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Hi,
I am in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. I purchased a new Q5 in November. I am considering getting a protective coating for the exterior. Is a protective coating worth it? Any advice on which one? What are the costs & time needed? Any recommendations on where to get it applied would be great.
Thanks!!
Where to begin.... First. Here is a link to a thread on RennList (Porsche) that people contribute to about good (and bad) detail shops. It's focused on paint protection film (PPF) installers, but PPF and Coatings go hand in hand for many people. It will at least give you a good idea of what shops might be in your area and if they are recommended by RennList users.
That said.... Both my A7 and 911 have PPF and a ceramic coating. I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Pick time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
Hope that helps and hope others comment also.
Any questions let me know. Here is a pic a Gisele after her coating / PPF last month.
The 7 looks really nice !
I'm in the process of doing this right now, as DIY. I just picked up a brand new, white, 2016 A6 TDI. The dealer cleaned it up, but not well enough. I just finished the buffing / polishing and am getting ready to start applying PPF. Full hood and fenders, bumper, headlights, mirrors, door sills, lower doors. After that, I will be applying Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, topped with Evo4. I am debating whether or not to apply a wheel coating. ....You must apply ppf first, as it won't adhere too well to ceramic coated surfaces.
I'll wait to see how this comes out before trying it on one of the red cars. I have been pretty happy with Carnuba wax, other than it takes time.
The 7 looks really nice !
I'm in the process of doing this right now, as DIY. I just picked up a brand new, white, 2016 A6 TDI. The dealer cleaned it up, but not well enough. I just finished the buffing / polishing and am getting ready to start applying PPF. Full hood and fenders, bumper, headlights, mirrors, door sills, lower doors. After that, I will be applying Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light, topped with Evo4. I am debating whether or not to apply a wheel coating. ....You must apply ppf first, as it won't adhere too well to ceramic coated surfaces.
I'll wait to see how this comes out before trying it on one of the red cars. I have been pretty happy with Carnuba wax, other than it takes time.
You're braver than I, but would love to see pics when complete. I debated the wheel coating also, but elected to not do it. My detailer said that with the high heat from the tires and brakes that the longevity of rim coatings is not great. Instead I'm using CarPro Hydro2 on the wheels on a monthly basis and that works to reduce the brake dust and make cleaning easier although its not a perfect solution
I am a little nervous about the full hood and fenders. I've never done any film that big, but the new film is a lot easier to work with.
I would think that some of these ceramics would handle the wheel heat easy enough. I would like to find something as the wheels on the 6 look like they will be a pain to clean.
Car as received
Polishing phase - masked off, debadged
I like to take off the plate holders and seal the top and side edges, to keep water from getting behind it, otherwise it always ends up dripping for an hour after washing.
Where to begin.... First. Here is a link to a thread on RennList (Porsche) that people contribute to about good (and bad) detail shops. It's focused on paint protection film (PPF) installers, but PPF and Coatings go hand in hand for many people. It will at least give you a good idea of what shops might be in your area and if they are recommended by RennList users.
That said.... Both my A7 and 911 have PPF and a ceramic coating. I'm a fan, but certainly pros and cons. However, before that a couple tips:
1) Make sure you have a paint correction done before a coating. A paint correction is having the paint polished so its near perfect (no swirls, scratches, dull marks, etc...). It also removes any surface contaminants that might prevent the coating from adhering to the surface. Any detail shop that is willing to just slap on a ceramic coating without a correction you need to run away from. Depending on the condition of the paint a correction will run $500-$1K.
2) Don't have the dealer do it. Look for a independent shop with a good reputation. It will cost less and have a better result.
Pros
1) Essentially you never have to wax/seal your car for the life of the coating. Pick time saver 2x per year.
2) Increase shine and gloss over sealants
3) Hydrophobic qualities means that water and dirt don't stick to the car as a daily driver. Stays cleaner longer
4) Your washing process is quicker. I laugh because it takes me longer to clean my wheels on the car than the paint surfaces on the car. Blast of water takes 80% of the dirt off. Drying is also fast as most the water slides off
Cons
1) Cost. Figure $1-$2K for a quality professional coating. The paint correction is in addition to that.
2) Coatings are not maintenance free. Sure you can get a coating and never do anything again, but to help maintain the coating and prolong the life you will need to do a silicone spray sealant every month or two. It takes all of 20 minutes and most of them are spray on and wipe off.
3) Coatings do nothing to protect you from rock chips. That's what PPFs are for
4) Coatings while harder than sealants/waxes, they are not impervious. They will resist swirl marks longer, but if you are taking your car through automatic car washes or those 10 minute "hand wash" shops over time you will get scratches and swirl marks. Coatings are not an excuse for poor washing practices.
Hope that helps and hope others comment also.
Any questions let me know. Here is a pic a Gisele after her coating / PPF last month.
Well stated and agree 100%. I have had the last few cars coated - 2 professionally and one by myself. PPF on last 2 cars. Were I to buy a new car I would do coating and PPF; were I to lease a new car, I would just coat the car myself.
Regarding coating the wheels - my wheels were coated - Nanolex professionally applied, along the rest of the car (2017 Allroad) and it is holding up extremely well. Makes wheel cleanups a breeze.
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Finish protection
