CaptainRyan

Hi all -

Posted this in the detailing forum and did not receive any replies. Cross posting here; hopefully that does not break forum rules.

Took delivery of a 2017 Glacier White Q7 a few weeks ago. Coming from a 2012 Q7 TDI - what a huge difference! Loving the car!

I need some advice... I am eager to have a ceramic coating applied to the car. I had my previous Q7 coated and it was the best money spent. I have not thought much about adding a protective film (clear bra) in addition to a ceramic coating... until my detailer said I should seriously consider it. He explained to me how newer paints today are thinner and no where near as hard/tough.

He has offered me a bundle package... Xpel Front hood full wrap (no lines), front fender, headlights, mirrors, and door guards. CeramicPro 9H for paint, CP on all plastics, CP on glass, and complete wheel removal, coating wheels and calipers with CP.

Any advice here? Not sure what to do on the film. Car is garage kept and I fortunately work from home... so the car isn't burning up the highway roads on a daily basis.

Appreciate the input.
-Ryan

Spaceframe

Have you considered using Gtechniq Crystal Serum instead of Ceramic Pro? I had Opti-Coat put on my last car and love the results. Crystal Serum is reported to be slicker and keeps the car looking cleaner between washings. I am planning to go with that on my Q7 when it comes.

I have no experience with films, so can't comment.

drive4fun

If I had to choose one, I would get the film over the ceramic coating for three reasons (1) the film will protect against chips, which the coating won't do. (2) the hood and front end is the most visible piece of the car, and putting a coating over film isn't that additive in terms of protection from swirls (3) you are garaging the car which reduces the need for a coat.

Most of the cost of ceramic coating is the prep work, which your detailer should be doing anyway if he's putting on film, so you hopefully should be getting a large discount combining the two, which may make it worth getting both. Taking off the coating may not cut down the price much, as the coating is a huge margin business for the detailer and paint film is lower margin, so that may also push you to get both.

CaptainRyan

I am not familiar with Gtechniq, but will look into it. My previous Q7 had Opti-Coat and I too loved the results. Thanks @Spaceframe

CaptainRyan

Makes sense, drive4fun. I appreciate the details. The more I research, the more I cannot figure out the best decision to make.. LOL.

I spoke to the owner of the detail company. I asked him to put together his 'best price' for a bundled package. Here are the details:

Coating:
Ceramic Pro 5year (1 layer of 9H; 1 layer of CP Light)
1 Layer of CP Plastic (Exterior)
1 Layer of CP Glass (Exterior)
Remove Wheels, coat entire wheel and brake calipers w/CP Wheel

Paint Protection Film:
Complete Hood wrap
Front Bumper
Headlights
Mirrors
Door Edge Guards
Door Handle "Puddles" (Inside of Door Handle)

w/Bundled Discounts the total price is (round numbers) $2600.
If I only do the Ceramic Coating; that price is $1600.
So for $1k I get the above film protection as well.

#DontKnowWhatToDo

drive4fun

I only did a cursory price check in the Spring for my own Q7 and ultimately got lazy and decided to do nothing, but $2600 for the bundle seems like your detailing person is giving you a zero discount for buying both at the same time. I would see if he offers just the film for just $1K, as that seems like a more reasonable price than $1.6K for ceramic coating.

rsilvers129

It's all so much money. I couldn't imagine doing either one. Is this really better than if the original paint just had one more layer of clear coat?

djpeaksd

Ok so I have had 3 cars coated and didn't know about ceramic coatings 2 years ago. To me they are game changers. First question. How long do you keep your cars? Is this a lease or purchase? For me, I keep a car for a max of 3 years so paying the extra for film is not really worth it imo. In looking at your numbers they seem to be on par with what we just paid for my sisters Model X. C quartz finest and full prep was $1,700 and he quoted $550 for film which included front bumper, headlights, mirrors, door handles, and door jams.

I personally don't agree with some of the above comments. When your car is nano coated you don't have to wax the dang thing and it repels water so easy, makes cleaning so much easier and makes your car so more scratch resistant and it adds a crazy pop to the paint. Out of all the coatings I have personally seen my favorites are C Quarts, Modesta, and Gtechniq.

DuckQ7

All of these pricing seems to be on the cheaper side compared to where I've been asking (Southern California).

@OP - where are you from?
@djpeaksd - where do you go for your coating/film?

djpeaksd

Elite Finish detail. Wes Walz is the owner and the master installer for Cquartz finest in the nation. Dude is a perfectionist and turns out some special work. I live in Encinitas and his shop is about 20 minutes south of me. Not sure if you are in LA or what but if you happen to be down here I can definitely make an introduction. Can't say enough about him and his whole shop.

He sold his S4 last year but has awesome cars and coffee events at his shop all the time. He partnered with SDwrap and Auto armour under one roof so it really is like a 1 stop shop.