpensive polisher; I do not recommend this. It is so much easier to "burn through" your paint with a cheap polisher. Pros will use two polishers, basically a small one and a full size one. I bought two and found out that if you're only going to be polishing one car, you only need the small one. Now if you're planning on polishing a truck or a boat, yeah buy two. But a car like the Mach-e has so many contours that your going to be using the small one for 90% of the car. The little bit of time you save with the bigger polisher just isn't worth the cost, IMHO. Here's the small polisher I have and recommend: Polisher

Next comes the polishing compound and pads. You could research this for months and not learn everything there is to know. I'm sure there are better compounds for Pros, but I like the Rupes compounds and pads because they're color coded and beginner proof. Just put the green compound on the green pad. Put the white compound on the white pad. Easy. Rupes polishing compound. Green pad White pad I start with the green, and then do it again with the white.

This is just a primer on polishing. Do a lot more research and watch a few videos before you try it.

Long story short as possible: The car MUST be in the shade. Wash your car with Dawn. Clay bar your car. Wash your car with dawn. Wash your car with IronX if it is older than a month or two or always if you live in a manufacturing area. Also go over the car with bug and tar remover as required. Wash the car with dawn. Polish the car if you are going to. Wash the car with Dawn. Go over the car with CarPro Eraser. Wash the car with Dawn. Ceramic coat your car. You'll note I added a couple of extra "Wash the car with Dawn" steps compared to my first link. I do this because of the horror stories I've read about where not all the wax was removed prior to coating. I might be over doing it, but you're going to do this like once every three years. A little extra effort doesn't cost you all that much really. I'm not saying an experienced detailer should go overboard like this, not at all. But they know a lot more about what they can get away with compared to an amatuer like me. For me, it's just easier to over kill the process.
My goodness... :) I asked you why you are spending the whole day on the preparation and now I think I will probably spend 3 days with my kind of "speed" :) Thank you so much for the detailed description and the links. I hope I will like my new Mach E as much as you like all your cars :)
 

highland58

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The comments on here about Tesla's soft paint are spot on. Any car painted in California is going to have this issue due to environmental restrictions in California. The Mach-e should not suffer from this problem at all. Still, Xpel on the front of the car should be considered, any paint is going to get rock chips eventually on the front of the car. Xpel on the whole car has pluses and minuses, I don't think there is a wrong answer.

It's not that hard to DIY ceramic coating, but it is time consuming. The ceramic itself is easy, the prep work takes forever. The only hard part about DIY ceramics--and it's not that hard--is figuring out the flash time. You want to wipe it off at the right time. The nice thing about ceramic coating is how easy it is to wash the car afterwards. That's a big deal in the winter here. I just rinse it off with a low power pressure washer. I don't even have to dry the car because I rinse with deionized water. It's well worth the investment to get a good deionizer. The UV resistance and shine is a plus as well of course.

The red on the Tesla is not as shiny as the Rapid Red on the Mach-e, so a good polish and ceramic coating is absolutely required. Otherwise it just ends up looking dull. I spent all day prepping my Y for ceramic coating, and then did the coating the next day. Some Tesla's certainly have paint issues, neither of mine do other than the red needing a good polish. I did a two step machine polish of the entire car and then did the ceramic. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
Ford Mustang Mach-E What About Ceramic Coating? 20200813_080057
Is that South Sister? Perhaps from Mt Bachelor?
 

ClaudeMach-E

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My goodness... :) I asked you why you are spending the whole day on the preparation and now I think I will probably spend 3 days with my kind of "speed" :) Thank you so much for the detailed description and the links. I hope I will like my new Mach E as much as you like all your cars :)
Here's a good detailer You Tube channel that you might like, you will find evrything you need to know there.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE0kcuDlwjfP2982jVH6WkQ
 

jhalkias

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Here's a good detailer You Tube channel that you might like, you will find evrything you need to know there.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE0kcuDlwjfP2982jVH6WkQ
Yup. I have watched a few of his. He can be a little over the top, but after watching his on that Graphene, I did two cars last weekend (took the better part of a day) wash, clay bar, and then applied the Graphene. I did not do any polishing, but the cars looked great at the end.
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