Ceramic protection.

mfaulkner84

Active Member
Feb 19, 2018
17
1
Has anyone has ceramic coating protection added to a new car and how much would I be looking at?

Or if anyone has done any alternatives?

Read that it can be high gloss or matt, and on the release of the Cupra R, my ST is due in monsoon grey and tempted to go matt.


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Andy665

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
37
21
Any ceramic protection will leave a finish only as good as the prep - for a reasonable new car protection you need to be looking at £300+ upwards.

No ceramic protection will change your cars paint finish to Matt. There are ceramic protections for normal paint finishes and others for satin / Matt go wishes
 

mfaulkner84

Active Member
Feb 19, 2018
17
1
Any ceramic protection will leave a finish only as good as the prep - for a reasonable new car protection you need to be looking at £300+ upwards.



No ceramic protection will change your cars paint finish to Matt. There are ceramic protections for normal paint finishes and others for satin / Matt go wishes



Cheers,

Happy to spend the money if it’s worth it a few years down the line .


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Andy665

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
37
21
I do my own protection as I have a Flex rotary and everything else required. A ceramic coating will last at least a couple of years, will keep the car cleaner, easier to clean etc. Well worth making sure the wheels are well protected as well
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,279
Better use of money than the lifeshine type siht.

Totally agree Ben. Having seen (admittedly VW) dealers car valeters at work, I wouldn’t want a dealer doing any form of paint protection to my car, even if it was offered for free. I don’t let them wash my car when it goes in for servicing or warranty work either!

Lifeshine products themselves aren’t that bad; it’s the way they’re applied by the dealer that leaves a lot to be desired. To do the job properly, it takes considerably more time than a dealer is likely to allocate per car to apply a lifeshine treatment. As with all paint protection treatments, preparation is absolutely key, including decontamination and correction of the paintwork to remove any imperfections by someone who is skilled at doing this. The dealer will probably not bother with the decontamination or correction stages, but just apply the lifeshine to the car after it’s been washed with single bucket and sponge, and dried with a wash leather - so applied over any embedded contaminants, and the swirls the dealer’s car cleaners have inflicted on the paintwork through a poor washing technique.

A professional detailer would probably need a car for a minimum of two days to apply a paint protection treatment. Like Andy665, I also do my own protection and it takes me 2-3 days to wash, decontaminate, machine polish, apply two coats of sealant or wax, seal the wheels, dress the trim and clean the windows on my car. The dealer is likely to spend no more than 2-3 hours tops applying a lifeshine treatment.

If I was going to pay £300+ on paint protection to either the dealer or a professional detailer, I know who’d be getting my money, and it wouldn’t be the dealer!
 
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mfaulkner84

Active Member
Feb 19, 2018
17
1
Totally agree Ben. Having seen (admittedly VW) dealers car valeters at work, I wouldn’t want a dealer doing any form of paint protection to my car, even if it was offered for free. I don’t let them wash my car when it goes in for servicing or warranty work either!

Lifeshine products themselves aren’t that bad; it’s the way they’re applied by the dealer that leaves a lot to be desired. To do the job properly, it takes considerably more time than a dealer is likely to allocate per car to apply a lifeshine treatment. As with all paint protection treatments, preparation is absolutely key, including decontamination and correction of the paintwork to remove any imperfections by someone who is skilled at doing this. The dealer will probably not bother with the decontamination or correction stages, but just apply the lifeshine to the car after it’s been washed with single bucket and sponge, and dried with a wash leather - so applied over any embedded contaminants, and the swirls the dealer’s car cleaners have inflicted on the paintwork through a poor washing technique.

A professional detailer would probably need a car for a minimum of two days to apply a paint protection treatment. Like Andy665, I also do my own protection and it takes me 2-3 days to wash, decontaminate, machine polish, apply two coats of sealant or wax, seal the wheels, dress the trim and clean the windows on my car. The dealer is likely to spend no more than 2-3 hours tops applying a lifeshine treatment.

If I was going to pay £300+ on paint protection to either the dealer or a professional detailer, I know who’d be getting my money, and it wouldn’t be the dealer!



Thanks for the info.

Have been recommended by a friend to go to Staffordshire Car Care.


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SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,388
1,279
Thanks for the info.

Have been recommended by a friend to go to Staffordshire Car Care.


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I’ve just had a quick look at their website;

https://www.staffordshirecarcare.co.uk

Judging by the types of cars they’ve worked on and watching some of the videos on the website, they look as if they do some high quality work.

I would think they’d do a good job of applying a ceramic paint treatment to your car.
 

Chippo

Active Member
Jan 2, 2008
145
1
Cardiff, WALES
Had my 280 ceramic coated with Gtechniq. That was over 3 years ago and the shine on the car is still amazing. Was done by James of ti22 in Chepstow .

Would not take my car anywhere else to be honest. www.ti22.co.uk
 
Mar 17, 2022
2
0
Has anyone has ceramic coating protection added to a new car and how much would I be looking at?

Or if anyone has done any alternatives?

Read that it can be high gloss or matt, and on the release of the Cupra R, my ST is due in monsoon grey and tempted to go matt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Finally, you could also consider having your car's paintwork protected. This will help to keep it in good condition for longer, and will make it much harder for dirt, oils, and other contaminants to cause any damage. My friend to go to Max Protect https://max-protect.co.uk/.
 
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