[chicagox7]

There is a shop near me advertising a 25 year ceramic coat. That seems too good to be true based on what I’ve seen in the forum to date. They use something called Dr. Beasley’s nano resin. Curious what folks thoughts are on this. The big difference seems to be the thickness of the layer. The 5 yr coating is 1-2µm thick. The 7 yr is 3-4µm thick and the 25 yr is 10-12µm thick.

I get the increased ‘thickness’ though am not sure what this really means or how it impacts things.

Is a 25 year coat realistic? Is this ‘too thick’ or will it be too hard to maintain (or be more apt to show issues early)? Are there other considerations around this that a newby to ceramic coating isn’t thinking about (recognize the need to hand wash once coated)? Thanks for your thoughts/inputs.

[skyline408]

Snake oil my friend.. They are probably banking on the fact that you won't have this car and they won't be around for 25 years...

[Pheonix]

Second that!
Based on personal experiences, most ceramic coats don't last more than 2-3 years and that is with using sacrificial coatings from time to time (every 4-5 washes).
Also, keep in mind Ceramic coatings don't prevent scratches so most likely will have to do paint correction and re-coat if you want that shiny/showroom finishes.

[to_riffic]

Reminds me of this dude I met at a c&c gathering and he was kinda flaunting his detailing business saying he only works on supercars and high end clients and he's the one and only detailer capable of properly leveling 8+ layers of coating on a vehicle blah blah blah.

Needless to say he was entertaining but for the wrong reasons.

[KevinGS]

If the car only accrues 2,000 miles/year (or less), never sees precipitation, and lives in a garage...sure, a ceramic could last 25 years. And there are a LOT of garage queens out there so...

[chris719]

The clearcoat probably won't last 25 years in the sun, never mind the coating.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by chris719

The clearcoat probably won't last 25 years in the sun, never mind the coating.

Is the word "scam" still too strong of a noun with respect to these ceramic coatings?

[chicagox7]

Good info- thanks all for the thoughts. Seems I may want to a steak clear of the shop in general; if they’re offering such a thing, what other load of ‘interesting opportunities’ would they try to push on unsuspecting buyers (and how good are their other offerings really?).

I continue to contemplate a ceramic coat, though am curious what happens towards the end of its life. Does it look spotty as it disappears, does it just look horrible- or does it slowly go back ‘normal looking’?

[chris719]

Originally Posted by chicagox7

Good info- thanks all for the thoughts. Seems I may want to a steak clear of the shop in general; if they’re offering such a thing, what other load of ‘interesting opportunities’ would they try to push on unsuspecting buyers (and how good are their other offerings really?).

I continue to contemplate a ceramic coat, though am curious what happens towards the end of its life. Does it look spotty as it disappears, does it just look horrible- or does it slowly go back ‘normal looking’?

It just disappears slowly and you can’t notice other than hydrophobic behavior degrading.

[allinon72]

Dr. Beasley's makes a good product, but on their website they claim 1/5th of that thickness, so I'm assuming this place will put 5 coats on? The warranty is a marketing gimmick.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Is the word "scam" still too strong of a noun with respect to these ceramic coatings?

LMAO I was just thinking about that other thread reading this

[P1]

How long are folks going to fall for this ceramic coating nonsense? It's absolutely mindboggling.

But like they said... a fool and his money, right?

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by P1

How long are folks going to fall for this ceramic coating nonsense? It's absolutely mindboggling.

But like they said... a fool and his money, right?

Right, it's all marketing at this point until a new keyword comes out.

I saw the other day they had ceramic interior wipes now. lol

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

ah reminds of lifetime warranties. simply unfeasible and providing one will light your company on fire

[P1]

Originally Posted by skyline408

Right, it's all marketing at this point until a new keyword comes out.

I saw the other day they had ceramic interior wipes now. lol

Coming soon: AI-powered ceramic coatings!

[RigaTony1982]

Originally Posted by chicagox7

Good info- thanks all for the thoughts. Seems I may want to a steak clear of the shop in general; if they’re offering such a thing, what other load of ‘interesting opportunities’ would they try to push on unsuspecting buyers (and how good are their other offerings really?).

I continue to contemplate a ceramic coat, though am curious what happens towards the end of its life. Does it look spotty as it disappears, does it just look horrible- or does it slowly go back ‘normal looking’?

I had briefly looked at these guys as well and decided against it. Let me know if you find anyone else in Chicago that seems good.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Honestly I don't think ceramic coating in itself is a scam, it's pretty much a a longer lasting wax/sealant. DIYing it is worth it. It's just the way it is advertised by some professionals, some are very gimmicky/overpriced/scammy.

[chicagox7]

Originally Posted by RigaTony1982

I had briefly looked at these guys as well and decided against it. Let me know if you find anyone else in Chicago that seems good.

I’m not looking very hard at the moment. They are relatively close to where I live and have seen the shop a few times.

If I do find a place- I’ll let you know. Similarly, if you find a place you end using, please let me know. Thx!

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Honestly I don't think ceramic coating in itself is a scam, it's pretty much a a longer lasting wax/sealant. DIYing it is worth it. It's just the way it is advertised by some professionals, some are very gimmicky/overpriced/scammy.

That is how I see it, and how it should be viewed, but damn if detail shops market it much differently.

I truly believe there are folks out there who believe they are driving around a car with a diamond like coat of armor when they have their car ceramic coated. Part of this, is how much shops charge for the service.

DIY is the way to go as well. i've done DIY ceramic on 2 cars and believe me, the coating wears off over time -- just like wax/sealant.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Honestly I don't think ceramic coating in itself is a scam, it's pretty much a a longer lasting wax/sealant. DIYing it is worth it. It's just the way it is advertised by some professionals, some are very gimmicky/overpriced/scammy.

Originally Posted by skyline408

That is how I see it, and how it should be viewed, but damn if detail shops market it much differently.

I truly believe there are folks out there who believe they are driving around a car with a diamond like coat of armor when they have their car ceramic coated. Part of this, is how much shops charge for the service.

DIY is the way to go as well. i've done DIY ceramic on 2 cars and believe me, the coating wears off over time -- just like wax/sealant.

I think it will be helpful to provide some context to my statement. I agree the ceramic coating itself is not a scam. My scam comment is an amalgamation of other statements I've made in the past with regard to ceramic coatings and the way in which they are marketed by professional detailers and the associated cost. When you stack that with consumers amplifying that professional detailer talk track, it creates an environment where people don't challenge what they're being told (or sold). Once legitimate consumer grade coatings were released, the professional detailing market for ceramic coatings should've dried up, but alas, here we are.

[Jrock645]

Originally Posted by skyline408

That is how I see it, and how it should be viewed, but damn if detail shops market it much differently.

I truly believe there are folks out there who believe they are driving around a car with a diamond like coat of armor when they have their car ceramic coated. Part of this, is how much shops charge for the service.

DIY is the way to go as well. i've done DIY ceramic on 2 cars and believe me, the coating wears off over time -- just like wax/sealant.

The key is though, the pro level coatings detailers can offer ARE different than consumer level ones. That said, there's a lot more of them than there used to be and I'm not sure that all of them are worth the money. OptiCoat Pro is still the gold standard imo, but car pro makes a solid one, and there's a handful of others worth looking at- like gtechniq, beeds and another one that starts with an m I think. I did some detailing on the side for a while and spent a lot of time on autopia/autogeek and some of these pro level coatings are legit... but then there's a lot of new ones that keep popping up. And a lot of detailers that make claims about their coating that I can't find any product literature on. That's the difference. Opticoat and the other reputable coatings that make specific longevity claims also have certain conditions about them- call that fine print if you want, but at least you know what the terms are and what documentation you need to provide.

I'd love to have opticoat pro but can't find anyone in my area that offers it. I sold my Rupes and Flex rotary before my last move, along with pretty much all my other detailing stuff so no real detailing for me at the moment- not sure I wanna go down that rabbit hole again, it's a dangerous one.

[allinon72]

I'm the biggest fan of the principle of ceramic coating - it's fun for the less informed to call it a "scam", but part of the reason they come to that conclusion is the ridiculous claims that professional detailing shops like to make in order to lure you in. There's something about the detailing industry that just loves the outlandish claims and gimmicks....it's like one step below "ShamWOW" as seen on TV stuff.

Regardless, I would never pay a shop thousands to apply a ceramic coating. Take the time to learn how to DIY (it is not hard, at all), or if that's out of the question, just stick to sealants/waxes. Consumer grade coatings have gotten so good that there's no reason to have a backup warranty when your initial investment in a DIY job will be a few hundred dollars max.