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Maybe the fact that it's going to last a few months tops...
There are lots of torture tests out there of Adam’s coatings that show that isn’t true. If you prep the paint right and install it right and maintain it right, it will last for a few years which is what you’ll get out of anything.
I did ceramic coat on my GLK, C-Class, pre-facelift W166, B-Class and it is just a money grab. You need to maintain that ceramic coat overtime which makes it pointless. After throwing out +$8k on ceramic coat what I found best is to have the vehicle detailed (clay + stage 2 polish) then apply a good coat of hard synthetic wax then maintain it with a silicone spray like Carpro RELOAD 2.0. It will shine and beed like crazy like a ceramic coated finish. Been doing it now on ALL of those vehicles including on my late V167 and current GLE43 and will do the same thing on the newly acquired C207. Do not put your cars on auto carwash. Don't be lazy and wash it the proper way (2 bucket combo, with good car shampoo or power washer with soap gun).
The reload spray will last a good 3-4 months depending on how you wash your vehicle. When you see it starting to not beed like crazy that is the cue to re-apply to maintain that coating. It will only cost you $80 for a 1 liter which will last you YEARS. So spray as much as you want VS throwing thousands of $$ on a coating that you still need to maintain.
Last edited by shotgun_banjo; Jul 24, 2024 at 11:54 PM.
I did ceramic coat on my GLK, C-Class, pre-facelift W166, B-Class and it is just a money grab. You need to maintain that ceramic coat overtime which makes it pointless. After throwing out +$8k on ceramic coat what I found best is to have the vehicle detailed (clay + stage 2 polish) then apply a good coat of hard synthetic wax then maintain it with a silicone spray like Carpro RELOAD 2.0. It will shine and beed like crazy like a ceramic coated finish. Been doing it now on ALL of those vehicles including on my late V167 and current GLE43 and will do the same thing on the newly acquired C207. Do not put your cars on auto carwash. Don't be lazy and wash it the proper way (2 bucket combo, with good car shampoo or power washer with soap gun).
The reload spray will last a good 3-4 months depending on how you wash your vehicle. When you see it starting to not beed like crazy that is the cue to re-apply to maintain that coating. It will only cost you $80 for a 1 liter which will last you YEARS. So spray as much as you want VS throwing thousands of $$ on a coating that you still need to maintain.
If you paid $8,000 for a ceramic coating you got taken 30 ways from Sunday lol.
The coating is just like any other paint protection, its just more durable. You can do it yourself in a few hours with $100 worth of product, the cost is in the prep and the paint correction etc. The cost detailers charge for it is totally insane.
Most people also think the coating has failed when it hasn't. There are imbedded contaminants there that are masking the hydrophobic properties, a clay and chemical decontamination and the coating is still there and performing.
If you paid $8,000 for a ceramic coating you got taken 30 ways from Sunday lol.
The coating is just like any other paint protection, its just more durable. You can do it yourself in a few hours with $100 worth of product, the cost is in the prep and the paint correction etc. The cost detailers charge for it is totally insane.
Most people also think the coating has failed when it hasn't. There are imbedded contaminants there that are masking the hydrophobic properties, a clay and chemical decontamination and the coating is still there and performing.
It is expensive here in Vancouver for such a thing and yes that includes the paint correction. Average application here for a quality ceramic coat (2 coats + really good paint correction is around $1800 + taxes). Usually it takes 2-3 days for the process. I have done it on 4 of my cars and will never do it again. I learned how to polish my cars properly after paying someone else to do it and now I do all the detailing on my vehicles that is why I say it is not worth it.
Last edited by shotgun_banjo; Jul 25, 2024 at 10:52 PM.
There is a huge difference between $1,800 and $8,000 lol
$8,000 is expensive to have the whole car done in PPF, let alone a ceramic coating. $1,800 is not unusual, $8,000 is insane.
I have ceramic coated the last 4 cars I have had too, it’s no big deal at all. Most new coatings don’t require two coats and applying the coating is wipe on wipe off. All the effort is in the prep, and if the car is new and doesn’t need any paint correction it’s easy peasy.
I took the GLE to a local detail shop for a ceramic coat. They had the car for two days and when I picked it up last night, discovered they totally botched the job! The hood is covered in streaks, the side panels look ok but I need to inspect everything with a flashlight. This indicates the product dried too fast, probably because the horizontal surface was still too warm. It has been in the upper 90's to low 100's here all week and I told the guy when I dropped it off I wasn't in a hurry if it was too warm to do the job. Now he has a mess to fix, I took the car and we agreed to schedule it in the next week or two when the weather cools down. He used Adams 9 year Graphene Ceramic so removal is going to be a tedious chore. Guess it's not my week...
that coating was done by an inexperienced or careless detailer. It needs recoating asap.Obviously the product was not applied properly. I suspect they applied the coat unevenly and/or let the coat flash to long after application. I hesitate to tell you to take it back to the same shop and have the ceramic coat reapplied, but that's up to you. I had to have it done to my vehicle when it was first coated and I experienced streaking, also. There are several steps that need to be followed for proper application. Iron decon to remove iron deposits, clayed-for particle contamination removal, polished to remove scratches, and finally the ceramic coating applied. Ceramic cure flash times must be followed in order for a proper finish. Any ceramic high spots, the streaking your seeing on your vehicle, are smoothed and leveled during the ceramic application buff off... it's called leveling. If left to flash to long the high spots harden and cannot be leveled. Usually another light coating of ceramic, flashed and leveled properly, will correct the issue. It’s a fairly easy fix if the initial steps were done properly. The time spent to properly ceramic coat a vehicle is why ceramic coatings are so expensive. It took 6-8 hours to properly ceramic coat my GLE. I used System X ceramic coat which requires a coating of their product called Renew, be applied once a year...basically a spray on ceramic that's easily applied and wiped off.
I did take it back to the same place, after a stern lecture about what he did wrong and what he needed to do to correct it. I played the pised off old guy with an attorney on speed dial and believe I intimidated his 20 something butt in to taking me seriously. I pointed out some minor swirl marks in the paint which indicated he hadn't even done the correction properly and let him know I'd be looking for those marks to be gone as proof he had buffed off the botched coating and done it right this time. He had the car for about 10 hours and when I picked it up, the job had been fixed to my satisfaction. I didn't have to go to the hassle of suing him and hopefully he learned a valuable life lesson.
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Most people also think the coating has failed when it hasn't. There are imbedded contaminants there that are masking the hydrophobic properties, a clay and chemical decontamination and the coating is still there and performing.
I'm under the impression that claying a ceramic coated car will shorten the ceramic life.
Do you agree?
After all, claying is kind of like a mini polish, and I only consider polishing as a last resort.
I generally enjoy maintaining the finish on my cars, but having to use a ladder takes a lot of the fun out of it. I'm taking the easy way out now. I'm not spritzing with a touch up after every wash, for instance.
But I'm getting to the point where I need to clay or decontaminate the car. My initial ceramic coating is doing pretty well at 3 1/2 years, even after more than its share of tunnel car washes.
I did take it back to the same place, after a stern lecture about what he did wrong and what he needed to do to correct it. I played the pised off old guy with an attorney on speed dial and believe I intimidated his 20 something butt in to taking me seriously. I pointed out some minor swirl marks in the paint which indicated he hadn't even done the correction properly and let him know I'd be looking for those marks to be gone as proof he had buffed off the botched coating and done it right this time. He had the car for about 10 hours and when I picked it up, the job had been fixed to my satisfaction. I didn't have to go to the hassle of suing him and hopefully he learned a valuable life lesson.
Welll lets make sure he didn't burn the clear coat now. Put it under some gas station lighting at night. If they're too aggressive they could have caused holograms
I'm under the impression that claying a ceramic coated car will shorten the ceramic life.
Do you agree?
After all, claying is kind of like a mini polish, and I only consider polishing as a last resort.
I generally enjoy maintaining the finish on my cars, but having to use a ladder takes a lot of the fun out of it. I'm taking the easy way out now. I'm not spritzing with a touch up after every wash, for instance.
But I'm getting to the point where I need to clay or decontaminate the car. My initial ceramic coating is doing pretty well at 3 1/2 years, even after more than its share of tunnel car washes.
Depends on what kind of claying you do. If you do an aggressive claybar then yes, if you use one of these modern clay towels then no it won't.
I would use DIY Detail's iron remover and their clay towel. You can use the iron remover as the clay lube, that combination will not abrade the coating. They're sold out if the iron remover right now but I have the clay towel and its excellent:
Hey there! sorry to hear about your GLE's ceramic coating issues. The streaks indicate the product dried too fast due to high temperatures. I recommend having the detailer remove the existing coating using a solvent-based cleaner and polish. Then, reapply the coating in a cooler, controlled environment to ensure a proper bond. Given my 6 years of experience working at AZ Auto Aesthetics located in Mesa, I would suggest it to you.
I can highly recommend Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra. It is professional only and I had my 2020 GLE-450 coated in April 2020. The car was paint corrected and coated by a company just starting out in the business. I just checked and it is still in business. The guarantee is 9year and the finish right now is like new! By the way the car is parked outside 1 mile from the Pacific coast. It is hand-wash only and cleans up so fast it is ridiculous. Stains, bird crap etc. come right off. Very happy that I had it done.
Welll lets make sure he didn't burn the clear coat now. Put it under some gas station lighting at night. If they're too aggressive they could have caused holograms
There is a huge difference between $1,800 and $8,000 lol
$8,000 is expensive to have the whole car done in PPF, let alone a ceramic coating. $1,800 is not unusual, $8,000 is insane.
I have ceramic coated the last 4 cars I have had too, it’s no big deal at all. Most new coatings don’t require two coats and applying the coating is wipe on wipe off. All the effort is in the prep, and if the car is new and doesn’t need any paint correction it’s easy peasy.
I did not say $8k for each car. I said I spend $8k for all the cars I applied with CC.
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