[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by Toxophilite

You know.. as OCD as I am and as beautiful as this car looks with the coating. I am deciding to forgo this for now. The car is already at the edge of my budget so adding that much is just hard to swallow. I am jealous tho! Maybe in the future I will just get a clear bra installed on it to make sure it is covered from rock chips haha

I also own a detailing business. Think of it in terms of how much damage can you do to your paint in 5 years, what would it cost to correct said damage, and how much is the alternative going to cost? The alternative being a repainted car. The $1600 takes into account the labor hours of the Certified installation professional as well as materials. I've seen cars with a tremendous amount of damage done to the paint in as little as 3 years. One example would be the 300S below. It took over 14 hours and two people to correct to this level. The after is without any coating on it except the last photo which is 2 coats of paint sealant and 1 coat of traditional wax on top.

[Ron Jeffries]

wow wish I could turn you loose on my car!

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by SteveInfante

I also own a detailing business. Think of it in terms of how much damage can you do to your paint in 5 years, what would it cost to correct said damage, and how much is the alternative going to cost? The alternative being a repainted car. The $1600 takes into account the labor hours of the Certified installation professional as well as materials. I've seen cars with a tremendous amount of damage done to the paint in as little as 3 years. One example would be the 300S below. It took over 14 hours and two people to correct to this level. The after is without any coating on it except the last photo which is 2 coats of paint sealant and 1 coat of traditional wax on top.

Looks like the car went into automatic car wash on a daily basis

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

Looks like the car went into automatic car wash on a daily basis

Just about. That was weekly for 3 years. Never waxed.

[Questofthetune]

Originally Posted by Bmw Fan M240i

Hi, if you research ceramic coating some you can read up on it, it’s similar to a wax but forms a hard barrier over the paintwork protecting it from the emelments, bird droppings etc etc. Also protects from swirl marks on the paint. Depending on what one depends on how long it’s lasts, Gyeon say this should stay on for upto 5 years. There are lots of options. I upgraded to the Gyeon durabead final coat which offers the most protection.
It’s hydrophobic somwater just slides off it, almost like a self clean system. Regular washing becomes a lot easier.
G-techniq was another brand which looked quite good.
Price varies, the products themselfs are quite expensive. And the procedure takes a long time needing 12-24 hours between coats to cure. I paid £500.

That really isn’t that bad price wise to be honest. A good detail costs close to that here

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by SteveInfante

I also own a detailing business. Think of it in terms of how much damage can you do to your paint in 5 years, what would it cost to correct said damage, and how much is the alternative going to cost? The alternative being a repainted car. The $1600 takes into account the labor hours of the Certified installation professional as well as materials. I've seen cars with a tremendous amount of damage done to the paint in as little as 3 years. One example would be the 300S below. It took over 14 hours and two people to correct to this level. The after is without any coating on it except the last photo which is 2 coats of paint sealant and 1 coat of traditional wax on top.

In no way am I trying to underscore you and your shops abilities and results when I say this, but most non-car people do a flat out terrible job of maintaining their cars. Most of us in here are car guys and wouldn't let our cars get to the state of that 300. That's basically a worst case scenario and may be representative of someone buying an older used car, not a new car.

For most darker color cars and with the more typical light swirling and very shallow scratches, a very standard dual action polisher ($70 HF unit), quality pads (white, perhaps an orange), and a basic light cutting polish will achieve 80-90% of that visual finish you've depicted. You only need to do it once a year or twice if you're a bit more OCD. Where professional detailers excel is getting that extra 20% and/or correcting when the paint requires some deep cutting where a dual action polisher can't do the job.

Very basic precautions, awareness, and common sense go a long way with maintaining the finish of a car. The extent of auto detailing products, the associated cost, and "claims" is mind blowing to me. With $100-150 is very basic equipment and supplies and a few hours time will net you a completed finish that would be hard for 9 out of 10 people to notice the difference between a DIYer with little skill and a $300+ professional detail job.

It's no surprise that detail shops will push these sealants. The work is almost all labor thus higher profits. Then you've likely got the owner coming back in a few years for a redo. The sealants definitely do make the glossy finish last longer compared to a polish job that needs to be done at least once year. But is the cost worth it in the long run? I guess that's up to the owner, their time, and abilities.

[Bmw Fan M240i]

Originally Posted by Questofthetune

That really isn’t that bad price wise to be honest. A good detail costs close to that here

Yeah, I shopped around, some were upto £800 for the same. I didn’t even think he would remove the wheels and coat them fully so that was a bonus.
And I know the Gyeon products are expensive having just invested in some shampoo, glass cleaner, tyre cleaner and wash mit, all Gyeon branded for around £50

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by Bmw Fan M240i

Yeah. Pet driers are about £50, they just give the option of a little heat. Never even thought about it but makes sense being able to blow all the water out all of the tight to reach areas.

I use an air compressor. Much faster.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

You interpreted my comment correctly. The suggestion I received was to help commonize the level of gloss and reduce any remaining appearance of the film by having the same coating as on the paint. I did not do a controlled experiment to compare, but the results are excellent.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

The car looks great and that color is stellar.

Not to cause controversy but I don't understand the need for these pricey nano sealants on daily driven cars. The daily grind of road travel will break these systems down far quicker than their "up to 5 year protection" claims. If it were a weekend car that doesn't see much mileage, I could see the sealant lasting 5 years. However, in lots of sun, rain, snow, salt, road junk, etc., it's just not going to last and will degrade quicker. Plus, if you need to do any sort of paint correction work, you'll blow right through the sealant.

Also, what's the measure by which these sealants are warrantied? How would they test it to prove it's still there and of an appropriate thickness? You buy the kits for ~$100 or have a professional do it for $600+ depending on how much prep is needed to get the paint in shape prior to application. To apply it yourself require a keen eye and skill or else it could make the finish look like crap.

There's no doubt these sealants can offer a great glossy finish and is a must for a show car, but I have yet to see it exceed the immediate results of what someone could do with a $70 HF DA polisher, a couple basic pads, and non-fancy polish and 2 hours time.

If you do the basics to take care of your paint like wash the car often, use decent microfiber mitts and towels (and wash them often), and polish and clay the car once a year, the finish should easily be maintained and require very little correction.

IMO, the best use for these sealants on a daily driver are for the wheels. It does help to keep the dust from biting and sticking to the wheel clear coat.

I detailed a 2016 Porsche 911 GT3RS last week which costs $242K. The front hood, fenders, mirrors, rear lower panels and 1/4 of the roof had film applied. The rest of the surfaces were detailed using a Meguiar's fine Nanoscrub paint scrubbing pad (think clay bar) Menzerna polish (2 stage) formulated in Germany was used to polish with a Flex D/A polisher. The final coating was Blackfire Wet Diamond polymer. The areas not covered by film looked better than the areas covered by film. I charged my customer $250 and he was blown away at the results. Today I detailed a 2014 Infiniti that I detailed 2 years ago. The Polymer coating I applied then was still in great condition. I just had to remove some swirls then reapply the coating. Ceramic coatings are great but not everyone wants one especially at those prices.

[Dylan86]

All this talk about shine, and it's f****** winter, and can't have my car shining for another 4 months

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by Rayscott

I detailed a 2016 Porsche 911 GT3RS last week which costs $242K. The front hood, fenders, mirrors, rear lower panels and 1/4 of the roof had film applied. The rest of the surfaces were detailed using a Meguiar's fine Nanoscrub paint scrubbing pad (think clay bar) Menzerna polish (2 stage) formulated in Germany was used to polish with a Flex D/A polisher. The final coating was Blackfire Wet Diamond polymer. The areas not covered by film looked better than the areas covered by film. I charged my customer $250 and he was blown away at the results. Today I detailed a 2014 Infiniti that I detailed 2 years ago. The Polymer coating I applied then was still in great condition. I just had to remove some swirls then reapply the coating. Ceramic coatings are great but not everyone wants one especially at those prices.

The time and effort it takes the owner to maintain their car once it's coated and protected has always been worth it to the end user, the owner. I've never had someone tell me they regretted getting their car coated.

To whoever the person was that suggested the OP do it themselves and save some money, it has taken me almost 10 years to amass the experience and technique to be able to produce professional quality results. But by all means, go ahead and try. You have to start somewhere. I did.

[nikman011]

Can someone recommend a detailer in Pittsburgh (PA) with a lot of experience?

[Ron Jeffries]

I need someone who makes house calls in Michigan and who is willing to work in a garage at 15 degrees F.

[Bmw Fan M240i]

Originally Posted by SteveInfante

The time and effort it takes the owner to maintain their car once it's coated and protected has always been worth it to the end user, the owner. I've never had someone tell me they regretted getting their car coated.

To whoever the person was that suggested the OP do it themselves and save some money, it has taken me almost 10 years to amass the experience and technique to be able to produce professional quality results. But by all means, go ahead and try. You have to start somewhere. I did.

This is true, I would never trust myself costing myself, for starters most of the products are only supplied to certified detailers. Time Is money as they say. The £500 I paid for the whole exterior, wheels, calipers, exhaust tips, leather, fabrics, trim, engine bay, glass, and boot to be coated with Gyeon products is a good price, I feel.
And for the below effect I think it’s worth it alone looks amazing in the frost where the beading is so good.

[Ron Jeffries]

wow. definitely need a house call.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Ron Jeffries

I need someone who makes house calls in Michigan and who is willing to work in a garage at 15 degrees F.

Marc Harris
AutoLavish
248
514
5676
**************

(odd...wouldn't show phone number in one line)

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by Bmw Fan M240i

This is true, I would never trust myself costing myself, for starters most of the products are only supplied to certified detailers. Time Is money as they say. The £500 I paid for the whole exterior, wheels, calipers, exhaust tips, leather, fabrics, trim, engine bay, glass, and boot to be coated with Gyeon products is a good price, I feel.
And for the below effect I think it’s worth it alone looks amazing in the frost where the beading is so good.

that car has chicken pox

[Ron Jeffries]

looks like if i’ve got the money, maybe autolavish has the time! thanks!

[Sunny_M240I]

After seeing these real world pics I was able to make a final decision on colour for my order. I was torn between mineral grey and sunset orange.

Not any more.

THX

[VIN240i13]

Seems a good detailer in my area (Mobile AL – Pensacola FL) is difficult to find. I have tried both types, first one had a shop and kept the car overnight (2014 Honda CRV) and the second came to my house for the detail (2015 Mazda 3). On both attempts I paid for the “ultimate” packages for interior / exterior with wax and 2 coats of sealer.

With the purchase of the 2018 BMW and a bay boat, I decided to give both daily drivers a major detail and paint sealant since they would be un-garaged from now on.

There was minimal paint correction needed since both vehicles have been garaged since purchase; each estimate was still on the pricey side, the shop detail was $1300 for the Honda CRV and the on-site for the Mazda 3 was $920.

Without going into individual and specific issues I’ll use a scale from 1 to 10 on the resulting detail. The CRV was maybe a 6 at best, when I went to pick it up a day later at the agreed upon time, 36 hours plus, the interior had yet to be detailed. I noticed wax and/or sealant on the majority of the lower black trim and had to point this out before taking delivery. I was asked to provide feedback on their Facebook page, I provided the feedback based on the results, it was removed within 24 hours. They offered 50% off the next detail, obviously I said no thank you.

The on-site detail on the Mazda was a tad better. 4 guys, 2 trucks came to my house and started working on the Mazdar, after 3 hours 2 left and the remaining two finished for a total of 9 hours. They erected a temporary carport, looked very professional so I was optimistic of the final results.

The detail on the car I will give a 7 but the mess they left on my driveway was pathetic. If you have a white concrete (unsealed) driveway stay FAR AWAY from an on-site detail! My home is new construction and I inquired about this since the driveway is unsealed, I was told no problem, they would pressure wash after the job, they didn’t; the pressure washer broke at the end of the detail I was told.

They said they would be back within 24 hours, they never did and never returned my calls. A week later a letter from my HOA reminded me of my driveway mess so I had to hire a professional pressure washer with a scrubber, took them 5 hours to get all the black ground in crap from the driveway. I blame myself for pre-paying the detail or I would have withheld payment until they cleanup up their mess.

So now I have the beautiful 2018 M240i I want to protect the paint regardless of this vehicle's current status of a garage queen, so if anyone knows of a reputable detailer within the Mobile AL – Pensacola, FL area I would be most appreciative for any recommendations…