[BigMart]

Originally Posted by Leem40i

Everyone who has a ceramic coating will tell you to get it. People who don't will tell you it's not necessary.
I've had cars with it and cars without. There is a benefit to it. It's basically a very long lasting coat of wax or paint sealant.
I can tell you to not buy into these BS claims that one ceramic coating last for 10 years and another last for 15. Thats pure BS and just meant to get your money. On average a good ceramic coating will last for 3 years and that depends on how you take care of it. On average it's going to cost $1,000+ and the places advertising $700 or $500 are not doing the full job. 90% of the cost for ceramic coating is the paint correctio (buff and polish). That takes time, at least a full day. Also, stay away from detailers doing ceramic coating and don't have an indoors facility. You can't properly paint correct or apply ceramic in the inconsistent lighting outdoors. Add to that the dust and other airborne things landing on the car during the process.

I see the coating as a commitment.
To keep the hydrophobic properties i use a pure shampoo (no wax added) or the coating clogs.
The ceramic topper after every wash is a pain in the neck but has preserved the coating well. Garaging both cars has no doubt helped too.
I wouldn't recommend a coating to anyone who didn't want to maintain it, a spray wax is an easier,cheaper and more forgiving alternative for any special occasions you want the car to look shiny without being too fussy on the wash process for the rest of the year.

[biz77]

I'm sure I'm going to catch plenty of hate for it, but ceramic coatings are a cult. Just look at how many companies sell a solution and at what costs, with seemingly more jumping on the bandwagon every week.

I've been doing shade tree/DIY auto detailing since... well since long before ceramic coatings were a thing. I was an early adopter of ceramic coatings, using the first offerings from CarPro and Optimum. Since that time, I've used many more ceramic coatings. I've never fallen in love with any of them.
I found over the years, that while they provide hydrophobic properties that lasted longer than both carnauba-based and polymer-based products, they were susceptible to the same issues as an unprotected clear coat. Instead of dealing with it on the clear coat, I was dealing with it on the coating and the solutions were nearly identical. Eventually, I gave up on them. The time I spent maintaining the ceramic coating was not any less than the time I would have just spent maintaining the clear coat.
I believe most everyone has come to the same conclusion as me, but many have been tricked into thinking this is a feature of ceramic coatings and not the problem with them. The post above mine exemplifies this (sorry for picking on your post BigMart):

"I see the coating as a commitment" It is. They originally sold it as a long-lasting durable coating that was apply and forget. Do your maintenance washes and the protection would last for years. Now, the manufacturers have made an entire additional cottage industry out of special soaps, decontamination products, toppers, reloaders...

"To keep the hydrophobic properties i use a pure shampoo (no wax added) or the coating clogs" - Sounds finicky.

"The ceramic topper after every wash is a pain in the neck but has preserved the coating well" - How much of your current protection is just the new protection you are putting on every wash?

"Garaging both cars has no doubt helped too." - Garage kept cars in general look very well kept.

[MADBMWX5MC]

All of my 3 are ceramic coated, yes, it's a cult...I am part of it because for many years, I spent many hrs claying, polishing and waxing. I am done with all that...cleaning now is super easy.

[Leem40i]

Originally Posted by BigMart

I see the coating as a commitment.
To keep the hydrophobic properties i use a pure shampoo (no wax added) or the coating clogs.
The ceramic topper after every wash is a pain in the neck but has preserved the coating well. Garaging both cars has no doubt helped too.
I wouldn't recommend a coating to anyone who didn't want to maintain it, a spray wax is an easier,cheaper and more forgiving alternative for any special occasions you want the car to look shiny without being too fussy on the wash process for the rest of the year.

I will reply to you however biz77 said it best. Whether you have the car ceramic coated or not the same amount of Maintenance applies either way so what's the benefit? If I have to put special maintenance Solutions to keep up the hydrophobic qualities it's no different than if I polish and buff the car once or twice a year. To be honest, doing the less expensive method of using wax or polymer more often looks better.
I too have been detailing cars since the mid 80s and I've seen all the fads come and go. The problem is with the ceramic coating it attracts people because you supposedly apply it once and it lasts for 3 years or more but the only way it lasts that long is if you maintain it which requires the same work as if you were just polishing and buffing your car once in awhile.
Everyone can do what they want with their car but I've tried the ceramic coating twice and did all the stuff to keep it looking good and in my opinion it's just not worth it

[rob175]

Let's all of us check back to this thread in a few years to read about the "newest", "greatest", and "best" coating on the market that's infinitely better than that "old" ceramic stuff..... LOL

If it makes a car owner feel good to ceramic coat and that owner religiously maintains that coating.....good for them.

But to brag about how water beads up on a surface and announce the beading as proof of how wonderful a surface treatment, is doesn't prove anything really. Certainly not enough "proof" to lay out loads of $$$ and perpetual maintenance.

[biz77]

I wrapped up my post a little early to head to my kid's baseball game. I did want to say that I do put a layer of protection on my car and don't just leave the bare clear coat in the open. I use CarPro Hydro2. In my opinion, this is what ceramic coating should have been from the beginning. A sub-10 minute application that is completed during the rinse cycle of car washing, which adds months of hydrophobic properties and helps keep the car clean and makes it easier to clean off at the next wash - very similar to what a traditional ceramic coating does.
After winter, I still have to do a deep clean, including things like iron decontamination, road tar decontamination and varying pH shampoo to get ride of things like water spots - IE, the same things I would need to do for a traditional ceramic coated car that gets daily driven in the winter months here.