[ghodlur]

I have been advised by many near ones, well wishers and BHPians that Ceramic coating is a must for a new car. I am seeing a lot of options in Bangalore and this confuses at time. Any Bangaloreans done the ceramic coating recently and from where? Pls share the reviews and if possible the cost part too (if not here, pls DM). The car in question is Tata Harrier - White colour,

[kiredd1005]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

I have been advised by many near ones, well wishers and BHPians that Ceramic coating is a must for a new car. I am seeing a lot of options in Bangalore and this confuses at time. Any Bangaloreans done the ceramic coating recently and from where? Pls share the reviews and if possible the cost part too (if not here, pls DM). The car in question is Tata Harrier - White colour,

Hi Ghodlur, it is a good practise to maintain the car in top shape which helps at the time selling (in future of course).

Few things to keep in mind:

-Your budget
-Usage (predominantly highway/city)
-Frequency and style of washing (apartment washing boy/professional washing)

I will DM you the details of my Innova's ceramic and PPF works.

[smasher]

Originally Posted by kiredd1005

I will DM you the details of my Innova's ceramic and PPF works.

Please include me too. Scouting options for my crysta. Thanks in advance.

[kiredd1005]

Originally Posted by smasher

Please include me too. Scouting options for my crysta. Thanks in advance.

Ok looks like I can't send you a DM since I'm a newbie. I'll share the details of the person who got it done for me.

[kiredd1005]

Originally Posted by smasher

Please include me too. Scouting options for my crysta. Thanks in advance.

Where are you located? Perhaps I can share the location here itself. I tried DMing you but it says you have not opted to receive email messages on your profile.

[smasher]

Originally Posted by kiredd1005

Where are you located? Perhaps I can share the location here itself. I tried DMing you but it says you have not opted to receive email messages on your profile.

Sorry, I have changed the settings and can receive emails now.

I am located Bangalore-whitefield.

Thanks

[navy68]

Here in Cochin, the asking price for a ceramic pro is 65k for a harrier. Honestly, is it worth it? Does it serve the purpose it claims? What if you don't go for any coating but stick to cleaning the car on your own with appropriate PH neutral shampoo, mitt etc.

Make one think, especially when the coating guys don't forget to remind you that the effectiveness of a coating depends on the periodic wash that one gives to the car. Some even say the warranty is null & void if you don't service the car at their service station.

With a 5-day old harrier black edition sitting on my porch and confused about ceramic or graphene or not doing anything, that's where I stand now.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by kiredd1005

Where are you located? Perhaps I can share the location here itself. I tried DMing you but it says you have not opted to receive email messages on your profile.

Please share details here. Many, including me will find it useful. I’m also thinking of coating my Crysta.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by navy68

Make one think, especially when the coating guys don't forget to remind you that the effectiveness of a coating depends on the periodic wash that one gives to the car. Some even say the warranty is null & void if you don't service the car at their service station.

This statement is true. You need to maintain the car with proper wash and go for periodic service (ceramic top-up) as per their recommendation.

Since I didn't do this, my car was normal after a year (I did ceramic on a 5 year old car).

[Venky03]

Before purchasing Triber, I did research a bit about paint protection as I was aware that coatings on new cars applied on day one/two are much more beneficial than opting for them after 3-4 months.

Waxes, sealants and ceramic/graphene coatings all have one job : to form a protective layer on top of clear coat.


Credits : Chicago Auto Pros

Now, where these products differ are in their characteristics :

• Ceramic/graphene coatings are comparatively more thicker than their wax and sealant counterparts.
• Ceramic/graphene coatings offer more gloss than sealants.
• Ceramic/graphene coatings comparatively last longer.
• Ceramic/graphene coatings offer a certain degree of protection against swirl marks and micro scratches.

With so many benefits, ceramic coating was a no brainer right? Well, the math says otherwise.

For my car, a complete repaint costs around INR 40-60k and for the ceramic coating I was quoted around INR 18k for a one time job, INR 25-40k for 3 years protection and INR 55k for PPF+Ceramic job. Theoretically my paint is so cheap that I don't need to spend a large sum to protect it.

For cars having repaint costs less than INR 60-70k, ceramic coating doesn't fit the math. Use a good sealant every 6 months and opt for annual detailing which will cost around 4-7k for interior+exterior job.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Perhaps it is already outdated, but my most recent reading on graphene suggests that it is still at the stage of only being manufactured by a couple of companies, and only in small quantities. Large-scale mass-production is a bridge yet to be crossed. Therefore, it's use in product titles (batteries, coatings, etc etc etc) is to be treated with great suspicion. It's a hype word.

Even if (when) it is available in such forms, is it even particularly suited for surface protection? Different things have different strengths. IE, diamond may be the hardest thing around, but it will be beaten by an ordinary hammer any day!

[PaneristiHobbes]

so here's my experience. took delivery of a new XC60 last April. first time owning a black car and being paranoid about dirt, I decided to get the car ceramic coated from a well known (and previously tried) detailer in Gurgaon. Paid 90k for getting ceramic coating done for the entire car with Xpel fusion plus ceramic coating. took the 5 year package with six monthly top ups thrown in. car looked great, water beading was excellent and it was a cinch to clean.

fast forward a few months and multiple road trips, special yon highways, I started noticing small paint chips on the bumper (luckily on the lower side and not overtly visible). perturbed, I took the car back to the detailer and he confirmed that which he could get rid of the swirl marks on the paint, the chips would remain as they could not be buffed out.

that's when I decided to get PPF installed on the front of the car - bumper, fenders, bonnet and ORVMs. Couldn't be happier.

In hindsight, I should have skipped the ceramic and gotten the PPF straight away (as the detailer had recommended). but you live and you learn.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Venky03

For my car, a complete repaint costs around INR 40-60k and for the ceramic coating I was quoted around INR 18k for a one time job, INR 25-40k for 3 years protection and INR 55k for PPF+Ceramic job. Theoretically my paint is so cheap that I don't need to spend a large sum to protect it.

For cars having repaint costs less than INR 60-70k, ceramic coating doesn't fit the math. Use a good sealant every 6 months and opt for annual detailing which will cost around 4-7k for interior+exterior job.

Your points are accurate but costs are all over the place, good quality automotive paint jobs are never cheap.

Repaint from a high quality body shop will be at least 1L+. Honda dealer wanted 95k for my Amaze which is the same surface area roughly, and authorised dealer prices are somewhere in between low quality roadside shops and high quality ones.

Your factory finish is nearly impossible to match with a repaint, that’s one of the reasons people choose PPF despite it being as expensive (more sometimes) than a full repaint. The body shop will also dissemble and reassemble a lot of panels where they will inadvertently damage clips and fit and finish is the never the same after.

That one time cost of coating is quite low and chances are a proper coating is not being used. If it is then durability should be at least 2-3 years. The second quote of 25-40k, here they’re probably using a proper coating.

PPF from any of the good brands like Expel/Llumar/Optimum is around 850-900/sq.ft. This will translate to around 1.1-1.3L bumper to bumper before coating. With coating it’ll be more, depends on the deal you can negotiate with the shop. Ask them what brand of film is being used before finalising.

You can go for yearly paint correction + sealant but prevention is better than cure (wash in a way that doesn’t induce swirls) as it’s advisable to not thin out your clear coat every 12 months otherwise long term you’ll run into issues, new cars anyway come with very thin paint due to cost cutting. This should cost 12-15K for a 2 step exterior correction + interior dry clean but can vary by shop. Cheers.

[Thad E Ginathom]

What's the useful lifetime for PPF?

My car has some patches of it, applied by its first owner when new. The car is about six years old. The film looks fine when it is dry, but I've noticed for some time that some areas (it's a black car) seem to go grey when it rains.

[quantobigboot]

Guys, I have realised why a lot of people don't prefer dark colored cars thanks to my experience with the XUV700. The paint quality is excellent, but everytime the car sees the road, it comes back covered in dust. I want to retain the original shine and make the cleaning job easier. Dealer has offered ceramic coating for 22k. Though I am looking to get it done outside, the low price for this class of vehicle surprised me. Please suggest if I should go for ceramic coating (and the approx. cost aftermarket) or other options like PPF.